Results 1,521-1,540 of 1,588 for speaker:Micheál Carrigy

Seanad: Covid-19 Vaccination Programme: Statements (26 Jan 2021)

Micheál Carrigy: I welcome the Minister of State. I thank all healthcare staff for their work on the front line on behalf of all our citizens. These staff work long hours in difficult circumstances and have made huge sacrifices in their private lives to ensure they are in a position to continue to look after those in need. I welcome that by Sunday last, 143,000 people had received the vaccine, all of our...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (18 Dec 2020)

Micheál Carrigy: I echo the comments of Senator Ahearn and wish everyone a very healthy and happy Christmas. I thank everyone for their work. Staff from across the House have been good to me and to all elected representatives and I thank them for the courtesy they have shown to us since we were elected. I wish them well and hope they have a happy Christmas. I wish to raise a number of issues this morning,...

Seanad: Harassment, Harmful Communications and Related Offences Bill 2017: Second Stage (18 Dec 2020)

Micheál Carrigy: I commend Senators Hoey and Ruane. I listened to the debate today and last night and the way they spoke on the issues makes me honoured to serve with both of the Senators. I just wanted to say well done. My wife, my family and I have also suffered harassment from a person, and we had to go the full way to court on it because of the effect it was having on our young kids and family. I am...

Seanad: Harassment, Harmful Communications and Related Offences Bill 2017: Committee and Remaining Stages (18 Dec 2020)

Micheál Carrigy: Like my colleagues, I too have a query on why the entire section dealing with harassment has been removed from the Bill. The Title of the Bill includes the word "harassment". I speak as one whose family suffered harassment and had to go the Garda. Luckily, the Director of Public Prosecutions took a case and it was successful. The person in question is not harassing my family anymore....

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (16 Dec 2020)

Micheál Carrigy: I raise an issue that has been raised by a number of other Senators, namely, the issue of fathers being at natal appointments and the birth of their children. In early December, it was announced that women attending their 20-week scan will now be able to be accompanied by their birth partners within Covid-19 restrictions. That is a good start but more is needed. Birth partners being...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Dec 2020)

Micheál Carrigy: I welcome the Minister to the House. I support what Senator Craughwell is proposing but I do not think a debate on the Social Welfare Bill is the right time for his proposal. Everyone said the last day that this was a fantastic Bill for the people, particularly during Covid. The Senator's proposal has sparked a real debate on the pay and conditions of councillors. A large number of us are...

Joint Committee on Media, Tourism, Arts, Culture, Sport and the Gaeltacht: Challenges facing Public Broadcasting and the broader Media Sector as a result of Covid-19: Discussion (16 Dec 2020)

Micheál Carrigy: I apologise for being late. I was at another committee. I believe the licence fee should go into a central fund, as mentioned by Deputy Cannon, from where it could then be divvied out to all media organisations to ensure they can all survive. I would like to hear the witnesses' views on that. A project to establish a community television service is being funded by my local authority in...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (15 Dec 2020)

Micheál Carrigy: I wish to discuss the disabled drivers and passengers scheme, which has effectively been put on hold for new applications because primary medical certificates are no longer being issued following a decision of the Supreme Court in July. The scheme is for people who have to get their cars adapted and entitles them to have their vehicle registration tax returned, not to have to pay road tax,...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2020: Committee Stage (11 Dec 2020)

Micheál Carrigy: I welcome the Minister of State. I support the comments of Senators Casey and Crowe regarding the CRSS. There is an issue if businesses are supposed to open at a certain level but there is no business to sustain them or not enough to prevent them making losses, for example, in the tourism sector. Will this matter be examined? Valid points have been made. A continued support, be it at a...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (9 Dec 2020)

Micheál Carrigy: The Minister is very welcome. I wish to speak about the upcoming urban regeneration and development fund, URDF, funding for Longford. An application was submitted under category B in 2018 for a specific area of Longford town, addressing the infrastructural deficits on open lands from the Camlin river northwards for residential development. The application did not receive approval which...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (9 Dec 2020)

Micheál Carrigy: I thank the Minister. I note that she said that 76 proposals are under consideration, which include one from Longford County Council. If the Government is looking for balanced regional development, we need to balance where funding is given and at least one application from each local authority should be successful. As I have said, Longford County Council has only submitted one application....

