Results 401-420 of 1,020,527 for in 'Dáil debates' OR in 'Committee meetings' (speaker:Margaret Conlon OR speaker:Holly Cairns)

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: International Protection (21 May 2024)

Joe O'Brien: I heard about the letter in question and I tracked it down today. I am glad it was the Deputy who read the piece into the record, rather than me. My analysis of that commitment was that it showed an incorrect understanding of the different between our mainstream housing supports and IPAS housing supports.

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: International Protection (21 May 2024)

Alan Kelly: It is in black and white.

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: International Protection (21 May 2024)

Joe O'Brien: Nevertheless, that is my interpretation of what was written there. That is unfortunate. Notwithstanding that, I understand how the community feel about this. We will endeavour to talk to the resettlement team. There is potentially a role here as well for the new local authority integration teams. There is potentially a role for the programme I oversee, the social inclusion community...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Departmental Funding (21 May 2024)

Departmental Funding

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Departmental Funding (21 May 2024)

Claire Kerrane: There is something very special about the East Galway and Midlands Cancer Support centre in Ballinasloe, which I visited last week. The last time before that I had visited was during Covid. It is a place where you instantly feel at ease. You go in the back door and it is like going into your own home. The first thing you see is the kitchen table and the kettle. It is a very welcoming...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Defective Building Materials (21 May 2024)

Malcolm Noonan: We will take on board those last few points. Regarding the date of 29 June, the Deputy will be aware that the review can take place. The Minister has consistently acted with empathy on this issue. He has shown that empathy in his engagement with affected families. The reconstitution of the working group is one part of it. There is also a subgroup, which met from January to April 2024...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: International Protection (21 May 2024)

International Protection

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: International Protection (21 May 2024)

Alan Kelly: The matter I am raising is unique. We all know that the issues surrounding asylum seekers and refugees in our country are significant at the moment, but the town of Borrisokane, County Tipperary is unique. The Minister of State visited it and met people there. Unfortunately, various protests have been occurring across Ireland from time to time. In Borrisokane, though, the people are up in...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: International Protection (21 May 2024)

Joe O'Brien: I thank the Deputy for this question. I acknowledge the efforts of the people of Borrisokane over the past four or five years in helping people feel at home. Ireland and many other European countries are experiencing a significant increase in people seeking international protection. The arrival numbers remain significantly elevated. In the first 20 weeks of 2024, nearly 8,000 people...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Wind Energy Guidelines (21 May 2024)

Malcolm Noonan: On community engagement, supplementary to the wind energy guidelines, there is a code of practice for wind energy development in Ireland and guidelines for community engagement. I am of the view that under the Aarhus Convention and public participation directive that engagement should take place at an early stage of any process or development of onshore or offshore. That is important. On...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Wind Energy Guidelines (21 May 2024)

Éamon Ó Cuív: Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit.

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Defective Building Materials (21 May 2024)

Defective Building Materials

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Defective Building Materials (21 May 2024)

Joe McHugh: Fáilte ar ais, a Aire Stáit Noonan. I often wonder who listens to the words of TDs. In fairness, at the different times the Minister of State has been here, he has listened. He has been compassionate and showed empathy. However, this is an important question for departmental officials in particular. I certainly do not want to go down the road of bashing officials. They are...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Defective Building Materials (21 May 2024)

Malcolm Noonan: Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta as an cheist seo. He knows I am aware of the deep trauma that this has caused families in areas affected by defective concrete blocks. Seeing reporting as I have in the media, it has a significant impact on families. As the Deputy is aware, the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, commenced the Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Defective Building Materials (21 May 2024)

Joe McHugh: I thank the Minister of State for the response. He is correct in saying that the legislation states that, within 12 months of the legislation being enacted, the Minister of State has the discretion to increase it by up to 10%. It is important that I point something out. Even at this early stage of the scheme, while the officials' interpretation is that there is no robust data, there is...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Wind Energy Guidelines (21 May 2024)

Malcolm Noonan: I thank Deputy Ó Cuív for raising this Topical Issue matter. At the outset, I would like to highlight that the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage has responsibility for planning guidelines for onshore wind energy development. Following a recent transfer of functions from this Department, the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications has...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Wind Energy Guidelines (21 May 2024)

Éamon Ó Cuív: This reply is unusually helpful. We normally get two or three pages that never address the issue until the last three lines. I thank the Minister of State for that and for the effort that has been put into giving a meaningful answer. I think he would agree it would a reasonable supposition that whatever guidelines are brought in on land in terms of height versus setback would apply on near...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Inflation Rate (21 May 2024)

Alan Farrell: I acknowledge all of those measures, particularly the temporary measures. I acknowledge of course the nature of them and their careful impact on the inflation rate. However, part of the reason I asked this question was to do with what I would refer to as ongoing creep, particularly in the inflation on consumer goods, services and fuel, which remains stubbornly high. We are 15 cent or 20...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Inflation Rate (21 May 2024)

Bernard Durkan: On the same lines, I ask the Minister the extent to which his Department remains vigilant in relation to the actual causes of the inflation affecting a large range of consumer goods. In themselves they do not seem greatly worrying but put together they constitute a fairly sizable impact insofar as the purchaser, the consumer, is concerned and they gradually eat away into the confidence of...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Inflation Rate (21 May 2024)

Michael McGrath: The dynamics of energy prices have been key in driving the headline inflation rate over recent years. The initial driver of inflation was a surge in energy prices that followed the Russian invasion of Ukraine. This substantially disrupted the supply of energy, in particular of natural gas, of which Russia was a large exporter to Europe. Wholesale gas prices peaked at £4 per therm in...