Results 501-520 of 951 for speaker:Garret Ahearn

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (17 Nov 2022)

Garret Ahearn: -----when they are going through the worst period they have ever gone through in 100 years. Chief executives and councils had a meeting recently, and it seems they came home from it with this idea. It should not be about-----

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: School Accommodation (16 Nov 2022)

Garret Ahearn: I also welcome the class from Swords. A day will come as the teachers know, when it will be a compliment rather than an insult to be classed as younger than you are. In time, they will see that as a big compliment. I welcome the Minister of State to the Chamber and thank him for taking the matter. I hoped the Minister, Deputy Foley, would be able to take it but obviously she is busy. It...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: School Accommodation (16 Nov 2022)

Garret Ahearn: I thank the Minister of State for his detailed response. He is correct. As I stated, significant funding has been allocated to school building across the country. In that regard, County Tipperary has been no different from the Minister of State's own county of Limerick, or anywhere else. He is correct that in the area there are two special schools - Scoil Chormaic Special School and Scoil...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Issues Facing Small Businesses: Discussion (16 Nov 2022)

Garret Ahearn: I apologise for the fact that I have only arrived to the meeting. I was listening online earlier and then I was speaking in the Seanad, so I heard most of the contributions at the start of the meeting. I thank the witnesses for their contributions and for the representations they make for small businesses, particularly in rural areas. As Mr. McGrane is aware, I am from County Tipperary. I...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Issues Facing Small Businesses: Discussion (16 Nov 2022)

Garret Ahearn: Mr. Jennings has said a couple of times that we need to talk seriously about the immediate problems. Is the scheme correct in the way it is formatted? It he just saying that it is not enough money?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Issues Facing Small Businesses: Discussion (16 Nov 2022)

Garret Ahearn: How much money? How much does that cost?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Issues Facing Small Businesses: Discussion (16 Nov 2022)

Garret Ahearn: Ms Buckley also asked that the scheme be backdated to 1 March rather than 1 September. Is 40% of the increase adequate?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Issues Facing Small Businesses: Discussion (16 Nov 2022)

Garret Ahearn: On that point, Clonmel is a prime example of how planners got it all wrong. Everything was moved outside the town and now the town centre is in real trouble. We are trying our best to get money to revitalise it and get businesses up and going again. It is a beautiful town centre but the businesses cannot compete with free parking outside and challenges like that. In fairness to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Issues Facing Small Businesses: Discussion (16 Nov 2022)

Garret Ahearn: When trying to have engagement between small businesses and local authorities, and trying to have a good relationship with each other, it is very hard to take local authorities seriously if their solution to solving their problem is to raise rates for businesses at the worst time for them in the history of the State.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (15 Nov 2022)

Garret Ahearn: I welcome the announcement by the Minister, Deputy Charlie McConalogue, of the €15.5 million that is being given in advance payments for the sheep welfare scheme. In Tipperary, 374 farmers will receive a total of just under €500,000. It is a substantial amount and I know they are grateful for it. Would it be possible to have a debate with the Minister on lamb prices? They...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (10 Nov 2022)

Garret Ahearn: The Minister for Rural and Community Development, Deputy Humphreys, is in Waterford this morning to announce rural regeneration development funding in Waterford and other places across the country. I almost feel like I need to apologise to my colleagues because, possibly unknown to the Minister, she has pretty much given all the money to Tipperary. We have received funding this morning of...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Further and Higher Education (9 Nov 2022)

Garret Ahearn: I thank the Minister of State for coming to the Chamber. This is technically a Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science issue, but this project incorporates the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage as well. Kickham Barracks was closed in 2014 and since then a plan has been put forward by Tipperary County Council to revitalise the town of...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Further and Higher Education (9 Nov 2022)

Garret Ahearn: I thank the Minister of State for his response. He is right that the Minister, Deputy Harris, has been to the fore and supportive of the proposal put forward by Tipperary County Council. It is about making sure the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science steps up and gives the funding it needs to give. That is what the Minister of State's Department...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (9 Nov 2022)

Garret Ahearn: There were an awful lot of good announcements in the tax measures brought forward in the budget a number of months ago, including the €500 tax relief credit that renters can apply for this year, next year and so on. The first time they apply for it, they can get two tranches, which will equate to €1,000 in credit. The good thing about that is that if someone is renting a house...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (9 Nov 2022)

Garret Ahearn: The landlord gets €14,000 for renting a room.

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna (Atógáil) - Commencement Matters (Resumed): Disability Services (26 Oct 2022)

Garret Ahearn: I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House for this very important Commencement matter. I thank him for being here, because it is in his Department. I would like to acknowledge the good work he is doing as Minister of State in the Department of Health. I tabled this Commencement matter on foot of the retirement of Dr. Victor O’Loughlin from his post as a consultant child...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna (Atógáil) - Commencement Matters (Resumed): Disability Services (26 Oct 2022)

Garret Ahearn: I thank the Minister of State. I know he has been working on this because we have spoken privately about it. I am grateful that a candidate has been offered a position. The start date cannot be soon enough. A professional from the UK currently comes over once a month. In this regard, the HSE is not fit for purpose. Certainly from the perspective of parents of children with disabilities,...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (26 Oct 2022)

Garret Ahearn: I will be talking about the same issue. I did not know Senator Lombard was going to talk about it. I also request a debate with the Minister of State with responsibility for special education on special schools and special needs assistants, SNAs, and teachers in particular. It is important to recognise the amount of funding announced in the budget last month. Some €2.6 billion has...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (26 Oct 2022)

Garret Ahearn: -----and they really need to be given a decent wage for the important work they do. The Minister of State, Deputy Madigan, visited Tipperary last week and she came to a number of schools. She visited two schools in particular, the fantastic special educational schools that we have in Cashel, namely, Scoil Chormaic and Scoil Aonghusa. She met the two principals, Lorraine Lowry and Siobhan...