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (9 Dec 2020)

Micheál Carrigy: I wish to raise the issue of insurance. All Senators are well aware of the big problem it is for many people and businesses across the country. I welcome the new action plan for insurance reform published by the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Deputy Varadkar, but I wish to highlight some things I believe need to be changed. I wish to put on record that we...

Seanad: Annual Transition Statement on Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act 2015: Statements (9 Dec 2020)

Micheál Carrigy: I welcome the Minister. One positive that came from the Covid lockdowns was that people walked and cycled in their local areas, thus leading to a greater appreciation for the current infrastructure. That is why I welcome the significant investment that has been put in place to continue and develop more cycleways and walkways. I welcome the recent midlands retrofitting programme that...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (3 Dec 2020)

Micheál Carrigy: I concur with Senator Fitzpatrick's comments. We need to value our nurses, and I believe we do. It is important that the Minister for Health should come before the House to deal with that. The demand for a €100 registration fee, which was sent out to nurses in recent days, is another issue. It is only correct that this be waived for this year, at least. The Forestry (Miscellaneous...

Seanad: Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union (Consequential Provisions) Bill 2020: Committee Stage (3 Dec 2020)

Micheál Carrigy: The Minister of State is very welcome. I will keep my comments brief. Senator Casey has said it far more passionately than I could. I have been the chairman of the County Longford Tourism Committee for many years in a voluntary capacity. We are trying to build an industry from a very low ebb in order to bring people into our county. Now Covid-19 has brought us back to zero. I cannot...

Seanad: Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union (Consequential Provisions) Bill 2020: Committee Stage (3 Dec 2020)

Micheál Carrigy: There was reference to figures and money. It is not about money; it is about rebuilding the tourism sector. In 2019, approximately 4 million people visited Ireland from Britain. It is about getting those 4 million people back into Ireland in 2021 and 2022 and putting incentives in place. It is not about figures; it is about rebuilding an industry that employed more than 200,000 people....

Seanad: Technological Universities Agenda: Statements (2 Dec 2020)

Micheál Carrigy: I thank the Minister of State for the funding given last October to the consortium of Limerick Institute of Technology and Athlone Institute of Technology. It allowed for the progression of proposals which the consortium had formally commenced in October 2019. The targeted date for the technological university to open is 1 September 2021. Both institutes of technology voted overwhelmingly...

Joint Committee on Media, Tourism, Arts, Culture, Sport and the Gaeltacht: Impact of Covid-19 on the Tourism Sector: Discussion (2 Dec 2020)

Micheál Carrigy: Our guests are very welcome. I compliment both organisations. If we look at the figures for Tourism Ireland prior to the pandemic, huge numbers were coming in and we were doing the job right. I am involved in the county tourism committee in Longford and get regular emails with updates from Mr. Kelly. Particularly since the outbreak of Covid, the Make a Break campaign has been excellent in...

Joint Committee on Media, Tourism, Arts, Culture, Sport and the Gaeltacht: Impact of Covid-19 on the Tourism Sector: Discussion (2 Dec 2020)

Micheál Carrigy: I have a few short questions on the Stay and Save initiative. It must be extended next year, and hopefully businesses will be able to open for this. We need to do more promotion to encourage businesses to register with the Revenue. I checked on the statistics in October and in many counties the numbers of businesses registering are very low. On the issue of the retail export scheme, I...

Joint Committee on Media, Tourism, Arts, Culture, Sport and the Gaeltacht: Impact of Covid-19 on the Tourism Sector: Discussion (2 Dec 2020)

Micheál Carrigy: I have more of an observation or an opinion than a question. We promote a great deal in Ireland and in Longford alone recently Fáilte Ireland have invested in the Knights & Conquests Heritage Centre project, which I was involved in at the beginning, together with work on Maria Edgeworth, projects where we are telling stories about different parts of our history but we do not...