Results 4,301-4,320 of 8,245 for speaker:Bríd Smith

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Change Advisory Council Annual Review 2019: Discussion (16 Oct 2019)

Bríd Smith: I agree with the last point made by Professor FitzGerald on the benefits of retrofitting local authority houses. I see this in my area and it is an extraordinary benefit to people. I want to focus on the principle of carbon taxes. It is something of an accepted narrative that where countries have introduced a significant carbon tax, emissions have declined significantly. I put it to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Change Advisory Council Annual Review 2019: Discussion (16 Oct 2019)

Bríd Smith: That is an argument but there is other evidence to show that it does not dramatically decrease emissions. If we look at the dramatic increase in emissions overall over the past few decades, this may be borne out. Carbon tax imposed on ordinary people to change their behaviour is a bad model, particularly in the model in Ireland where we have poor public transport, do not have access to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Change Advisory Council Annual Review 2019: Discussion (16 Oct 2019)

Bríd Smith: Not on the fee and dividend. I refer to recommendation No. 4, which stated could we examine a model that imposes a carbon tax on the fossil fuel and related industries.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Change Advisory Council Annual Review 2019: Discussion (16 Oct 2019)

Bríd Smith: They said it here a couple of weeks ago.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Change Advisory Council Annual Review 2019: Discussion (16 Oct 2019)

Bríd Smith: This the problem though. The Government was to give us a piece of research that incorporated everything Professor FitzGerald is talking about to look at fuel poverty and to come back on that before it introduced a carbon tax. We worked hard at it for days trying to come up with a form of words that would put the onus on the Government to examine fuel poverty before the introduction....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Change Advisory Council Annual Review 2019: Discussion (16 Oct 2019)

Bríd Smith: Our remit was ignored, I am afraid. I want to come back to the question of the role of the climate advisory council. One of its roles is to provide policy evaluation to Government based on the best available science. My question pertains to the advice that Professor FitzGerald provided to the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment on the future of gas and oil...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Change Advisory Council Annual Review 2019: Discussion (16 Oct 2019)

Bríd Smith: In fairness to the professor, he has had a considerable amount of time to explain his position.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Change Advisory Council Annual Review 2019: Discussion (16 Oct 2019)

Bríd Smith: I am not getting the same amount of time to give a contrary-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Change Advisory Council Annual Review 2019: Discussion (16 Oct 2019)

Bríd Smith: No, the time was used up by the professor. My questions were really short.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Climate Change Advisory Council Annual Review 2019: Discussion (16 Oct 2019)

Bríd Smith: This is my final comment. In the context of this critical issue, scientists claim we must keep fossil fuels in the ground. There is a serious divergence between Professor FitzGerald's advice to Government and what the global scientists scream at us every day.

Living Wage: Motion [Private Members] (15 Oct 2019)

Bríd Smith: I am sharing our limited time with my two colleagues, Deputies Mick Barry and Paul Murphy. I notice Deputy Penrose was afforded some liberty so I hope the same will be afforded to us.

Living Wage: Motion [Private Members] (15 Oct 2019)

Bríd Smith: I might be difficult as well in that case. I thank Sinn Féin for moving this very useful motion. It is striking that when social welfare recipients have been told to wait because of economic uncertainties and Brexit, we are now hearing the old refrain both from Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael that labour must wait once again as well. If the provisions of the Sinn Féin motion were...

Health and Childcare Support (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2019 [Seanad]: Second Stage (15 Oct 2019)

Bríd Smith: I support Deputy O'Reilly's important proposals. The Minister has told the House that, "Under the Good Friday Agreement, all the people of Northern Ireland are recognised as having the birthright to identify themselves and be accepted as Irish or British, or both, as they may so choose". Accordingly, the right to hold both Irish and British citizenship extends to them. Given the currency...

Parent's Leave and Benefit Bill 2019 [Seanad]: Committee and Remaining Stages (15 Oct 2019)

Bríd Smith: It is extraordinary to hear the party that claims to represent workers advocating a change in employment contracts on foot of a lobbying letter sent around from IBEC. I do not believe that the mistake referred to was a typographical error. It is directly taken from lines written by IBEC. An advertisement on the radio currently runs to encourage workers to use a solicitor in a case of...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Applications (15 Oct 2019)

Bríd Smith: 112. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the reason a child (details supplied) has not had their application processed; the reason the child's father has been asked to supply additional documentation that is readily available to the authorities; and if the request for a passport requires additional documentation. [42190/19]

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Operations (15 Oct 2019)

Bríd Smith: 284. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the reason documents confiscated from a person (details supplied) have not been either returned to the person or released to a member of An Garda Síochána. [42116/19]

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Visa Applications (15 Oct 2019)

Bríd Smith: 285. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the procedure including documents required for the issuance of a visa to the Iranian spouse of an Irish citizen. [42118/19]

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Gas Networks Ireland's Vision 2050: Discussion (15 Oct 2019)

Bríd Smith: I thank the witnesses for their presentation. Did they watch or read the exchanges last week at the Joint Committee on Climate Action with two scientists on the subject of gas as a transition fuel and, in particular, fracked gas from the United States?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Gas Networks Ireland's Vision 2050: Discussion (15 Oct 2019)

Bríd Smith: Does Mr. O'Sullivan take issue with any of what was said or does he agree broadly with Professors McMullin and Howarth?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Gas Networks Ireland's Vision 2050: Discussion (15 Oct 2019)

Bríd Smith: The reason I am asking this is that Professor Howarth, who joined us by video link from New York, has done the most advanced and recent research on methane and the damage it is doing in terms of the increase in global temperatures. He pointed out that we should be taking cognisance of upstream emissions. If we import fracked gas into Shannon, we should not ignore what was done in the course...