Results 1-20 of 491 for speaker:Christopher O'Sullivan in 'Dáil debates'

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...

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

Christopher O'Sullivan: This matter relates to children with scoliosis, specifically in the context of the length of time they have to wait for surgery. I want to raise the issue of Anna Russell, who is 13 years old and is from Glengarriff in west Cork. She is truly a great kid. If the Minister of State ever has the pleasure of meeting her, he will see her charm. She is absolutely charming and I am sure the...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (25 Apr 2024)

Christopher O'Sullivan: The Neurological Alliance of Ireland gave a presentation in the audiovisual room in Leinster House yesterday describing the fact that Ireland is near the bottom of the European table in terms of the availability of neurologists. In fairness, the Minister created extra neurology nursing posts, but most of those have not been filled. We need to examine this matter. The issue is particularly...

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...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (16 Apr 2024)

Christopher O'Sullivan: When we talk about the economy, we have to talk about the value of big sporting occasions and events to the Irish economy, especially in the regional and peripheral areas. It was sad to learn over the past couple of days that Ireland's bid to host the World Rally Championship is in jeopardy. Is there anything the Taoiseach can do in his high office to intervene and try to save this? I...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (16 Apr 2024)

Christopher O'Sullivan: 15. To ask the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on the economy and investment will next meet. [14092/24]

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (16 Apr 2024)

Christopher O'Sullivan: 1. To ask the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on environment and climate change will meet next. [7944/24]

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (16 Apr 2024)

Christopher O'Sullivan: 8. To ask the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on environment and climate change will meet next. [14091/24]

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (16 Apr 2024)

Christopher O'Sullivan: I congratulate the Taoiseach on his election. I wish him the best of luck in the months ahead. I raise the issue of emissions. The Taoiseach said in his response that we have, fortunately, seen a reduction in overall emissions. However, one area in which emissions are on the increase is transport. Electric vehicles, EVs, will play a key role in reducing emissions in transport,...

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...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (22 Feb 2024)

Christopher O'Sullivan: I want to raise an issue on behalf of the people of Shannonvale, a small village near my home town of Clonakilty, who have been campaigning for years to get back their children's playground. The playground is located beside a wastewater treatment plant and at the moment there is raw sewage and excrement coming up through the surface. When I first came into this Dáil in 2020 I raised...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Departmental Regulations (20 Feb 2024)

Christopher O'Sullivan: I appreciate the response. The unfortunate thing is that it is almost a carbon copy of responses I have already received from the office of the Minister of State, Deputy Naughton, when I flagged this previously. There are some encouraging elements in the response in that there is clearly an awareness of this substance. There is awareness of the impacts it has on young people and of the...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Departmental Regulations (20 Feb 2024)

Christopher O'Sullivan: I thank the Minister of State for taking this Topical Issue. This is an incredibly important issue. It is about HHC and HHC vapes in particular, their prevalence in Ireland, the damage they are causing, the harm they are doing to individuals, especially young people, and the damage they are causing to relationships and particularly families right across Ireland. It is a scourge on our...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (13 Feb 2024)

Christopher O'Sullivan: I ask the Taoiseach to comment on reports emanating from County Hall and Cork County Council that the roads budget for this year will be slashed by €33 million. It is very serious if this is the case. In west Cork, local and regional roads are crumbling. They are under pressure because Cork County Council remains at the very bottom of the league table of road funding allocations....

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

Christopher O'Sullivan: I thank the Minister of State. I appreciate that he is only the messenger in this case and we will not shoot the messenger but that response is absolutely not good enough. It is not acceptable that people will have to wait for the 2025 to 2029 funding cycle, and I will not accept it. I cannot go back to the people of Dunmanway and tell them they have to wait that long. The process of...

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

Christopher O'Sullivan: I thank the Minister of State for attending. I trust that he will pass on the comments I will make on Dunmanway. The situation with the wastewater treatment in the town is nothing short of a scandal. Dunmanway is one the biggest towns in my constituency of Cork South-West. Within the past ten years, a brand-new wastewater treatment plant has been built there. The plant was built with...

Charities (Amendment) Bill 2023: Second Stage (25 Jan 2024)

Christopher O'Sullivan: I welcome this Bill and the opportunity to speak about it. Strengthening the role of and support for charities within society is important. I note the Bill strengthens the capacity of the Charities Regulator. We have seen why that has to be the case all too often, unfortunately. Bad practice has cropped up and there is a necessity due to that but in the vast majority of cases, charities...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (24 Jan 2024)

Christopher O'Sullivan: Can we make CPR training mandatory in secondary schools? CPR doubles and sometimes trebles the chances of survival in the case of cardiac arrest. Every ten minutes that go by without CPR reduces the chance of survival by 10%. Amazingly in Ireland, which has a population of more than 5 million, only about 80,000 individuals are trained in or know CPR. It is proven that bystander CPR saves...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Tax Code (23 Jan 2024)

Christopher O'Sullivan: I am obviously utterly disappointed at the response and at the refusal to even examine this proposal further. There is mention of a cost of €570 million to the Exchequer. That is obviously not be ignored. We cannot pretend it is a small figure. It is a lot; it is €570 million. However, the cost to our communities, to society and to our tourism regions of losing cafes,...