Results 301-320 of 3,510 for speaker:Martin Kenny

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Supplementary) (16 Nov 2023)

Martin Kenny: Is there any proposal to extend that low-interest loan scheme to people in the commercial sector?

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Supplementary) (16 Nov 2023)

Martin Kenny: The difficulty is the amount of funding available and the criteria farmers have to meet. It is arduous. Anyway, it is all progress. I am not here to nitpick. It is good to see there is extra money being put into it. We also need to consider where the savings have been made. Reference has been made to the just transition and why it has not happened at the pace expected. There are...

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Supplementary) (16 Nov 2023)

Martin Kenny: I thank the Minister of State. It is useful to go through these matters. The big issue is that the ambition of the public is not matched with the support they need. That is not a criticism; it is just reality. If we were able to find better mechanisms of designing these schemes, such as the business solar one, we could get more small businesses in particular to engage with them. There is...

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Supplementary) (16 Nov 2023)

Martin Kenny: The difficulty is that when people actually get into it, they start scratching their heads. They may have thought they would get certain funding but they cannot access it and they cannot afford another loan as they already have so many loans. People are put off by all that. We need to find a better route to ensure we can deliver for people who are interested and enthusiastic.

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Supplementary) (16 Nov 2023)

Martin Kenny: I thank the Minister of State.

Employment (Collective Redundancies and Miscellaneous Provisions) and Companies (Amendment) Bill 2023: Second Stage (15 Nov 2023)

Martin Kenny: We will be supporting this legislation with the issue of collective bargaining at its core. In many instances, companies have just wound up overnight with large numbers of people let go. We think of Debenhams, TalkTalk, Clerys and numerous others over the decades where similar things have happened. These people are left with very little hope and nowhere to turn. The only chance they have...

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2023: Second Stage (Resumed) (15 Nov 2023)

Martin Kenny: The Electoral Commission, in the new way it has been set up, is a huge advancement and improvement and we all recognise that. One issue in which we all have a great interest relates to the electoral register, who is on it and how that system has worked. It has always struck me down the years that when someone turns 18 years of age, the Department of Social Protection is able to write to the...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (15 Nov 2023)

Martin Kenny: I wish to raise with the Taoiseach an issue in my constituency with regard to Scoil Mhuire primary school in Carrick-on-Shannon. The board of management has been ten years looking to get a new school built. The school is split into two campuses. More than 500 children, many of them from various countries, attend the school. The Department of Education compiled a technical report in August...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Future Licences and Contracts to Connect Data Centres to the Gas Network: Discussion (15 Nov 2023)

Martin Kenny: I thank the Chair and thank the witnesses for their opening statements and the engagement so far. I want to focus on little part of all of this. I note Ms Donnelly, in her opening statement, said that "Battery storage using renewable electricity is key to decarbonising data centres and maximising the available renewables in the system." I assume that is available renewables for...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Future Licences and Contracts to Connect Data Centres to the Gas Network: Discussion (15 Nov 2023)

Martin Kenny: Is it prohibitive cost-wise or what are the main issues there? Is the investment there? Is there capacity within that sector to deliver? Dr. Gallagher said there are issues regarding regulation and so on but if all of those were ironed out, how fast could that be done?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Future Licences and Contracts to Connect Data Centres to the Gas Network: Discussion (15 Nov 2023)

Martin Kenny: In their infancy.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Future Licences and Contracts to Connect Data Centres to the Gas Network: Discussion (15 Nov 2023)

Martin Kenny: The other issue in regard to that, and I suppose it comes into it, is the interconnectivity where we connect into other countries' supplies of electricity. France is the one that we most recently heard about. What capacity does that give us, where does that put us or does it do very much really?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Future Licences and Contracts to Connect Data Centres to the Gas Network: Discussion (15 Nov 2023)

Martin Kenny: If the battery issue is not resolved, will interconnectivity fill that gap? According to Mr. Gannon's statement, it is not looking good at the moment.

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Service 2023
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Supplementary) (15 Nov 2023)

Martin Kenny: I nominate Deputy Cathal Crowe.

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Service 2023
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Supplementary) (15 Nov 2023)

Martin Kenny: I thank the Minister very much for his opening statement and the detail provided. It is welcome on one level to see the NBP is progressing, and doing so at some pace. We still, however, get many people around the country very frustrated at the issues they are encountering. Everybody's individual issue is important to them. We also have businesses around the country, especially in rural...

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Service 2023
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Supplementary) (15 Nov 2023)

Martin Kenny: Has it enough staff to do the work it needs to do?

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Service 2023
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Supplementary) (15 Nov 2023)

Martin Kenny: I will go back to retrofitting. I spoke recently to a person who works with one of those contractors. I asked him about the types of houses they are working in. He confirmed something that I suspected and which really goes to the core of this issue. He felt it was reasonably well-off people who were getting retrofitting done. Such people had access to money. They would be able to get...

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Estimates for Public Service 2023
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Supplementary) (15 Nov 2023)

Martin Kenny: I understand. This is an area in which there has been an underspend. I am bringing to the Minister's attention that part of the reason for that underspend is that the people who most need the assistance are those who cannot afford to avail of these schemes. The scheme needs to be readjusted in order to ensure we are not back here and considering further underspends in the future. I take...