Results 9,361-9,380 of 74,100 for speaker:Bernard Durkan

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (6 Apr 2022)

Bernard Durkan: 83. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the extent to which it is expected to use timber in the construction of the urgently needed houses throughout the country; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18654/22]

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (6 Apr 2022)

Bernard Durkan: 84. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if Government expects to rely on the forestry wood supply industry to provide timber for the provision of urgently required homes throughout the country; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18655/22]

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (6 Apr 2022)

Bernard Durkan: 82. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the extent to which carbon reduction can be achieved through the greater use of wood in the construction of houses; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18653/22]

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (6 Apr 2022)

Bernard Durkan: 258. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the extent to which it is expected to reach published targets on forestry; when the plan commenced; when it is expected to achieve the proposed targets; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18647/22]

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (6 Apr 2022)

Bernard Durkan: 259. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the extent to which conifers with a capacity to sequestrate up to four times the level of carbon-related emissions are likely to become a feature of afforestation in the future. [18648/22]

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (6 Apr 2022)

Bernard Durkan: 260. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the extent to which the management of forests is being taken seriously with particular reference to the need to ensure that afforestation is an ongoing part of the economy. [18649/22]

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (6 Apr 2022)

Bernard Durkan: 261. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the steps he has in mind to ensure that the lands suitable for forestry are sufficiently utilised for the plantation of trees in the future; if native deciduous species will be intermingled with species having a greater capacity for sequestration of carbon. [18650/22]

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Forestry Sector (6 Apr 2022)

Bernard Durkan: 262. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the degree to which afforestation is likely to become a serious part of the economy in the future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18651/22]

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Data Protection Act 2018 (Section 60(6)) (Office of the Ombudsman) Regulations 2022 (6 Apr 2022)

Bernard Durkan: I am on record as being the first person in the House to object to the data protection legislation when it was introduced, on the basis that it attempted to be selective in the way information was sought and got. My argument, then and now, is that we were all given leave by the electorate to raise any issue that was within our rights to raise. That is virtually every issue. We have to use...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Data Protection Act 2018 (Section 60(6)) (Office of the Ombudsman) Regulations 2022 (6 Apr 2022)

Bernard Durkan: Hopefully we can change them in a positive way in so far as they affect public representatives, particularly in the Houses of Parliament.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Finance (Covid-19 and Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2022: Committee Stage (6 Apr 2022)

Bernard Durkan: Regarding the Minister's points, is there information on the number of jobs that are no longer available, that is, employees cannot go back to them because they have been filled, ceased to exist or whatever?

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Finance (Covid-19 and Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2022: Committee Stage (6 Apr 2022)

Bernard Durkan: I accept that and I thank the Minister for the information, but we see evidence virtually everywhere of employers advertising the fact that they are hiring. We also see vacancies in the services and manufacturing sectors. Has any information been made available to the Minister as to why there are so many people who cannot fill the posts that they are advertising?

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Finance (Covid-19 and Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2022: Committee Stage (6 Apr 2022)

Bernard Durkan: I thank the Minister.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Finance (Covid-19 and Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2022: Committee Stage (6 Apr 2022)

Bernard Durkan: I approach the issue not as a Government Minister, which the Opposition suggests is in elitist mode, but as a Member elected by and representing the public. To what extent do we respond when energy companies such as the electricity, petrol and diesel suppliers seek or propose an increase? How do we react to that? Do we test it or accept it as being normal? Do we accept the suppliers' word...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Finance (Covid-19 and Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2022: Committee Stage (6 Apr 2022)

Bernard Durkan: I thank the Minister for his answer. It leads me to my next point, which is that this strategy was adopted in the 1970s and 1980s. The response to the request for information as to why increases were happening was a suggestion that everybody was doing it as a precaution. I do not accept that. I believe we need to test everything, particularly at the moment, because there is a grave danger...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Finance (Covid-19 and Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2022: Committee Stage (6 Apr 2022)

Bernard Durkan: I assure Deputy Doherty that we would welcome him with open arms. However, we need to deal with this part because it is not sufficient to say there is a worldwide trend of increasing energy. That is fine, but the worldwide trend then becomes the driving force as opposed to the necessity. I am looking for the necessity. There is another issue that needs to be dealt with by all parties in...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Finance (Covid-19 and Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2022: Committee Stage (6 Apr 2022)

Bernard Durkan: That would be funny.

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Finance (Covid-19 and Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2022: Committee Stage (6 Apr 2022)

Bernard Durkan: I am glad to see that. However, I contend that the level of investment so far with regard to onshore or offshore energy alternatives is far short of what is required to meet the targets to which we have committed. I am surprised the Opposition has not raised this issue because, in many cases, it was very vocal in its opposition to the provision of the necessary investment and was repeatedly...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Finance (Covid-19 and Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2022: Committee Stage (6 Apr 2022)

Bernard Durkan: I agree entirely, but I emphasise the necessity to ensure that wherever the investment comes from, be it from Government, private investors or wherever, it is accelerated to the extent necessary to achieve the targets in 2030, 2031 or 2032 and that we do not fall far short of the targets at that time. It would also serve to meet the criticisms in some quarters that we have not done our job...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Finance (Covid-19 and Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2022: Committee Stage (6 Apr 2022)

Bernard Durkan: Not at all. We could be coming on stream-----