Results 1,581-1,600 of 18,851 for speaker:Fergus O'Dowd

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Tax Collection (21 Feb 2023)

Fergus O'Dowd: 233. To ask the Minister for Finance if he will respond to concerns and proposals raised by a person (details supplied) in respect of the current tax demands in what is an extremely difficult climate; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8781/23]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Adult Education Provision (21 Feb 2023)

Fergus O'Dowd: 367. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if a response will issue on concerns raised by an adult tutor (details supplied) in respect of the ongoing delays to implementation of Labour Court recommendations; the approximate timeframe for when the recommendations will be implemented; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8047/23]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (21 Feb 2023)

Fergus O'Dowd: 437. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills when she expects the construction phase of a new building for a school (details supplied) to commence, following the tendering process; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8805/23]

Ceisteanna - Questions: Home Care Packages (16 Feb 2023)

Fergus O'Dowd: 90. To ask the Minister for Health to provide an update on the expected timelines on the establishment of a new statutory home support scheme; the way he intends to scope and plan for such a scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7520/23]

Ceisteanna - Questions: Home Care Packages (16 Feb 2023)

Fergus O'Dowd: Many more people are living longer in our society. The latest census indicated there are over 1 million people aged over 60 years in the State, of whom 150,000 are aged over 80 years. I am thankful that hundreds of people are reaching the celebration mark of 100 years of age every year. Older people want to age in place, not in nursing homes or institutions. Will the Minister give an...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Home Care Packages (16 Feb 2023)

Fergus O'Dowd: Absolutely.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Home Care Packages (16 Feb 2023)

Fergus O'Dowd: I thank the Minister of State for her reply. One of the biggest problems we have is getting people to work in the home care area. The Government is dealing with that in some respects. I welcome that over 1,000 visas are being issued to people to come to work in Ireland as healthcare assistants and healthcare workers. Would it not also make sense to look at the thousands of people who are...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Home Care Packages (16 Feb 2023)

Fergus O'Dowd: Hear, hear.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Home Care Packages (16 Feb 2023)

Fergus O'Dowd: The future for older people is ageing in place and ageing at home and I welcome the Minister of State's commitments in that regard. I will comment on the criticism by nursing homes of the regulator, HIQA, and the Department of Health. They claim there is over-regulation. I have examined the homes that have closed recently. Fire has been a big issue, in that fire hazards cannot be, and...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Home Care Packages (16 Feb 2023)

Fergus O'Dowd: -----red-risks homes where there is a risk to the safety, health and welfare of people. It is right those homes are brought to account and, if necessary, made to account for what they are not doing.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Home Care Packages (16 Feb 2023)

Fergus O'Dowd: Hear, hear. No compromises.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Business of Joint Committee (16 Feb 2023)

Fergus O'Dowd: With the agreement of members, we will go into private session briefly.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Architects of the Good Friday Agreement (Resumed): Ms Liz O'Donnell (16 Feb 2023)

Fergus O'Dowd: Apologies have been received from Senator Emer Currie. Today we continue our meetings on our Architects of the Good Friday Agreement project. We have met with a range of people involved in the peace process negotiations, both politicians and officials. On behalf of the committee I would like to welcome Ms Liz O'Donnell, former Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs and the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Architects of the Good Friday Agreement (Resumed): Ms Liz O'Donnell (16 Feb 2023)

Fergus O'Dowd: I thank Ms O'Donnell for a lively descriptive account. It is as though we were actually in those rooms with her, whatever different papers we might have had or were thinking of saying. That is an important and incisive analysis of the situation now. I commend her on that. The format here is relaxed. We rotate between the political parties and give 15 minutes to each, Fianna Fáil,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Architects of the Good Friday Agreement (Resumed): Ms Liz O'Donnell (16 Feb 2023)

Fergus O'Dowd: On that last point, I think there was a comment from the British Government this week that it would be in a position to fund some of those cross-Border initiatives, provided that the Executive in the North is up and running. It would have to come from the political parties, but the British Government is not opposed to that, which is a very important point.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Architects of the Good Friday Agreement (Resumed): Ms Liz O'Donnell (16 Feb 2023)

Fergus O'Dowd: Ms O'Donnell mentioned in her summary that Brexit poisoned the well. In one sense it certainly did, but it has also changed the agenda in the context of what different people are saying. Obviously, the big pressure or debate from a nationalist point of view is when and if a border poll will take place. The difficulty about that is to prepare for that, and if there was such a poll that it...