Results 1-20 of 2,696 for speaker:Ossian Smyth

Gas (Amendment) Bill 2023: From the Seanad (24 Apr 2024)

Ossian Smyth: These amendments create a new Chapter 1 to the new Part 4 within the Gas (Amendment) and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill. These provide for the transfer of Maritime Area Planning Act functions from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage to the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications. They preserve work completed to date on the south coast DMAP. The...

Gas (Amendment) Bill 2023: From the Seanad (24 Apr 2024)

Ossian Smyth: That is a very reasonable point. I am glad the committee met with the Department to discuss this. The Government is aware it is critical there are sufficient staffing resources to provide for this new function, the designation of specific DMAPs, and that An Bord Pleanála has sufficient staff to carry out its function. It needs a whole set of new staff who have the qualifications and...

Gas (Amendment) Bill 2023: From the Seanad (24 Apr 2024)

Ossian Smyth: These amendments create a new Chapter 2 of the new Part 4 within the Gas (Amendment) and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill. These directly amend the Maritime Area Planning Act 2021 to remedy issues related to the making of the south coast offshore renewable energy designated maritime area plan, DMAP, in the absence of a statutory marine planning policy statement and provide a mechanism allowing...

Gas (Amendment) Bill 2023: From the Seanad (24 Apr 2024)

Ossian Smyth: Amendments Nos. 1 to 9 are technical amendments that relate to the Title and citation. The Long Title is changed to reflect the inclusion of the transfer of maritime area planning functions from the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, certain arrangements relating to the making of the marine planning policy...

Gas (Amendment) Bill 2023: From the Seanad (24 Apr 2024)

Ossian Smyth: I thank the Deputies for their comments. The decision to transfer these functions was taken by the Government at a meeting on 20 December 2023 and this is the earliest opportunity to enact that decision. It was introduced in the Seanad in previous weeks and debated there. It is a transfer of functions from one Department to another, the same as the rest of this legislation, which is also a...

Disability Justice: Motion [Private Members] (17 Apr 2024)

Ossian Smyth: I thank the Deputies for all their contributions. First, I wish to address a point raised by Deputy Mattie McGrath. He asked about people who lose their medical cards after taking up employment. This matter was also raised by other Deputies. I reassure Deputies that if people take up work, they can retain their medical cards for three years. The Minister, Deputy Humphreys, has sought...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Childcare Services (17 Apr 2024)

Ossian Smyth: I thank the Senator for raising this important issue. Ensuring that high-quality early learning and childcare is affordable and accessible to all children, in particular children from vulnerable backgrounds, is a key priority for the Government. Data from the latest annual early years sector profile from last summer estimated that 14,088 children were enrolled in early learning and...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Childcare Services (17 Apr 2024)

Ossian Smyth: I take the Senator’s point that the matching of demand and supply has to be very local and that applies in a county which has large distances between different towns and villages but investment in early learning and childcare services has quadrupled in the last nine years. It went from €260 million in 2015 to €1.1 billion this year. That increased investment has focused...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Health Services (17 Apr 2024)

Ossian Smyth: The provision of proper, appropriate and integrated gender healthcare services is something that the Minister, Deputy Donnelly is anxious to see put in place for persons who are questioning their gender identity or are experiencing gender incongruence or gender dysphoria. The Minister has previously acknowledged that they do not currently have access to that in Ireland and that he is...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Health Services (17 Apr 2024)

Ossian Smyth: I take on board all issues raised during this discussion. I note that all of us in this House want to ensure that the transgender community is given the proper, appropriate and integrated care and support they need to live their authentic, fulfilling lives. The new model of care will aim to do just that. The development of the new model of care for gender healthcare services is expected...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Cancer Services (17 Apr 2024)

Ossian Smyth: Good morning to the young people and teachers. Just to let them know what is happening, Senator Catherine Ardagh is asking me,representing the Government, how we spend money to cure cancer. I am here on behalf of the Minister for Health to answer the question. I thank Senator Ardagh for raising this question. Successive national cancer strategies have shown the benefits of continued...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Cancer Services (17 Apr 2024)

Ossian Smyth: I will raise with the Minister for Health the Senator's points about bringing in lung cancer screening and extending breast cancer screening to younger people. With regard to the Senator's point about multi-annual funding, I will ask about that in the Vote in the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform and see what the situation is because most things...

Seanad: Gas (Amendment) Bill 2023: Report and Final Stages (17 Apr 2024)

Ossian Smyth: These are minor amendments. The Long Title has changed to reflect the inclusion of the transfer of maritime area planning functions from the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications and certain arrangements relating to the making of the marine planning policy statement on designated maritime area plans, DMAPs, under...

Seanad: Gas (Amendment) Bill 2023: Report and Final Stages (17 Apr 2024)

Ossian Smyth: The Senator spoke about developer-led versus plan-led and she is right to mention that distinction. Up to now, we have had a developer-led approach for wind farms. It has not led to the creation of any wind farms but just a view that you can apply anywhere and the interest and planning would come from the market. The whole thrust of the legislation this Government has developed has been...

Seanad: Gas (Amendment) Bill 2023: Report and Final Stages (17 Apr 2024)

Ossian Smyth: Specifically, the marine protected areas legislation will remain with the Department of housing. There will be no change to that. I will ask the Minister for housing when he plans to publish that legislation. Of course, he works closely with the Minister of State, Deputy Noonan, to whom he has delegated some of his functions. As I said, there is continued co-operation between the offshore...

Seanad: Gas (Amendment) Bill 2023: Report and Final Stages (17 Apr 2024)

Ossian Smyth: The marine protected areas legislation is expected to be published by the end of June.

Seanad: Gas (Amendment) Bill 2023: Report and Final Stages (17 Apr 2024)

Ossian Smyth: I thank Senator Higgins for bringing forward this amendment. In order to carry out this change of shareholding from one Ministry to another, the details of it have to be laid before the Houses and a resolution can then be brought by either House to annul it. It is not the case that it automatically goes through. It is the case that either the Seanad or the Dáil can stop such as a...

Seanad: Gas (Amendment) Bill 2023: Report and Final Stages (17 Apr 2024)

Ossian Smyth: The code of practice for the governance of State bodies provides, in the case of commercial State bodies, for a shareholder letter of expectation which outlines the terms of the relationship with the parent Department. The shareholder letter of expectation contains commercially sensitive information and, as such, it would not be appropriate for it to be publicly available. I am not aware of...

Seanad: Gas (Amendment) Bill 2023: Report and Final Stages (17 Apr 2024)

Ossian Smyth: I thank the Senator. A commercial semi-State body is charged with two things. The first is performing its functions that deliver on its strategic mandate, whatever that is. The second is trying to make a certain amount of money which is then used by the State to provide services to its citizens. In advance of the year, expectations are set by the shareholder - the State - saying how much...

Seanad: Gas (Amendment) Bill 2023: Report and Final Stages (17 Apr 2024)

Ossian Smyth: As the Senators are already aware, GNI is a semi-State public body and its shares are 100% controlled by Government Ministers. Because of this, it is subject to the same criteria as other State bodies regarding its climate obligations. In particular, GNI is listed as a relevant body under the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act 2015, as amended by the Climate Action and Low Carbon...