Results 141-160 of 329 for long speaker:Dessie Ellis

Harbours Bill 2015: Report and Final Stages (2 Dec 2015)

Dessie Ellis: ...Port is important and offers huge potential. Dún Laoghaire Port also holds a unique, strategic position when it comes to maritime leisure and water sport assets. It is a pity that Dún Laoghaire Port no longer has significant commercial shipping revenue, unlike the other ports included in the Bill which have regular cargo shipping. However, there is huge potential to...

Rent Certainty and Prevention of Homelessness Bill 2015: Second Stage [Private Members] (1 Dec 2015)

Dessie Ellis: ...It will, however, provide for preventative measures against homelessness and give certainty to tenants who have seen their rent go up repeatedly over the last five years. This is a proposal that has long been called for by groups such as Focus Ireland, the Simon Community, the Peter McVerry Trust and Threshold, among others, which are on the front line of homelessness and housing issues....

Rent Certainty and Prevention of Homelessness Bill 2015: First Stage (26 Nov 2015)

Dessie Ellis: ...for related matters. I thank groups such as Focus Ireland, Threshold, the Simon Community, the Peter McVerry Trust and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul for their excellent advocacy work. They have fought long and hard for the kind of reform contained in this simple, but important and timely, Bill. The inspiration for the legislation comes from the work of these groups, to highlight the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Conviction Rates for Drink Driving: Discussion (25 Nov 2015)

Dessie Ellis: ...average so we must increase that. We have been conveying the message as much as we can, but obviously it must be done more extensively. We must look at every angle. Undoubtedly, we have come a long way from the earlier years. The witness did an analysis of what interventions would be critical, but there was no mention of the amount of drug driving and what statistics there are in that...

Developments in Mental Health Services: Statements (19 Nov 2015)

Dessie Ellis: ...should be actively supported. A lot of progress has been made in how we as a society treat mental health and illness, but the number of people who take their lives each year shows that we have a long way to go. We can also see that a high number of people engage in self-harm or para-suicidal behaviour but we must remember that mental illness is not just about suicide or self-harm....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Electric Vehicles: Discussion with Irish EV Owners Association (18 Nov 2015)

Dessie Ellis: If it takes half an hour to charge the car, for anyone going on a long journey that is nearly an hour gone one way and two hours both ways. That would be a bit of a deterrent. If a car breaks down and needs a charge, does the driver have a hand unit for doing a quick charge? Is there no such thing?

Housing and Homelessness: Motion [Private Members] (17 Nov 2015)

Dessie Ellis: ...whom are in need of a secure, adequate and affordable home. It is an absolute scandal that the Government would preside over a situation where approximately 8% of the State's households are in need of housing or that it would do so for so long without taking meaningful action. These are families who are living in cramped, damp, under-managed and overpriced private accommodation, or...

Paris Terrorist Attack: Statements (17 Nov 2015)

Dessie Ellis: ...and terrible glimpse of the life of many people around the world who endure the barbarism of ISIS and its ilk on their streets or across the parapet of a moving frontier. Paris joins a long line, unfortunately, of places where people have first-hand experience of the carnage and indiscriminate murder ISIS brings with it. Members are also aware of the awful attacks in Beirut, which...

Other Questions: Public Transport Initiatives (11 Nov 2015)

Dessie Ellis: ...to deal with the problems that exist in this city. Transport to the airport, for instance, is very important. The number of people using the Swords route, about which we have been talking for a long time, has increased dramatically. I think we should continue to look at BRT to see whether it can be utilised, especially in light of the money that has already been spent on consultation in...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Public Transport (11 Nov 2015)

Dessie Ellis: ...it will be 2022 before it even commences, which is well outside the Government's term in office. I agree that the metro north is an essential transport link for this city and country, but it is a long-term project. The use of apps has resulted in a big improvement in bus transport. Apps are of major significance for people who use buses because they allow them to see departure times....

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: National Car Test (11 Nov 2015)

Dessie Ellis: ...for Transport, Tourism and Sport his plans to investigate the efficiency and effectiveness of the current national car test system and the operation of that system given the high failure rates, the long waiting lists for motorists to have their cars tested, and the regular need for retesting of cars over minor issues. [39558/15]

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: National Car Test (11 Nov 2015)

Dessie Ellis: What are the Minister's plans to investigate the efficiency and effectiveness of the NCT system and the operator of that system given high failure rates, long waiting lists for motorists to have their cars tested and the regular need for retesting of cars over minor issues.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: National Car Test (11 Nov 2015)

Dessie Ellis: ...far higher in some areas than in others. Although the Minister says that waiting lists are down to a certain level, it seems that people are booking many months in advance and still have to wait a long time. There is a danger of a fine if their car is stopped or a Garda looks at their car for any reason. Some incidences of failure involve things like a tester refusing to test a car...

Topical Issue Debate: Private Rented Accommodation Costs and Controls (3 Nov 2015)

Dessie Ellis: ...around and treated like dirt. The only solution is to regulate the private rented market, thereby controlling rent levels now and into the future in order to ensure fairness. Sinn Féin has long called for such measures. I was pleasantly surprised when the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government said he wanted rent freezes to be put in place. That was 11...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Departure of High Performance Unit Head Coach: IABA and Sport Ireland (28 Oct 2015)

Dessie Ellis: ...seems to be a big conflict in respect of what actually happened. Mr. Walsh is saying that it was not down to monetary issues yet the IABA is saying that it was down to these issues in terms of long-term contracts and their consequences. That seems to suggest that there were serious problems. The negotiations lasted eight months, which seems to be a long period for negotiations. Even...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Sport Ireland: Chairperson Designate (21 Oct 2015)

Dessie Ellis: ...and is an outstanding facility. With all the different sports that are going in there, it will have a huge impact over time. What other sports does Mr. Mulvey consider need to be addressed from a long-term point of view? There are a lot of sports. I am into karate which is one of the things I have been doing all my life. It is not really recognised in the Olympics. There is also the...

Financial Resolutions 2016 - Financial Resolution No. 5: General (Resumed) (14 Oct 2015)

Dessie Ellis: ...for rental property skyrocketed after the collapse due to a lack of credit, development did not follow. The mass of people in need of rental homes pushed rates up but many of these people could never have afforded these rates for long in any event. NAMA developers get another hand out to profit from the needs of the Irish people. I await more details of this plan from NAMA. I hope the...

Dublin Docklands Development Authority (Dissolution) Bill: Second Stage (Resumed) (7 Oct 2015)

Dessie Ellis: ...the authority to Dublin City Council. Has the Minister of State considered the legal implications in moving all functions from the DDDA to the council, specifically in respect of the current desperate situation in Longboat Quay? Tonight, more than 600 residents in just short of 298 apartments face evacuation from their homes if they cannot collectively find the €4 million...

Social Housing Policy: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members] (30 Sep 2015)

Dessie Ellis: ...properties to local authorities. This would take the function of NAMA beyond the provision of a social dividend and solidify its role in the State's development of social housing, which will benefit the taxpayer in the long term. There are several factors feeding into this crisis, as the Minister stated yesterday evening. The staggering increase in homelessness is a result of...

Social Housing Policy: Motion [Private Members] (29 Sep 2015)

Dessie Ellis: ...; and calls on the Government to:— review Part VIII of the Planning and Development Act 2000, with the view to temporarily amending legislation in order to provide social housing in a more timely manner; — significantly increase the direct funding to local authorities to commence a long-term plan of social housing expansion; — provide the legislative framework for...