Results 421-440 of 3,621 for speaker:Martin Kenny

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Future Licences and Contracts to Connect Data Centres to the Gas Network: Discussion (15 Nov 2023)

Martin Kenny: Is it prohibitive cost-wise or what are the main issues there? Is the investment there? Is there capacity within that sector to deliver? Dr. Gallagher said there are issues regarding regulation and so on but if all of those were ironed out, how fast could that be done?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Future Licences and Contracts to Connect Data Centres to the Gas Network: Discussion (15 Nov 2023)

Martin Kenny: In their infancy.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Future Licences and Contracts to Connect Data Centres to the Gas Network: Discussion (15 Nov 2023)

Martin Kenny: The other issue in regard to that, and I suppose it comes into it, is the interconnectivity where we connect into other countries' supplies of electricity. France is the one that we most recently heard about. What capacity does that give us, where does that put us or does it do very much really?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Future Licences and Contracts to Connect Data Centres to the Gas Network: Discussion (15 Nov 2023)

Martin Kenny: If the battery issue is not resolved, will interconnectivity fill that gap? According to Mr. Gannon's statement, it is not looking good at the moment.

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Service 2023
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Supplementary) (15 Nov 2023)

Martin Kenny: I nominate Deputy Cathal Crowe.

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Service 2023
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Supplementary) (15 Nov 2023)

Martin Kenny: I thank the Minister very much for his opening statement and the detail provided. It is welcome on one level to see the NBP is progressing, and doing so at some pace. We still, however, get many people around the country very frustrated at the issues they are encountering. Everybody's individual issue is important to them. We also have businesses around the country, especially in rural...

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Service 2023
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Supplementary) (15 Nov 2023)

Martin Kenny: Has it enough staff to do the work it needs to do?

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Service 2023
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Supplementary) (15 Nov 2023)

Martin Kenny: I will go back to retrofitting. I spoke recently to a person who works with one of those contractors. I asked him about the types of houses they are working in. He confirmed something that I suspected and which really goes to the core of this issue. He felt it was reasonably well-off people who were getting retrofitting done. Such people had access to money. They would be able to get...

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Service 2023
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Supplementary) (15 Nov 2023)

Martin Kenny: I understand. This is an area in which there has been an underspend. I am bringing to the Minister's attention that part of the reason for that underspend is that the people who most need the assistance are those who cannot afford to avail of these schemes. The scheme needs to be readjusted in order to ensure we are not back here and considering further underspends in the future. I take...

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Service 2023
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Supplementary) (15 Nov 2023)

Martin Kenny: Just going back to retrofitting and the brief conversation we were having, I totally accept that great work is being done and particularly for people in local authority houses and so on. Many have schemes in place for that. However, there are a bunch of people, which I think is the majority, who are in the middle. They are people who are not in local authority houses. They are working and...

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Service 2023
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Supplementary) (15 Nov 2023)

Martin Kenny: They really need the funding to be able to carry out schemes and they are the ones who cannot get it. We see underspend here and last week the Committee on Public Accounts heard about the amount of money that was underspent, and it is really frustrating for those people. They are the people who are talking to us, and I am sure they are talking to the Acting Chair as well, who would love to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Citizens' Assembly Report on Biodiversity Loss: Discussion (Resumed) (14 Nov 2023)

Martin Kenny: While much of the discussion is focused on where we can go from here and what is happening out there, geography and geology have a major part to play in all of this. In the part of the world I come from, farming is much less intensive and there are a lot of mountains, bogs and forestry. Much of this forestry has historically been Sitka spruce and issues around this have caused serious...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Citizens' Assembly Report on Biodiversity Loss: Discussion (Resumed) (14 Nov 2023)

Martin Kenny: When Dr. Bleasdale says it has to be in partnership and dialogue with them, is that about building consensus around that plan?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Citizens' Assembly Report on Biodiversity Loss: Discussion (Resumed) (14 Nov 2023)

Martin Kenny: I accept that. The examples given by Dr. Bleasdale are valid, particularly those in the context of the Burren and all those places where it has worked and continues to work. In the areas where farmers are farming intensively and doing very well, however, it will be difficult to change their practices unless they are given something very big. That is the difficulty. The reality is that as...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Citizens' Assembly Report on Biodiversity Loss: Discussion (Resumed) (14 Nov 2023)

Martin Kenny: Absolutely. Dr. Bleasdale referred to protecting species - birds and insects and getting down to the basis of it. I made the point to him previously that farmers currently need to have a certain number of livestock units to get their base payments and if a beehive, for instance, was considered a livestock unit, that could effect change. Not only would farmers have an interest in doing...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Citizens' Assembly Report on Biodiversity Loss: Discussion (Resumed) (14 Nov 2023)

Martin Kenny: A beehive could become a livestock unit. I am not saying an individual bee should be a livestock unit. That would be pushing it. We need to think outside the box. Unless we can get farmers to buy into this and see a role from which they can generate productivity, we will not be able to deliver. That is the reality. I know farmers in many parts of the country who keep a small amount of...

Defective Dwellings Bill 2021: Second Stage [Private Members] (9 Nov 2023)

Martin Kenny: I also commend Deputy Duffy on bringing forward this legislation. It goes back to the 1970s or before, when many of the houses that were built across the State were not up to standard. We see them all the time. All of us would have people coming into our constituency offices talking about mould growing in their houses and dampness coming up through the floor. Some of them have to buy a...