Results 41-60 of 937,206 for in 'Dáil debates' OR (speaker:Tom Kitt OR speaker:Seán Crowe) in 'Committee meetings'

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla (Atógáil) - Topical Issue Debate (Resumed): Community Development Projects (14 Jul 2022)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: I have raised this issue on a number of occasions. I have been campaigning on this issue for a number of years, as have the local Labour Party and our local area representative Shane Folan. This impacts some on my colleague, Deputy Duncan Smith, as well, because the issue borders his constituency too. I am referencing the Dublin 13 and Dublin 17 area, where the Minister of State will be...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla (Atógáil) - Topical Issue Debate (Resumed): Community Development Projects (14 Jul 2022)

Malcolm Noonan: I am responding on behalf of the Minister for Justice, Deputy McEntee. The Minister is pleased that budget 2022 reflects the commitment of the Government to ensuring that our communities are safe and that An Garda Síochána has the resources to be an effective and trusted police service. The budget provided by Government to the Garda Commissioner continues to increase to...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla (Atógáil) - Topical Issue Debate (Resumed): Community Development Projects (14 Jul 2022)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: I am reassured by the response from the Minister. I do sometimes get a little disappointed with the political reaction as if there is no influence that the Minister can have in this regard. We know that the soft power of a Minister can be quite strong. The Minister needs to be an advocate and a persuader for this. Her office and her Department needs to be fully engaged on the progress of...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Refugee Resettlement Programme (14 Jul 2022)

Malcolm Noonan: I am replying on behalf of the Minister. Since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine on 24 February and the invoking of the temporary protection directive by the European Union shortly afterwards, the Department has worked intensively as part of the cross-governmental response to the Ukraine crisis. The operational challenges brought about by responding to the conflict are significant. Our...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Refugee Resettlement Programme (14 Jul 2022)

Duncan Smith: On the tribute to the efforts of the Irish people and the outpouring of support and response, I will tell the Minister of State what happens when a volunteer group interfaces with one of the private, for-profit companies that are being brought in by IPAS to run certain reception centres and to protect the basic human rights and dignity of refugees. We have an amazing volunteer group of...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Childcare Services (14 Jul 2022)

Malcolm Noonan: The Deputy will appreciate that this is not my specialised chosen subject. I have served on voluntary boards of community-based childcare services for many years, however, so I have a great interest in the sector. I appreciate the points the Deputy raised. High-quality early learning and childcare that is affordable and accessible is a key Government priority. Before the onset of...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Childcare Services (14 Jul 2022)

Jennifer Whitmore: I thank the Minister of State. I understand that this is not his area. The response that the vacancy rate in Wicklow is at 16% is quite disappointing. Many parents have contacted me to say the opposite. In fact, one parent said she contacted 46 crèches and minders before she found someone. There is obviously a problem. When we talk about averages, what needs to be reflected is that...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Childcare Services (14 Jul 2022)

Malcolm Noonan: I agree with many of the points raised by the Deputy. From my experience in volunteering in the sector, there are challenges around the requirements for facilities for children aged under one year. That is perhaps something that has not been responded to by the providers. There is a significant challenge around the actual layout of physical premises in terms of sleeping areas, etc. That...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Refugee Resettlement Programme (14 Jul 2022)

Refugee Resettlement Programme

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Refugee Resettlement Programme (14 Jul 2022)

Duncan Smith: We have an absolute crisis with regard to how we are dealing with refugees in this country. We awoke this morning to news of the situations in Dublin Airport, Citywest and beyond. However, those of us who have been engaged on the ground not just since the Ukrainian war but before that in terms of the situation for refugees coming to this country through the international protection...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Disability Services (14 Jul 2022)

Malcolm Noonan: I am responding to this matter on behalf of the Minister of State at the Department of Health, Deputy Rabbitte. The Deputy highlighted a difficult case and it is important the issue of access to therapies and respite be resolved. The Government recognises how important respite can be for relieving pressure and enhancing the quality of life of families, particularly due to the impact the...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Disability Services (14 Jul 2022)

Pádraig O'Sullivan: I thank the Minister of State. It was probably unfair of me to throw in the CDNT issue on top, but I thought to myself that I did not ask, I would not get so I said I would try. It is great that the HSE is aware of the issues relating to access for children. The Minister of State indicated this is a new school established by the NCSE and the Department of Education but that was the case a...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Disability Services (14 Jul 2022)

Malcolm Noonan: As the Deputy will appreciate, I do not have those figures to hand, although I will ask the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, to follow up with responses to the specific questions he asked. A letter from Majella Daly, the head of the disability service in Cork-Kerry Community Healthcare, is attached to my prepared response but it does not offer much more information than I have outlined....

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Disability Services (14 Jul 2022)

Cormac Devlin: I thank the Minister of State, and the Deputy for raising the matter. He has been persistent on the issue.

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Childcare Services (14 Jul 2022)

Childcare Services

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Childcare Services (14 Jul 2022)

Jennifer Whitmore: I thank the Minister of State for attending and wonder whether he pulled the short straw in having to do so this evening. I recognise this issue is not his area. It relates to childcare in Wicklow. It is no secret that childcare in this country is at crisis point. The costs, which are exorbitant, are putting severe pressure on families who are just trying to keep their heads above water....

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Water Services (14 Jul 2022)

Michael Moynihan: I thank the Minister of State for his reply. I am pleased that he and the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, are committed to the funding of the wastewater treatment plants in the small towns and villages growth programme. It was on the scheme in October 2021. The Minister of State outlined what Irish Water said. The initial steps involve the assessment of needs process. The correlation...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Water Services (14 Jul 2022)

Malcolm Noonan: I again thank the Deputy. We can work with Irish Water to get a timeline, as that would be useful for the Deputy and the community in terms of when the collation of data will be completed and the different upgrade scenarios that are to be developed. The project will then have to go into a scope of works and move into the project design and statutory planning stage. There are a number of...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Disability Services (14 Jul 2022)

Disability Services

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Disability Services (14 Jul 2022)

Pádraig O'Sullivan: I thank the Minister of State for taking the graveyard shift. I appreciate him being here. Week after week we come into the House to raise matters. On tonight's schedule of Topical Issues, as on many occasions, we are talking about services, be it issues related to Irish Water, as Deputy Michael Moynihan has just alluded to, or in my case, the last three of my Topical Issues have in one...