Results 161-180 of 10,663 for speaker:Colm Burke

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation Accounts 2022
Vote 20 - An Garda Síochána (21 Mar 2024)

Colm Burke: For the next, say, three years, what projects are planned to be delivered and where are the bottlenecks in those projects at present?

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation Accounts 2022
Vote 20 - An Garda Síochána (21 Mar 2024)

Colm Burke: Could we be given information about the projects for, say, the next five-year programme within the Garda, or is there a five-year programme?

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation Accounts 2022
Vote 20 - An Garda Síochána (21 Mar 2024)

Colm Burke: Could we get a copy of that? There is-----

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation Accounts 2022
Vote 20 - An Garda Síochána (21 Mar 2024)

Colm Burke: -----an increase in the population and an increase in the demands on Garda members. Therefore, we need to have the infrastructure to give them that support.

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation Accounts 2022
Vote 20 - An Garda Síochána (21 Mar 2024)

Colm Burke: I think the witnesses would accept that a lot of Garda stations are out of date and are no longer adequate for the demands that are there.

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation Accounts 2022
Vote 20 - An Garda Síochána (21 Mar 2024)

Colm Burke: My final question relates to computerisation. Are the witnesses satisfied that, when compared with other police forces across the globe, we are as up to date as we can be? Over the next five years, how can this be further improved?

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation Accounts 2022
Vote 20 - An Garda Síochána (21 Mar 2024)

Colm Burke: If the process is halfway there, when it will it be fully there compared with other policing forces?

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation Accounts 2022
Vote 20 - An Garda Síochána (21 Mar 2024)

Colm Burke: Are the witnesses satisfied the targets that were set for each of those years are being met at this stage?

Public Accounts Committee: Appropriation Accounts 2022
Vote 20 - An Garda Síochána (21 Mar 2024)

Colm Burke: I might on to the issue of Garda infrastructure. The figure for the capital programme was €325 million in 2022. The process in modernising Garda stations is delayed. We were talking about the OPW and the timeline. Can something be done to restructure the timeline for taking a project from start to finish? It appears to be taking forever to get any new Garda station built.

Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community: Traveller Accommodation: Discussion (Resumed) (21 Mar 2024)

Colm Burke: I thank the witnesses for their presentations. Unfortunately, I had two other meetings this morning and I apologise for being late. I am a former member of Cork City Council, which was very go-ahead in relation to Traveller accommodation. I think we had, and still have, five different sites when an awful lot of other local authorities had nothing at all. One of the problems that has...

Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community: Traveller Accommodation: Discussion (Resumed) (21 Mar 2024)

Colm Burke: No, it is not alleged; it is a breach of planning.

Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community: Traveller Accommodation: Discussion (Resumed) (21 Mar 2024)

Colm Burke: I raised another issue. Cork City Council has been very progressive with regard to making available accommodation - in fact, it has five different facilities - but a problem arises when we say that a facility is suitable for 15 different units but suddenly there are 30 or 40 different units in there. The local authority then finds it difficult to provide the infrastructure because the site...

Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community: Traveller Accommodation: Discussion (Resumed) (21 Mar 2024)

Colm Burke: It is very hard for a local authority to plan out the need if it has a certain number of families living in its jurisdiction and plans for that number, and then all of a sudden a whole lot of other people come in from outside the local authority area, which is what has occurred in the Cork case. They were not people who were residing within the local authority area prior to the facility...

Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community: Traveller Accommodation: Discussion (Resumed) (21 Mar 2024)

Colm Burke: Does Ms Lucey not think there is a need for a more co-ordinated approach involving all local authorities, rather than one taking it on?

Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community: Traveller Accommodation: Discussion (Resumed) (21 Mar 2024)

Colm Burke: That is one of the problems that is there. In fairness, Cork City Council has been very progressive in its approach, but we have others where the same approach has not been taken.

Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community: Traveller Accommodation: Discussion (Resumed) (21 Mar 2024)

Colm Burke: All right. I thank Ms Lucey very much.

Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community: Traveller Accommodation: Discussion (Resumed) (21 Mar 2024)

Colm Burke: The problem in Ireland is we have a whole lot of authorities. For instance, the HSE is paying out funding to 2,500 different organisations and every one of them is looking after its particular aspect of healthcare. However, that does not necessarily mean it is an efficient way of dealing with it. What I am saying is, if you need an authority, would you be better off having local authorities...

Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community: Traveller Accommodation: Discussion (Resumed) (21 Mar 2024)

Colm Burke: I thank Ms Heavey.

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (21 Mar 2024)

Colm Burke: 18. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence what progress has been made to date in respect of current accommodation projects being carried out by his Department to accommodate members of the Defence Forces; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13076/24]

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (21 Mar 2024)

Colm Burke: 23. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence to provide an update on the progress made to date to increase the Defence Forces to 11,500 members; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13077/24]