Results 41-60 of 3,310 for speaker:James O'Connor

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Road Projects (30 Sep 2025)

James O'Connor: 165. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the current status of road projects in Cork county (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51606/25]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Disadvantaged Status (30 Sep 2025)

James O'Connor: 463. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding DEIS Urban Band 1 status for a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51565/25]

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Sports Funding (30 Sep 2025)

James O'Connor: 528. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment further to Parliamentary Question No. 597 of 17 September 2025, the status of the review of the previous round of community sports facilities fund; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51447/25]

Written Answers — Department of Health: Healthcare Policy (30 Sep 2025)

James O'Connor: 836. To ask the Minister for Health her plans to implement spinal muscular atrophy screening in the national heel-prick test (details supplied; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51131/25]

Written Answers — Department of Health: Medical Cards (30 Sep 2025)

James O'Connor: 865. To ask the Minister for Health if she will consider raising the income threshold for medical card eligibility due to the increase in the cost of living; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51397/25]

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Enterprise, Tourism and Employment: Competitiveness and the Cost of Doing Business in Ireland: Discussion (Resumed) (24 Sep 2025)

James O'Connor: Good afternoon, I welcome everyone to our eighth public meeting and to our first meeting after the summer recess. Before we proceed, I have a few housekeeping matters to go through. I wish to explain some limitations to parliamentary privilege and the practices of the House as regards references witnesses make to other persons in their evidence. Witnesses are protected by absolute privilege...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Enterprise, Tourism and Employment: Competitiveness and the Cost of Doing Business in Ireland: Discussion (Resumed) (24 Sep 2025)

James O'Connor: I thank Mr. Gibbons very much. We now proceed to Dr. Tom McDonnell, co-director, who is accompanied by Mr. Ciarán Nugent. I invite Dr. McDonnell to make his opening statement.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Enterprise, Tourism and Employment: Competitiveness and the Cost of Doing Business in Ireland: Discussion (Resumed) (24 Sep 2025)

James O'Connor: I appreciate that. That concludes our opening statements. We now proceed to the members. Number one on the speaking rota today is Fianna Fáil and Deputy Tony McCormack, followed by Sinn Féin and Senator Conor Murphy. Deputy McCormack, it is over to you.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Enterprise, Tourism and Employment: Competitiveness and the Cost of Doing Business in Ireland: Discussion (Resumed) (24 Sep 2025)

James O'Connor: Sorry to cut across you, Dr. McDonnell, but Mr. Nugent wants to come in very briefly and we have gone a minute over time.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Enterprise, Tourism and Employment: Competitiveness and the Cost of Doing Business in Ireland: Discussion (Resumed) (24 Sep 2025)

James O'Connor: It is okay.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Enterprise, Tourism and Employment: Competitiveness and the Cost of Doing Business in Ireland: Discussion (Resumed) (24 Sep 2025)

James O'Connor: Thank you. Unfortunately we have to proceed. We now go to Senator Conor Murphy from Sinn Féin.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Enterprise, Tourism and Employment: Competitiveness and the Cost of Doing Business in Ireland: Discussion (Resumed) (24 Sep 2025)

James O'Connor: I thank Deputy Hayes and Mr. Nugent. I call Deputy John Clendennen.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Enterprise, Tourism and Employment: Competitiveness and the Cost of Doing Business in Ireland: Discussion (Resumed) (24 Sep 2025)

James O'Connor: I am sorry, Mr. Gibbons would like to come too.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Enterprise, Tourism and Employment: Competitiveness and the Cost of Doing Business in Ireland: Discussion (Resumed) (24 Sep 2025)

James O'Connor: I am sorry. We will have to move on because we are three and a half minutes over time. We now go to the very patient Deputy Conway-Walsh.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Enterprise, Tourism and Employment: Competitiveness and the Cost of Doing Business in Ireland: Discussion (Resumed) (24 Sep 2025)

James O'Connor: Mr. Nugent has 30 seconds.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Enterprise, Tourism and Employment: Competitiveness and the Cost of Doing Business in Ireland: Discussion (Resumed) (24 Sep 2025)

James O'Connor: I will ask a couple of questions. I have found the contributions and some of the questions that have been posed extremely interesting. I am a Government TD as well as being Cathaoirleach of the committee. I would probably be bracketed in the disgruntled group. I have a couple of questions. I am interested in getting the witnesses' views, and I will share it around. Something I often...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Enterprise, Tourism and Employment: Competitiveness and the Cost of Doing Business in Ireland: Discussion (Resumed) (24 Sep 2025)

James O'Connor: An interesting point came up in discussions with the Department previously. I am interested in hearing the union standpoint on it. In terms of large-scale capital infrastructure projects in particular, we see international contractors in a number of countries around the world bringing in contract employment, although not so much within the European Union. Does Mr. Gibbons have a particular...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Enterprise, Tourism and Employment: Competitiveness and the Cost of Doing Business in Ireland: Discussion (Resumed) (24 Sep 2025)

James O'Connor: I have a question on that. I am very interested in this and am of the view that there is a lot to be learned from history. Mr. Gibbons has just given us a very interesting insight. At the time that it was built, Ardnacrusha took up one third of the State's entire resources. What this shows is that sometimes it is worth spending multiples of billions on infrastructure projects where there...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Enterprise, Tourism and Employment: Competitiveness and the Cost of Doing Business in Ireland: Discussion (Resumed) (24 Sep 2025)

James O'Connor: I have an observation to add to Deputy Gogarty's point. He asked some good questions. The amount of expert documents that come before any Member of the Oireachtas is enormous. We see strategies being published and new proposals being brought forward but it is about enacting them. Is it the capacity of the Civil Service? Is there a need for a summit on establishing goals and outcomes...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Enterprise, Tourism and Employment: Competitiveness and the Cost of Doing Business in Ireland: Discussion (Resumed) (24 Sep 2025)

James O'Connor: Absolutely. It is only a minor observation but walking up the steps into the Dáil, you look up and the roof is collapsing. There are literally pieces of the ceiling collapsing onto the Gallery as the Taoiseach is going in. It is indicative of the whole infrastructure of the State. I want to feed this back to Mr. Gibbons. I would be really insincere to him if I did not say it. I...