Results 1,401-1,420 of 6,724 for speaker:Seán Kyne

Seanad: Housing for All: Statements (Resumed) (8 Nov 2022)

Seán Kyne: It was not from yourselves, and I did not say it was, but please appreciate the legacy we had to deal with at that stage with unemployment at whatever rate it was at - 15%, 16% or 17%. The challenges we faced were immense. Did we get everything right? I am not saying we did, but certainly we are not responsible for everything that is wrong or has been wrong in housing in recent years. We...

Seanad: Housing for All: Statements (Resumed) (8 Nov 2022)

Seán Kyne: I put my neck on the line in 2019 and 2020 to support social housing, so I will not take any rubbish from anyone regarding ideological issues.I fully support people. I have said on numerous occasions that all communities should have an element of social housing for people. There are thousands of people across this country who will never be able to afford their own home. I do not believe in...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna (Atógáil) - Commencement Matters (Resumed): School Meals Programme (26 Oct 2022)

Seán Kyne: I welcome the Minister of State. I thank the Cathaoirleach's office for choosing this Commencement matter. As the Minister of State will know, the school meals programme provides funding towards provision of food services for disadvantaged schoolchildren. The programme is approved and funded by the Department of Social Protection, and funding is based on a rate of payment per meal per...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna (Atógáil) - Commencement Matters (Resumed): School Meals Programme (26 Oct 2022)

Seán Kyne: I thank the Minister of State for the reply on behalf of the Department. I welcome the fact that the Department is looking at the rates and that decisions will be made by the end of the year, but I am afraid that that will be too late. As I said, there are currently schools not receiving tenders to provide school meals. I am gravely concerned that there is no fast-tracking of the issue of...

Seanad: School Transport: Statements (26 Oct 2022)

Seán Kyne: Senator Ahearn will not be here as far as I know. The Minister is welcome to the Chamber. I acknowledge, as I have previously, that this was a cost-of-living measure and the right thing to do. I will read for the Minister an email I received this morning: I desperately need a ticket please. I find it unacceptable that children in desperate need of a ticket in order to access education...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Sláintecare Implementation: Regional Health Areas Advisory Group (26 Oct 2022)

Seán Kyne: I welcome Mr. Kearns to the committee meeting and thank him for his presentation here this morning. Cutting to what it means in reality, he referred to the recruitment campaign for RHA CEOs, and said it was a reasonable aim that it would commence in 2023. In effect, in the west, for example, we have a CEO for Saolta and a chief officer for community healthcare. Is he talking about somebody...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Sláintecare Implementation: Regional Health Areas Advisory Group (26 Oct 2022)

Seán Kyne: I thank Mr. Kearns. That makes absolute sense because it is clear that we have pressures on the acute system and we must ensure that the community system works - that there is capacity and staff within it. I do not expect Mr. Kearns be across this, but I will give an example. There is a debate at the moment regarding Clifden District Hospital, which is more than an hour from Galway city....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Sláintecare Implementation: Regional Health Areas Advisory Group (26 Oct 2022)

Seán Kyne: On autonomy, the aim is that the CEO, for example, of an RHA would work in collaboration with the CEO of a regional group and the community healthcare group. Will the CEO be able to say, "Hold on, I do not agree with what you are doing there and this is the approach that I believe should be taken" or is it a case of engaging amicably and finding a solution? Is there a need sometimes to say,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Sláintecare Implementation: Regional Health Areas Advisory Group (26 Oct 2022)

Seán Kyne: Mr. Kearns mentioned GPs, for example. There are capacity issues for GPs. The capacity issues have an impact on the ability of GPs to provide out-of-hours services within, for example, the Westdoc framework. The Westdoc framework does not cover the full county because there is no agreement or buy-in. City-based GPs, for example, may not wish to travel to areas located in the countryside...

Joint Committee on the Irish Language, the Gaeltacht and the Irish Speaking Community: Díolúintí i leith Staidéar na Gaeilge sa Mheánscolaíocht: Plé (Atógáil) (26 Oct 2022)

Seán Kyne: Gabh mo leithscéal go raibh mé déanach. Bhíomar ag vótáil sa tSeanad ach léigh mé an ráiteas tosaigh ar maidin. Dúirt an tAire go mbeidh leibhéil monatóireacht trí cigireacht i gceist le cinntiú go bhfuil na ciorcláin ag feidhmiú mar a bhí sé beartaithe. Cén sort monatóireacht a bhí ar...

