Results 1-20 of 3,790 for speaker:Michael Collins

Central Bank (Amendment) Bill 2025: Second Stage [Private Members] (17 Jul 2025)

Michael Collins: Independent Ireland is proud to speak in strong support of this Bill today. This Bill speaks to the very core of fairness, common sense and compassion in public policy. It is a simple but powerful measure that will make a real difference in the lives of thousands of our people who have already been through hell and back. The financial discrimination faced by cancer survivors in Ireland is...

Proceeds of Crime and Related Matters Bill 2025: Second Stage (17 Jul 2025)

Michael Collins: It is okay, I will mind you.

Proceeds of Crime and Related Matters Bill 2025: Second Stage (17 Jul 2025)

Michael Collins: I looked at the briefing paper. We agree, as I think most people here do, that we should reduce the timeframe from seven to two years for the disposal of assets identified as proceeds of crime. The Bill strengthens the Criminal Assets Bureau, CAB, giving it power to restrain and seize assets before the High Court. A process introduces new restraint orders to prevent transactions linked to...

Health (Amendment) Bill 2025: Second Stage (16 Jul 2025)

Michael Collins: Today, we are presented with the Health (Amendment) Bill 2025. On the surface, the Bill promises reform, but let us be clear - this is not reform, but bureaucracy dressed up as progress. The Bill does not fix our broken health system. It merely rearranges the furniture in a house that is already on fire. It tinkers with the governance structures while ignoring the real crisis, which is...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (16 Jul 2025)

Michael Collins: Excuse me. It is my question now. The Deputy might sit down and give me the decency-----

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (16 Jul 2025)

Michael Collins: I did not disrupt you when you were speaking.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (16 Jul 2025)

Michael Collins: Sit down, please. Would you ever learn your place in this building?

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (16 Jul 2025)

Michael Collins: I want to raise a critical issue affecting the people of Castletownbere, Eyeries and Ardgroom. These communities are effectively frozen, unable to grow and develop because of a water infrastructure crisis that has gone unresolved for far too long. Planning applications are being refused or withdrawn due to the concerns over water abstraction from Glenbeg Lough, which lies within a special...

Dental Treatment Services: Motion [Private Members] (16 Jul 2025)

Michael Collins: I thank Deputy Stanley and his group for tabling this very important motion, particularly in view of the crisis we have in dental care throughout the country. In the past 12 months alone, Cork has lost 58 dentists who were providing treatment to medical card holders. This is almost one quarter of all dentists who are part of the dental treatment service scheme. These include 22 dentists in...

Commission of Investigation (Handling of Historical Child Sexual Abuse in Day and Boarding Schools) Order 2025: Motion (15 Jul 2025)

Michael Collins: This issue has shaken public confidence and raised serious concerns about transparency and accountability in our institutions. As public representatives, we have a duty to respond not with words alone, but with action. I speak from personal experience. My aunt was severely physically abused by a teacher simply because she was considered at that time as a bit slow. That was the language...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (15 Jul 2025)

Michael Collins: We need a debate this week in the Dáil on the leaked draft of the Common Agricultural Policy, which shows zero ambition to protect food security going forward. It looks like there will be no increase in funding for the LEADER programme and no increase in funding for agriculture. With rural pubs and post offices closing in the country, this is a terrible time for this leaked document to...

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Rural Schemes (10 Jul 2025)

Michael Collins: 82. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht for a breakdown of the total funding awarded and the number of jobs supported through the LEADER programme in the west Cork LEADER footprint area under the current CAP; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38529/25]

Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2025: Committee and Remaining Stages (9 Jul 2025)

Michael Collins: Reducing the length of time with regard to a planning permission might be okay with the large developments but I would be very concerned about the one-off housing. A lot of people might apply for planning but may not have the money to get started, especially with the price of materials at the moment. I refer to one-off housing in rural Ireland. I have often met people, as we all do in our...

All-Island Strategic Rail Review: Statements (Resumed) (9 Jul 2025)

Michael Collins: The all-island strategic rail review, published in July 2024, outlines a comprehensive vision for enhancing the rail system across Ireland and Northern Ireland up to 2050. Recommended in it are additional capacity, faster services, higher frequency, electrification and new routes. These are great except if you live in rural Ireland, where I happen to live. Light rail is to come to Cork...

Transparency for Supermarket Profits: Motion [Private Members] (9 Jul 2025)

Michael Collins: I thank the Social Democrats and will support this very important motion. Since 2021, grocery costs have surged nearly 40%, adding €3,000 to annual family expenses and pushing more than 100,000 children into consistent poverty. These are some examples. Brennan's white bread, 800 g, increased from €1.87 in 2022 to €1.99 in 2025. Avonmore milk, 2 l, rose from...

Student Fees: Motion [Private Members] (8 Jul 2025)

Michael Collins: Heads down the whole time, looking at your phones when you should be listening to the speeches.

Student Fees: Motion [Private Members] (8 Jul 2025)

Michael Collins: No respect for the young people up there.

Student Fees: Motion [Private Members] (8 Jul 2025)

Michael Collins: I have attended most of the debates on college fees in the past week and the one thing I found was that nobody got clarity. This is a terribly unfair situation for parents to find themselves in. They are very concerned. There is no point in saying something here that is not true. Every politician, including the Ministers, must surely realise from emails the concerns of parents. In a...

Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2025: Second Stage (8 Jul 2025)

Michael Collins: Independent Ireland will not be opposing this Bill going through the Dáil. That might be an example to the Minister as to how we are open to doing business. When we put forward a motion two or three weeks ago we put forward about 20 proposals, the Government put forward 24 or 25 amendments to make sure it did not go through the Dáil. It might have resolved the situation around...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (8 Jul 2025)

Michael Collins: This is the fifth week in a row I have asked that the Minister for education come to the Dáil to talk about the capitation grant and class sizes. It is hugely important now. We are facing into the summer break, almost immediately after which we will have the budget. It is a huge concern in the Irish National Teachers' Organisation, INTO, especially with regard to the capitation grant...