Results 161-180 of 3,644 for speaker:Michael Collins

Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2024: Second Stage (23 Oct 2024)

Michael Collins: Excuse me. There are a lot of things in health that the Minister knows more about than I do. In this case, however, the patients were paying €2,500 upfront and were getting €2,000 back, so it was costing about €500, and they were quite happy with that, although they would rather it was done locally. They are now getting €1,170 back, as I know because I am...

Public Health Service Staffing: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members] (23 Oct 2024)

Michael Collins: We find ourselves in an unbelievable situation. Four or five years ago there was a vote of no confidence in the then Minister for Health, Deputy Harris, and it led to a general election. That vote was called on the basis of the health service and health scandals. Nothing has got any better since then. People are waiting three to five years for cataract treatment, while others are waiting...

Public Health Service Staffing: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members] (23 Oct 2024)

Michael Collins: What about Bere Island and Cape Clear?

Affordable Housing: Motion [Private Members] (22 Oct 2024)

Michael Collins: We have 14,400 people who are homeless. We have 4,419 children who are homeless. Is this not some legacy to leave just before the Government members knock on the doors of the people of this country to tell them what a good job they have done? My God, they have failed the Irish people miserably. If it comes down to the people in the cities, yes, but look at the people in the country areas....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Pre-Agriculture and Fisheries Council: Discussion (16 Oct 2024)

Michael Collins: I welcome the Minister and the officials who are here today. The main bulk of my questions come from the fishing sector. Last week, when I met some officials I said I had been at a meeting a few days previously. It was the AGM of the Irish South and West Fish Producers Organisation. The best people to educate me are the fishermen on the ground. If we were speaking about farming, it would...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Pre-Agriculture and Fisheries Council: Discussion (16 Oct 2024)

Michael Collins: As I said, this is how the Brexit deal was done. Zonal attachment was used. Why can it not be the same when trying to protect our fishermen now? That is the argument they are making. It is reckless overfishing by Norway, the Faroes and Iceland. The Minister can put forward the argument that we are part of the EU, but why is the rest of the EU not putting sanctions in place to stop this?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Pre-Agriculture and Fisheries Council: Discussion (16 Oct 2024)

Michael Collins: If Irish fishermen do not come out well from this, it will lead to disaster. It is a disaster at present, as well the Minister knows. We have had many a debate on it. I mentioned this last week and there are loads of other issues on which the Minister is to come back to me - I accept that - but there is great frustration that there is a lack of communication. Apparently, there was a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Pre-Agriculture and Fisheries Council: Discussion (16 Oct 2024)

Michael Collins: I greatly appreciate that. There are other issues but I will not bring them up. I am to be contacted about them.

Finance Bill 2024: Second Stage (16 Oct 2024)

Michael Collins: When it comes to the Bill and when we looks at where money has gone in this country, I tried to get that conversation going today with the Minister, Deputy Paschal Donohoe, and he, of course, was not happy either because the Government has no accountability for quite a good deal of the money that is out there. There is a lot of money out there and there is no point in my saying that there is...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Oct 2024)

Michael Collins: I thank the Minister. What is wrong with Uisce Éireann? The Minister is saying the Government is pouring money in it. Even if it was moving at a snail's pace, some of these towns would have their wastewater treatment plants built, but it is not even moving at that pace. It cannot be money as in some of the towns I mentioned, we have offered co-funding to speed up the process and get...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Oct 2024)

Michael Collins: It is.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Oct 2024)

Michael Collins: No hope to these towns. Some have been waiting for 27 years.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Oct 2024)

Michael Collins: Accountability.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Oct 2024)

Michael Collins: We have been waiting for 27 years.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (16 Oct 2024)

Michael Collins: In many parts of our country, infrastructure is greatly lacking, leaving many towns and villages dying a death and nowhere is this more evident than in west Cork. A complete lack of investment by successive Governments has left two bypasses promised to the people of Bandon unfinished, one bypass in Inishannon, not only unfinished but not even started, and a promised bypass for Bantry not...

VAT Rate for Hospitality Sector: Motion [Private Members] (16 Oct 2024)

Michael Collins: I thank the Acting Chair. First, I think Deputy Fitzmaurice and the Independent Group of Deputies for putting forward this very worthy motion at this time. The Minister of State should remember one thing which is that all of these restaurants, cafés, pubs and hairdressers are small businesses. That is why the Government has them crushed. It is trying to crush them out of business....

VAT Rate for Hospitality Sector: Motion [Private Members] (16 Oct 2024)

Michael Collins: They came up yesterday. In one minute I will give the Minister of State time to talk and I will not interrupt his talking. They came up here yesterday out of their goodwill and took another few pounds out of their pockets. They were brought up here a couple of days before the budget, the VAT 9 group, and were codded to their eyeball by Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil. The Minister of...

Social Welfare Bill 2024: Second Stage (15 Oct 2024)

Michael Collins: On carers, and it already has been mentioned to the Minister numerous times, there is no point in getting up to say the budget was all bad. That is wrong. The problem is that while there is a lot of money out there, it is pegged everywhere and there is no accountability as to where it ends up. The real bonanza is in the Minister's Department with all of the social welfare payments out...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Issues Impacting the Fisheries Sector and Aquaculture: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (9 Oct 2024)

Michael Collins: I thank Ms McSherry, Ms Brennan and Ms O’Sullivan for their opening statement. I have many questions, which I will try to go through as quickly as possible. I will start with the inshore sector because they were the first to contact me. I was at the AGM of the Irish South and West Fish Producers Organisation. I was invited there on Saturday and got quite a lot of insight into the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Issues Impacting the Fisheries Sector and Aquaculture: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (9 Oct 2024)

Michael Collins: Will that happen very soon?