Results 1-20 of 56 for speaker:Mark Duffy

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (10 Jun 2025)

Mark Duffy: I want to discuss serious issues with Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, and small but important projects which are not being delivered in communities across the country. I served in the local council before serving in the Seanad. I found that basic interventions we raised as councillors and that had the unanimous support of all elected representatives, engineers and planners, along...

Seanad: Insurance Reform: Motion (10 Jun 2025)

Mark Duffy: I thank the Cathaoirleach. I welcome the Minister of State. I welcome the opportunity to speak on such an important matter that affects towns and villages right across the country. I compliment the work of Senator Nelson Murray, a strong advocate in the House of insurance reform, reflecting her own lived experience and the challenges that face businesses like hers. In County Mayo,...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Housing Schemes (28 May 2025)

Mark Duffy: I offer my condolences to the Minister of State on his sad loss. It is a testament to him that he is back here so soon after such a difficult loss. My sympathies are with him. I raise an issue relating to the tenant in situ scheme, which is a very good scheme that helps people in the challenging circumstance of facing eviction. Currently, when people are in receipt of HAP or RAS, local...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Housing Schemes (28 May 2025)

Mark Duffy: I thank the Minister of State for outlining the detailed feedback. The person affected in this example is in receipt of the rent supplement payment. She meets the criteria for HAP and RAS but she is not in receipt of them now. Will she be negatively impacted by, say, the minimum of two years that is required for her to avail of the tenant in situ scheme, or does the Minister of State think...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (28 May 2025)

Mark Duffy: I attended the official opening of Western Care's new facility in Ballina on Monday. It is brilliant to see a building in the town that was vacant for so long brought back into use for a wide range of care service users and staff. It is so welcome and I congratulate everyone involved in it. The rural social scheme supported the renovation of the building. The support of the redevelopment...

Seanad: Dereliction and Building Regeneration Bill 2025: Second Stage (28 May 2025)

Mark Duffy: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Cummins, to the Chamber. Vacancy and dereliction have been a scourge in every town and village in the country. While I welcome this Bill in many of its parts, we need action on the measures that are in place at the moment. From my perspective there are a number of different issues. One is local authorities sitting on land banks without initiative,...

Committee on Transport: National Transport Authority: Engagement (28 May 2025)

Mark Duffy: Close enough, Chair. I welcome Mr. Creegan, Mr. Nott and Mr. Gillard. I wish to follow up and raise directly catering on the Mayo-to-Dublin line. It has been stopped for the past four years. Like Sligo, it is quite a long journey, up to four hours at times. I have, over recent years, been advocating for the introduction of early-morning rail services between Mayo and Dublin, which have...

Committee on Transport: National Transport Authority: Engagement (28 May 2025)

Mark Duffy: There was a public communication about a tendering process last year. Irish Rail had tendered for the service and it was due to be signed off on by the NTA.

Committee on Transport: National Transport Authority: Engagement (28 May 2025)

Mark Duffy: Mr. Creegan says the NTA does not have the funding. I understand that that is its position, but should the market not decide whether or not there is a demand for it? Anecdotally, we have people in all our areas begging for the reintroduction of refreshments. From a public health point of view, I think there is a standard of service that needs to be introduced, and there is anecdotally a...

Committee on Transport: National Transport Authority: Engagement (28 May 2025)

Mark Duffy: From a political point of view, our message is clear that we want this introduced. Will the NTA come back with a proposal or a plan and let us make the decision as Government representatives or political representatives to find a way to support the NTA's efforts in reintroducing this?

Committee on Transport: National Transport Authority: Engagement (28 May 2025)

Mark Duffy: How much will it cost?

Committee on Transport: National Transport Authority: Engagement (28 May 2025)

Mark Duffy: That is my point. If a costing can be communicated to us through the committee, we can make a decision and can advocate internally to say we see the value for it. Currently, however, we are going around in circles and nothing is happening. There was communication last year saying that it would be reintroduced on the Mayo line and that there was a tendering process that just had to be...

Committee on Transport: National Transport Authority: Engagement (28 May 2025)

Mark Duffy: I thank Mr. Creegan.

Committee on Transport: National Transport Authority: Engagement (28 May 2025)

Mark Duffy: If it is loss making on the Cork-to-Dublin line, for example, I do not see why Mayo commuters, or indeed Sligo commuters, are second-class as regards standard of service. I think it is something we would like to see introduced. A serious amount of funding was introduced for local transport plans in towns right across the country. In Mayo about €750,000 was spent on local transport...

Committee on Transport: National Transport Authority: Engagement (28 May 2025)

Mark Duffy: From a Mayo perspective, I understand that the plans are not costed. A great deal of money has been spent on plans, but that has not been much delivery on the basis of those. If the plans are not costed, then it is a case of asking, “How long is a piece of string?” How long are we going to go on in this way? Will it be indefinitely in the context of realising these plans?...

Committee on Transport: National Transport Authority: Engagement (28 May 2025)

Mark Duffy: I thank Mr. Creegan.

Committee on Transport: National Transport Authority: Engagement (28 May 2025)

Mark Duffy: Under the all-island rail review, the western rail corridor was identified as a priority project. What can be done to expedite the delivery of the line from Athenry to Claremorris, in particular, which includes 33 km of track in public ownership? We have been talking about billions of euro of investment in infrastructure for Dublin. This project has an estimated cost of approximately...

Committee on Transport: National Transport Authority: Engagement (28 May 2025)

Mark Duffy: Is the NTA a national body or is it still, in effect, the Dublin transport authority?

Seanad: Local Democracy Task Force: Statements (27 May 2025)

Mark Duffy: I compliment the Cathaoirleach on his work in this area. In the previous Seanad, we had an opportunity to contribute to the work on the task force, for which I thank him. I welcome the Minister of State and thank him for his continued efforts on local government. I wish him well and look forward to supporting his efforts in the term ahead. I was in the privileged position to work on...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (21 May 2025)

Mark Duffy: I wish to raise an issue that is popping up in towns and villages all across the country, that is, vaping shops. I raised it previously with the Minister for Justice when he was in the Seanad. We need to amend the existing legislation - the Public Health (Tobacco Products and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Act 2023 - to have more stringent and stronger repellents and barriers for the sale of...