Results 121-140 of 739 for in 'Dáil debates' speaker:Michael Lowry

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (7 Jul 2022)

Michael Lowry: As the Minister is aware, the road hauliers will commit to a 25% reduction in carbon emissions by the end of the decade if the Government agrees to their reasonable demands to reduce operating costs. That argument is understandable. They acknowledge that their sector is a contributor to carbon emissions and accept that action is required. However, they are not in a financial position to...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (16 Jun 2022)

Michael Lowry: I ask the Tánaiste to address an anomaly that is occurring in Tipperary and across the country. Experienced drivers are being forced to stop driving school buses once they reach 70. It is not viable for younger people to obtain a D licence due to the costs involved so the bus and coach industry is losing out due to this ridiculous age restriction. A significant number of drivers on...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (14 Jun 2022)

Michael Lowry: I welcome the fact that the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, is entering further discussions and negotiations, but will the Government please bring some urgency to the matter and bring it to a conclusion? There have been negotiations for years with no constructive proposals put on the table. We need to get past that stage. In my view, the ongoing medical and personal needs of elderly...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (14 Jun 2022)

Michael Lowry: The future sustainability of private and voluntary nursing homes across the country is a rapidly growing concern. Owners and operators of nursing homes are struggling to stay afloat. Many see no way forward. I have received numerous calls and correspondence from nursing homes across County Tipperary. All are desperate for support to save their businesses. They are not making extravagant...

Transport, Accelerating Sustainable Mobility: Statements (31 May 2022)

Michael Lowry: 6 o’clock Dublin Airport has been in the news for all the wrong reasons. The debacle on Saturday and Sunday was covered by The New York Timesand many other worldwide publications, with images of passengers at their wits' end and mind-boggling queues of hundreds of people trying to get into the airport building, even before they began the process of checking in bags and clearing...

Irish Apprenticeship System: Statements (26 May 2022)

Michael Lowry: I am sharing time with Deputy Canney. I compliment the Minister of State on taking decisive action to develop opportunities in the apprenticeship sector and on taking corrective action to address a much-neglected sector. Apprenticeships have a crucial role to play in the future of this country and technological universities have added to their appeal. The creation of these forward-thinking...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Departmental Priorities (24 May 2022)

Michael Lowry: 4. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the progress that has been made to date in implementing recommendations of the report of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Justice and Equality on reform of the family law system; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26527/22]

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Departmental Priorities (24 May 2022)

Michael Lowry: I ask the Minister for an update on the progress to date in implementing the recommendations of the report of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Justice and Equality on reform of the family law system. Further, I ask the Minister whether she could or would consider moving the family law court hearings to a dedicated private sitting on a specific day, or to a separate location from the general...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Departmental Priorities (24 May 2022)

Michael Lowry: I welcome the fact the family court Bill will be published before the recess. The Minister has captured the essence of what the problem is. The family law system in Ireland, as it currently stands, is archaic. My difficulty - and the message I get from my constituents - is that those attending their local District Court on family law matters are obliged to sit in the court where there are...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Departmental Priorities (24 May 2022)

Michael Lowry: I thank the Minister. I acknowledge the fact that both the Minister and the Minister of State, Deputy Browne, are making reforms and are progressive. They have taken a lot of very positive initiatives in the Department to date. I am glad that the Minister has acknowledged that the current system is failing people. The District Courts are overcrowded. It takes an unreasonable amount of...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (11 May 2022)

Michael Lowry: I ask the Taoiseach to expand on his reply in regard to the neurology service in south Tipperary. The inability to retain and attract medical professionals to work in Ireland is given as the key reason for medical deficiencies. We hear that constantly. A high percentage of our young and newly qualified doctors and nurses choose to leave the country to work abroad. Many make this decision...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (11 May 2022)

Michael Lowry: Despite billions of euro being pumped into the health services, our system still fails to meet the needs of service users. There is not just one reason for this. A myriad of issues combine to paint a picture of endless waiting lists, patients on trolleys, the inability to retain and recruit professional qualified staff, front-line staff burnout, under-resourced carers and mental health...

Regulations for the Sale and Distribution of Turf: Motion [Private Members] (5 May 2022)

Michael Lowry: Bringing home the turf in rural Ireland has long been considered a necessary and noble task. Ending the cutting of turf is ending a tradition. Irish people hold traditions very dear. I am opposed to an immediate ban on turf cutting. I voted against the Government's position on this issue last week. Most of us in this House know the dangers of global warming. The threat posed by fossil...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (4 May 2022)

Michael Lowry: University Hospital Limerick, UHL, has been in crisis for some time. There is great concern about the accessibility to the hospital, the level and quality of care and the threat to patient safety. The Department of Health has appointed an expert team to investigate the chronic overcrowding and the apparent breakdown in the delivery of services. Despite the fact that UHL gained an...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí agus ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy and Legislation (27 Apr 2022)

Michael Lowry: This is organ donation awareness week and the life-saving need for organ donation cannot be stressed strongly enough. Organ donation and transplants were significantly reduced worldwide due to the pandemic and Ireland recorded one the most significant fall-offs in donors. Part of the reason is that the clinical staff were redeployed to help with the influx of Covid patients. Lung...

Vacant Properties: Motion [Private Members] (6 Apr 2022)

Michael Lowry: It has been more than 30 years since homeownership peaked in Ireland. In 1991, 80% of Irish people were homeowners, while private rental accounted for 8% and social rental stood at 10%. At that time, there were 2,700 people registered as homeless. The Ireland of today is vastly different to the Ireland of 1991. There are more than 9,000 people classified as homeless and 67% of Irish...

Services for Children with Disabilities: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members] (29 Mar 2022)

Michael Lowry: Ireland prides itself on the caring and helpful nature of its people. As a people, we embrace those in need and open our hearts and arms to those who require assistance. Unfortunately, more than 50% of the families of children with disabilities surveyed by Inclusion Ireland reported they were not receiving any medical therapies. A separate survey undertaken by Down Syndrome Ireland, DSI,...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (29 Mar 2022)

Michael Lowry: The issue surrounding work permits is reaching a crisis level for many employers. A growing number of employers in the healthcare, food processing, hospitality, agriculture and transport sectors are battling through a system that is fraught with long delays and refusals based on minor human errors on their applications. This triggers an appeals process that is taking up to 18 weeks to...

An tOrd Gnó (Atógáil) - Order of Business (Resumed) (22 Mar 2022)

Michael Lowry: The Government's policy of excluding commercial bus operators from the 20% reduction in public transport fares and from the youth travel card scheme is having a detrimental impact on the sector. If you live in an urban area you will get a 20% discount on your bus fares and use your youth travel card. If you do not live on a Bus Éireann route you will pay full fares. Rural passengers...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (22 Mar 2022)

Michael Lowry: I welcome the fact that the Government is taking the matter seriously. The Tánaiste, who is a qualified doctor, will be aware that it takes enormous strength, courage and willpower to overcome and to conquer cancer. The journey is long and arduous. It is an endurance test that stretches both the mind and the body. A medical all-clear is greeted with an overwhelming sense of relief...