Results 81-100 of 5,604 for speaker:Ruairi Ó Murchú

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Non-Covid Healthcare Disruption: Mental Health Services (14 Jul 2020)

Ruairi Ó Murchú: Based on what everyone has said, it is fair to say that we are starting in the wrong place where mental health services and funding are concerned. Many people have stated that mental health comprises 7% of health spending, which falls short of the 12% minimum called for by the WHO. I would like to commend the witnesses for their work, advocacy and service provision. Web-based services are...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Non-Covid Healthcare Disruption: Mental Health Services (14 Jul 2020)

Ruairi Ó Murchú: There should be straight protocols to ensure this happens. Another group that falls between stools are people who are often told they have a behaviour rather than a mental illness. These people can display behaviours dangerous to themselves and others. Sometimes only the gardaí can take action when a crime occurs. It is a waste of services and puts people in real harm. What needs...

Employment Rights: Motion [Private Members] (15 Jul 2020)

Ruairi Ó Murchú: I welcome this motion in support of workers' rights. The Covid crisis has brought many employment rights issues to the fore. In May, 176 job losses were announced at National Pen's European headquarters in Dundalk. This was a huge blow to the workers and their families. Some of those workers came to me and told me of similar positions being advertised by National Pen in Tunisia two days...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Drugs Crime (15 Jul 2020)

Ruairi Ó Murchú: I also wish the Minister of State, Deputy McConalogue, all the best. I had a sheet of notes relating to this matter and every time I wrote something down I changed it because the entire process and my involvement with this issue just make me angry. We have never reached a solution. The reason I decided to raise this now was a number of recent events. At 3.35 a.m. on Sunday, 5 July, a...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Drugs Crime (15 Jul 2020)

Ruairi Ó Murchú: I appreciate the Minister of State's response and I accept there has been a lot of good work and extra resourcing of the Garda. However, gardaí say they do not have all the services they require. A car belonging to the drug squad in Dundalk was attacked at the Garda station. That is the level of brazenness of the criminal gangs. They have operated for too long and we need to deal...

Estimates for Public Services 2020 (16 Jul 2020)

Ruairi Ó Murchú: My colleague, Deputy Ó Laoghaire, has laid out exactly what needs to be done to address the issues facing schools at this time. I commend parents on their efforts during the lockdown period. I also commend school staff, including teachers, principals, SNAs, caretakers and cleaners, all of whom put in all the work that was necessary to mitigate what was a really stressful and difficult...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Insurance Coverage (16 Jul 2020)

Ruairi Ó Murchú: 82. To ask the Minister for Finance the plans in place to assist companies in the leisure and entertainment industries, community groups and community facilities that cannot obtain public liability insurance or in cases in which they receive a quote, it is prohibitively expensive. [16466/20]

Early Years Childcare: Motion [Private Members] (21 Jul 2020)

Ruairi Ó Murchú: Covid-19 has demonstrated the weaknesses in how we look after the young and elderly and how we have not appreciated our caregivers. With our current system of childcare we have been failing parents, children and those working in the sector. Deputy Funchion, my Sinn Féin colleagues and others have made arguments and condemned the system we have while offering the economic and societal...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (22 Jul 2020)

Ruairi Ó Murchú: I wish to raise the HIQA report released yesterday about the overall situation in nursing homes during the Covid-19 outbreak. The report lays out in stark terms how nearly 60% of homes inspected following Covid-19 outbreaks were found to have insufficient infection prevention and control measures, which possibly led to greater tragedy. It speaks of deficiencies in governance and management....

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (22 Jul 2020)

Ruairi Ó Murchú: -----and the radical reform that is clearly needed in the nursing home sector?

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Civil Service (22 Jul 2020)

Ruairi Ó Murchú: 95. To ask the Minister for Finance if his attention has been drawn to the case of a retained firefighter (details supplied) that works as a civil servant for a State agency and has been informed that they are no longer allowed to leave work to carry out their duties as a retained firefighter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16793/20]

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Local Authority Funding (23 Jul 2020)

Ruairi Ó Murchú: I raise the issue of underfunding of Louth County Council, in particular. 12 o’clock I note that the Minister of State, Deputy Burke, spoke about the local property tax, but at this point if we were to increase it by 10% to 15%, we would deal only with the cost of the land banks in County Louth that were bought under instruction from Government around 2006 and 2007 in many cases....

Health (General Practitioner Service and Alteration of Criteria for Eligibility) Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (23 Jul 2020)

Ruairi Ó Murchú: I would like to add my voice to what Deputy Cullinane has said regarding the lack of capacity in terms of GP services. While we welcome the changes that are being brought in regarding eligibility and extending the children's eligibility for medical cards, it is vital that we will be able to deliver upon that. We have a bad history in the context of offering primary care services. As a...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Homeless Persons Supports (23 Jul 2020)

Ruairi Ó Murchú: 144. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the timeframe for the roll-out of the family-orientated Housing First scheme to Louth County Council; and the details of the resources to be allocated. [17956/20]

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Covid-19: Impact on Public Transport (24 Jul 2020)

Ruairi Ó Murchú: It has all been said about the necessity of the services. It is something that was very clear recently during the pandemic. We are talking about the future of public transport. I expect there is a fear that people have made a shift towards private cars. From a public transport perspective, including private bus service operators, of which there are many in my Louth constituency, will Mr....

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Covid-19: Impact on Public Transport (24 Jul 2020)

Ruairi Ó Murchú: There is much talk of stimulus at the moment. What is the NBRU's view on major rail projects such as the Navan rail line, the western rail corridor and the future of the DART underground?

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Covid-19: Impact on Public Transport (24 Jul 2020)

Ruairi Ó Murchú: This question is for Mr. Waldron and Mr. Macken who, in fairness, gave what one could only call an indictment of the NTA. I also accept their comments about the necessity of stimulus and grant aid and possibly even to facilitate some people leaving the industry. Insurance was, however, a big issue long before we started this. I have two quick questions. I could be using the wrong...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Covid-19: Impact on Public Transport (Resumed) (24 Jul 2020)

Ruairi Ó Murchú: If Deputy O'Rourke eats into my time, that is fine.

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Covid-19: Impact on Public Transport (Resumed) (24 Jul 2020)

Ruairi Ó Murchú: I congratulate the Chairman on his new role. I want to follow up on some of the points made by my colleague. Serious dissatisfaction was expressed earlier between representatives of taxi drivers and the NTA. They specifically spoke about the issue around insurance and the difficulty whereby insurance companies blamed the NTA, saying that it did not change its rules for the period of the...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Covid-19: Impact on Public Transport (Resumed) (24 Jul 2020)

Ruairi Ó Murchú: Obviously, we would like to see increased engagement. The taxi driver representatives had a serious difficulty in that they did not believe that the NTA, and the insurance companies, had done all that was necessary. We need to ensure that happens, and I would like it put on the agenda. Another major concern they have is that there should be a stimulus programme specifically related to...