Results 1,101-1,120 of 4,305 for speaker:Martin Kenny

Employment (Collective Redundancies and Miscellaneous Provisions) and Companies (Amendment) Bill 2023: Second Stage (15 Nov 2023)

Martin Kenny: We will be supporting this legislation with the issue of collective bargaining at its core. In many instances, companies have just wound up overnight with large numbers of people let go. We think of Debenhams, TalkTalk, Clerys and numerous others over the decades where similar things have happened. These people are left with very little hope and nowhere to turn. The only chance they have...

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2023: Second Stage (Resumed) (15 Nov 2023)

Martin Kenny: The Electoral Commission, in the new way it has been set up, is a huge advancement and improvement and we all recognise that. One issue in which we all have a great interest relates to the electoral register, who is on it and how that system has worked. It has always struck me down the years that when someone turns 18 years of age, the Department of Social Protection is able to write to the...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (15 Nov 2023)

Martin Kenny: I wish to raise with the Taoiseach an issue in my constituency with regard to Scoil Mhuire primary school in Carrick-on-Shannon. The board of management has been ten years looking to get a new school built. The school is split into two campuses. More than 500 children, many of them from various countries, attend the school. The Department of Education compiled a technical report in August...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Future Licences and Contracts to Connect Data Centres to the Gas Network: Discussion (15 Nov 2023)

Martin Kenny: I thank the Chair and thank the witnesses for their opening statements and the engagement so far. I want to focus on little part of all of this. I note Ms Donnelly, in her opening statement, said that "Battery storage using renewable electricity is key to decarbonising data centres and maximising the available renewables in the system." I assume that is available renewables for...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Future Licences and Contracts to Connect Data Centres to the Gas Network: Discussion (15 Nov 2023)

Martin Kenny: Is it prohibitive cost-wise or what are the main issues there? Is the investment there? Is there capacity within that sector to deliver? Dr. Gallagher said there are issues regarding regulation and so on but if all of those were ironed out, how fast could that be done?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Future Licences and Contracts to Connect Data Centres to the Gas Network: Discussion (15 Nov 2023)

Martin Kenny: In their infancy.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Future Licences and Contracts to Connect Data Centres to the Gas Network: Discussion (15 Nov 2023)

Martin Kenny: The other issue in regard to that, and I suppose it comes into it, is the interconnectivity where we connect into other countries' supplies of electricity. France is the one that we most recently heard about. What capacity does that give us, where does that put us or does it do very much really?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Future Licences and Contracts to Connect Data Centres to the Gas Network: Discussion (15 Nov 2023)

Martin Kenny: If the battery issue is not resolved, will interconnectivity fill that gap? According to Mr. Gannon's statement, it is not looking good at the moment.

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Service 2023
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Supplementary) (15 Nov 2023)

Martin Kenny: I nominate Deputy Cathal Crowe.

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Service 2023
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Supplementary) (15 Nov 2023)

Martin Kenny: I thank the Minister very much for his opening statement and the detail provided. It is welcome on one level to see the NBP is progressing, and doing so at some pace. We still, however, get many people around the country very frustrated at the issues they are encountering. Everybody's individual issue is important to them. We also have businesses around the country, especially in rural...

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Service 2023
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Supplementary) (15 Nov 2023)

Martin Kenny: Has it enough staff to do the work it needs to do?

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Service 2023
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Supplementary) (15 Nov 2023)

Martin Kenny: I will go back to retrofitting. I spoke recently to a person who works with one of those contractors. I asked him about the types of houses they are working in. He confirmed something that I suspected and which really goes to the core of this issue. He felt it was reasonably well-off people who were getting retrofitting done. Such people had access to money. They would be able to get...

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Service 2023
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Supplementary) (15 Nov 2023)

Martin Kenny: I understand. This is an area in which there has been an underspend. I am bringing to the Minister's attention that part of the reason for that underspend is that the people who most need the assistance are those who cannot afford to avail of these schemes. The scheme needs to be readjusted in order to ensure we are not back here and considering further underspends in the future. I take...

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Service 2023
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Supplementary) (15 Nov 2023)

Martin Kenny: Just going back to retrofitting and the brief conversation we were having, I totally accept that great work is being done and particularly for people in local authority houses and so on. Many have schemes in place for that. However, there are a bunch of people, which I think is the majority, who are in the middle. They are people who are not in local authority houses. They are working and...

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Service 2023
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Supplementary) (15 Nov 2023)

Martin Kenny: They really need the funding to be able to carry out schemes and they are the ones who cannot get it. We see underspend here and last week the Committee on Public Accounts heard about the amount of money that was underspent, and it is really frustrating for those people. They are the people who are talking to us, and I am sure they are talking to the Acting Chair as well, who would love to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Citizens' Assembly Report on Biodiversity Loss: Discussion (Resumed) (14 Nov 2023)

Martin Kenny: While much of the discussion is focused on where we can go from here and what is happening out there, geography and geology have a major part to play in all of this. In the part of the world I come from, farming is much less intensive and there are a lot of mountains, bogs and forestry. Much of this forestry has historically been Sitka spruce and issues around this have caused serious...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Citizens' Assembly Report on Biodiversity Loss: Discussion (Resumed) (14 Nov 2023)

Martin Kenny: When Dr. Bleasdale says it has to be in partnership and dialogue with them, is that about building consensus around that plan?