Results 581-600 of 1,352 for speaker:Mary Fitzpatrick

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill 2022: Discussion (Resumed) (21 Feb 2023)

Mary Fitzpatrick: There has been much talk about the mandatory guidelines. However, there has also been much talk about the proposal for a ten-year plan. If one listens to all contributors for long enough, one gets persuaded by all arguments. The representatives from the CCMA are quite bold in saying that ten years is a good thing. I understand their reasoning. I was a local authority member and I am...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill 2022: Discussion (Resumed) (21 Feb 2023)

Mary Fitzpatrick: Absolutely.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill 2022: Discussion (Resumed) (21 Feb 2023)

Mary Fitzpatrick: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: National Children's Hospital (15 Feb 2023)

Mary Fitzpatrick: I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House today. This morning I seek an update from the Minister for Health on the proposal to name the new national children's hospital after Dr. Kathleen Lynn. The campaign to name the national children's hospital after Dr. Kathleen Lynn has been led by the 1916 Relatives Association and has the support of my own party, Fianna Fáil, as well...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: National Children's Hospital (15 Feb 2023)

Mary Fitzpatrick: Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit. I should have thanked everybody who is still working on the construction of the hospital. That was remiss of me. It is tremendous to see it coming out of the ground and everybody who has worked on it is to be congratulated and commended. It will absolutely transform not only the provision of care for the patients, the young people who are 25%...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (15 Feb 2023)

Mary Fitzpatrick: I wish to remind the House of what is happening in Türkiye and Syria. More than 17 million people in that area have been affected. There is talk about more than 38,000 people having died already. The costs will run to in excess of €100 billion. When we go about our daily business we need to keep that in mind. I acknowledge the Government's donation of €10 million...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (15 Feb 2023)

Mary Fitzpatrick: No, there is plenty of ball involved. I say good luck to Ms Sturgeon and her family. I thank her for her service and wish her well.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (9 Feb 2023)

Mary Fitzpatrick: I would like to raise the issue of the campaign that is just over a year old now in Drumcondra to save our hall. The Corpus Christi Hall, on Home Farm Road, has been a parish resource for the people of Drumcondra for decades. It was a place where young children and not-so-young adults learned to dance. Women got together in breast-feeding clubs and knitting clubs. All sorts of activities...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill: Discussion (Resumed) (9 Feb 2023)

Mary Fitzpatrick: I thank Ms Buckley, Mr. Cussen and their teams for giving of their time today. It is precious. We really appreciate and value the work they all do daily. The objective here is to ensure that we have a planning process that is consistent and clear and in which people can have confidence. I apologise for not having been physically present for the opening statements and discussion so far...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill: Discussion (Resumed) (9 Feb 2023)

Mary Fitzpatrick: There was a lot of discussion about fines and penalties for the board not meeting timelines, accepting the statement that even with no backlog, the board does not always achieve 100% of the deadlines. Ms Buckley mentioned that other effective measures could be taken to ensure adherence to timelines and I ask her to elaborate on this.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill: Discussion (Resumed) (9 Feb 2023)

Mary Fitzpatrick: What we want to achieve is consistent and timely decisions that are objectively arrived at and can be objectively defended.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill: Discussion (Resumed) (9 Feb 2023)

Mary Fitzpatrick: With regard to the timings, and appreciating that it is not something that has yet been defined, the idea of an 18-week timeline is out there. One expectation the public will have, despite the approximately 730 pages of the Bill, is that it will streamline the process. It will standardise and streamline it and lead to efficiencies of process and practice. Is the public incorrect to expect...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill: Discussion (Resumed) (9 Feb 2023)

Mary Fitzpatrick: Absolutely.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill: Discussion (Resumed) (9 Feb 2023)

Mary Fitzpatrick: Yes, I have.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill: Discussion (Resumed) (9 Feb 2023)

Mary Fitzpatrick: I have several questions.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill: Discussion (Resumed) (9 Feb 2023)

Mary Fitzpatrick: I promise I will be as efficient as humanly possible. There has been a lot of discussion around resources and how every sector is struggling to get human resources, be it bus drivers or restaurant workers. There is not one sector that is not struggling with resources. How are both organisations engaging and working with the Departments of Education and Further and Higher Education,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill: Discussion (Resumed) (9 Feb 2023)

Mary Fitzpatrick: It is an interface.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (8 Feb 2023)

Mary Fitzpatrick: I call for a debate with the Minister for Justice on the deployment of a dedicated public transport Garda unit. I have raised this issue many times in the House, including, most recently, on the Order of Business last week, following on from the debate in the Seanad on 25 January this year. I welcome the students in the Gallery. I am sure many of them use public transport in this city,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill 2022: Discussion (7 Feb 2023)

Mary Fitzpatrick: I thank the Department officials for this enormous piece of work; it is really impressive. We are 20 years on and the world has changed so rapidly. The 700-odd pages are daunting for a layperson like me and will be daunting for much of the general public as well. The work the Department is doing to improve the consistency, clarity and certainty around our planning is important. What is...