Joint Committee on the Irish Language, the Gaeltacht and the Irish Speaking Community: Díolúintí i leith Staidéar na Gaeilge sa Mheánscolaíocht: Plé (Atógáil) (26 Oct 2022)

Seán Kyne: Aontaím leis an Aire go bhfuil gá le díolúintí do pháistí le riachtanais speisialta agus cásanna mar sin. Ó thaobh na bhfigiúirí a tugadh, tá 1.9% a fhaigheann díolúintí sa bhunscoil a ardaíonn go dtí 10% ag an dara leibhéil. Cén fáth a cheapann an tAire go bhfuil ardú idir an bhunscoil...

Joint Committee on the Irish Language, the Gaeltacht and the Irish Speaking Community: Díolúintí i leith Staidéar na Gaeilge sa Mheánscolaíocht: Plé (Atógáil) (26 Oct 2022)

Seán Kyne: Deirtear i gCiorclán 0054/2022, in alt 2.2.2(iii), "De ghnáth, ba cheart daltaí a bhaineann leas as díolúine faoin gcatagóir seo a spreagadh chun dul i ngleic le staidéar ar an nGaeilge ó bhéal chomh fada agus is féidir". An bhfuil figiúirí ag an Roinn maidir leis sin? B'fhéidir gur rud nua é seo i gcomparáid leis an...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Emergency Departments (19 Oct 2022)

Seán Kyne: Ar dtús báire, gabhaim buíochas le hoifig an Chathaoirligh as ucht an deis a fháil labhairt ar an ábhar tábhachtach seo. É sin ráite, is mór is trua nach bhfuil aon duine de cheathrar Airí ón Roinn Sláinte i láthair inniu. Tá an t-eolas is déanaí á lorg agam ar stádas an togra ar son rannóg...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Emergency Departments (19 Oct 2022)

Seán Kyne: I thank the Minister of State for reading the reply from the Department of Health. I appreciate that the new temporary emergency department has opened. One could be cynical and suggest that all of this is a delaying tactic by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, the Department of Health and permanent Government to ensure moneys are not spent. There are also delays with larger...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (19 Oct 2022)

Seán Kyne: I thank the Deputy Leader. I welcome the Government's decision to re-designate four voluntary hospice providers from section 39 organisations to section 38 organisations. This will be hugely important for these centres, including Galway Hospice, St. Francis Hospice, Milford Care Centre, and Marymount Care Centre. The section 38 designation will now provide a defined level of service on...

Seanad: VAT Rate for Tourism and Hospitality Sectors: Statements (19 Oct 2022)

Seán Kyne: I welcome the Minister. I acknowledge the range of supports the Government has provided for the hospitality sector, going back to 2020, as the Minister outlined, but back in 2011 as well, when this VAT rate was first reduced to give a kick-start to the tourism and hospitality sector. This is an area that was identified as being prime for growth, and the incentive we are discussing protected...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (18 Oct 2022)

Seán Kyne: I am a great believer in process and allowing processes to run their course. It was a great disappointment that last Friday in Galway, while at a very positive event with Genesys opening its new office at Bonham Quay in the heart of the city, word began to filter through that An Bord Pleanála had decided not to defend the legal action being taken against the Galway city ring road....

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Education and Training Boards (13 Oct 2022)

Seán Kyne: I thank the Cathaoirleach's office for choosing this Commencement debate. I welcome the Minister of State to the Chamber. As the Minister of State is aware, the education and training boards, ETBs, came into being in 2013 and will celebrate ten years in existence on 1 July 2023. They follow on from the vocational educational committees, VECs. In total they have about 32,000 staff...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Education and Training Boards (13 Oct 2022)

Seán Kyne: I thank the Minister of State for the response from the Department. The Department states in the response that in the period since 2015, it has increased the number of approved posts in head offices by 29% across the sector. Of course that is because of the lifting of the moratorium so they are getting back to where they were. The point is that the ETBs had this autonomy and independence...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Education and Training Boards (13 Oct 2022)

Seán Kyne: That is not what we are being told.