Results 4,661-4,680 of 9,148 for speaker:Jim O'Callaghan

Health and Criminal Justice (Covid-19) (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2021: Second Stage (3 Dec 2021)

Jim O'Callaghan: It is now 22 months since this House enacted legislation that imposed very significant restrictions on people's lives and freedoms. At the time Deputy Donnelly and I, as well as Deputy Lahart, were in opposition on the other side of the Chamber. In fairness to this Dáil, every party in this Chamber agreed with that legislation, which was enacted back in March 2020. All Independent...

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2021
Vote 26 - Education and Skills (Supplementary)
Vote 45 - Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (Supplementary) (2 Dec 2021)

Jim O'Callaghan: I thank the Minister and the Minister of State for coming before the committee today to discuss the Supplementary Estimates of €267 million. I support this and believe it is very worthwhile. I am conscious a significant portion of these Supplementary Estimates is for the purposes of meeting the challenges faced by the Department of Education with the ongoing incidence of Covid-19 in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Pandemic (30 Nov 2021)

Jim O'Callaghan: 297. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the steps that have been taken and may be taken to protect pregnant teachers and pregnant special needs assistants who may be exposed to Covid-19 during the course of their work; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [58350/21]

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Services (30 Nov 2021)

Jim O'Callaghan: 522. To ask the Minister for Health if additional funding will be allocated to help alleviate the pressure on Temple Street and Crumlin Children’s Hospitals in particular for the waiting lists of those children who are waiting to have surgery to combat scoliosis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58362/21]

Written Answers — Department of Health: Covid-19 Pandemic (30 Nov 2021)

Jim O'Callaghan: 662. To ask the Minister for Health if monoclonal antibody medicine, onapreve is available in Ireland for Covid-19 patients (details supplied). [58898/21]

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Leaving Certificate Reform: Discussion (30 Nov 2021)

Jim O'Callaghan: I thank our guests for coming before us. I will begin with a question for Dr. Smyth. She referred earlier to the leaving certificate being a very high-stakes exam. I think we all recognise that because it determines what a person does at third level and determines, to a certain extent, what his or her opportunities are going to be. Would there be any benefit in breaking the link between...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Leaving Certificate Reform: Discussion (30 Nov 2021)

Jim O'Callaghan: Are we unusual internationally in having access to third level be exclusively determined by the end of a secondary school exam?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Leaving Certificate Reform: Discussion (30 Nov 2021)

Jim O'Callaghan: I thank Dr. Smyth. I have a question for Dr. Freeman. The teaching of science appears not to have changed very much where the leaving certificate is concerned. It is still very much focused on physics, biology and chemistry. Do we need to reform the way the curriculum operates for the leaving certificate? If so, how does she think science could be better assessed at leaving certificate level?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Leaving Certificate Reform: Discussion (30 Nov 2021)

Jim O'Callaghan: Should we try to identify at an earlier stage people who have a particular capacity and ability for STEM subjects? Is that trying to make a decision too early in their educational careers?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Leaving Certificate Reform: Discussion (30 Nov 2021)

Jim O'Callaghan: It does. I will ask Ms Costello a question in respect of what was in her statement on behalf of IBEC. She referred to the fact that an education system should really be making students curious about what they are and are not learning. One of the criticisms of the leaving certificate is that people get out of habit of thinking for themselves and instead just rote learn answers they believe...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Leaving Certificate Reform: Discussion (30 Nov 2021)

Jim O'Callaghan: Mr. McDonnell referred in his paper to some concern about an ad hoc approach to continuous assessment. Do I detect from this that although Mr. McDonnell recognises the faults in the leaving certificate, he believes it is better than what would replace it if we had internal assessment by teachers?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Leaving Certificate Reform: Discussion (30 Nov 2021)

Jim O'Callaghan: Mr. Donohoe, like all the contributors, says it is extremely important to try to develop critical thinking among second level students and other persons. Is that possible in an exam structure that has questions that in general, have a right or wrong answer and do not enable somebody who displays different types of thought processes and analysis to gain points?

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (25 Nov 2021)

Jim O'Callaghan: 152. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality when she last met the Garda Commissioner. [57685/21]

Covid-19: New Measures: Statements (24 Nov 2021)

Jim O'Callaghan: I am sharing time with Deputy Murnane O'Connor. I remember 20 months ago, in March 2020, we were here debating the amendment to the Health Act 1947 in response to the pandemic that had just arrived on our shores. I know many other Members in the Chamber this evening were here when we were all congregated discussing the amendment of the Act and the emergency measures to be introduced to...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Inquiries (23 Nov 2021)

Jim O'Callaghan: 467. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality when the scoping exercise into the death of a person (details supplied) will be completed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [57088/21]

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (23 Nov 2021)

Jim O'Callaghan: 477. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if funding has been secured in 2022 for the purchase of additional dogs for the Garda dog unit and additional horses for the Garda mounted unit; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [57424/21]

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (23 Nov 2021)

Jim O'Callaghan: 478. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of Garda cars and motorcycles attached to Donegal roads policing unit as of 31 December 2020 and 12 November 2021, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [57425/21]

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: An Garda Síochána (23 Nov 2021)

Jim O'Callaghan: 479. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of gardaí in DMR north Garda division that have taken basic or refresher public order training in the years of 2019, 2020 and to date in 2021, in tabular form; if new public order training course for this division will occur before the end of the year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [57426/21]