Results 101-120 of 1,150 for speaker:Eileen Flynn

Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community: Traveller Education Policy: Department of Education (11 Apr 2024)

Eileen Flynn: At a launch on poverty day last year, I raised the issue of education and the need for more home school liaison teachers. I know the importance of the home school liaison teacher from when I was coming up through school, whether it was getting that bar of chocolate or cup of tea, or having someone you could talk to. It was what really supported me to come through the education system. I...

Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community: Traveller Accommodation: Discussion (Resumed) (21 Mar 2024)

Eileen Flynn: I apologise. I am late due to another commitment this morning. I met Ms Heavey and her team from Community Law and Mediation and people from FLAC a few weeks ago to discuss issues that have an impact on the Traveller community around accommodation and from a justice perspective. This committee is dealing with accommodation, health, including mental health, education and employment at the...

Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community: Traveller Accommodation: Discussion (Resumed) (21 Mar 2024)

Eileen Flynn: It is about education. Ms O'Sullivan is talking about the Equal Status Acts. There are 40,000 Travellers in Ireland. Activists are educated about the Equal Status Acts because we are in the sector and we know where to go. Many members of the Traveller community would not have the first knowledge about those Acts to enable them to decide to take a case. Many do not know about them. If,...

Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community: Traveller Accommodation: Discussion (Resumed) (21 Mar 2024)

Eileen Flynn: For the record, the committee invited CLM and FLAC as part of the discussion on accommodation. That was my point. We need at least 20 CLM and FLAC offices to deal with the demand. You have to live in the community to understand the number of cases that Travellers would have to take given that these incidents happen daily as a result of the level of racism and discrimination. Hatred has...

Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community: Traveller Accommodation: Discussion (Resumed) (21 Mar 2024)

Eileen Flynn: Training judges is a brilliant recommendation. In the past two years, the Minister, Deputy McEntee, has appointed more women judges. It is important to know that members of the Traveller community can go on and be judges too. It is also important to create that opportunity for members of our community. We could go from here until Christmas talking about experiences. For example, a...

Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community: Traveller Accommodation: Discussion (Resumed) (21 Mar 2024)

Eileen Flynn: That is fine to a certain extent. We can do training for judges because that has not been done before. I am gone past the point of training teachers or training people to deal with other human beings. As Deputy Ó Cuív has said here numerous times, pilot programmes and training can be a pure waste of time. We are kicking the can down the road. We are not doing the implementation...

Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community: Traveller Accommodation: Discussion (Resumed) (21 Mar 2024)

Eileen Flynn: I thank CLM and FLAC for coming in today. I think justice is a critical part of equality for Travellers. Whether it is top down, bottom up or however you might like to describe it, we have to deal with the over-representation of Travellers in our prison system and the level of homelessness in the Traveller community. Even last year, Travellers did not have access to the €300...

Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community: Traveller Accommodation: Discussion (Resumed) (21 Mar 2024)

Eileen Flynn: The trespass legislation in this country stops the Traveller community from being a nomadic people. Since 2017, Travellers have been recognised as an indigenous people of this country but we do not have the right to be able to travel. One of the recommendations from the committee is to repeal the trespass legislation. Legislation dating from 2002 that deals with trespass blocks Travellers...

Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community: Traveller Accommodation: Discussion (Resumed) (21 Mar 2024)

Eileen Flynn: May I ask one further question? This may come back to bite me but I wish to address the issue of hate crime legislation. The witnesses are professionals who deal with discrimination every day. I am strongly in favour of hate crime legislation. I came into the Oireachtas with a vision of bringing in legislation that protects people who are part of minority groups. Do CLM and FLAC support...

Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community: Traveller Accommodation: Discussion (Resumed) (21 Mar 2024)

Eileen Flynn: Yes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Planning for Inclusive Communities: Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (20 Mar 2024)

Eileen Flynn: I thank the Minister of State for coming before the committee. I have done some work with him over the past few months and credit where credit is due, I believe he tries his best for people. People with disabilities come from all walks of life and how does Traveller accommodation that is not fit for purpose fit into the CAS programme to look after children with disabilities who are from the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Planning for Inclusive Communities: Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (20 Mar 2024)

Eileen Flynn: The Minister of State spoke about funding for Traveller accommodation. For the record, since he took this role he has been easy to work with and, most importantly, funding has been drawn down. It is only fair to put the record straight.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Planning for Inclusive Communities: Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (20 Mar 2024)

Eileen Flynn: Yes, very much so.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Planning for Inclusive Communities: Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (20 Mar 2024)

Eileen Flynn: I do not want to, because this is the Joint Committee on Disability Matters. I will say, however, that the Minister of State's feedback on parks for the children is extremely welcome.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Planning for Inclusive Communities: Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (20 Mar 2024)

Eileen Flynn: I thank him for that.

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Electoral Process (6 Mar 2024)

Eileen Flynn: I welcome students from St. Pius school, Terenure, to the Chamber this morning. We hope they enjoy their visit. It is always lovely to see young students in Leinster House getting a feel of the place. Hopefully, one day, one of them will be in here.

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Hospital Closures (6 Mar 2024)

Eileen Flynn: I welcome the Minster of State, Deputy Butler, to the House. Senators Kyne and O'Reilly are going to share time. This will be interesting. I have never seen this done for a Commencement matter before.

Seanad: International Women's Day: Statements (6 Mar 2024)

Eileen Flynn: Hear, hear.

Seanad: International Women's Day: Statements (6 Mar 2024)

Eileen Flynn: I thank Senator Moynihan for sharing her time with me. I very much appreciate it. As a member of the Traveller community and probably one of the only women in both Houses from an ethnic minority, I am sick to the pit of my stomach of the do-gooders in the absence of the inclusion of Muslim women and Black women and of our voices being heard equally around the table. The Minister spoke...