Results 101-120 of 10,538 for speaker:Barry Cowen

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Fiscal Assessment Report: Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (13 Dec 2023)

Barry Cowen: I call Deputy Nash.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Fiscal Assessment Report: Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (13 Dec 2023)

Barry Cowen: What infrastructural development does Professor McMahon believe is not necessary at this time because of the value issue? Is it water, sewage for housing or what?

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Fiscal Assessment Report: Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (13 Dec 2023)

Barry Cowen: Exactly. It is very easy to say we should not commit to infrastructure development because of cost issues that persist without offering examples that people can relate to. People may ask if IFAC is saying we cannot do infrastructure that is necessary for the development of public services and of the country.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Fiscal Assessment Report: Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (13 Dec 2023)

Barry Cowen: It is open to that interpretation. That is all I am saying.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Fiscal Assessment Report: Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (13 Dec 2023)

Barry Cowen: Achieving planning permission is the biggest obstacle. Consider Midleton flood relief scheme: if the barriers to planning were not there, that town would not have been flooded. That is an issue we mentioned previously. There is provision in the budget for extra funding allocation towards the national development plan to meet increased costs associated with construction. Was there not a...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Fiscal Assessment Report: Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (13 Dec 2023)

Barry Cowen: That does not form part of the "gimmickry" IFAC referred to, does it? The increases in construction are abnormal, owing to the situation we find ourselves in in recent years.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Fiscal Assessment Report: Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (13 Dec 2023)

Barry Cowen: Sorry.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Fiscal Assessment Report: Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (13 Dec 2023)

Barry Cowen: After Covid, yes. They peaked because of the impact of Covid. As Covid goes into the distance, they fall back. They have fallen and are falling because of steel-----

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Fiscal Assessment Report: Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (13 Dec 2023)

Barry Cowen: That is fair enough.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Fiscal Assessment Report: Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (13 Dec 2023)

Barry Cowen: A vote has been called, but we have reached a conclusion anyhow. We are quite happy with Professor McMahon's presentation and the responses he has offered. We appreciate that and thank him for it. If there are any further questions, we will contact him.

Planning and Development Bill 2023: Second Stage (Resumed) (7 Dec 2023)

Barry Cowen: Continuing where I left off, will the Minister introduce amendments extending permission times for any developments that have been granted permission but then can be delayed by several years due to legal proceedings? I also want to hear what will happen with judicial reviews. There are 2,000 judicial review applications opened before the High Court every year, 1,200 of which are planning...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Energy Conservation (7 Dec 2023)

Barry Cowen: 26. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the funding available for the Energy Efficiency Social Housing Retrofit Programme in 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53935/23]

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Provision (7 Dec 2023)

Barry Cowen: 52. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the funding available to support the delivery of social homes in 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53934/23]

Planning and Development Bill 2023: Second Stage (Resumed) (6 Dec 2023)

Barry Cowen: I join others in commending the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, on bringing forward this significant Bill. While I and others might argue it has taken too long to get to this point, it is better late than never. I do not underestimate the work the Minister and his officials have done on this mammoth Bill. I commend them and the parliamentary draftspeople in the Office of the Attorney...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Appointments Status (6 Dec 2023)

Barry Cowen: 196. To ask the Minister for Health the status of the case of a person (details supplied); and when the person can expect an appointment in St. Vincent’s Hospital, Dublin. [54162/23]

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Ukraine War (30 Nov 2023)

Barry Cowen: 226. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he has had any discussions with EU partners on how any extraordinary revenues held by private entities stemming directly from Russia's immobilised assets could be directed to support Ukraine and its recovery and reconstruction; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49963/23]

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Ukraine War (30 Nov 2023)

Barry Cowen: 231. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the action he is taking at EU and other international levels with regard to the provision of humanitarian and civil protection assistance to Ukraine; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49962/23]

Policing, Protests and Public Order: Statements (28 Nov 2023)

Barry Cowen: Like many others here, I was shocked, deflated and almost despairing when witnessing events unfold last week after the terrible attack on innocent children earlier that day. Our ongoing thoughts and prayers are for the victims, their families and the school community. Thanks and solidarity are due to An Garda Síochána and the emergency services for their bravery and commitment in...

Policing, Protests and Public Order: Statements (28 Nov 2023)

Barry Cowen: If I could continue, please. I thought I had a minute and a half. I had hoped for more time for all Members to contribute to this debate to denounce unreservedly the lawlessness that shamed our nation. All Members need to support the rule of law and insist that agreed protocols and procedures associated with our obligations and commitments to international agreements to assist those...

Policing, Protests and Public Order: Statements (28 Nov 2023)

Barry Cowen: ----or traitors, but are agreed democratically here, in the EU and the UN.