Results 61-80 of 7,627 for speaker:Ruairí Ó Murchú

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Community Development Projects (16 Oct 2025)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: The community recognition fund has been used by Louth County Council and many others for very worthwhile projects, including in relation to the return of old council land to parkland. I know a number of projects did not get through the gap, and I would like to think they will have an opportunity in the future.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Community Development Projects (16 Oct 2025)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: The emphasis has to be on the delivery of projects because there is not much point in having very good applications but not seeing the outworkings. The Minister visited a number of the play parks and pieces of work that have been done, which were well enough steered by Louth County Council. It is great to see that level of improvement. We are talking about parks that have been incredibly...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Community Development Projects (16 Oct 2025)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: I would agree. The preference has to be to put in place infrastructure that can be used in the future. I think we would all agree on that. At the same time, there may have been some projects that were beneficial from a community point of view that had made applications, and I would make an argument about their long-term continuity. I know the St. Patrick’s Day parade had looked for...

Committee on Children and Equality: Child Poverty and Deprivation: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Oct 2025)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: I will quickly follow on from that. On the poverty targets, will the witnesses go into some sort of detail on how they are actually calculated and how we can compare methods here versus the AROPE methodology?

Committee on Children and Equality: Child Poverty and Deprivation: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Oct 2025)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: Is it fair to say that we are not where we would like to be in relation to this particular issue? In fairness, Deputy Dempsey spoke about and got a reply on the lack of a cost of disability payment right now. The witnesses have made a statement on the promise of a task force. I would say there is a particular issue there that at the minute. I have about 14 questions and will probably...

Committee on Children and Equality: Child Poverty and Deprivation: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Oct 2025)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: I am going to state that there is an insufficient amount of any of that happening. Anyone who works in the field will also state that. We are failing, therefore, and have failed multiple generations of children. We have seen successes but they have generally been pilot schemes that we have not expanded sufficiently and whatever else. On the issue that was brought up about specialist...

Committee on Children and Equality: Child Poverty and Deprivation: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Oct 2025)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: Feel free. I allow a lot of flexibility.

Committee on Children and Equality: Child Poverty and Deprivation: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Oct 2025)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: I agree with what Deputy Farrelly said. I get that sport is not the be all and end all for everybody but once you have that notion of greater community engagement, it removes the isolation. It is absolutely necessary for people from what are sometimes termed hard-to-reach communities. Unfortunately, we do not have enough of that. There was commentary earlier about budget analysis and...

Committee on Children and Equality: Child Poverty and Deprivation: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Oct 2025)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: How granular is the analysis? There is the specific issue of the lack of a cost of disability payment at this point in time and there was the removal of one-off payments that were specific to disability?

Committee on Children and Equality: Child Poverty and Deprivation: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Oct 2025)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: Okay. We are talking about the Department of the Taoiseach leading out but this is cross-departmental too. How exactly will that work out? I know there will be an attempt to utilise the likes of DEIS and promises were made about RAPID. Could Ms Canavan tell me how that entire framework works and what will be done to reach the 3% target?

Committee on Children and Equality: Child Poverty and Deprivation: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Oct 2025)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: Integrated services were mentioned earlier and there is a lack of them.

Committee on Children and Equality: Child Poverty and Deprivation: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Oct 2025)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: That is absolutely vital. Beyond the initial screening piece, we need an infrastructure and framework that can provide. In the disability committee, it was suggested that schools could combine with psychology, occupational therapy and speech and language therapy services, with all of it working together. If that can happen earlier, it would be worthwhile. We are mid-table at the minute....

Committee on Children and Equality: Child Poverty and Deprivation: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Oct 2025)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: I assume that as part of our engagements and operations as we seek to deal with the most complex of cases, we look at best practice in countries where things are being done particularly well. While there may be statistical issues, are we looking to learn from other countries and then to employ their methods?

Committee on Children and Equality: Child Poverty and Deprivation: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Oct 2025)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: I accept that, but I am asking whether we look at this from the point of view that there is best practice in particular fields. The Department is dealing with those who work at the coal face of complex family issues and the supports that are necessary.

Committee on Drugs Use: Intergenerational Trauma: Discussion (16 Oct 2025)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: At times, we all use the same terminology around here. Sometimes, that terminology is correct, like the term “trauma informed”. It is about the idea of integrated services, which we do not necessarily have. Almost everything works in silos. We all love talking about early interventions and how necessary they are, but they do not always happen. For the past while in the...

Committee on Drugs Use: Intergenerational Trauma: Discussion (16 Oct 2025)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: It is very simple.

Committee on Drugs Use: Intergenerational Trauma: Discussion (16 Oct 2025)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: Both, yes.

Committee on Drugs Use: Intergenerational Trauma: Discussion (16 Oct 2025)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: It is about having everything where it is needed.

Committee on Drugs Use: Intergenerational Trauma: Discussion (16 Oct 2025)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: It is no different to talking about kids. We can put the supports they need in there, largely, and engage families and all the rest of it and then you get a far better bang for buck.

Committee on Drugs Use: Intergenerational Trauma: Discussion (16 Oct 2025)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: I think Dr. Lambert was talking about the scared straight programme. That was the idea. It was talked up for years in America. It was the idea of taking kids in to prison. You can imagine what the interaction would have been. They found when they checked the percentages that a huge amount of those kids did not end up engaging. However, while there was a whole pile of kids that were...