Results 621-640 of 4,399 for speaker:Martin Browne

Committee on Public Petitions: Petition on Justice and Marine Safety: Discussion (22 Feb 2024)

Martin Browne: Do any of the other witnesses wish to speak before we go to members' questions?

Committee on Public Petitions: Petition on Justice and Marine Safety: Discussion (22 Feb 2024)

Martin Browne: Does Mr. Delaney wish to say a few words before questions are asked?

Committee on Public Petitions: Petition on Justice and Marine Safety: Discussion (22 Feb 2024)

Martin Browne: I assure the witnesses that the committee will try to do as much as we can to move Mr. Gaffney's case forward. It is scandalous that there has not been some resolution over that period of time. People's lives are at risk when they go to sea. Health and safety must be a high priority. Mr. Delaney touched on this. How did the Dutch and Germans keep passing that type of boat as safe, and...

Committee on Public Petitions: Petition on Justice and Marine Safety: Discussion (22 Feb 2024)

Martin Browne: Are those kind of books given by an independent entity or from a department?

Committee on Public Petitions: Decisions on Public Petitions Received (22 Feb 2024)

Martin Browne: Next on the agenda is consideration of public petitions. I propose that the petitions considered by the committee at this meeting and previous meetings may be published and that the replies from the Departments and other bodies may also be published. Is that agreed? Agreed. We have five petitions for consideration today. The first is P00021/21, which deals with taking in charge and...

Committee on Public Petitions: Decisions on Public Petitions Received (22 Feb 2024)

Martin Browne: The recommendation is that the petition be closed in line with the petitioner's request. I thank the petitioner for engaging and being happy with the petition process and I thank Tipperary County Council for its assistance. We will look for an update from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and Irish Water every three months. Do members have any views? Is that agreed?

Committee on Public Petitions: Decisions on Public Petitions Received (22 Feb 2024)

Martin Browne: I thank Mr. Coskeran. I know him well; he is from my county. We built up a good relationship with Tipperary County Council, which I think we should retain. Perhaps we should do the same with other councils as well. There are something like 860 estates throughout the country that are in the same sort of situation that Mr. Coskeran and his family were caught up in. It would be a good...

Committee on Public Petitions: Decisions on Public Petitions Received (22 Feb 2024)

Martin Browne: No. P00021/22 relates to the Kiltimagh water scheme and is from Mr. Tom Carney, who claims: We are a village of about twenty families in Kiltimagh co Mayo. The age ranges between twelve months and nights eight years old. We have never had a drinking water supply in our village. We started back in 2012 working with mayo council. Fast forward finally getting funding for a water supply to...

Committee on Public Petitions: Decisions on Public Petitions Received (22 Feb 2024)

Martin Browne: The right to water is a fundamental one. It is hard to believe that this community is going through this experiences and is struggling to resolve its case. Hopefully, we can have the same kind of feedback from and correspondence with Mayo County Council and get a similar result to what which we achieved with Tipperary County Council. No. P00040/23 relates to 17 years being the legal age...

Committee on Public Petitions: Decisions on Public Petitions Received (22 Feb 2024)

Martin Browne: The only thing we should mention is the issue of road safety, given the higher number of fatalities on the roads last year, when there were record numbers, and the number we have had already this year. No. 00045/23, entitled "Accept our Cash", is from Mr. Peter O'Donoghue. According to Mr. O'Donoghue: Today, more and more businesses and organisations in Ireland are implementing a policy...

Committee on Public Petitions: Decisions on Public Petitions Received (22 Feb 2024)

Martin Browne: If it is cash, yes.

Committee on Public Petitions: Decisions on Public Petitions Received (22 Feb 2024)

Martin Browne: The correspondence from the petitioner will be forwarded to the Department and to the Central Bank and we will get a reply back. Is that agreed?

Committee on Public Petitions: Decisions on Public Petitions Received (22 Feb 2024)

Martin Browne: That concludes our consideration of public petitions for this afternoon. I wish to invite members of the public to submit petitions via our online portal, petitions.oireachtas.ie. A petition may be addressed to the Houses of the Oireachtas on a matter of general public concern or interest or on any issue of public policy.

Committee on Public Petitions: Business of Joint Committee (Resumed) (22 Feb 2024)

Martin Browne: Under any other business, Deputy Buckley wishes to raise the issue of authorised and unauthorised developments on waterways in Ireland.

Committee on Public Petitions: Business of Joint Committee (Resumed) (22 Feb 2024)

Martin Browne: Yes. The recommendation is that the committee issues a further reminder to the ten local authorities that have not responded to the committee's initial request.

Committee on Public Petitions: Business of Joint Committee (Resumed) (22 Feb 2024)

Martin Browne: Sorry, there are eight local authorities that have not responded.

Committee on Public Petitions: Business of Joint Committee (Resumed) (22 Feb 2024)

Martin Browne: I thank the Deputy. Eight local authorities have yet to get back to the committee. It is a disgrace after this length of time, especially in light of all the work the staff have done, for example in reminding the councils that this information is being sought. Is there a national body for county councils? Can we bring it in? Perhaps it is a matter for the County and City Management...

Committee on Public Petitions: Business of Joint Committee (Resumed) (22 Feb 2024)

Martin Browne: The revenue is not going to the State. We found that out at the early stage of this. Someone needs to start answering. Maybe we can ask Waterways Ireland and the CCMA to come in and give their take on the local authority side of this.

Committee on Public Petitions: Business of Joint Committee (Resumed) (22 Feb 2024)

Martin Browne: Maybe the Department can come before the committee. There is no harm in asking the Department to come in. As was stated, there is another reminder going out to the remaining eight local authorities. It is a scandal that they have bypassed us for so long at this stage. Many councils got back to us straight away with one- or two-page replies and fair play to them. Are there any other...

Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024: Second Stage (21 Feb 2024)

Martin Browne: I will focus on the medical card aspect of this Bill, given the provision to exclude income relevant to the rent a room tax relief for consideration for a medical card means test. I cannot help but take issue with the fact that, as a measure, it does not treat all people equally in that property owners who participate in the rent a room scheme can have that income disregarded when it comes...