Results 5,661-5,680 of 11,187 for speaker:Colm Burke

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Citizenship Applications (22 Feb 2022)

Colm Burke: 639. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the progress to date in respect of a citizenship application by a person (details supplied) in which an additional requirement of Garda vetting is required; the impact this process has had on the application to date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9552/22]

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Services Staff (22 Feb 2022)

Colm Burke: 805. To ask the Minister for Health if the HSE provides peer support workers in the mental health services in Cork; if so, if the HSE will provide the number of posts available in Cork, the locations of such posts and the work involved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9665/22]

National Retrofitting Scheme: Statements (17 Feb 2022)

Colm Burke: I fully support the very ambitious programme the Minister has launched. There will be major challenges in delivering it. We are speaking about more than 500,000 homes benefiting over a period. It is important that we look at the existing structures and the defects that exist to make sure we can deliver in a timely manner. Recently, I spoke to someone who applied to the SEAI more than two...

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (17 Feb 2022)

Colm Burke: I am sorry but I have not seen that happening recently. The situation is that anyone who wants to buy privately has to go 10 miles away to find a house to buy. They are being excluded from the market in the area that they grew up in and went to school and college in because all of these houses are being purchased by the voluntary housing agencies.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (17 Feb 2022)

Colm Burke: I understand that €3.26 million was allocated to local authorities to bring some of these treatment plants up, so that they could be taken in charge by Irish Water. I got the figure of €3.26 million.

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (17 Feb 2022)

Colm Burke: Ms Graham said that 566 such estates were identified. Since 2019, how many of these have been brought in and taken over by Irish Water?

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (17 Feb 2022)

Colm Burke: Does Ms Graham not accept that there are two problems major problems here? First, there is an environmental issue, where there is no-one actually in charge of maintaining these facilities. Second, people have purchased houses and paid a substantial amount for them but they are now in a situation where if anything goes wrong on the estate, the local authority will not do anything for them....

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (17 Feb 2022)

Colm Burke: Is there a specific target or time period by which all of these will be dealt with? Ms Graham said that these are privately owned, but it must be remembered that the local authorities received contributions from the builders. Many of the companies involved in building these houses ended up in NAMA, and, therefore, there is no one that these people can come back at. Another issue is that...

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (17 Feb 2022)

Colm Burke: Does Ms Graham accept that there is a bit of buck passing going on here? The Department is saying that it is a local authority issue, the local authorities are saying they cannot get the funding, and Irish Water is saying it is not their problem because they do not have any responsibility. Can we get everyone around the table and say that this is the programme for the next four years so we...

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (17 Feb 2022)

Colm Burke: I want to also touch on another issue, which is voluntary housing agencies buying up housing estates. Whereas a private developer has an obligation to provide a certain number of houses for social housing, when voluntary housing agencies come in, they are buying up entire estates. Then, the person who may want to buy a house there is excluded from the whole area. I have come across a...

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (17 Feb 2022)

Colm Burke: This is a case where developers have received planning permissions for building estates, and they intended selling privately, but housing agencies come in. When a housing agency or a voluntary housing agency buy, it is one transaction. Whether it is for 20, 50,or 80 houses, it is one transaction. It is very attractive from a developer point of view but it is not very good for an area where...

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 34 - Housing, Local Government and Heritage (17 Feb 2022)

Colm Burke: I apologise for the delay in joining the meeting. I will turn to the issue of funding to Irish Water and local authorities in respect of stand-alone sewage treatment facilities. I have a concern, which I have raised in the Dáil in the last week. The response I am getting is that there is a large number of stand-alone treatment facilities. There is a huge number of these stand-alone...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Community Development Projects (17 Feb 2022)

Colm Burke: 11. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the total amount of funding provided to community and voluntary organisations specifically to assist with the impact of Covid-19; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8653/22]

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Community Development Projects (17 Feb 2022)

Colm Burke: I thank the Department for the work it has done. My question is on the funding provided to community and voluntary organisations specifically to assist with the impact of Covid-19. This funding was extremely beneficial in helping communities. Now it is about trying to encourage communities to get back into full action. We have had the Covid-19 stability fund and the town and village...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Community Development Projects (17 Feb 2022)

Colm Burke: I thank the Minister of State. The community activities fund he outlined is a €9 million fund. My understanding is that demand for the fund may have exceeded the total funding available. Is any provision being made whereby additional money can be put into this? It is extremely important. The town and village renewal scheme had funding of €15.4 million. This goes back to...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Community Development Projects (17 Feb 2022)

Colm Burke: I thank the Minister of State and the Minister for all the work particularly during Covid-19.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Regional Development (17 Feb 2022)

Colm Burke: 10. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the engagement her Department has had on the development of new regional enterprise plans; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8652/22]

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Regional Development (17 Feb 2022)

Colm Burke: This question is about the development of the new regional enterprise plans. I understand that nine plans are to be developed. What progress has been made on them and what engagement has taken place? When are the plans to be finalised and when will they be launched?

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Regional Development (17 Feb 2022)

Colm Burke: Under the rural development policy for 2021 to 2025 there are 152 policy measures in the framework plan. For example, policy measure 25 is to promote awareness, and the use, of remote working hubs. That is a problem in my constituency. There are three hubs in my constituency but approximately 50% of the people in one of the areas involved do not have access to broadband. There is a...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Regional Development (17 Feb 2022)

Colm Burke: The parish of Inniscarra has been divided in two with the extension of the city boundary. Half of the parish is now in the city and half is in the county. It is a huge community. We have been very lucky in developing community facilities. There are over 50 acres of community grounds between rugby pitches, soccer pitches, GAA pitches and camogie pitches, but there is no broadband.