Results 161-180 of 651 for in 'Dáil debates' speaker:Chris Andrews

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Housing Schemes (26 Jan 2023)

Chris Andrews: I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Noonan, for his attendance. I have been meeting with tenants living in flat complexes across Dublin. I attended a meeting earlier today in Pearse House. The level of neglect by the Government and Dublin City Council is horrendous. There are affected flats in Beech Hill, Rathmines, Cuffe Street, Digges Street and York Street. There are too many flat...

Forestry Strategy: Statements (26 Jan 2023)

Chris Andrews: I welcome the chance to speak on Irish forestry. It is of vital importance not just to rural TDs but also to urban TDs. It a vital part of our commitment to tackling climate change, to reversing the damage done to our ecosystem over decades and also vital for supporting local communities across rural Ireland and strengthening the local economy. When it comes to forestry in Ireland, the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Sport and Recreational Development (26 Jan 2023)

Chris Andrews: I acknowledge the Minister of State's reply. I do not want to labour the point but we need to move away from the sports capital grant scheme. We need to move to national sports facilities. In 2012, the Government developed a draft sports facility strategy which was supported by the Economic and Social Research Institute, ESRI. A circular was sent to all local authorities to try to develop...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Sports Funding (26 Jan 2023)

Chris Andrews: It is interesting to hear the Minister of State reject the idea of a national sports facility strategy given that the Government has already done considerable work in developing national sports facilities. In the past it gave a commitment to develop a sports facility strategy. It is not a coincidence that when a particular Minister of State with responsibility for sport is in situ, his or...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Sports Funding (26 Jan 2023)

Chris Andrews: It is possible to have both.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Sports Funding (26 Jan 2023)

Chris Andrews: Nobody is disputing that.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Sport and Recreational Development (26 Jan 2023)

Chris Andrews: 13. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the measures that are being put in place to address the expected increase in participation at a grassroots level in women's football ahead of the FIFA Women's World Cup in July 2023 in Australia; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2737/23]

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Sport and Recreational Development (26 Jan 2023)

Chris Andrews: The Irish women's football team have qualified for the World Cup in Australia in July. This will be a major boost for football in Ireland and particularly women's football. It is an enormous achievement for the women's team under the stewardship of Vera Pauw. What measures are being put in place to address the expected increase in participation in grassroots football ahead of the finals in...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Sport and Recreational Development (26 Jan 2023)

Chris Andrews: I thank the Minister of State for the reply. We need to ensure that the grassroots level is the best it can be to ensure we capture the almost certain increase in participation around the finals in Australia. We need increased investment in facilities across the country, particularly for grassroots development. Regional development is very important. It is great to see a Kerry football...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Sports Funding (26 Jan 2023)

Chris Andrews: 73. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if she will address the current status of opening of the next round of the sports capital programme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2738/23]

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Sports Funding (26 Jan 2023)

Chris Andrews: The sports capital grant scheme is clearly very important but we need to move away from it. We need a sports facility strategy, which ensures that funding delivers resources to where they are needed when they are needed rather than being awarded following good political lobbying. Very often, you find that the big, almost professional clubs, which are well resourced and have very deep...

Climate Action Plan 2023: Statements (18 Jan 2023)

Chris Andrews: Carbon emissions, climate change, the climate action plan, COP26, and COP27 are undoubtedly very important to us all, but they mean very little to those living in Dublin City Council flat complexes. The Government talks about this scheme and that scheme, but none of them impact on residents living in Countess Markievicz House or Whitefriar Gardens. The Government regularly announces how...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Housing Policy (15 Dec 2022)

Chris Andrews: As the Minister of State will be aware, Part V of the Planning and Development Act 2000 has been the backbone of the provision of much-needed social housing stock across the State for many years. Without the requirement that each private developer provides a percentage of social housing for the local authority, it is hard to imagine how much worse off the housing crisis would be. These...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Housing Policy (15 Dec 2022)

Chris Andrews: The last few sentences of the Minister of State's response provided some bit of hope, because there is clearly an issue around developments being exempted due to the site being 0.1 hectares. The scraping of height restrictions has led to applications for ten- and 15-storey buildings. There was an application for a 15-storey building in Ringsend with public housing available on the site but...

Income Eligibility for Social Housing Supports: Statements (15 Dec 2022)

Chris Andrews: I, too, extend my Christmas wishes to the Minister, the Minister of State at the Department of Justice, Deputy James Browne, and all the Houses of the Oireachtas staff, who have kept the wheels turning over the past year and do a fantastic job. The increase in income thresholds is very welcome. I believe the levels should be greater than what is proposed. Inflation, which will continue,...

Defects in Apartments - Working Group to Examine Defects in Housing Report: Statements (15 Dec 2022)

Chris Andrews: Clearly, the Minister has worked particularly hard on this and it is important to acknowledge that. It is great there appears to be some light at the end of the tunnel for homeowners for whom this has been an utter nightmare. The devil is in the detail and we will see that detail in time. When it comes to home defects, it is hard to know where to start. Throughout the country, there is...

Current Issues Affecting the Health Services: Motion [Private Members] (13 Dec 2022)

Chris Andrews: Housing and health have become intertwined into one big mess and that has happened on Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil’s watch. Government policies in health and housing over the past decade have brought us to a crisis. We are now facing a brain drain from the health service like we have never seen before. A perpetual crisis in the health service under this Government is forcing...

Dublin Bay Bill 2021: Second Stage [Private Members] (8 Dec 2022)

Chris Andrews: I thank Deputy Bacik for introducing this very good Bill. It is also welcome that the Minister is welcoming it and will work with it on Committee Stage. Dublin Bay is hugely important to everyone in this country, not just people living close to the coast. It is an environmental jewel that needs to be protected. During Covid, many people discovered swimming and how important and healthy...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Disability Services (8 Dec 2022)

Chris Andrews: I acknowledge the commitment of the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, to children with disabilities. There is no questioning that because she put in a great amount of work. She is very committed and is trying and working very hard to unpick or disentangle the mess that applies to her brief. This is not about lack of will from the Minister of State. The Government very much needs to...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Disability Services (8 Dec 2022)

Chris Andrews: I apologise for being late; I was at a Zoom meeting. I thank the Minister of State for his patience. Life is hard enough for children with disabilities. Families with children who have disabilities are already creaking under the pressure. As the Minister of State will know, waiting lists for children are growing at an unprecedented rate. More than 18,000 children are now on the waiting...