Results 1-20 of 21 for speaker:Mike Kennelly

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Closed-Circuit Television Systems (10 Apr 2025)

Mike Kennelly: I thank the Minister and welcome him to the Seanad. I wish to raise serious issues regarding the roll-out of CCTV surveillance in all our towns and villages across the country. It can offer several key benefits for public safety and well-being. CCTV systems act as a visible deterrent to individuals or groups considering illegal activities. In showing them they are being monitored, CCTV...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Closed-Circuit Television Systems (10 Apr 2025)

Mike Kennelly: I thank the Minister for his response. There lies his problem, namely, with the local authorities, the general data protection regulation, GDPR, and data control. It is for An Garda Síochána to take responsibility for data control. That is how this can be presented to the public in the context of what can be used in statute law. I welcome it. Since 2023, we have seen...

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

Mike Kennelly: I am raising a very serious issue today that has blighted Knock in west Limerick and the lives of vulnerable people. Door-to-door scammers acting as bogus traders are scamming vulnerable people out of extortionate amounts of money. They are acting as tradesmen doing jobs like power hosing, painting or a tar job. One guy in the Knock area was caught for up to €4,000.Another job was...

Seanad: Flooding: Statements (9 Apr 2025)

Mike Kennelly: I welcome the Minister of State back to the House. He and I have debated this before as a Commencement matter, and I will give him a brief of that again. Storm Bert struck Listowel in November 2024. We should not let the blue skies today fool us when we are discussing flooding issues. Even before Storm Bert, we had three flooding issues in Listowel in July 2022 that destroyed the town,...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (8 Apr 2025)

Mike Kennelly: Last Thursday morning, on 2 April, it was with great sadness that we learned of the passing of a former Kerry Gaelic footballer and iconic Gaelic football manager, the great Mick O'Dwyer. Micko was king of the Kingdom and sprinkled some of his gold dust, wisdom and love of Gaelic football on other counties and places beyond with great success, leading his teams with unmatched passion and...

Seanad: Disability Services: Statements (8 Apr 2025)

Mike Kennelly: I welcome the Minister of State to the House and congratulate her on her appointment to what is one of the most serious portfolios in government. I am substituting for Senator Bradley, who is a leading advocate for people with disabilities. I wish her all the best. Last week, I attended an information evening entitled Breaking Barriers, which was hosted by Ballybunion Community and...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (2 Apr 2025)

Mike Kennelly: I raise a very serious health issue, namely, the lack of proper provision of home care hours for our elderly people, particularly in rural Ireland, with counties Kerry and Cork having the longest waiting lists of elderly people seeking to avail of the home care package. The number of older people in the country waiting on these hours stands at 5,556, of whom, astonishingly, 1,018 are in the...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (27 Mar 2025)

Mike Kennelly: I raise an issue on behalf of Councillor Teddy O'Sullivan and Jean O'Sullivan in Kenmare regarding the lack of respite services in Kerry for the most vulnerable in our society. In the programme for Government, the Government is committed to advancing the rights and improving the lives of people with disabilities. St. Francis Special School in Beaufort, County Kerry, is committed to...

Seanad: Road Safety: Statements (25 Mar 2025)

Mike Kennelly: I welcome the Minister of State. I welcome his statements and all the Government initiatives to allow everybody who goes out on our roads to get home safely. As every Senator has outlined, the issues are, in order: speeding; distracted driving; drunk driving and drug driving; poor road conditions; a lack of pedestrian infrastructure; and inadequate vehicle safety features, especially in...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Road Projects (20 Mar 2025)

Mike Kennelly: I thank the Minister of State for coming into the House. I express my best wishes to him in his new role. I look forward to working with him and to his statement in relation to my Commencement matter. I will discuss the complete deterioration and disrepair of the N69 national road from an area called Bolton's Cross, around Listowel, to the Tim Kennelly roundabout in Listowel. As a...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Road Projects (20 Mar 2025)

Mike Kennelly: I thank the Minister of State. It is unfortunate to hear the statement on the works. My community, which I represent on a national front, has been enduring this road for a long time. It is disappointing to hear that TII and Kerry County Council have not been in a position to prioritise the scheme for the N69 from Bolton's Cross to Tim Kennelly roundabout. It is an embarrassment at this...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (19 Mar 2025)

Mike Kennelly: I also welcome Deputy Cahill, Ms Tongour and Ms Dunne to the Upper House today. I will speak on a project down in Kerry that Deputy Cahill has supported. I welcome the recent granting of planning permission for the Shannon LNG 600 MW power plant on the Shannon Estuary at the 630-acre land bank at Tarbert-Ballylongford. This marks a milestone for the national energy sector and the local...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Flood Relief Schemes (6 Mar 2025)

Mike Kennelly: I thank the Minister of State and congratulate him and his predecessor, the Minister of State, Deputy Kieran O'Donnell, who was in that seat before him. I thank him for the work he has done with the OPW in the communities that I represent and that have been devastated by recent storms. This morning I ask the Minister of State to make a statement on the minor flood relief scheme for the...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Flood Relief Schemes (6 Mar 2025)

Mike Kennelly: I thank the Minister of State for his reply. The matter I tabled was to the effect that works commence and that the Minister of State make a statement. What the Minister of State said was encouraging but he did not indicate when the works will commence, which is what I need to take back to my community today. If the Minister of State can expedite the works and, hopefully, allay the fears...

Seanad: The Diaspora: Statements (5 Mar 2025)

Mike Kennelly: I welcome the Minister of State. I congratulate him on his role. The diaspora issue is especially close to my heart. As I understand it, a diaspora is the dispersion or gathering of a particular group of people from their original homelands to various parts of the world, especially in the world we live in now. This is often down to historical, political, social or economic factors....

Seanad: Care, Supports and Enhanced Provision of Services for Older People: Motion (5 Mar 2025)

Mike Kennelly: I welcome the Minister of State and congratulate him on his appointment. I know from the last Ministry he held that the elderly are in good hands. Seanad Éireann acknowledges the contribution older people have made to Irish society. They have shaped the country's economic, cultural and social fabric. Our elderly have historically been active in their local communities, contributing...

Seanad: Care, Supports and Enhanced Provision of Services for Older People: Motion (5 Mar 2025)

Mike Kennelly: I am sorry. Over recent times we have seen a rise also in burglaries. I am proposing that older people be reimbursed when they install home alarms, so they can live without any threat to their safety. I wish to formally propose that after all the storms, especially Storm Éowyn. We should seriously target our elderly and sick people living at home and ensure funding is immediately...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (4 Mar 2025)

Mike Kennelly: I call on the Minister of State, Deputy Moran, with responsibility for the OPW, to come to the House, not for the first time, to tell us when the minor flood relief scheme works in Listowel and Kilocrim will commence. People are living in fear. These storms can hit at anytime. When I was elected to the Seanad, I said I would do my utmost and my best to represent the people of my community,...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (26 Feb 2025)

Mike Kennelly: I rise to support and highlight the serious concerns of the people of the Listowel and Killacrim areas. Recently, on 23 November, what was classed as the perfect storm came to north Kerry and devastated over 70 homes and businesses. People visit Listowel during race week. Listowel Racecourse was overwhelmed by the flooding. People were left homeless a couple of weeks before Christmas. As...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (19 Feb 2025)

Mike Kennelly: I will highlight ongoing issues around the Shannon LNG project off the coast of Kerry on the Shannon Estuary. It offers several positive contributions to Ireland's energy security, economic development, job creation and community growth, especially in the north Kerry area, which I represent. The project would provide Ireland with a crucial diversified source of natural gas, reducing...