Lorraine Clifford-Lee - Recent appearances (From KildareStreet.com)
type: channel
language: en-gb
creator: KildareStreet.com, mprss.php script
date: 2025-04-16T16:12:39+00:00
items: Childcare: Statements | Seanad debates
items: Public Transport | Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters | Seanad debates
items: Special Education Provision: Motion | Seanad debates
items: Road Safety: Statements | Seanad debates
items: Common Agricultural Policy National Plan: Statements | Seanad debates
items: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business | Seanad debates
items: International Women's Day - Women's Health: Statements | Seanad debates
items: Public Transport: Motion | Seanad debates
items: Community Safety: Statements | Seanad debates
items: Schools Building Projects | Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters | Seanad debates
items: EU-UK Youth Experience Scheme: Motion | Seanad debates
items: Rail Timetables: Iarnród Éireann | Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport | Committee meetings

Childcare: Statements | Seanad debates
type: item
description: I thank the Minister for coming to the Seanad to talk about this important issue. She is going to do well in this role. It complements her previous role as Minister for Education because the...
encoded: I thank the Minister for coming to the Seanad to talk about this important issue. She is going to do well in this role. It complements her previous role as Minister for Education because the education of children is on the same spectrum. As the Minister outlined, there has been unprecedented investment in early years education over the past number of years. Childcare fees for parents have been slashed. Investment in pay and conditions and support for early years education has been unprecedented as well. The educators are getting the support that they deserve. The statement the Minister made relating to State-owned facilities promised in the programme for Government is important. I have been calling for this for years. <!--p></p--> <!--span class="speakercontinuing">&#91;</span--><!--span class="speakercontinuing">Senator Lorraine Clifford-Lee:</span--><!--a href="http://www.oireachtas.ie/members-hist/default.asp?housetype=1&amp;HouseNum=27&amp;MemberID=2461"></a--><!--a href="../zoomin?readform&amp;chamber=seanad&amp;memberid=2461&amp;pid=LorraineCliffordLee&amp;year=2025&amp;month=04&amp;day=02"></a--><!--span class="speakercontinuing">&#93;</span-->We need to move to a publicly funded childcare model. The Minister said this is to complement existing childcare facilities, and of course we will have to operate a hybrid model, but this public investment in facilities within communities is to be welcomed. The Minister said this is to deliver in areas where there is unmet need, and let me tell you, in north County Dublin there is unmet need for childcare. Unprecedented numbers of houses are being built but we do not have the childcare facilities. Quite simply, builders make a bigger profit from building and selling houses. Obviously, Government policy is to deliver houses and we all support that, but we need to build communities alongside housing. When couples are buying their houses in new communities, whether in north County Dublin or in other areas, they do so with …
date: 2025-04-02T02:00:00+00:00

Public Transport | Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters | Seanad debates
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description: I am well aware the Department and the Minister are not involved in day-to-day operations of public transport, but the opening paragraph of the Minister of State's response stated that the...
encoded: I am well aware the Department and the Minister are not involved in day-to-day operations of public transport, but the opening paragraph of the Minister of State's response stated that the Minister is responsible for policy. This is why I am asking for engagement. It is the policy of the Government to encourage people onto public transport, to lessen the burden of cost on commuters and to make fares fairer. Balbriggan and Skerries have been caught in this Dublin commuter zone. The Minister of State named a number of other stations in the commuter zone - Rathdrum, Kildare, Enfield and Drogheda. None of those stations is in Dublin. The point I am making is that these are two Dublin stations. The people of Balbriggan and Skerries getting the train every day are coming in and working here in the Houses of the Oireachtas, city centre offices and businesses across the city. They are part of Dublin city. They come into Dublin city to go to school, university and sports events. They are part of Dublin city, like the rest of the city, yet they are being treated the same as people living in counties Louth, Kildare or Wicklow. It just does not make sense that they are made to pay this cost. It is policy matter and it is something the Minister can engage with. I would like the Minister of State and the Minister, Deputy O’Brien, to go back to the NTA and not treat people who are culturally part of Dublin city, and who contribute to Dublin city daily, as something else.
date: 2025-03-27T02:00:00+00:00

