Results 821-840 of 843 for speaker:Mark Wall

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...

Seanad: School Transport, Leaving Certificate 2020 and Reopening of Schools: Statements (24 Sep 2020)

Mark Wall: I will not be taking the full five minutes. I welcome the Minister and thank her for holding a Zoom meeting for Oireachtas Members from County Kildare while we were in lockdown. All the Members appreciated the time she took from a very busy schedule to answer a lot of questions for parents and students alike, so I thank her very much for that. I thank also the entire school community for...

Seanad: Withdrawal Agreement Between the United Kingdom and the European Union: Motion (23 Sep 2020)

Mark Wall: I welcome the Minister of State to the Chamber. I also thank the Oireachtas Library and Research Service, which has given us an update on and very informative assistance with this motion. I thank the Fianna Fáil Senators for proposing the motion. We in the Labour Party will support it at what is a very difficult time, but we feel we need to address a number of other important points,...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (30 Jul 2020)

Mark Wall: I support Senator Ó Donnghaile's amendment. He is right in what he says about Cahersiveen. He mentioned my colleague, Senator Hoey, who has raised this very important issue. We will back his call for an amendment. The issue I wish to raise is that of medical cards, particularly the renewal of same. I ask the Deputy Leader to invite the Minister for Health to the House in order that...

Seanad: Social Welfare (Covid-19) (Amendment) Bill 2020: Second Stage (29 Jul 2020)

Mark Wall: I join others in welcoming the Minister to the House. I wish her well in her new role and look forward to working with her. Notwithstanding the changes that the Minister announced in her U-turn today, the Bill leaves us with more questions than answers. I hope that she will be in a position to reply to them, which I am sure other Senators will also have. It would seem that, with no public...

Seanad: Tourism: Statements (28 Jul 2020)

Mark Wall: I join my fellow Members in welcoming the Minister to this House. I wish her very well in her new post. There is no doubt that this is a challenging time for tourism in Ireland and for those employed in the industry. As the recently appointed Labour Party spokesperson on tourism, I look forward to working constructively with the Minister on solutions to the current problems and to develop...

Seanad: Credit Guarantee (Amendment) Bill 2020: Second Stage (23 Jul 2020)

Mark Wall: I wish my two colleagues on the opposite side of the House well on reopening. I also take the opportunity to wish all of our SMEs well on their reopening and to welcome the Minister of State to the House once again. I welcome the opportunity to contribute to the debate. I am sure we all recognise the importance of providing finance as quickly as possible to all businesses that have been...

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

Mark Wall: I raise the immediate problem of public transport in our rural towns, an important matter about which I am sure other Members have also been contacted. An article in The Irish Times on Wednesday stated that 64% of licensed coach and bus services throughout the country are now not operational. We also heard this week that, thankfully, 250,000 people have returned to work since the March...