Results 1-20 of 131 for likes to work speaker:Niall Collins

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Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Bill 2024: Second Stage (Resumed) [Private Members] (2 Jul 2024)

Niall Collins: ...his or her home. Traditionally, where people share their home with a lodger, both parties benefit from the inherent goodwill that underpins digs arrangements. It is possible for digs arrangements to be formalised by way of a licence agreement between the parties, but this is a matter of choice for the parties themselves to agree upon. The Government will not be opposing this Bill,...

Seanad: Research and Innovation Bill 2024: Report and Final Stages (21 May 2024)

Niall Collins: I would like to address amendment No. 2, which relates to the interpretation section of the Bill., amendments Nos. 10 and 11, which address the objects of the agency, and amendments Nos. 16 and 17, which relate to section 35 of the Bill on schemes for funding of research and innovation. As for amendment No. 2, submitted by Senators Clonan and Craughwell, parity of esteem is not just...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Sports Events (14 May 2024)

Niall Collins: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue, to which I am replying on behalf of the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media. It is important to note that the GAA, like all national governing bodies, NGBs, in sport, is an independent, autonomous body. The management of broadcasting and commercial rights is entirely a matter for the association. The GAA, like all NGBs,...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: School Enrolments (14 May 2024)

Niall Collins: I would like to thank the Deputy for raising this matter. It gives me the opportunity to set out for the House the position with regard to school places including special education in north Kildare for September 2024 and onwards. I can assure the Deputy that the provision of school places to meet the needs of children and young people at primary and post-primary level, including children...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Heritage Sites (21 Mar 2024)

Niall Collins: I would like to thank the Deputy for his ongoing interest in Castletown House and estate. In recent months, the Deputy has made continuous representations through parliamentary questions, Topical Issues and Oireachtas committees with regard to Castletown House and estate. He and the other elected representatives of Kildare North are members of the Castletown House and estate...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Bus Services (21 Mar 2024)

Niall Collins: I thank Deputy Ó Cuív for raising this important topic which I am taking on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Ryan. At the outset, I would like to clarify that the Minister for Transport has responsibility for policy and overall funding regarding public transport but neither the Minister nor his officials are involved in the day-to-day management, operation or planning of public...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: School Accommodation (21 Mar 2024)

Niall Collins: I am taking this Commencement matter on behalf of our colleague, the Minister for Education, Deputy Foley, who is in the midlands this morning. The Department would like to thank the Senator for raising this matter, which provides me with an opportunity to outline the position on Castlebar Educate Together National School. I would like to first state to the Senator that officials in the...

Seanad: Research and Innovation Bill 2024: Second Stage (20 Mar 2024)

Niall Collins: I would once again like to thank the Senators for their engagement here today, for their careful consideration and for the work they have undertaken throughout the process of developing the legislation and bringing this Bill towards enactment. We have great ambitions for Taighde Éireann. This Bill is the foundation of a new agency that will be built upon. I value this process, which...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Wastewater Treatment (31 Jan 2024)

Niall Collins: The Minister would like to thank the Deputy for raising this issue and for allowing me to have the opportunity to outline the position regarding the water treatment issues in Dunmanway on his behalf. As the Deputy will understand, the supply of public water and the provision of water services in general are matters for Uisce Éireann in the first instance. However, the Department of...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: International Protection (31 Jan 2024)

Niall Collins: ...people currently living in State accommodation and 58,000 of those in fully serviced accommodation. The Deputy will also be aware that the number of international protection applicants continues to grow. He clearly pointed out the difference in the supports between those who arrived in Ireland under the temporary protection directive compared with applicants for international...

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Vote 45 - Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (Supplementary) (28 Nov 2023)

Niall Collins: Previous to the budget, the Cabinet and Government took a decision that basically the market needed a Government intervention. The Acting Chair will be aware of that. That policy decision has been taken and it is welcome. Our Department last year provided €61 million to intervene across four higher education institutions to provide about 1,000 beds - DCU, Maynooth, the University of...

Science Week: Statements (16 Nov 2023)

Niall Collins: I thank everyone in the House for the opportunity to have this debate and for their contributions throughout. It was great to hear such a passionate discussion on science. This is a discussion that we would encourage not just us in this House to continue having, but everyone around the country, especially those who work with children. It is so important to encourage and instil a curiosity...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Departmental Schemes (14 Nov 2023)

Niall Collins: I thank Senator Seery Kearney for providing us with an opportunity to update the Seanad on this important matter. At the outset, I would like to assure the Seanad of this Government's commitment to support homeowners and residents of many apartments and duplexes with defects. The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Darragh O’Brien, fully acknowledges the...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Local Authorities (21 Sep 2023)

Niall Collins: I thank the Deputy. We are all on the same page. There is a claim and a dispute. The two parties to the dispute need to resolve the matter. There are established State mechanisms to resolve disputes and, to their credit, they have worked and kept industrial peace for many years. A very successful pay agreement, namely, Building Momentum, is coming to a conclusion. As I stated, talks...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: School Transport (21 Sep 2023)

Niall Collins: I thank the Deputy for raising the matter. Before I address the specific issues raised, I would like to provide an outline of the extent of the school transport scheme. The scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the 2022-23 school year, more than 149,000 children, including more than 18,000 children with special...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Bus Services (21 Sep 2023)

Niall Collins: I thank the Deputy for raising this important topic, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister for Transport, Deputy Ryan. I will clarify that the Minister for Transport has responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport but neither the Minister nor his officials are involved in the day-to-day operation of public transport services. The statutory...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Child Abuse (22 Jun 2023)

Niall Collins: I thank the Deputy for his submission. The Minster, Deputy O’Gorman, given his responsibility for children, is committed to upholding their best interests in all situations. Ireland, like many other countries, has recognised the child’s right to protection from sexual exploitation by ratifying a number of legal instruments, including the Convention on the Rights of the Child...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further and Higher Education (1 Jun 2023)

Niall Collins: As the Deputy is aware, the National Training Fund (NTF) is a dedicated fund to upskill people in employment, and to provide training and reskilling opportunities for those who are unemployed. It also funds research on existing and likely future skills requirements of the economy. Established by the National Training Fund Act, 2000, it is resourced by a levy at 1% on employers, which is...

Seanad: Academic Precarity: Motion (24 May 2023)

Niall Collins: I thank Senators Higgins, McDowell and Mullen for tabling this panel debate and providing me with an opportunity to discuss the commitment of the Government to address the complex and multifaceted issue of academic precarity. The Government does not intend to oppose this motion. As the speakers before me outlined in their insightful contributions, there can be no doubt that academic career...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Electric Vehicles (10 May 2023)

Niall Collins: Like all climate change issues, this area is complex, but the Government believes it is making the right moves in creating an environment where EVs become not just an option but the preferred option for those who need to use a personal vehicle. All indications suggest we are approaching a point where the technology and the market for EVs matures and begins to match, then exceed, internal...