Results 401-420 of 10,586 for speaker:Colm Burke

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (14 Feb 2024)

Colm Burke: 221. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government to increase investment in the housing adaption grant scheme and to provide incentives to private landlords to apply for same, similar to tax deductions granted to small scale landlords who undertake retrofitting works while tenants remain in situ; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7048/24]

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Rental Sector (14 Feb 2024)

Colm Burke: 222. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government to work with the relevant bodies to ensure higher levels of compliance with accommodation quality standards in the private rental sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7050/24]

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Policy (14 Feb 2024)

Colm Burke: 223. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government to invest in alternative, secure and age appropriate housing for older people; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7051/24]

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Payments (14 Feb 2024)

Colm Burke: 240. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she will give consideration to reviewing the housing assistance payment and rent supplement on an annual basis to ensure that the subsidy increases match increases in the private rental sector market; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7049/24]

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (14 Feb 2024)

Colm Burke: 241. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she will give due consideration to benchmarking the State pension, to ensure that older people do in the private rental sector do not experience undue hardship in the context of rent affordability and expenditure on critical items such as heating electricity and healthcare; and if she will make a statement on the matter....

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Agriculture Schemes (14 Feb 2024)

Colm Burke: 283. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when ACRES-CP payments to farmers in the scheme for 2023 will be issued; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7099/24]

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Public Health and the Commercial Determinants of Health: Discussion (14 Feb 2024)

Colm Burke: The Minister of State mentioned how one in five children in primary school is obese. If so, there needs to be messaging, not only to students, but also to parents. How do we communicate this to parents as well? Obviously, we are not succeeding in that regard.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Public Health and the Commercial Determinants of Health: Discussion (14 Feb 2024)

Colm Burke: Coming back to the issue of primary schools, is there a programme about messaging parents? Messaging is happening in the schools, but what about messaging parents directly through the schools?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Public Health and the Commercial Determinants of Health: Discussion (14 Feb 2024)

Colm Burke: I have encountered another issue. A number of times, GPs have told me about people attending their practices with children who are totally overweight and about how there is a reluctance to have that discussion with the parents. I have heard from GPs about parents moving practices because the GPs raised the issue. What are we doing to help GP practices get the message across to parents as well?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Public Health and the Commercial Determinants of Health: Discussion (14 Feb 2024)

Colm Burke: We went through a difficult time during Covid, but we now need to focus more. We are lucky in Ireland. People might criticise the health system, but our life expectancy is one of the best across Europe. We cannot just sit at that point, though. We need to do more to help people deal with this situation. I wish to touch on the matter of drinking at home. We had a great deal of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Public Health and the Commercial Determinants of Health: Discussion (14 Feb 2024)

Colm Burke: On messaging, sports organisations have been successful in advising players that it is not only a question of exercise and training for matches, it is also about nutrition programmes, what food they should be eating and so on. We do not seem to have translated that into our schools or out among the public. Sports clubs have done a good job on the issue, so perhaps we could learn from them.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Public Health and the Commercial Determinants of Health: Discussion (14 Feb 2024)

Colm Burke: I thank the Minister of State.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Public Health and the Commercial Determinants of Health: Discussion (14 Feb 2024)

Colm Burke: I thank the Minister of State and the Department for the work they are doing. We were talking about obesity and messaging earlier. I was looking at a social media post by a cardiologist, Dr. Paddy Barrett, who was saying there is quite a misunderstanding about weight loss and nutrition, and that while people are talking about cutting back on food, it is not planned and, therefore, there is...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Bus Services (13 Feb 2024)

Colm Burke: 80. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills what action her Department is taking to deal with recruitment challenges of bus drivers under the school transport scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6378/24]

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Bus Services (13 Feb 2024)

Colm Burke: What action is the Department taking to deal with recruitment challenges for bus drivers under the school transport scheme? Will the Minister make a statement on the matter?

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Bus Services (13 Feb 2024)

Colm Burke: I thank the Minister for her comprehensive reply. My concern is, and I think she would agree, that the service has expanded substantially in past number of years and there is a growing demand. As recently as last night I had a meeting with a number of parents. They are concerned because of 16 children only five are able to get school transport when all 16 should be getting it. Their...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Bus Services (13 Feb 2024)

Colm Burke: In a lot of cases it is two hours in the morning and two hours in the evening. Could there be further engagement about getting more people and making sure they have suitable qualifications? Can a special effort be made over the next few months to make sure people who want to assist in providing the transport have the necessary training and are available to drive the buses so we can make...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (13 Feb 2024)

Colm Burke: 130. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the progress that has been made to date by her Department with regard to the establishment of a transfer/relocation scheme for post primary school teachers to stem the teacher retention crisis; to outline in detail her Department plans going forward in addressing this issue; if engagement is taking place with stakeholders (details supplied);...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (13 Feb 2024)

Colm Burke: 265. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the reason a school (details supplied) has been refused approval under the Emergency Works Programme for an urgent project which impacts children’s safety in this school; what programmes are available to schools to apply for works urgently due to the health and safety nature of the works, that the school can receive urgent funding for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (13 Feb 2024)

Colm Burke: 302. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills what measures are being taken by her Department to ensure that all eligible students who apply for school transport under the primary school transport scheme in an area (details supplied) for the 2024-2025 academic year will be facilitated, given there is a high probability that the service will be oversubscribed; and if she will make a...