Results 4,181-4,200 of 5,683 for speaker:Thomas Gould

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Marine Planning Area Bill 2021: Committee Stage (Resumed) (4 Nov 2021)

Thomas Gould: I ask the Minister of State to take on board amendments Nos. 130 and 131 specifically. The intention behind them is to be positive and constructive. They propose to bring in people with skills and knowledge who would be independent and add to the board. There should also be a representative from the fishing industry because people in that industry have the most practical and hands-on...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Marine Planning Area Bill 2021: Committee Stage (Resumed) (4 Nov 2021)

Thomas Gould: I take the Chair's point.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Marine Planning Area Bill 2021: Committee Stage (Resumed) (4 Nov 2021)

Thomas Gould: The Minister of State referenced his amendment No. 129. He believes that provides balance. Can the Minister of State explain how it assist in balancing the board? He stated that my party's amendment will create an opposite imbalance. He may call me old-fashioned if he wants, but I would sooner have an imbalance based on expertise, law and knowledge. That is why I believe that amendment...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Marine Planning Area Bill 2021: Committee Stage (Resumed) (4 Nov 2021)

Thomas Gould: On the point the Minister of State made about the board, I noted his comparison with NPHET and his statement that it is the Government that makes the final decision. This is different. We want the people on the board, who are making the final decision, to have the expertise.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Marine Planning Area Bill 2021: Committee Stage (Resumed) (4 Nov 2021)

Thomas Gould: Who is going to make it?

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Marine Planning Area Bill 2021: Committee Stage (Resumed) (4 Nov 2021)

Thomas Gould: We are saying, through amendments Nos. 130 and 131, that we believe people with the skills and abilities in question should be on the board. It is vital to have representatives from the fishing industry on the board. We are talking about independence, transparency and confidence in the board. I am aware that the Minister of State has tabled amendment No. 129 but he could have gone...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Marine Planning Area Bill 2021: Committee Stage (Resumed) (4 Nov 2021)

Thomas Gould: I have a question.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Marine Planning Area Bill 2021: Committee Stage (Resumed) (4 Nov 2021)

Thomas Gould: Can I ask one question?

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Marine Planning Area Bill 2021: Committee Stage (Resumed) (4 Nov 2021)

Thomas Gould: I have been very brief.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Marine Planning Area Bill 2021: Committee Stage (Resumed) (4 Nov 2021)

Thomas Gould: Is the Minister of State giving a commitment that the other seven members will not be civil servants from Departments but that they will all be independent?

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Marine Planning Area Bill 2021: Committee Stage (Resumed) (4 Nov 2021)

Thomas Gould: I am not saying that.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Marine Planning Area Bill 2021: Committee Stage (Resumed) (4 Nov 2021)

Thomas Gould: We are looking for clarity about who is on the board to ensure it is independent. I am trying to work with the Minister of State.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Marine Planning Area Bill 2021: Committee Stage (Resumed) (4 Nov 2021)

Thomas Gould: I move amendment No. 130: In page 46, to delete line 15 and substitute the following: “(vii) six other persons from environmental non-governmental organisations and university departments who have an expertise in marine biodiversity, environmental protection and European environmental law.”.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Marine Planning Area Bill 2021: Committee Stage (Resumed) (4 Nov 2021)

Thomas Gould: I move amendment No. 131: In page 46, between lines 15 and 16, to insert the following: “(viii) a representative of the fishing industry.”.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Derelict Sites (3 Nov 2021)

Thomas Gould: 98. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the amounts levied on derelict sites by local authorities in 2020; the overall market value of sites on the register; and the levies still outstanding by local authority. [53525/21]

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Coroners Service (3 Nov 2021)

Thomas Gould: 142. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if her Department allocates funding to Cork City Council to fund the Coroner’s Court in Cork. [53610/21]

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: General Scheme of the Public Health (Tobacco and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Bill 2019: Department of Health (3 Nov 2021)

Thomas Gould: I would like to start where Ms Gordon has just finished. During the lockdown many people may have watched a lot of TV. I could not believe the number of new shows and series, such as those commissioned in the past five years, where major characters in all of the shows were constantly smoking. Some of the series were period dramas but many were more up-to-date shows or set in the future....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: General Scheme of the Public Health (Tobacco and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Bill 2019: Department of Health (3 Nov 2021)

Thomas Gould: On that point, I must let the Chairman know that the clock has not started and we are two minutes into this questioning.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: General Scheme of the Public Health (Tobacco and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Bill 2019: Department of Health (3 Nov 2021)

Thomas Gould: I thank the Chairman. I started smoking in my teens and I am off them a year. I smoked for 40 years. I had made numerous attempts. Every 1 January I would make an attempt. For many years when I played sports I was able to stay off them for a couple of years at a time. Playing sports gives a person a huge incentive not to smoke. I go back to the point made by Ms Gordon in her...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: General Scheme of the Public Health (Tobacco and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Bill 2019: Department of Health (3 Nov 2021)

Thomas Gould: On that point, could we make the flavours available by prescription only? That would introduce regulation. At the moment, a person who is under 18 can go into a shop and buy bubblegum flavoured e-cigarettes. This law, which we support, will ban e-cigarettes for those under 18. However, an 18-year-old or a 19-year-old will still be able to buy bubblegum or candy flavoured e-cigarettes....