Results 1-20 of 478 for at speaker:John Cummins

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (11 Jun 2024)

John Cummins: ...regard to those who stood in elections - those were elected and those who were unsuccessful. It takes a huge amount of courage to put one's name on a ballot paper. We were delighted to gain a seat in Waterford and to be the largest party in local government on Waterford City and County Council. Two new councillors - Niamh O'Donovan and Jim Darcy, who returned after a ten-year absence -...

Seanad: Housing Commission Report: Motion (29 May 2024)

John Cummins: I thank the Acting Chairperson. I welcome the Minister of State. Listening to the Sinn Féin representatives deliver their prepared speeches, one could forgive them for leaving out the fact that many of the things which are undoubtedly working and which were put in place by the Government have been shamelessly opposed by their party. Last year, 32,700 homes were delivered in this...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Healthcare Infrastructure Provision (21 May 2024)

John Cummins: As a former teacher, I am sure the teacher is probably not best pleased with that. The students are probably happy. I thank the Minister of State for taking this Commencement matter. Like the Minister of State, I am extremely passionate about the need for a new purpose-built multidisciplinary early intervention and respite care centre for children with complex additional needs on the...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Healthcare Infrastructure Provision (21 May 2024)

John Cummins: I am disappointed with the response but I know the Minister of State gets under the hood of things and clearly, we need to get under the hood of what has been going on here. To go from procuring a design team in 2021 to only having stage 1 completed in quarter 3 of 2023, when construction was due to commence in 2023, does not tally. Questions have to be asked of HSE estates. What has...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Building Regulations (Fire Safety): Discussion (21 May 2024)

John Cummins: I thank the witnesses for attending. They are the experts and we are the politicians, so the questions I am going to put forward will be in layman's terms. I have looked at the area of timber construction and nearly 90% of new-build construction in Scotland, whose climate is not too dissimilar to our own, is timber based, and it has gone higher than the 11 m that has been mentioned. Are we...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Building Regulations (Fire Safety): Discussion (21 May 2024)

John Cummins: So it is the case that for use of the sprinkler system for X period of time in any new apartment complex, it has to have X capacity of water in its own right. Therefore, if we look at city centre and brownfield sites, we are looking at significant excavation under or on top with regard to the provision of its “own source” of water for the sprinkler systems. Is that the case?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Building Regulations (Fire Safety): Discussion (21 May 2024)

John Cummins: It seems like that is quite an engineering task to have to overcome when we are looking at density and requirements in constrained city centre sites. It is what it is, of course, but it adds significant cost to any build in terms of a viability measure in city centre sites.

Seanad: Gambling Regulation Bill 2022: Second Stage (14 May 2024)

John Cummins: I thank the Minister of State for being here and taking this legislation through the Dáil and into the Seanad. I appreciate that he has been here for a very long time this afternoon, so I will not use all my time. The programme for Government committed to establishing a gambling regulator. That is the main thrust of what we are trying to achieve in the legislation. We need to cover...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Defective Concrete Blocks: Discussion (Resumed) (14 May 2024)

John Cummins: ..., senior adviser. From the Housing Agency, we are joined by Mr. Bob Jordan, chief executive officer, and Mr. Peadar Espey, programme manager. Joining us from the County and City Management Association, CCMA, are Mr. Kevin Kelly, chief executive, Mayo County Council, and Mr. Michael McGarvey, director of services, Donegal County Council. From the National Standards Authority of Ireland,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Defective Concrete Blocks: Discussion (Resumed) (14 May 2024)

John Cummins: They have met the damage threshold. So we have 225 at the moment under the new scheme in respect of which it has not been determined whether they have met the threshold. Is that what the witnesses are saying? Mr. Rafferty said there were 436 as of 1 May, but 16 had not met the threshold as determined and 195 were approved. That leaves 225 that are at various stages of the process. When...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Defective Concrete Blocks: Discussion (Resumed) (14 May 2024)

John Cummins: Is that target of ten a week being met at the moment?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Defective Concrete Blocks: Discussion (Resumed) (14 May 2024)

John Cummins: I have a question about indemnification for Ms Stapleton. Is there a view within the Department on that issue? We are looking at a long horizon for this scheme and for when people will ultimately start and complete a project, and the outcome of a project. Typically in a scheme house that is developed at the moment, there is a home bond certificate in place for ten or more years. What is...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Defective Concrete Blocks: Discussion (Resumed) (14 May 2024)

John Cummins: ...questions. Will the witnesses talk me through the process from when the Housing Agency approves a figure for a certain fix in terms of threshold damage and so on to when the house is completed? At what point does the drawdown occur?

Seanad: Smartphone and Social Media Use: Motion [Private Members] (24 Apr 2024)

John Cummins: I welcome the Minister to the House. This is a really important debate. When I was doing some research on this subject and liaising with Senator Seery Kearney on the drafting of the motion, I spoke to Mr. Brian Barron, the principal of Portlaw National School in Waterford. That school and other schools in Waterford have adopted the Gen Free Charter, which essentially says that there will...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

John Cummins: I thank all of our guests who are here this morning to help us with our pre-legislative scrutiny. I wish to take up Ms Wall on the last point she made about eligibility for HAP. To go back to the point made by Senator Fitzpatrick, we are trying to determine the emergency response versus the long-term response. There are discrepancies across the country in how some local authorities view...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

John Cummins: Regarding the residency requirement in general and to go back to the point made by Senator Fitzpatrick, if people who do not intend to reside in the State for the long term are up against, for want of a better phrase, other people who are on the list and absolutely intend to remain in the State for their lifetime, surely it can be seen that this is what is trying to be captured in this...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

John Cummins: That can be countered, of course. One can ensure that there is circular provision in place to ensure that those people are eligible for emergency accommodation. Does Ms Wall acknowledge that could be done equally at the same time as we are doing this?

Seanad: Cost of Doing Business: Statements (17 Apr 2024)

John Cummins: I thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach for facilitating me. I welcome the Minister to the Seanad Chamber. I am absolutely delighted for him.I wish him all the best in his new role. The increased costs to business is a topic that is raised with us daily by people in the sectors involved. Obviously, we as a Government are doing a lot and I know the Minister is committed to doing more. The...