Results 161-180 of 3,429 for speaker:Michael Collins

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (15 Feb 2024)

Michael Collins: I thank the Tánaiste for his reply. He mentioned 26,000 additional staff but he admitted in the end that we have had huge population growth. The problem is, as he said, the Government is cutting costs. It is certainly cutting costs and I told him where all the costs were cut and where people are finding it extremely difficult to access services. Up to 1 million people are on waiting...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (15 Feb 2024)

Michael Collins: -----surely what I have told the Tánaiste today shows that something is seriously wrong with the HSE. What will the Government do about it?

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (15 Feb 2024)

Michael Collins: They cannot get in there. How will they get there?

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (15 Feb 2024)

Michael Collins: There was no accountability in all this.

Business Costs for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises: Motion [Private Members] (14 Feb 2024)

Michael Collins: I thank the Regional Group for bringing this very timely motion. Elaine Fitzgerald Kane, the chairperson of the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation, said recently that the tourism sector has been abuzz with discussion about the significant number of closures of food-led hospitality businesses in January 2024, particularly when compared to January 2023. The scale of these closures is both...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Compliance with the Nitrates Directive and Implications for Ireland: Discussion (14 Feb 2024)

Michael Collins: I welcome the IFA and the ICMSA here to the meeting today. A lot has been said here today about the situation. In relation to farming any way and the dairy sector, the goalposts are changing almost every day of the week and no dairy farmer can plan. That is what they tell me anyhow; I am more on the suckler side of it. I meet dairy farmers every day of the week. I worked with them down...

Reform of the Television Licence Fee Model: Motion [Private Members] (13 Feb 2024)

Michael Collins: The financial instability of RTÉ, a matter that was starkly highlighted by the scandal in 2023, continues to echo throughout Ireland. The broadcaster's heavy reliance on the licence fee, which is funded by taxpayers, underscores its precarious financial position. This dependence is a stark reminder of the broadcaster’s financial vulnerability and it raises questions about the...

Road Traffic Bill 2024: Second Stage (13 Feb 2024)

Michael Collins: I want to offer my sincere sympathy to the loved ones of anyone who has passed away due to a road traffic accident. It is a huge tragedy for families and communities and has happened too many times, unfortunately, for one reason or another. In March 2022, Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, conducted an independent study on the implications of reducing speed limits. The findings of this...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (13 Feb 2024)

Michael Collins: Cancer Connect is a free service for patients who travel by bus or car to Cork hospital, including people requiring radiotherapy, chemotherapy and related cancer treatments. The service started in 2011 and now covers all of Cork county with 430 voluntary drivers. Cancer Connect is about to mark its 13th anniversary, recording over 50,000 passenger journeys to date. The company is fully...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (8 Feb 2024)

Michael Collins: Ballinspittle in west Cork was hit by flooding last night, with a number of businesses and residential properties affected. I thank members of the local fire service and emergency services who bravely saved many businesses and private properties last night. This is the second time the village has been hit by flooding in recent times. The owner of WILD restaurant woke up this morning to...

Misuse of Drugs (Cannabis Regulation) Bill 2022: Second Stage [Private Members] (31 Jan 2024)

Michael Collins: The proposed Bill seeks to modify the Misuse of Drugs Act 1977, allowing adults legally to possess a specified amount of cannabis or cannabis resin for personal use. This initiative to amend the law commenced over a year ago and there are no legal obstacles to the amendment. In Ireland, drug use has been on the rise since data collection began nearly two decades ago. Cannabis use...

International Court of Justice and Genocide in Gaza: Motion [Private Members] (30 Jan 2024)

Michael Collins: Genocide is a uniquely horrific crime. The Holocaust saw the murder of 6 million Jews and was seen as so monstrous that the UN adopted the genocide convention promising never again to allow an attempt to wipe out a group of people or part of one simply because of their nationality, race, religion or ethnicity. That promise has been repeatedly broken, in Bosnia, Darfur and Rwanda to name but...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (Resumed) (30 Jan 2024)

Michael Collins: I appreciate that but they might be able to enlighten us briefly on some of the other issues too.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (Resumed) (30 Jan 2024)

Michael Collins: As other members wish to speak, I will be brief. Bluefin tuna is of serious concern to many fishermen and they feel there is huge opportunity in Irish waters. This committee has been talking about this issue for a while. I have been here since 2016; it is now 2024 and we are no further ahead. Nobody is going home with a bluefin tuna in a box in Ireland. Ms McSherry stated that the quota...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (Resumed) (30 Jan 2024)

Michael Collins: Okay. I thank Ms McSherry.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (Resumed) (30 Jan 2024)

Michael Collins: I thank the witnesses. They know what happened last time. It was out of our control but there were three and a half hours of voting. That was unfair and unexpected. The main reason they are here today is because I called for a discussion on these issues as the passed through the committee, particularly on quotas and the current situation Irish fishermen find themselves in. The National...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (Resumed) (30 Jan 2024)

Michael Collins: Certainly, but they also might be able to enlighten us on some of those issues because that light at the end of the tunnel is not there at present regardless of whether you are an inshore fishermen or a pelagic fishermen. In respect of COM (2023) 578 and COM (2023) 495 - there is one on the previous page as well - we need to know where Irish pelagic fishermen are going at this stage. Will...

Charities (Amendment) Bill 2023: Second Stage (25 Jan 2024)

Michael Collins: I speak fairly often in this Chamber. There are a lot of things on which I would not be well versed but certainly when it comes to the community voluntary sector, that is the sector from which I came and which got me elected to Dáil Éireann so I speak with some level of expertise. I am part of 25 community voluntary groups for a number of years and they have delivered. The sad...

United Kingdom Import Controls: Statements (25 Jan 2024)

Michael Collins: The three main changes for Irish traders are: advanced notification for live animals, animal products and certain plant products; full UK customs controls; and health certification for certain animal products, plants, plant products and high-risk foods and feed of non-animal origin. The Minister for agriculture, Deputy McConalogue, stated that these rules represent a significant change for...

Tribunal of Inquiry into certain matters relating to the Complaints Processes in the Defence Forces: Motion (24 Jan 2024)

Michael Collins: The Women of Honour group, which was in the audiovisual room yesterday, serves as a support network for former and current female Defence Forces members who allege they were abused within the military. The group has issued a warning and has expressed concern that the issues plaguing the Defences Forces will persist unless the terms of reference for an inquiry into these abuses are expanded....