Results 6,441-6,460 of 6,816 for speaker:Darren O'Rourke

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Transport Policy (23 Sep 2020)

Darren O'Rourke: 47. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport when the national transport forum will be established. [25928/20]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (23 Sep 2020)

Darren O'Rourke: 113. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the efforts her Department and agencies under her remit are making to address the shortage in school bus transport; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25929/20]

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Covid-19: Strategic Options for Government Plan to Eliminate Community Transmission (23 Sep 2020)

Darren O'Rourke: I will move quickly into questions for Dr. McConkey. I am interested in samples that are tested. We get results back stating the virus is "not detected". Is there a result stating there is insufficient sample? I want to know more about sample quality. I know from my experience in laboratories in testing solid tumours that we can identify if a tumour is present. Then we can run it or...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Covid-19: Strategic Options for Government Plan to Eliminate Community Transmission (23 Sep 2020)

Darren O'Rourke: Is it correct to say they are separate things? One is a process failure. If the controls and the process run well but the sample is empty, for example, will it return an "insufficient sample" result?

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Covid-19: Strategic Options for Government Plan to Eliminate Community Transmission (23 Sep 2020)

Darren O'Rourke: My follow-up question is about the sample integrity in the swab. How long is a sample viable? I am mindful that some people are getting swabs taken and maybe have to wait for a couple of days before the sample is analysed. Do we know how long the samples are viable?

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Covid-19: Strategic Options for Government Plan to Eliminate Community Transmission (23 Sep 2020)

Darren O'Rourke: Will Dr. McConkey estimate for how many days the sample would be viable and its integrity maintained in the swab?

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Covid-19: Strategic Options for Government Plan to Eliminate Community Transmission (23 Sep 2020)

Darren O'Rourke: We have had much discussion on the testing strategy. Talk has shifted from 100,000 tests a week, the criteria were extended too much and the focus shifted from certain risk groups to others. For example, last week we took focus away from meat plants to test my two and a half year old who was very low risk . If the witnesses were to design a testing strategy for Ireland, what would it look...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Covid-19: Strategic Options for Government Plan to Eliminate Community Transmission (23 Sep 2020)

Darren O'Rourke: Will Dr. Ryan also comment on the testing strategy and refer to the Government's plan for living with Covid and its commitment to recruit medical scientists, contact tracers and people for taking swabs? Is it sufficient or comprehensive enough?

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Covid-19: Strategic Options for Government Plan to Eliminate Community Transmission (23 Sep 2020)

Darren O'Rourke: What would airport testing look like?

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: North-South Interconnector (22 Sep 2020)

Darren O'Rourke: 72. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the recent representations he has received on the need to underground the North-South interconnector in view of the recent decision in Northern Ireland to grant planning permission for the North-South interconnector, including representations from elected representatives; and if he will make a statement on the matter....

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: North-South Interconnector (22 Sep 2020)

Darren O'Rourke: I will not repeat my concerns on this topic from earlier. Has the Minister met or will he meet representatives of North East Pylon Pressure and Monaghan Anti-Pylon who have been campaigning on this issue for years? Sinn Féin, North and South, has been very clear and upfront in our position on the North-South interconnector.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: North-South Interconnector (22 Sep 2020)

Darren O'Rourke: The Minister mentioned EirGrid's engagement involving community liaison officers and a mobile information unit. I would like the Minister to meet people in the community to see what those words mean in those communities. The way EirGrid has handled this project and how it is perceived have the opposite effect to that presented by EirGrid. The same is said of the sponsorship of local...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: North-South Interconnector (22 Sep 2020)

Darren O'Rourke: The Minister in the North - not the Executive in the North - granted planning permission for the project in the North. My colleagues have called for the Minister to come before the Assembly and explain that decision. In February 2017 the Dáil passed a Fianna Fáil motion calling for no further work to be done on the North-South interconnector until a fresh analysis and a full...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Renewable Energy Generation (22 Sep 2020)

Darren O'Rourke: The Minister will be aware of the international comparisons with Scotland, for example, and many parts of Scandinavia in terms of the state infrastructure that is available to facilitate communities which want to connect to the grid. The Minister might outline his plans to build that infrastructure. All of this contributes to the price of electricity in Ireland, which we know is among the...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Renewable Energy Generation (22 Sep 2020)

Darren O'Rourke: On the price of electricity, does the Minister believe, on the basis of his exchanges with them, that providers are still intent on increasing prices? Are they still on that trajectory or will the Minister's intervention or that of the energy regulator provide some relief for customers? I am sure the latter would very much welcome an update on that. Regarding the community...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: North-South Interconnector (22 Sep 2020)

Darren O'Rourke: 63. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the estimated cost of undergrounding the North-South Interconnector compared to the current plan; the date on which the cost comparisons were calculated; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25604/20]

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: North-South Interconnector (22 Sep 2020)

Darren O'Rourke: Gabhaim buíochas leis an Leas-Cheann Comhairle. This is an issue that I have already raised but will continue to raise with the Minister as this Government looks set to repeat the mistakes of the past. The need to connect our two grids on the island is vital, even for the solar improvements we spoke of earlier. The current plan however for the North-South interconnector is putting...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: North-South Interconnector (22 Sep 2020)

Darren O'Rourke: Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire. The Minister raised the report of 2018. He must know that the community has no confidence in this report. It never did and I understand why. It is not the case that the community saw the report, did not like it, and walked away from it. They said from the very outset that they did not have confidence in the inquiry team, in the terms of reference, or...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: North-South Interconnector (22 Sep 2020)

Darren O'Rourke: The solution here, and I want to contribute to finding a solution, is to co-design an independent review of the undergrounding option involving all of the stakeholders, with the identification of a suitable panel of inquiry and independent consultants, where the terms of reference and the methodology to be employed will be co-designed with the stakeholders. We have never had that. In...

Ceisteanna (Atógáil) - Questions (Resumed) - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Renewable Energy Generation (22 Sep 2020)

Darren O'Rourke: 64. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the way in which he plans to grow the number of community owned renewable energy projects in view of the recently approved results of the RESS auction; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25605/20]