Results 5,421-5,440 of 11,255 for speaker:Colm Burke

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Victim Support Services (29 Mar 2022)

Colm Burke: 113. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the progress being made in implementing supporting a victim’s journey; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16240/22]

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic (29 Mar 2022)

Colm Burke: 180. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the Government’s position on the recently proposed compromise text put forward by some European Union countries, the United States, South Africa and India that would allow some developing countries to authorise the production and use of patented Covid-19 vaccines and potentially Covid-19 treatments without the...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (29 Mar 2022)

Colm Burke: 912. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the percentage of private felling licences issued of the total felling licences issued in January, February and to date in 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16621/22]

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (29 Mar 2022)

Colm Burke: 911. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his departmental officials have held any meetings specifically to address the decline in afforestation applications; if so, the actions that have been taken; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16620/22]

Public Accounts Committee: Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland: Financial Statements 2020 (24 Mar 2022)

Colm Burke: I thank the Chairman. I apologise to him and to our guests for being late for the meeting. I had a number of prior engagements. I thank our guests for their presentation. I wish to raise number of questions, some of which may have been covered already. My apologies if that is the case. One of my concerns relates to the timeframe, namely, from the time an application is lodged to the...

Public Accounts Committee: Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland: Financial Statements 2020 (24 Mar 2022)

Colm Burke: In this particular house, an inspection took place after two years and still no work has been done. We are now running to two and a half years. From the time that the application went in then to the time of the work being done, it is going to run from three to three and a half years.

Public Accounts Committee: Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland: Financial Statements 2020 (24 Mar 2022)

Colm Burke: Yes, my apologies. I was referring to the survey at the start the process.

Public Accounts Committee: Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland: Financial Statements 2020 (24 Mar 2022)

Colm Burke: The survey has now taken place so when would that person expect to have the work done?

Public Accounts Committee: Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland: Financial Statements 2020 (24 Mar 2022)

Colm Burke: Does Dr. Byrne not accept that 33 contractors for the entire country is very small number in real terms if the SEAI really wants to make an impact on this scheme? It should be remembered that it has a great deal of additional money in its budget for this year. If it only has 33 contractors for the entire country, does Dr. Byrne not accept that is too low a number to get delivery of the...

Public Accounts Committee: Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland: Financial Statements 2020 (24 Mar 2022)

Colm Burke: Dr. Byrne mentions the output from the current contractors. All building contractors will say they have challenges recruiting employees. One may even run into difficulties with the existing 33 contractors as regards delivery. When it comes to getting new contractors into the scheme, what time target does the SEAI have?

Public Accounts Committee: Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland: Financial Statements 2020 (24 Mar 2022)

Colm Burke: A number of the people I have been talking to in the building industry over the past two weeks have made the point that a lot of people have walked away from contracts for building work. They have decided not go ahead with their house extensions or renovations. I spoke to one builder who lost three building contracts in one week and they were contracts for new houses. We may well have a...

Public Accounts Committee: Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland: Financial Statements 2020 (24 Mar 2022)

Colm Burke: I have dealt with a lot of building contractors over the years and they have often mentioned the timescale for getting paid, especially in public service contracts. It is a big complaint that I constantly receive. What is the average time from when a contract is finished to the contractor getting paid?

Public Accounts Committee: Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland: Financial Statements 2020 (24 Mar 2022)

Colm Burke: Why does it take 12 weeks? Normally, when a bill is sent out it must be paid within 30 days. A period of 12 weeks is equal to three months or 90 days. If we want to get people into this scheme to deliver on projects then surely we will have to deliver payment. I presume the contractors would provide materials at a cost and materials are extremely costly. Therefore, should the SEAI not...

Public Accounts Committee: Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland: Financial Statements 2020 (24 Mar 2022)

Colm Burke: I raise this issue because I hear that quite a number of contractors have walked away from doing work for local authorities because they are finding huge delays in payment, that no one will talk to them but that they have to pay the suppliers. Supplies are even more difficult to get so a lot of builders are having to pay up front for them, which puts even more pressure on them. That is why...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Hospital Doctor Retention and Motivation Project: Discussion (23 Mar 2022)

Colm Burke: Going back 20 years, I know someone who worked as a junior doctor and who was on-call 136 hours one week and 76 hours the following week. They were on what we call a “one in two” call. They worked every day from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. and they were on call every second night and every second weekend. There has been a move away from that and there has been some change. The...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Hospital Doctor Retention and Motivation Project: Discussion (23 Mar 2022)

Colm Burke: Can I go back to the issue of employment of junior doctors who are on six-month or 12-month contracts? Could we work towards a system? I remember doing a lot of work on this in 2012 or 2013, when I did a report on it. Could we go back to a situation whereby instead of being given a 12-month contract or a six-month contract, a doctor is given a three-year contract, for example, and is able...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Hospital Doctor Retention and Motivation Project: Discussion (23 Mar 2022)

Colm Burke: Dr. Humphries is suggesting that we go into the issue by employing more consultants, but I hear big arguments from consultants. For instance, I spoke to a consultant who I think works in Galway or in the north west. She came back from the United States, where she had two days of operating time per week. Now she has a half day per week. She tries to get three operations done within her...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Hospital Doctor Retention and Motivation Project: Discussion (23 Mar 2022)

Colm Burke: It appears that when we were dealing with the pandemic, hospital doctors took over the management of hospitals, to a large extent. They did a very good job while they were in charge, but that seems to have gone back again. They now seem to have very little say in when they can get a space in theatre and when they can get access to beds. There seems to be a huge clawback on the progress...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Hospital Doctor Retention and Motivation Project: Discussion (23 Mar 2022)

Colm Burke: Is it not the case that there was positive feedback from the doctors because they were in charge, rather than someone else dictating the terms?