CC
2024-11-06 · Dail
Houses of the Oireachtas Commission (Amendment) Bill 2024: Second Stage
Thank you, Deputy. We will hear from the Rural Independent Group.
On prevailing side: this member voted with the winning side in 437 of 747 decisive votes (6 abstentions excluded). Read it as a government-or-opposition indicator rather than a measure of influence — the figure is near 100% for members supporting the government of the day and near 0% for those opposing it.
This is the point of the site: contributions keep the party held on the day, not the one held now.
| Party | Recorded as | Contributions | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| IND | Independent | 974 | 2020-03-05 – 2026-09-22 |
| CC | Ceann Comhairle / Chair | 93 | 2023-02-16 – 2024-11-06 |
Membership spells on record: IND 2002-05-17–2007-04-30 · IND 2020-02-08–2024-11-08 · IND 2024-11-29–present
Thank you, Deputy. We will hear from the Rural Independent Group.
I thank the Minister.
I call Deputy Collins.
I thank the Labour Party for tabling this motion because it allows us to discuss this important issue. I will spend my time focusing on the more local impacts of Government healthcare policy. I will concentrate on the impacts on Sligo University Hospital, SUH. This is what matters to the people living there because it is their local hospital. What are we talking about? Last week, healthcare workers took time out to make the case for patients at SUH. Staff are carrying a major workload and this is partly due to the …
I will give the Minister one minute to answer the three questions.
I thank the Minister.
I thank the Minister. I have been very flexible
We have time for one more question and response. Question No. 70 was taken with an earlier group of questions.
Question No. 71 cannot be taken and Question No. 72 has been answered. The next question we can take is Question No. 80.
I thank the Minister. That-----
Okay.
Thank you.
That concludes Question Time.
Twice in his response the Minister mentioned balanced regional development. Then he went on to tell us about projects in Cork, Galway, Waterford and Limerick as well as Dublin. There was no mention of Sligo. My question is about the Sligo to Dublin rail line. There are two issues that are crucial. We need a train to arrive in Sligo, at least from Longford or Carrick-on-Shannon, for approximately 8.30 a.m. for students and workers so they can use public transport. There is a need for this service. There is a lot of …
No, the Deputy is finished. The Deputy has had his interventions.
I am sorry. Apologies, I cannot.
An easy question for the Minister to answer.
In what may well be my last Leaders' Questions in the Dáil, I return to familiar territory, an issue I have raised with the Tánaiste and others many times, namely, the delivery of balanced regional development. I understand that the delivery of a balance of development between regions is not something that can be accomplished overnight, particularly when there are significant gaps. It has to be embedded in all Departments and overseen by a senior Minister with responsibility for co-ordination and delivery. Unfortun…
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This always happens. The Tánaiste lists a few projects. Of course, I do not dispute that they are happening but he ignores the overall abysmal picture. He ignores the facts and does not deal with them. He does not come back to me and say "Well, Deputy Harkin, actually you are wrong about the completions in housing, wrong about the fact that we do not spend a reasonable amount in the northern and western region and wrong about all the facts that you put before me." He does not do any of that. He talks about a projec…