Public Transport | Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters | Seanad debates
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description: The Minister of State is very welcome to the House and I thank him for being here to respond to my Commencement matter. When I submitted this matter, I asked that the Minister engage with the...
encoded: The Minister of State is very welcome to the House and I thank him for being here to respond to my Commencement matter. When I submitted this matter, I asked that the Minister engage with the NTA on implementing fairer fares for north County Dublin. The fairer fares scheme has been rolled out to some extent and I know more work has to be done on it but I am speaking specifically about the two stations of Balbriggan and Skerries. They are in the Dublin commuter zone and all other stations in Dublin are in the Dublin city zone. This is a significant difference. In the Dublin city zone, the €2 Leap card fare gets people to Connolly Station. The same trip from Balbriggan or Skerries to Connolly Station is significantly more expensive. From Balbriggan, it is €3.90 and from Skerries it is €2.90. This is a big difference. When we think about it, it is €20 a week and more than €1,000 a year. This is what commuters from Balbriggan and Skerries pay compared to people travelling from the next neighbouring stations of Rush and Lusk, who pay the €2 Leap card fare. The fairer fares scheme has been good for other parts of the country. Passengers from Drogheda have recently seen a significant decrease in their fares. Fair play to them and I have no complaints about this but we are in a situation where we are trying to encourage people to take public transport and fares are being increased for commuters from Balbriggan and Skerries. It is not fair, particularly when we take into account that people are paying for parking at these train stations also, as there are very poor links between the residential areas and the train stations. This adds to the cost of going to work. Balbriggan and Skerries are the only two Dublin stations that are not in the Dublin city zone. The people there feel very aggrieved. Skerries and Balbriggan are in Dublin, yet they are in the same zone as other stations that are not in County Dublin. This is not fair. Will the Minister of State engage with the NTA t…
date: 2025-03-27T02:00:00+00:00

Special Education Provision: Motion | Seanad debates
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description: The Minister of State is welcome to the House and I am particularly glad he is taking this motion. I commend Sinn Féin on laying the motion before the House and giving us the opportunity to...
encoded: The Minister of State is welcome to the House and I am particularly glad he is taking this motion. I commend Sinn Féin on laying the motion before the House and giving us the opportunity to discuss this important topic. We are all aware of the issues facing families with special education needs. The Minister of State has a deep, personal and long-standing commitment to this topic and there is no better person to be in charge of this. I look forward to seeing significant progress in the next couple of years under his tenure. I also pay tribute to our colleague, Senator Rabbitte, who was in this role prior to her appointment to the Seanad. She did an excellent job, was extremely passionate and made significant progress in this area but, of course, we have a long road to go. Significant progress has been made in recent weeks and I wish to touch on the special education needs classes announced for my own constituency. Loreto Secondary School in Balbriggan got an extra class and 1.5 teachers to support it. Ballyboughal National School got one class. Hedgestown National School got one class. Rolestown National School got two classes. Bremore Educate Together Secondary School got one class. This is just one small area of north County Dublin and is replicated in every other constituency around the country. It is not enough to meet the demand, but when those classes were announced, I had many happy parents in touch me. It is reaching some people and some families will avail of this, so it is really well received. I hope the Government will announce more of these classes in the coming weeks and months. I wish to make specific reference to something I have mentioned to the Minister of State before, namely, the issue of reading schools and reading classes within the education system. These are specific classes for children with dyslexia. There are four reading schools in Ireland, three in Dublin and one in Cork, and 11 reading classes around the country. In north County Dublin,…
date: 2025-03-26T02:00:00+00:00

