Results 801-820 of 830 for speaker:Mark Wall

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Pandemic Unemployment Payment Scheme: Department of Social Protection (25 Nov 2020)

Mark Wall: I would like to be associated with the comments of other members of the committee on the work of the staff. The statistic that has struck me this morning from the two witnesses is that 18 months of work was carried out in two weeks. That is a tremendous achievement. The staff working in the Department are an asset. I would like to express my thanks to them for their work, and also for...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Pandemic Unemployment Payment Scheme: Department of Social Protection (25 Nov 2020)

Mark Wall: Mr. Hession mentioned the 17-year-olds. Could he comment on the issue? I have raised it before. Are there figures concerning those who have paid taxes but who are not entitled to the PUP? Where does Mr. Hession see the affected people going? This is raised with me fairly regularly.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Pandemic Unemployment Payment Scheme: Department of Social Protection (25 Nov 2020)

Mark Wall: I know 17-year-olds cannot vote at the moment but can the Department comment on the failure or inability of 17-year-olds to qualify for the PUP payment? I ask because the issue has been raised with me on a number of occasions.

Seanad: Living with Covid-19 Restrictions: Statements (Resumed) (18 Nov 2020)

Mark Wall: I too welcome the Minister of State back to the House. I also pay tribute once again to all of those who continue to put themselves forward to help others, both workers and the many volunteers who have come to the fore during this pandemic. I am aware of people with disabilities living independently who are only seeing their carers for 30 minutes in the morning and another 30 minutes in the...

Seanad: Flooding: Statements (18 Nov 2020)

Mark Wall: I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I look forward to working with him on many of these important matters. I reassure him that, unfortunately, flooding does not recognise the many Labour Party doors in the country.I wish to bring a number of flooding incidents to the Minister of State's attention, and I hope to be given updates on a number of flood relief schemes for the area...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (17 Nov 2020)

Mark Wall: I want to be associated with the words of my colleague, Senator Black, regarding the Debenhams workers. Today is day 222. That is 222 days on strike. They are going to be outside the Dáil at 1 o'clock today and I support Senator Black's call for a debate in this House. I raise the urgent need for additional secondary school places in south Kildare and for a new secondary school based...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Road Projects (17 Nov 2020)

Mark Wall: I thank the Minister of State for being with us. I am sorry the Minister for Transport, Deputy Eamon Ryan, is not here but I am sure the Minister of State will bring some good news. For over 40 years, the good people of Athy and its surrounds have waited in hope, expectation and often desperation for a new relief road. Over those 40 years, there have been many false dawns and promises but,...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Road Projects (17 Nov 2020)

Mark Wall: I thank the Minister of State for his kind words. We hope we are on the right road. The problem I have, which the Minister of State might convey to the Minister, is that, in respect of the stage he announced, namely, documentation going to the Department, I have been informed by officials in Kildare County Council that this is a new stage. The council had not contemplated this stage in the...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Road Projects (17 Nov 2020)

Mark Wall: I wish to be associated with your comments, Acting Chairman.

Seanad: Recognition of Irish Military Service at Jadotville in 1961: Statements (11 Nov 2020)

Mark Wall: I thank the Cathaoirleach and other Senators for listing the names of the members of A Company. It is always important to remember them and that was a poignant moment at the start of the debate. I welcome the Minister to the House. As others have noted, it is the first time he has joined us as Minister for Defence. I look forward to working with him as the Labour Party spokesperson on...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (10 Nov 2020)

Mark Wall: On behalf of the Kildare contingent, I congratulate President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris. Obviously, as others have said, they are very welcome to the short grass county when they come to Ireland, and we look forward to that occasion. Today, I wish to ask for a debate on a couple of housing issues. The first issue that needs to be addressed urgently is what I have...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (6 Nov 2020)

Mark Wall: I raise two issues, the first of which I have raised a number of times previously in the House with a number of colleagues. It concerns the campaign by John Wall to expand medical cards to terminally ill patients. I listened to John earlier on my local radio station, KFM, on my way to the House. He informed everyone listening that he will hold a further meeting with the Minister for...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Final Report of the Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Discussion (4 Nov 2020)

Mark Wall: I agree with what the Chairman said about the special committee and thanking its members for the terrific work they did. They kept us informed when we were looking in with regard to what was actually going on. The questions they asked were very important. I will start with something close to the Chairman's heart, namely, broadband. It is, for rural Ireland, the number one topic. We can...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (22 Oct 2020)

Mark Wall: We will support Senator Boyhan's amendment. I have come from a meeting of our group of five Senators where we looked at what is ahead of us in the next day and half where we have five guillotines facing us.It is unacceptable and is no way to do business. I hope Members will agree that we need to do something about it. Today, I wish to again highlight the urgent need to recognise the heroes...

Seanad: Budget 2021: Statements (14 Oct 2020)

Mark Wall: I welcome the Minister to the House and look forward to working with him over the period ahead. Listening to the live broadcast of the Minister for Finance and the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform announcing a budget of almost €18 billion, of which more than €17 billion would be on expenditure, like many others, I looked forward to a new social contract with the Irish...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (7 Oct 2020)

Mark Wall: Like other Members, I had the opportunity yesterday to listen to the pre-budget webinar of Family Carers Ireland. I ask the Leader to invite the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection, Deputy Humphreys, to the House to debate the issues raised in that webinar as well as the fact that almost half of all carer's allowance applications are refused. It is fair to say that during...

Seanad: Statutory Right to Sick Leave Pay: Motion (7 Oct 2020)

Mark Wall: I welcome the Minister of State. I thank Senator Sherlock for her considerable work on the Sick Leave and Parental Leave (Covid-19) Bill 2020 which recently went through Second Stage in the Dáil and for her work in preparing the motion. When a government has no moral argument against a proposal, it seeks to kick it down the road. Unfortunately, that seems to be the approach being...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union (Consequential Provisions) Bill 2020: Discussion (7 Oct 2020)

Mark Wall: I thank the Minister for her presentation on the Bill. Some of my questions have been already asked. On the UK fuel allowance, I have spent many an hour on the telephone to Newcastle on behalf of many constituents trying to get their details. I ask that the Minister and her officials seek greater co-operation with their counterparts in the UK because there has been long delays in...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Medical Cards (25 Sep 2020)

Mark Wall: I welcome the Minister of the State to the House and I thank Senator Conway for sharing time on this very important matter.The Minister of State will no doubt be aware of the delays in these income limits, as has been outlined by Senator Conway. We are now just three weeks away from budget 2021 and the Government has not yet delivered on these simple budget commitments from last year. The...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Medical Cards (25 Sep 2020)

Mark Wall: I thank the Minister of State for his kind comments. I recently dealt with a 69-year-old gentleman who spent five months in hospital and then came home to County Kildare. The first letter he got from this Government was not congratulations on beating Covid or the disease he had, it was instead a renewal letter for his medical card. His first comment to me was, "Do they want to put me back...