Results 61-80 of 1,862 for speaker:Richard O'Donoghue

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Update on Homelessness: Discussion (5 Mar 2024)

Richard O'Donoghue: I have another quick question on this. Do the witnesses believe that we should protect people in the here and now? We should protect the facades and roof structures of our old buildings so that the streetscape does not change but modernise the back of these buildings so that we can house the people who need housing in these areas. We could bring old buildings in line with the fire...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Update on Homelessness: Discussion (5 Mar 2024)

Richard O'Donoghue: I have one small comment on that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Update on Homelessness: Discussion (5 Mar 2024)

Richard O'Donoghue: Brownfield sites need infrastructure. The data on sewerage systems in Ireland, for example, shows that they are at capacity. Brownfield sites need investment in sewerage capacity but that is not happening. The data is there to show that investment is only happening in the cities, which does not cover the brownfield sites in towns and villages.

RTÉ: Statements (28 Feb 2024)

Richard O'Donoghue: If I was running RTÉ, it would be run like a business. RTÉ is funded by this Government and it is a stakeholder in it. It is supposed to be a national television station. All they are doing is selling false information, as Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have been giving to their members for many years. It is all one-sided reporting. They have no respect for the people who work...

Protection of Employees (Trade Union Subscriptions) Bill 2024: Second Stage [Private Members] (28 Feb 2024)

Richard O'Donoghue: I am an employer myself and have been self-employed for nearly all of my life. I was lucky that a small employer took me on in the building trade when I was 15 years of age. That is when I went out on the buildings. I learned my trade and then I became an employer. I am still in employment and providing employment and I understand how hard it is to be an employer. The problem here is...

Mental Health (Amendment) Bill 2023: Second Stage (Resumed) [Private Members] (27 Feb 2024)

Richard O'Donoghue: First and foremost, I would like to sympathise with Deputy Michael Collins and his family on the death of his nephew and friend - a young man who left this life due to suicide. Friends of mine have died from suicide. Friends' children have died from suicide. Mental health is a big problem in this country. It is a bigger problem if the most vulnerable people, when they go out and ask...

Recent Arson Attacks: Statements (27 Feb 2024)

Richard O'Donoghue: At the outset, I condemn anyone who would burn or damage anyone's property. I condemn anyone who would go out on a violent protest. I do not condemn people who go out and protest peacefully. I refer to people who wish to meet in a community to discuss what is happening in their area because of the lack of information from the Government. One thing the Government and the Departments are...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Defective Blocks Scheme: Discussion (27 Feb 2024)

Richard O'Donoghue: I thank the Chair and thank the witnesses for coming in. I am a building contractor and have been all my life. I am a block layer by trade so who can better talk about this? I am not talking to a desktop. The desktop study that was done on this is ludicrous. How do you see something and explain something to somebody if you can do it yourself, which I can do. At the last committee...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Defective Blocks Scheme: Discussion (27 Feb 2024)

Richard O'Donoghue: I understand that. In today's market, someone would be lucky to finish out a 2,100 sq. ft house at €420,000. That is not including planning permission fees, engineering fees or any other fees. That is on the basis of today's costs. Those costs are rising. We are eight or nine months out of that system. That is why it galls me. I was missing for much of this due to illness, but I...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Defective Blocks Scheme: Discussion (27 Feb 2024)

Richard O'Donoghue: I ask for a small bit of leniency. The Chair gave an extra two minutes to the previous speaker. I ask him to give the two minutes to the witnesses, particularly if they want to reply to that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Defective Blocks Scheme: Discussion (27 Feb 2024)

Richard O'Donoghue: There is a vulnerability as well, Chair.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Defective Blocks Scheme: Discussion (27 Feb 2024)

Richard O'Donoghue: When the officials have been invited here, if the witnesses are available, can they also be invited to attend if they want to do so?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Defective Blocks Scheme: Discussion (27 Feb 2024)

Richard O'Donoghue: In the context of the officials coming in, if the witnesses were here and if something came up on the day of the meeting, they could ask us to ask questions while they were present. They do not actually have to ask it themselves. That is if there was a question they wanted to ask and if they were available.

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (15 Feb 2024)

Richard O'Donoghue: 236. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of Croí Cónaithe grants that have been approved, by county, in tabular form. [7215/24]

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Housing Schemes (15 Feb 2024)

Richard O'Donoghue: 237. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of Croí Cónaithe grants that have been paid by the local authority, by county, in tabular form. [7216/24]

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Residency Permits (15 Feb 2024)

Richard O'Donoghue: 284. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of GNIB cards issued by her Department in 2021, 2022 and 2023, in tabular form. [7214/24]

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Services (15 Feb 2024)

Richard O'Donoghue: 334. To ask the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the lack of genetic services throughout the country, that due to the lack of services people living with rare diseases are on waiting lists for the incorrect treatments; if additional funding will be provided for this service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7213/24]

Recent Developments in Northern Ireland: Statements (14 Feb 2024)

Richard O'Donoghue: I, too, welcome the developments in the North and wish Michelle O'Neill and all the parties concerned the best of luck. In a situation such as that in the North in recent times, where things were being run off old policies and there was no real direction, it causes suffering to people because there are no proper services in place. I refer to what has happened to businesses there, with...

Business Costs for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises: Motion [Private Members] (14 Feb 2024)

Richard O'Donoghue: On a light note, I wish you all a happy Valentine's Day. Publicly, I have to say that I apologise to my wife, Kay, that I will not be home this evening, but we will make it up later in the week and might go for a bite of dinner. I am an employer myself. From the point of view of small businesses, we can hit on all the different topics such as the wage increase. All the employers that I...

Reform of the Television Licence Fee Model: Motion [Private Members] (13 Feb 2024)

Richard O'Donoghue: In the little time I have left after the previous speaker, I make the point in the context of the television licence that the national broadcaster is supposed to broadcast everything in Ireland, not just the Government show. The Government show is all it seems to broadcast now. In the deal involving taxpayers' money the Government gave to fund RTÉ and stop it from closing, how much air...