Road Safety: Statements | Seanad debates
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description: The Minister of State is very welcome back to this House. I congratulate him on his appointment. This is my first time standing before him in the Chamber since his promotion. I am sure he will...
encoded: The Minister of State is very welcome back to this House. I congratulate him on his appointment. This is my first time standing before him in the Chamber since his promotion. I am sure he will bring his skills and talent to the position. <!--p></p--> <!--span class="speakercontinuing">&#91;</span--><!--span class="speakercontinuing">Senator Lorraine Clifford-Lee:</span--><!--a href="http://www.oireachtas.ie/members-hist/default.asp?housetype=1&amp;HouseNum=27&amp;MemberID=2461"></a--><!--a href="../zoomin?readform&amp;chamber=seanad&amp;memberid=2461&amp;pid=LorraineCliffordLee&amp;year=2025&amp;month=03&amp;day=25"></a--><!--span class="speakercontinuing">&#93;</span-->It is really important that we are having this discussion. All our communities and families have, unfortunately, been hit by road fatalities and serious injuries. Road safety is of the utmost importance to every community. I wish to raise a specific issue around driving test centres. I live in north County Dublin, which has the fastest growing population in the country. Many young people living there want to qualify as drivers but are unable to access a local driving centre. There was a driving test centre in Drogheda, but that has recently closed. The main centre people go to is in Finglas. For people living in Balbriggan or Skerries, though, that is a significant distance to travel. If someone is engaging with a local driving instructor and perhaps paying for a two-hour lesson, that instructor would have to meet them in Balbriggan, drive their car to Finglas - because learner drivers cannot go on the motorway - to drive the route they might take during their test, and then drive back to Balbriggan. All that would have to happen in the space of two hours. The result is that most of that two-hour lesson is taken up going to and from the testing area. People then have to get twice the number of lessons they would normally have to get. It is extremely inconvenient. We need to be making it more convenie…
date: 2025-03-25T02:00:00+00:00

Common Agricultural Policy National Plan: Statements | Seanad debates
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description: I extend my congratulations to the Minister and wish him the very best of luck in his brief. No doubt, given his background in agriculture, he will have no need to get up to speed on many of the...
encoded: I extend my congratulations to the Minister and wish him the very best of luck in his brief. No doubt, given his background in agriculture, he will have no need to get up to speed on many of the issues within the Department. I rise today to talk about the Common Agricultural Policy, which has been very important to this country's development since we joined the European Union. I particularly want to touch on the aspect of LEADER funding for communities. In north County Dublin, it has been particularly important in supporting vibrant rural towns, villages and communities. In Lusk, it has been integral to developing the community cultural centre and over €500,000 was secured from LEADER to develop what is a huge asset for the community. Floraville Park in Skerries is a beautiful little park in the middle of the town and was instrumental in Skerries winning the Tidy Towns competition in 2016, so this was very important funding. Even the meals on wheels service in Balbriggan received funding, as did the St. Maur's GAA club. This funding has been very important in supporting communities, in particular rural communities by ensuring services and community facilities are as good in rural communities as they are in any other community in Ireland. Nonetheless, the simplification of the application process for funding is needed, as has been mentioned. I ask the Minister to look at that and come back with proposals on the delivery of that funding to communities. Agriculture is very important for this country. As Senator O'Loughlin said, it is our biggest indigenous industry. Now that all of our other industries are under threat, we need to support the agricultural industry more than ever before. North County Dublin has many farmers, in particular growers. Potatoes, strawberries, cabbage, cucumbers and everything we can think of are grown in north County Dublin. It is important that this agricultural heritage is not threatened by the building of houses. While we know houses are …
date: 2025-03-20T02:00:00+00:00

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business | Seanad debates
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description: A month of celebrations.
encoded: A month of celebrations.
date: 2025-03-20T02:00:00+00:00

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business | Seanad debates
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description: I also welcome those from St. Joseph's in Rush. I am very familiar with it. It is great to see them all. They are all very welcome to Leinster House. Before they came in, I raised the issue...
encoded: I also welcome those from St. Joseph's in Rush. I am very familiar with it. It is great to see them all. They are all very welcome to Leinster House. Before they came in, I raised the issue of the need to develop a swimming pool for north County Dublin. It is an issue the guests have contacted me about through the years. I am working on it. I look forward to a trip to St. Joseph's in the near future.
date: 2025-03-20T02:00:00+00:00

