Results 1-20 of 1,198 for speaker:Michael Collins

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (14 Nov 2019)

Michael Collins: On page 92 of the programme for Government a commitment is indicated to deliver a school capital investment programme for extensions and refurbishments to cater for the provision of additional school places with significant funding secured as part of the capital plan. Shortly after it was included in the programme for Government, in 2017 Fine Gael politicians in west Cork announced that the...

Provision of Accommodation and Ancillary Services to Applicants for International Protection: Statements (13 Nov 2019)

Michael Collins: I am grateful for the opportunity to speak on this matter. Over the past number of months, several of my colleagues and I have been the subjects of a campaign by a number of people to discredit us and twist our words for their own gain. I respect their right to free speech, outlined in Article 40.6.1° of the Irish Constitution. I also ask those people to respect our rights. I assure...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (13 Nov 2019)

Michael Collins: Under Project Ireland 2040, the Government has committed to provide an additional €1 billion for the rural regeneration fund. Last week, the third round of funding under this fund was announced. The constituency of Cork South-West was again overlooked, even though there were shovel-ready projects that have been ready since the inception of the fund, believe it or not. In the...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (13 Nov 2019)

Michael Collins: They are 12 months waiting for it.

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (13 Nov 2019)

Michael Collins: That was the point.

Inquiry into the death of Shane O’Farrell: Motion [Private Members] (12 Nov 2019)

Michael Collins: I am grateful for the opportunity to speak on this motion this evening and happily support it, to ask the Government to acknowledge that the Department of Justice and Equality's terms of reference do not address the needs of the O'Farrell family. Shane O'Farrell, a bright young man with an abundance of opportunities before him, had his life cut short in a hit-and-run road traffic incident on...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (12 Nov 2019)

Michael Collins: Deputy Coppinger took five minutes.

Dublin Mid-West By-election: Issue of Writ (7 Nov 2019)

Michael Collins: On behalf of the Rural Independent Group, I welcome the Government's moving of the four by-election writs today. It provides the people of Cork, Wexford and the Dublin constituencies a chance to show how the Government has failed the people. In recent weeks and months many in west Cork thought that we would be facing a general election. The people to whom I spoke were hungry for a general...

Dublin Mid-West By-election: Issue of Writ (7 Nov 2019)

Michael Collins: The application has been before the Government for the past six months and it was not able to deal with it.

Dublin Mid-West By-election: Issue of Writ (7 Nov 2019)

Michael Collins: People are worn out trying to make progress. The group is a voluntary community group. The Government needs to assist it to get the project across the line but it was not willing to do that. Areas in Mayo, which I do not begrudge, are getting massive amounts of funding for such projects and for rural regeneration. The best of luck to them.

Dublin Mid-West By-election: Issue of Writ (7 Nov 2019)

Michael Collins: Funding needs to be fairly distributed among all. The Government will have to face that in the general election. I am getting the Government ready. That is what people are telling me. Perhaps I am listening to the wrong people but they are some of the groups out there. Another issue we must discuss is the closure of rural polling stations. This is a serious issue for many people living...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh (Atógáil) - Questions on Promised Legislation (Resumed) (7 Nov 2019)

Michael Collins: Due to new regulations pertaining to preschool crèches, small preschools will have to ensure they are compliant with regulations or face closure. As a result, in the Cork South-West constituency in Castletownbere, a privately run, HSE-approved, crèche, catering for a large number of children and employing five members of staff, will have to close its doors on 22 November. In...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (7 Nov 2019)

Michael Collins: There are many promises made in the programme for Government in the area of health, but there has been a serious deterioration in the health service being delivered to people during the lifetime of the Government. Almost every area of the health service is in crisis. Today I will deal with the issue of home care hours. During the past year there has been an embargo on the provision of new...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (7 Nov 2019)

Michael Collins: I thank the Tánaiste for his reply. At the outset I said there had been a serious deterioration in the health service being delivered to the people during the lifetime of the Government. Waiting lists are growing longer. Every day I am fighting to get people off trolleys and given a bed in Cork hospitals. SouthDoc services in parts of west Cork, particularly Castletownbere, have...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (6 Nov 2019)

Michael Collins: Page 6 of the programme for Government promises that efforts to increase access to safe, timely care close to patients' homes will be a priority for the Government. Almost four years on, the health service has deteriorated at an alarming rate under the Government's watch. The numbers of people waiting on trolleys on a daily basis is a national scandal. A total of 649 people are on trolleys...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (24 Oct 2019)

Michael Collins: The programme for Government referred to rural small schools and stated that the closed school rule for school transport should be maintained. Many schools were closed in outlying areas in many parts of rural Ireland and the pupils from the catchment areas of the closed schools were given school transport to the central school in the parish. This was known as the closed school rule....

Industrial Development (Amendment) Bill 2019 [Seanad]: Second Stage (24 Oct 2019)

Michael Collins: I welcome the opportunity to speak on this Bill. This Bill will increase the lifetime cap on Oireachtas grants made payable to IDA Ireland and will empower Enterprise Ireland to award research and development grants to the horticultural sector. We know that foreign direct investment is pivotal in providing over 200,000 IDA Ireland-supported jobs in our economy. IDA Ireland estimates that...

Public Ownership of the National Broadband Network: Motion [Private Members] (23 Oct 2019)

Michael Collins: I welcome the opportunity to speak to this motion. As the House will be aware, the importance of the online economy cannot be underestimated. Broadband is a vital resource for business. It provides significant growth opportunities for businesses that trade online and a global market for rural tourism and small artisan producers. It is also an important resource for schools, private homes...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (23 Oct 2019)

Michael Collins: On page 86 of the programme for Government the Government promised that it would introduce a uniform homecare service in order that all recipients could receive quality support seven days a week, where possible. The reality is completely different. For example, one constituent of mine who suffers from a lifelong condition and is wheelchair bound was hospitalised earlier this year with...

Child Maintenance: Motion (22 Oct 2019)

Michael Collins: I welcome the opportunity to speak on this motion. For far too long, the Government has been content to let parents battle it out through the courts to enforce child maintenance payments. The Courts Service received almost 9,000 applications for maintenance in 2018. With no State agency in place to support one-parent families, the Government is forcing lone parents who are already in...