Results 21-40 of 1,874 for speaker:Richard O'Donoghue

Outbreaks of Covid-19 in Meat Processing Plants: Statements (21 May 2020)

Richard O'Donoghue: The Minister will wait until I am finished. I asked her for help because I had information that would help her to help others but she believed she was above everyone and did not even acknowledge us. Limerick has stood up to the test and has offered help around this country. I had to contact Ministers to tell them there was a company in Limerick making masks that was exporting to...

Outbreaks of Covid-19 in Meat Processing Plants: Statements (21 May 2020)

Richard O'Donoghue: The Minister, Deputy Humphreys, wants to jump in.

Outbreaks of Covid-19 in Meat Processing Plants: Statements (21 May 2020)

Richard O'Donoghue: The Minister does not know.

Outbreaks of Covid-19 in Meat Processing Plants: Statements (21 May 2020)

Richard O'Donoghue: It is ironic that the Minister said I got the letter on 1 April. That is April Fool's Day, and that is exactly what she has given me back. Every other Minister I have contacted had the common courtesy to give me a quick call back. As a new Deputy, I offered my help. Deputy Humphreys is the only Minister-----

Outbreaks of Covid-19 in Meat Processing Plants: Statements (21 May 2020)

Richard O'Donoghue: -----who thought she was above that station. She would not answer a phone call or a text to help somebody elected to this House for the first time. All the rest of the Ministers helped out and worked with me. Deputy Humphreys was the only one who would not reply to a call. As she said, she replied to me on April Fool's Day. Fair play to her.

Estimates for Public Services 2020 - Vote 37 - Employment Affairs and Social Protection (Revised Estimate) (28 May 2020)

Richard O'Donoghue: I will allow time for him to do that. When this pandemic payment was paid, it was welcomed by many people. I said to the Minister, prior to its launch, that the scheme would have been fairer if people had been paid relative to the wages they were earning at the time. Some people were working part time and earning €100 a week while going to school and finishing their leaving...

Estimates for Public Services 2020 - Vote 37 - Employment Affairs and Social Protection (Revised Estimate) (28 May 2020)

Richard O'Donoghue: I have another question for the Minister. Is it legal for companies to have contacted their workers and told them that they were going to pay them themselves? I have had a couple of phone calls from people who were working part-time. They were earning approximately €100 a week through college to earn extra money for college and their companies would not release them for the Covid...

Estimates for Public Services 2020 (Resumed) (28 May 2020)

Richard O'Donoghue: I am from a construction and farming background. Some people who want to return to work in the construction industry cannot do so because of issues with the Safe Pass scheme. For anybody who does not know, construction workers must have a Safe Pass card, which requires doing a one-day course where they sit down in front of an instructor who teaches them about different safety measures. At...

Estimates for Public Services 2020 (Resumed) (28 May 2020)

Richard O'Donoghue: Many people who are 65 years old have jobs whose job description requires them to retire at that age. The new contracts people sign now refer to 66 years. If one is 65 years of age and has worked all one's life, one has reached retirement age. However, some people do not receive their pension until they are 66 years old. They have to sign for jobseeker's payment at 65 years of age. I do...

Climate Action and Low Carbon Development: Statements (10 Jun 2020)

Richard O'Donoghue: I thank the Minister for attending the House. This Government has talked the talk but it has not walked the walk. People talk about historical things that happened in the recent election. All the Independent Deputies were elected from outside of Dublin. Why? Because people on the ground in rural Ireland said they were not being listened to. We are the best country in the world for...

July Education Programme: Statements (10 Jun 2020)

Richard O'Donoghue: I ask the Minister to give information to the providers of July provision. Yesterday I spoke to a representative of a school that takes in 90 children for July provision. At this stage the school should be organising transport for the children, SNAs, teachers, physiotherapists and nurses. School authorities should not be worrying about the conditions of the scheme and whether it will go...

Climate Action and Low Carbon Development: Statements (Resumed) (10 Jun 2020)

Richard O'Donoghue: Ireland is lagging behind in any meaningful engagement with farmers and producers in developing biomethane, which could be used for fuel for heavy goods vehicles as an alternative to fossil fuels. There are easy ways to help the process of anaerobic digestion, which is common in Germany, Denmark and the UK. The process mixes slurry with maize and silage, leaving the materials to ferment and...

Climate Action and Low Carbon Development: Statements (Resumed) (10 Jun 2020)

Richard O'Donoghue: I could stay here for an hour with the Minister of State. I have been listening to the whole Chamber and the one thing no one has brought up is infrastructure. The Government has failed rural Ireland with infrastructure. I will start with the area where I was elected first, the Adare-Rathkeale district. On a promise from Government, they are waiting 30 years for a storage plant in...

Climate Action and Low Carbon Development: Statements (Resumed) (10 Jun 2020)

Richard O'Donoghue: I mean the county.

Climate Action and Low Carbon Development: Statements (Resumed) (10 Jun 2020)

Richard O'Donoghue: A survey undertaken by NUI Galway regarding Covid-19 found that 83% of people want to work remotely. One in five identified connectivity as an issue. The previous Government had nine Ministers in Dublin. How does it expect the rest of the country to deal with emissions when it has not dealt with them in Dublin? Dublin commuters spend 246 hours in traffic each year. That is higher than is...

Climate Action and Low Carbon Development: Statements (Resumed) (10 Jun 2020)

Richard O'Donoghue: They are just discussions.

Offences against the State (Amendment) Act 1998 and Criminal Justice (Amendment) Act 2009: Motions (24 Jun 2020)

Richard O'Donoghue: I am sharing time with Deputy Mattie McGrath. I offer my deepest sympathy to the family of Detective Garda Colm Horkan, who gave his life for the safety of others. May he rest in peace. Section 8 of the Criminal Justice (Amendment) Act of 2009 has given us legislation on tackling organised crime throughout Ireland. Even through a pandemic, we have seen cases of individuals and gangs...

Post-European Council Meetings: Statements (24 Jun 2020)

Richard O'Donoghue: I thank the Cathaoirleach. I understand that €540 billion was assigned to a recovery programme for workers and businesses in Europe to strengthen, in particular to strengthen the resilience of the health system and promote innovation in it. How is this being monitored in Ireland? Are we proactively working with our stakeholders, including our wonderfully innovative pharmaceutical...

Post-European Council Meetings: Statements (24 Jun 2020)

Richard O'Donoghue: I actually give praise where praise is due. Well done on getting a seat on the UN Security Council. We are targeting as much funding as we can get, but how do we get it delivered more efficiently? It is taking too long to deliver funding to the likes of SMEs. The process is too complicated. What can the Government do to simplify it? Many people with experience around this House know...

Reopening of Schools and Summer Provision 2020: Statements (24 Jun 2020)

Richard O'Donoghue: That is the second time.