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business | Seanad debates
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description: There is a need for a debate on the national swimming strategy for the period 2024 to 2027. This was launched last August by the then Minister of State, Deputy Thomas Byrne, and aims to provide...
encoded: There is a need for a debate on the national swimming strategy for the period 2024 to 2027. This was launched last August by the then Minister of State, Deputy Thomas Byrne, and aims to provide everyone in Ireland with an opportunity to swim. The strategy focuses on enhancing facilities, coaching, safety awareness and pathways for high-performance athletes. A key component is an allocation of €500,000 to Swim Ireland for hiring swimming activators within local authorities, promoting increased swimming participation. Access, inclusion and disability form a really strong component of the strategy, ensuring people of all ages and abilities have access to swimming. Infrastructure and facilities comprise a huge part of the strategy also. I would like to raise this matter particularly in respect of my constituency in north County Dublin where we have no public swimming pool. There has been a campaign for many years to provide a public swimming pool in Balbriggan to serve the neighbouring communities of Balbriggan, Skerries, Rush and Lusk. There are 26,000 people living in Balbriggan, 12,000 in Skerries, 12,000 in Rush and 10,000 in Lusk. There are villages nearby, including Naul, Garristown, Ballyboughal, Oldtown and Loughshinny, with significant populations also, but there is no public swimming pool. There is now a real divide in people's ability to access swimming facilities. Those who can afford to travel and have the time to travel a long distance can access a swimming pool and benefit from being able to swim whereas those who are not in this category simply cannot benefit. That is completely unacceptable. A site has been identified in Balbriggan to provide the swimming pool and Government funding is available but there seem to be roadblocks. We need to figure this out. If we had a debate on the national swimming strategy, we could tease these issues out with the Minister. A cross-governmental committee was to be set up under the strategy. I would like an update on th…
date: 2025-03-20T02:00:00+00:00

International Women's Day - Women's Health: Statements | Seanad debates
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description: The Minister is very welcome on this day to mark International Women's Day. We are, of course, discussing a very important topic. It is one in which I know she will excel in her role as...
encoded: The Minister is very welcome on this day to mark International Women's Day. We are, of course, discussing a very important topic. It is one in which I know she will excel in her role as Minister for Health. The previous Minister, Stephen Donnelly, changed the landscape for women's health in Ireland during his term of office. I am sure she will continue that very good work and expand on the very many good schemes that were started. However, it is step-by-step, incremental change and, as was pointed out, this is a community issue rather than a women's issue. It impacts everybody in our community and the women in our lives - the women who are caring, teaching and working in our workplaces - and it is right and proper that proper investment is made because, unfortunately, like many things, we are fighting the patriarchy and it manifests in the lack of investment in women's healthcare over the years. The free contraception scheme really changed the playing pitch for women in Ireland. Since the days of the contraception train going to Belfast, I did not think we thought we would see in a relatively short period of time free contraception for women in this country from the ages of 17 to 35. That was really ground-breaking. However, I would like to ask the Minister what the plans are to extend this to 16-year-olds. I know the previous Minister, Stephen Donnelly, had started working on that and was receiving advice from the Attorney General. Where is that body of work at? Will we be able to expand it upwards beyond the age of 35 because, of course, we know that women over the age of 35 still have a need for contraception? Oftentimes, when people are paying for a lot of things in their lives - expensive rent, mortgage payments, children, childcare and everything else - it can be very expensive for that age group. I would really appreciate if the Minister could give us an update in that regard. Safe access zones were something many of us in this House worked upon in the last t…
date: 2025-03-05T02:00:00+00:00

