Results 1,201-1,220 of 3,519 for speaker:Michelle Mulherin

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Driver Licence Applications (14 Jul 2016)

Michelle Mulherin: I thank Senator Paddy Burke for sharing time with me. I welcome the Minister to the Chamber. I support the motion. Until 2013, vehicle licensing was under the jurisdiction of the local authority before it transferred to the Road Safety Authority. Arising from the arrangement made by the RSA, licences now issue from fewer offices. This causes difficulties, particularly in rural areas. As...

Seanad: Summer Economic Statement 2016: Statements (14 Jul 2016)

Michelle Mulherin: I welcome the Minister for Finance, Deputy Noonan, to the House.

Seanad: Business of Seanad (14 Jul 2016)

Michelle Mulherin: At this moment, I wish to take a proposal from the Leader of the House.

Seanad: Business of Seanad (14 Jul 2016)

Michelle Mulherin: Is that agreed? Agreed.

Seanad: Summer Economic Statement 2016: Statements (Resumed) (14 Jul 2016)

Michelle Mulherin: I now call Senator Gerry Horkan.

Seanad: Summer Economic Statement 2016: Statements (Resumed) (14 Jul 2016)

Michelle Mulherin: I thank Senator Reilly for sharing time, and I welcome the Minister. The Minister for Finance's address provided us with a positive story. It is a vindication of some tough decisions that had to be made in the lifetime of the last Government that we are here today looking at 160,000 jobs created since 2012 when we had the high point of unemployment at 15.1%. Some 50,000 jobs are projected...

Seanad: Order of Business (13 Jul 2016)

Michelle Mulherin: I raise a problem that I am particularly aware of in my home town of Ballina relating to the installation of meters by GMC-Sierra on behalf of Irish Water. In a number of cases, the contractor - GMC-Sierra and its agent - went to install the meter and switched the water back on after the installation. A problem arose in unoccupied houses or some that were being renovated, as the houses have...

Seanad: Order of Business (12 Jul 2016)

Michelle Mulherin: I am seeking a debate on food waste in light of the astounding scale of the problem, not just in our own country but worldwide. It is contributing to social and environmental problems both here and internationally. We talk about world hunger and we examine food poverty, yet it is generally accepted that there is sufficient food in the world to feed the global population. Ireland has a...

Seanad: Social Protection: Statements (12 Jul 2016)

Michelle Mulherin: I welcome the Minister to the House and invite him to address us.

Seanad: Order of Business (7 Jul 2016)

Michelle Mulherin: I also raise the bizarre incident at a farm in Carrickmacross, County Monaghan, where five heifers were shot dead by members of the Defence Forces. There was also the involvement of the Garda and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine on private property where an official assignee was in the process of seizing assets and disposing of them for a bankruptcy case. These are all...

Seanad: Order of Business (6 Jul 2016)

Michelle Mulherin: I wish to raise the issue of the shortcomings of the fair deal scheme for farm families and for families with small businesses and their elderly folk. In particular, I refer to the fact that on top of the 80% from an elderly person's income, they are required to contribute towards the cost of their care in a nursing home. An amount of 7.5% of the value of an asset, whether it be land or a...

Seanad: Communications, Climate Action and the Environment: Statements (6 Jul 2016)

Michelle Mulherin: I welcome the Minister to the House. He has one of the most interesting and varied portfolios and deals with many of the critical issues of our time. I wish him well and I have no doubt he is up for the job. I am aware that consideration was given to adding another aspect to his portfolio. I know that whatever is put before him he will deal with it well. I mentioned the national...

Seanad: Communications, Climate Action and the Environment: Statements (6 Jul 2016)

Michelle Mulherin: There are two points I wish to make. The challenge, given that renewable technologies are more expensive and also the infrastructure required, whether it is turbines where there is biomass, is to ensure that whatever initial expense is involved, we are moving towards cheaper energy for people. We do not want people in energy poverty. The carbon tax levied on coal affects the poorest...

Seanad: Farm Safety: Statements (6 Jul 2016)

Michelle Mulherin: I welcome the Minister to the House. I believe he has one of the most important portfolios in Government. Many of our economic ambitions for growth, investment and sustainable jobs all revolve around farming, food and the marine and are set out in Harvest 2020 and Food Wise 2025. Agriculture is therefore without a doubt the backbone of our economy, employing so many people, and when the...

Seanad: Farm Safety: Statements (6 Jul 2016)

Michelle Mulherin: I look forward to his response.

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Water and Sewerage Schemes Provision (5 Jul 2016)

Michelle Mulherin: I welcome the Minister of State. It is with disbelief that I raise the issue of delay in delivery of new rural group water schemes. Counties Mayo and Galway are particularly affected. When I was a Member of the Lower House, I had cause to raise this issue on numerous occasions and I had hoped I was making progress as I went along. Notwithstanding that, 235 houses in far flung areas such...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Water and Sewerage Schemes Provision (5 Jul 2016)

Michelle Mulherin: I appreciate the Minister of State's reply but, in fairness, this was to have been resolved last year. It is evident there is a problem when €400,000 was allocated last year and €200,000 in previous years, but not a cent of it was spent on these new rural group water schemes. A lot of work was done to bring into being the two schemes I mentioned but it has all fallen by the...

Seanad: Order of Business (5 Jul 2016)

Michelle Mulherin: I welcome the strides being made on the roll-out of the national broadband plan and, in particular, the fact that the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Deputy Naughten, has brought to Cabinet today firm proposals as to how it might proceed and how we might see it delivered on the ground. This needs to be driven forward and the Minister should be commended for hitting...

Seanad: Order of Business (5 Jul 2016)

Michelle Mulherin: In achieving the objective of delivering jobs and investment in the west and in Mayo under the regional Action Plan for Jobs, will the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation look at the development of data centres at the former Asahi site and Knock Airport? Will she also ensure all Government agencies are moving in that direction, be it the county council, IDA Ireland, Enterprise...

Seanad: Order of Business (30 Jun 2016)

Michelle Mulherin: The spiralling cost of public liability insurance is unsustainable for businesses across the board. The cost of insurance has been raised on previous occasions in the House. It is unsustainable. Premia have quadrupled in the past ten years. In fact, I was talking about this to a person who operates a pub and eatery. Their insurance has increased from €6,000 to €57,000 in...