Results 561-580 of 8,976 for speaker:Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Defective Concrete Blocks: Discussion (Resumed) (8 May 2024)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: Homeowners from Mayo, Clare and Donegal recently gave evidence to the housing committee and clearly articulated that, unfortunately, this scheme is going to fall short for most homeowners. We are facing an outcome whereby only those who have significant sums will be able to afford to access the scheme, because what they are doing is taking out the foundations and rebuilding their homes to...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (8 May 2024)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: 67. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if a child's first-time passport (details supplied) will be processed in time for travel on 5 May 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20270/24]

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Budgets (8 May 2024)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: 469. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will make available the total budgeted amount allocated to each CDNT area in County Donegal (details supplied) from 1 January 2023 to 31 December 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20685/24]

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Budgets (8 May 2024)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: 470. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will make available the total expenditure of the allocated budget spent for each children's disability network team, CDNT, area in County Donegal (details supplied) from 1 January to 31 December 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20686/24]

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Disability Services (8 May 2024)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: 471. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the current staff vacancy rates in each of the CDNT areas in Donegal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20687/24]

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Health Services Staff (2 May 2024)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: Will the Minister meet the Donegal branch of Diabetes Ireland? As he knows, it is highly respected. He needs to meet its members face-to-face to get their account of what is happening so he can best address the issues.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Health Services Staff (2 May 2024)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: The Donegal branch of Diabetes Ireland is urgently requesting a meeting with the Minister. He met the group briefly in a hotel in Donegal in 2022. The group was hoping to meet with the Minister last year, but the situation has got even worse since the meeting happened in 2022. The issue concerns adults with type 1 diabetes and the lack of endocrinologists, podiatrists and advanced nurse...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Health Services Staff (2 May 2024)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: What the Minister has just read out does not tally with the request for the meeting that has been sent to him. The Donegal branch of Diabetes Ireland has said that the situation with patient safety at the hospital is "beyond critical". There is currently no endocrinologist in the hospital and there are three vacant posts. There are no advanced nurse practitioners. Two posts were not...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Defective Concrete Blocks: Discussion (1 May 2024)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: We will not take long, if the Leas-Chathaoirleach could bear with us for a while.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Defective Concrete Blocks: Discussion (1 May 2024)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: I will not be particularly long because Deputy Doherty has gone through much of the detail. Is that okay with Deputy McHugh or does he want to come in now?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Defective Concrete Blocks: Discussion (1 May 2024)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: Deputy McHugh can go ahead. We have got an hour and ten minutes. Is that okay?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Defective Concrete Blocks: Discussion (1 May 2024)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: Yes, go ahead.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Defective Concrete Blocks: Discussion (1 May 2024)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: It has been very interesting listening to the responses that have been given. Starting with Mr. Owens, he gave evidence to the housing committee on 13 July 2023. He was here with the National Standards Authority of Ireland. That is not too far away from a year ago. Mr. Owens reported about insurance risk and said: There are a number of reasons for the reluctance of engineers to join the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Defective Concrete Blocks: Discussion (1 May 2024)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: Yes. To quote again what Mr. Owens said back in July last year, and in fairness he has repeated it here today "Some engineers are of the opinion that IS465 is not fit for purpose". I would say it is a very large number of engineers, based on the engineers I am talking to in Donegal. Does Mr. Owens stand over that view himself?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Defective Concrete Blocks: Discussion (1 May 2024)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: That is fine. I thank Mr. Garrett. Could Mr. Owens state whether the engineers who work for the Housing Agency are members of Engineers Ireland?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Defective Concrete Blocks: Discussion (1 May 2024)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: Crazily, Engineers Ireland has qualified, trained, eminent engineers on its register whose recommended option is being overruled by other engineers on the register. What is Mr. Owens's view on that?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Defective Concrete Blocks: Discussion (1 May 2024)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: The difference is that one set of engineers is not indemnified while the other set is. Is that correct?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Defective Concrete Blocks: Discussion (1 May 2024)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: Having listened to the whole exchange today, I think about the ordinary person at home. Whether affected by defective blocks or not, taxpayers are currently in circumstances in which what the Government calls a multibillion-euro redress scheme, the biggest in the history of the State, is based on a standard that was a desktop study. There is eminent scientific evidence emerging that it...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Defective Concrete Blocks: Discussion (1 May 2024)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: In fairness, in Engineers Ireland's evidence to the housing committee almost a year ago, it made it clear that some of its members – I would argue most of them, but that is my interpretation – had a major concern about IS 465. That evidence was given in front of representatives of the National Standards Authority of Ireland. Is Mr. Owens concerned that it has not even issued...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Defective Concrete Blocks: Discussion (1 May 2024)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: Is a certificate of remediation provided for option one under the current scheme?