Results 701-720 of 2,904 for speaker:Pat Buckley

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (5 Dec 2023)

Pat Buckley: 458. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if there is any additional supports available to the families and the services users of a creche (details supplied) which is closed due to recent flooding and will not reopen again until May 2024 with the loss of over a hundred places and is forcing family members to take time off work as a result of no...

Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community: Traveller Accommodation (30 Nov 2023)

Pat Buckley: Excellent, I thank Mr. Joyce.

Committee on Public Petitions: Reform of Insurance for Thatched Heritage Buildings: Discussion (30 Nov 2023)

Pat Buckley: I thank both Ministers of State for coming today. I recognise that the Minister of State, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, is very busy, and there is a lot of work. The insurance market as a whole is extremely difficult and competitive. The Minister of State mentioned that the premiums for public liability, etc., are decreasing. The people with thatched cottages are caught between a rock and a...

Committee on Public Petitions: Reform of Insurance for Thatched Heritage Buildings: Discussion (30 Nov 2023)

Pat Buckley: Again, I acknowledge the work the Minister of State has put into it. Following her engagement with the insurance companies, they are now talking about it. That is positive. People outside this committee expect answers today. Every day we come to the committee they want answers on that day. As I said, I am a realist. I welcome that we have opened the conversation. I thank the Ministers...

Committee on Public Petitions: Visit of Kenyan Delegation (30 Nov 2023)

Pat Buckley: I welcome the ambassador and the delegation. We enjoyed the interaction yesterday. It was extremely educational. We did not have enough time to go through everything. One funny thing is that today is an historic day. The delegation is part of history. It is the first time we have had a delegation from another petitions committee meet our petitions committee. It is now on the record....

Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community: Traveller Accommodation (30 Nov 2023)

Pat Buckley: I thank Bernard for his opening statement. I thought there would be more kick in it. He is being politically correct, to an extent. I know where he is coming from. Many years ago I sat on the Travellers consultative committee on Cork County Council. A very large number of Travellers sat on the committee, were very vocal and went on strike one time in protest. It shows powers. I see...

Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community: Traveller Accommodation (30 Nov 2023)

Pat Buckley: If you go onto certain sites you meet hostility and stuff and how do we break down that barrier? The perfect example is when we were on the county council that time when the Irish Traveller Movement met with the Travellers and had that consultative committee. That forum was absolutely powerful and it got rid of all the fears, the suspicion and the aggression. Whether one is a policy maker...

Committee on Public Petitions: Reform of Insurance for Thatched Heritage Buildings: Discussion (Resumed) (30 Nov 2023)

Pat Buckley: I thank the witnesses for coming in. It is about insurance for thatched houses and I will return to that. One thing I hate is maths, but I was doing some just there based on the Alliance for Insurance Reform figures. The three companies mentioned, between dividends and profits alone, have €163.5 million, while families or pubs whose buildings have thatched roofs are unable to get...

Committee on Public Petitions: Reform of Insurance for Thatched Heritage Buildings: Discussion (Resumed) (30 Nov 2023)

Pat Buckley: I am sorry to cut across Mr. Curtin, but he spoke of being "willing" to work and we have listened to the two Ministers of State-----

Committee on Public Petitions: Reform of Insurance for Thatched Heritage Buildings: Discussion (Resumed) (30 Nov 2023)

Pat Buckley: It is something at least. We have had many meetings where there are five different Departments or agencies all trying to solve the one problem and all coming up with a different plan instead of coming into one room and all agreeing on one plan. I cannot get my head around it. I understand the point of profit in any business, but if the insurance companies are working with the Departments...

Committee on Public Petitions: Reform of Insurance for Thatched Heritage Buildings: Discussion (Resumed) (30 Nov 2023)

Pat Buckley: I am sorry; could the shareholders with €163.5 million not subsidise a bit of it? Does Ms Murdock get me? It is that piece in the middle. We are talking about empathy, businesses and profit. They do not mix in a pot. I know where Ms Murdock is coming from but people who are listening outside this House will have heard about the pool scheme. The Cathaoirleach read out a statement...

Committee on Public Petitions: Reform of Insurance for Thatched Heritage Buildings: Discussion (Resumed) (30 Nov 2023)

Pat Buckley: That is struck out.

Committee on Public Petitions: Reform of Insurance for Thatched Heritage Buildings: Discussion (Resumed) (30 Nov 2023)

Pat Buckley: Yes, that idea has been struck out.

Committee on Public Petitions: Reform of Insurance for Thatched Heritage Buildings: Discussion (Resumed) (30 Nov 2023)

Pat Buckley: Would they have to go back to-----

Committee on Public Petitions: Reform of Insurance for Thatched Heritage Buildings: Discussion (Resumed) (30 Nov 2023)

Pat Buckley: That is where I am coming from. I will be very quick and give an example. When I was taking out my mortgage, I had to get house insurance. I had to have an alarm and so on. Those were the regulations and stipulations. The first fire, and only fire I had in my house, was the bloody alarm system they wanted to put in so I could get my mortgage put down. There was a €600 excess to...

Committee on Public Petitions: Reform of Insurance for Thatched Heritage Buildings: Discussion (Resumed) (30 Nov 2023)

Pat Buckley: We are going to be facing something similar to this in my own town with the recent flooding and stuff. I understand companies have to make a profit but not extortionate profits from the suffering of someone else. Well before the recent flooding in Midleton, we had a flood back in 2015 or 2016 that did a lot of damage. People were coming into my office saying they could not get house...

Committee on Public Petitions: Reform of Insurance for Thatched Heritage Buildings: Discussion (Resumed) (30 Nov 2023)

Pat Buckley: If I was a member and I was in the pot of €163.5 million, I would say "I have a good idea - the fire brigades are getting slower to the house fires so we will put up the premiums". It is not a concern that people are going to get burnt inside the house. It is a case of "if we put up the premium, that increases our profit". Do the witnesses know what I mean? It seems to be excuses...