Results 1-20 of 433 for at speaker:Christopher O'Sullivan

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces (16 May 2024)

Christopher O'Sullivan: 40. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence to report on any development in relation to works on the slipway at Lawrence Cove, Bere Island; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22108/24]

Ceisteanna Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (15 May 2024)

Christopher O'Sullivan: I would like to follow on from Deputy Bruton's question on carers and go a step further by making a plea that we use budget 2025 as an opportunity to once and for all take away the income limit on the means test for carer's allowance. Time and again, every TD has carers coming into his or her office who are €100, €50 or €20 over the means test. There is no flexibility...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Agriculture Industry (15 May 2024)

Christopher O'Sullivan: This week I visited Bandon mart and Skibbereen mart in my constituency. Meeting farmers, it is blatantly clear that they are fed up. They are mainly fed up of overregulation and they are fed up of red tape. They are tired of endless paperwork; new regulations being brought in on a weekly basis; the hoops they have to jump through to qualify for the different schemes; and the endless hours...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (1 May 2024)

Christopher O'Sullivan: I will start by saying we need non-EU workers. We need non-EU workers with permits. The economy needs that. That often gets lost in the immigration debate. However an issue has arisen in terms of how permitted workers are paid. At the moment, in a food processing plant, for example, there will be non-EU permitted workers working alongside EU workers and Irish workers. They are currently...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Hospital Waiting Lists (30 Apr 2024)

Christopher O'Sullivan: I acknowledge the increased expenditure of €19 million, the 200 additional healthcare professionals and the reductions in waiting lists of 5% and 13%, but there is a statistic that is concerning, namely that although there were 509 procedures in 2022, there were fewer in 2023. Therefore, something has gone awry. I appreciate that the Minister is not here and that the Minister of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Circular Economy: Discussion (30 Apr 2024)

Christopher O'Sullivan: I thank the Minister of State for his update on the circular economy. I welcome his statement on the banning of disposable vapes. They are a scourge on our environment and far too easy to buy. There is the added issue of HHC vapes, which are causing problems for people with mental health issues. That is a matter for the Department of Health, though. I welcome the deposit return scheme....

Joint Committee on the Irish Language, the Gaeltacht and the Irish Speaking Community: Éileamh don Ghaelscolaíocht: Plé (24 Apr 2024)

Christopher O'Sullivan: Gabhaim buíochas leis na witnesses who attended today. I wish I were able mo cheisteanna a chur as Gaeilge but I do not have the same bravery as Deputy O'Rourke. That said, if Carmel Nic Airt was on the scene back in 1987 - I missed her by a few years - when I went to national school in Clonakilty, it may have all been so different. I can attest to the fact that many of my nieces and...

Joint Committee on the Irish Language, the Gaeltacht and the Irish Speaking Community: Éileamh don Ghaelscolaíocht: Plé (24 Apr 2024)

Christopher O'Sullivan: We have certainly established the attraction of Gaelscoileanna and the multidenominational piece. The evidence is there regarding the enrolments. Coming back to the Irish-medium secondary school piece, Carmel Nic Airt mentioned joined-up thinking in one of her answers to Deputy O'Rourke. That is the big piece here for me. For example, let us bring it local again. Practical examples are...

Joint Committee on the Irish Language, the Gaeltacht and the Irish Speaking Community: Éileamh don Ghaelscolaíocht: Plé (24 Apr 2024)

Christopher O'Sullivan: With the demographics and the increase in enrolments in the Gaelscoil, that problem is only going to get worse, but the possible introduction of an Irish-medium secondary school removes that headache. Unfortunately, after listening to Cormac McCashin, and obviously this is not a committee I attend regularly, it seems the starting point is at a very low base and Department policy so far means...

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Culture and Governance Issues at RTÉ: Discussion (24 Apr 2024)

Christopher O'Sullivan: I thank the staff and their representatives and trade unions for attending. It is almost a year since the payments to Mr. Tubridy came into the limelight and we had our first sessions on those payments and the situation that followed. It is not good enough that it has taken us almost a full year to get staff and their representatives into committee to hear from them. I am sorry it has...

Road Safety: Statements (17 Apr 2024)

Christopher O'Sullivan: I am sharing time with Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan. I thank the Minister of State for attending the debate on this very serious issue. I will focus on one aspect of road safety in my constituency of Cork South-West, namely, road conditions. As I have pointed out time and again in the Chamber, Cork county has not been getting an allocation for road funding in recent years that reflects...

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Integration of LGFA and Camogie Association with the GAA: Discussion (10 Apr 2024)

Christopher O'Sullivan: I agree. That is why I found it extraordinary. If I had someone like Patrick Horgan rang me to say "Christopher, can you help us out? We are organising a greyhound racing night in Cork, can you sponsor a race?", it would absolutely floor me but this is exactly what happened with the great Cork camogie team that just won the All-Ireland. This is an amazing group of players. They are...

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Support for Development of Regional Film and Television Production: Discussion (20 Mar 2024)

Christopher O'Sullivan: I would like to start by congratulating my cousin, Cillian Murphy, on his great win - best actor at the Oscars the weekend before last. He is my third cousin. I do not think he is aware that he is my cousin. Cillian, if you are listening, you have always been my favourite third cousin, and next time you are in west Cork - I know he is a fan of Connolly's in west Cork - we will go for a...

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Support for Development of Regional Film and Television Production: Discussion (20 Mar 2024)

Christopher O'Sullivan: That is my point exactly. They are already there. They are choosing to live there. It is just that at the moment-----

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Support for Development of Regional Film and Television Production: Discussion (20 Mar 2024)

Christopher O'Sullivan: I agree with the idea of an officer as well. I will just move to a quick last question. It is perhaps for Mr. Kavanagh or Ms Nash again. What need to be done about those state aid maps and trying to get them passed at European level? The last maps were a bit of a disaster when it came to the tranches and areas that were left out. That is an issue we can all agree with. In Portugal,...

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Support for Development of Regional Film and Television Production: Discussion (20 Mar 2024)

Christopher O'Sullivan: I am not sure that extra 5% is the way to go again because we would have the same regions missing out. Maybe new maps in terms of a different investment is the way to go. I will finish on this, because I have gone way over my time. Obviously, despite the incredible work that is going on right across the sector, including the work of people here, and I totally take Ms Flood's point...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (28 Feb 2024)

Christopher O'Sullivan: I ask for the establishment of a pot of money or fund to help develop local authority-owned piers and harbours throughout the country. At present, there is a Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine fund of approximately €5 million per annum. This basically means those piers and harbours have to fight for scraps from the table in order to do any enhancement works. There was an...

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Oversight of RTÉ's Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues and Plans for Longer-term Support and Funding for Public Service Media: Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (27 Feb 2024)

Christopher O'Sullivan: I know, but all politicians are accused of being experts at evading questions. That accusation is given to us quite often, which is fair enough.

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Oversight of RTÉ's Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues and Plans for Longer-term Support and Funding for Public Service Media: Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (27 Feb 2024)

Christopher O'Sullivan: Do you think she would have been unwilling to meet, or had she actually agreed to the meeting on the Friday at the point you went on "Prime Time"?

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Oversight of RTÉ's Expenditure of Public Funds and Governance Issues and Plans for Longer-term Support and Funding for Public Service Media: Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (27 Feb 2024)

Christopher O'Sullivan: You were asked to express confidence in her. Was there any other way you could have got out of that question? It was a tricky question; there was this big shadow hanging over the whole situation. You just shared information that she was not willing to receive a letter. Do you feel you could not have said you had full confidence at that point?