Results 1,101-1,120 of 3,777 for speaker:Marc Ó Cathasaigh

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 45 - Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (Revised) (31 Jan 2024)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: I welcome the Minister of State and his officials. I have a couple of issues I would like to run through. Subhead B15 jumped out. My usual process when looking through the Estimates is that I just look for the big variations in terms of percentages. Miscellaneous grants and services jumped by 320%. Whatever about a normal subhead jumping by that amount, I would like an explanation as to...

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 45 - Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (Revised) (31 Jan 2024)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: It is such a significant increase that I had an immediate reaction to it. I would like to see what it involves.

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 45 - Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (Revised) (31 Jan 2024)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: I appreciate it. My next question is on student accommodation, which is a big issue across the country. There was good news recently in respect of three campuses. I have spoken to the Minister previously about my hopes for the likes of South East Technological University, SETU. I am sure the Chair shares those hopes; he has a track record on the issue. I am interested to know where we...

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 45 - Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (Revised) (31 Jan 2024)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: Deputy Farrell engaged with the Minister, Deputy Harris, on this point. Are we content that the TUs are in a position to borrow in order to develop purpose-built student accommodation?

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 45 - Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (Revised) (31 Jan 2024)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: When we talk about a borrowing facility for the TUs to develop this, what does that look like and where are they borrowing the money from? Do we have specificity on this?

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 45 - Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (Revised) (31 Jan 2024)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: I want to circle back to that question on lifelong learning rates. I asked about the new metric but I was hoping to get an idea of where it is that we are hoping to get to. If we have a metric for where we currently are, what is the end goal?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: General Scheme of the Social Welfare (Pay-Related Social Insurance and Jobseeker’s Pay-Related Benefit Provisions) Bill 2024: Department of Social Protection (31 Jan 2024)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: I will keep it relatively brief and tight. First, I welcome this legislation. We discussed it well at this committee. I welcome the straw man approach, which is very good and gives us something to respond to. People are increasingly beginning to understand that the straw man approach is not necessarily the fixed item but it gives you something to respond to. In a perfect case in point...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: General Scheme of the Social Welfare (Pay-Related Social Insurance and Jobseeker’s Pay-Related Benefit Provisions) Bill 2024: Department of Social Protection (31 Jan 2024)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: It is a difficult question to answer of course but whether that will be enough is the issue. The Department has costed this at €130 million in the present environment. I acknowledge that Ms Harrington said that on average, if you look over 23 years, buoyancy is more present than shocks but the current period is unusual. In terms of labour force participation, we are practically at...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: General Scheme of the Social Welfare (Pay-Related Social Insurance and Jobseeker’s Pay-Related Benefit Provisions) Bill 2024: Department of Social Protection (31 Jan 2024)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: Tell me this-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: General Scheme of the Social Welfare (Pay-Related Social Insurance and Jobseeker’s Pay-Related Benefit Provisions) Bill 2024: Department of Social Protection (31 Jan 2024)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: Is this still being paid into the Social Insurance Fund, SIF?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: General Scheme of the Social Welfare (Pay-Related Social Insurance and Jobseeker’s Pay-Related Benefit Provisions) Bill 2024: Department of Social Protection (31 Jan 2024)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: While the SIF is looking fairly healthy right now, the actuarial reviews and forecasts for it are not as ebullient. Was any wider analysis done? This scheme is front-loaded in that the first three months will be the most expensive because of the tapered nature of it. One of the things that interests me about the scheme, if implemented, is the counter-cyclical nature and response within the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: General Scheme of the Social Welfare (Pay-Related Social Insurance and Jobseeker’s Pay-Related Benefit Provisions) Bill 2024: Department of Social Protection (31 Jan 2024)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: I hope Ms Harrington is correct. I have nothing further to add. I thank the Chair.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: General Scheme of the Social Welfare (Pay-Related Social Insurance and Jobseeker’s Pay-Related Benefit Provisions) Bill 2024: Department of Social Protection (31 Jan 2024)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: If any members participating online wish to make a contribution, now would be the time to indicate. Unfortunately, Deputy Ó Laoghaire, who had a good number of questions he wanted to put, has been pulled away for speaking time in the Dáil but he said he will correspond directly with the witnesses to put the questions. It is not ideal but it is just a function of busy people trying...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: General Scheme of the Social Welfare (Pay-Related Social Insurance and Jobseeker’s Pay-Related Benefit Provisions) Bill 2024: Department of Social Protection (31 Jan 2024)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: I thank Ms Harrington, in that case. I thank all the witnesses. This does conclude the committee's business in public session for today. I propose the committee now goes into private session to consider other business.

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (30 Jan 2024)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: Over the course of the weekend a number of allegations surfaced relating to a small number of workers with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, UNRWA. The allegations are serious in nature and I am in no way well placed to make an adjudication on whether they are well founded or otherwise but one thing of which I am absolutely certain – a view I share with Oxfam and 19 other...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Water Services (25 Jan 2024)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: I thank the Minister of State. I know responsibility lies with Irish Water. However, as we have all experienced, we can make the necessary representations through the Oireachtas liaison channels but sometimes the focus of the Dáil on the issue helps to sharpen attention and that is what I hope to do this evening. The Minister of State did more or less what I did in my initial...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Water Services (25 Jan 2024)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: The Minister of State has so far been on a tour of the country. He has been in the Shannon Callows and he has been in Celbridge. I will bring him to west Waterford and Deputy Buckley will shortly take him across the Cork-Waterford border to east Cork. I will bring him to a number of places in west Waterford, but I will begin with Tallow, County Waterford. There are just over 1,000 people...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Heritage Sites (25 Jan 2024)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: A Mexican stand-off on Main Street in Celbridge. What is the Minister of State going to do to solve it?

Charities (Amendment) Bill 2023: Second Stage (25 Jan 2024)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: There will be a large amount of repetition of the contributions made by the Minister of State and members of the main Opposition party. I echo what Deputy Paul Donnelly said about the PLS process in which the committee engaged. It was useful. One of the aspects that was most useful had to do with how there was a fair amount of anxiety when the heads of the Bill were produced. The session...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Update on Key Issues: Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (24 Jan 2024)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: I thank the Minister and his officials for being here this evening. It is always a very useful session. I have six points that I want to touch on and a limited amount of time to do so. I will get straight to it. I wish to refer to the number one issue that is raised with me by the technological universities in particular. As the Minister knows, Waterford Institute of Technology operated...