Public Transport: Motion | Seanad debates
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description: I second the motion. I am very happy that the Minister has attended. It is our first item of Private Members' business, which reflects the importance the Fianna Fáil Group is placing on...
encoded: I second the motion. I am very happy that the Minister has attended. It is our first item of Private Members' business, which reflects the importance the Fianna Fáil Group is placing on transport. I was very happy to see that the Minister got this brief because I know he understands this issue, which is a top priority for the people of north County Dublin. I will raise a number of issues. Senator O'Loughlin touched on some of them. She laid out the core tenets of the motion very well. We need people to have faith and trust in our public transport network so we can move to a more modern way of connecting people and communities. The Local Link bus service is a fantastic network that provides public transport for rural communities, which have always been left behind in that regard. Route 192, which links the towns of Balbriggan and Swords, goes through Balscadden, Naul, Oldtown, Ballyboughal and Roganstown and has been very well received. It is very well used by young and old alike and has given new life to rural communities. We definitely need new routes. The Government needs to continue to fund Local Link. As Senator O'Loughlin said, proposed new routes need to be prioritised, speeded up and delivered so people can live in a sustainable fashion in our rural towns and villages. In particular, a route I would like to see introduced is one from Ballyboughal to Lusk and Rush. That would service Lusk and Rush train station. The Minister is very familiar with these areas and the level of demand that is there, especially from students in Ballyboughal who wish to go to secondary school at Lusk on public transport, and people living in Ballyboughal who want to access supermarkets, doctors and cultural and social activities in the two towns I mentioned. That is a top priority of mine. The issue of fairer fares that Senator O'Loughlin also touched on impacts Balbriggan and Skerries. These are towns that are absorbing a lot of housing. People want to access the city for jobs, un…
date: 2025-02-26T02:00:00+00:00

Community Safety: Statements | Seanad debates
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description: I welcome the Minister to the very important debate we are having. I specifically raise the issue of domestic and gender-based violence. We are at a record high of gender-based violence, with...
encoded: I welcome the Minister to the very important debate we are having. I specifically raise the issue of domestic and gender-based violence. We are at a record high of gender-based violence, with 20,000 more reports to gardaí in more than four years. It is good that people are coming forward and reporting to gardaí but it is clear there has been an increase in violence in the community. Women and children are dying in their own homes at the hands of somebody known to them and whom they have been in an intimate relationship with. As the Minister rightly pointed out, there is a special aspect attached to gender-based violence - the relationship and the trust that the victim has placed on the perpetrator - that gives a different tint to this. People are being abused and traumatised. Children's lives are being destroyed within their homes. This needs to be seriously looked at by the Government. I know it is something the Minister has a personal commitment to. I am glad he mentioned Cuan, which the Minister, Deputy McEntee, established in her previous role and on which work is ongoing. While it is a very important development, I know from speaking to colleagues at all ends of the country that we do not have enough women's refuge spaces here in Dublin and across the country. I have spoken to colleagues who have served in these Houses over the years. They have told me that a number of years ago, if a woman came to a clinic in a domestic violence situation, they would have been able to work with that woman to secure council accommodation and get her to safety within a couple of weeks. That does not happen anymore because of the housing crisis. Women are remaining in difficult and dangerous situations because of our housing crisis. That is completely unacceptable. Women are dying. Their children are dying or are being left without their mother, as in the case of Jennie Poole, which was mentioned by Senator O'Loughlin, whom I commend for her work on Jennie's law. We need to make …
date: 2025-02-25T02:00:00+00:00

Schools Building Projects | Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters | Seanad debates
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description: I thank the Minister of State for his response, which outlined the long and sorry history of the delivery of this project. It is not good enough. The people of Rush and, in particular, the...
encoded: I thank the Minister of State for his response, which outlined the long and sorry history of the delivery of this project. It is not good enough. The people of Rush and, in particular, the children of Rush National School deserve better. I am glad to see that Department officials will keep the school authorities updated as this stage progresses. Regarding doubling down on this commitment and getting them to engage in a better way than heretofore, I can guarantee that the school leadership and board of management want to ensure the quality of the school and value for money and are fully signed up to the principles laid out by the Minister of State in his response. They want to collaborate with the Department to get this delivered and not allow this to go on any longer than is necessary.
date: 2025-02-25T02:00:00+00:00

Schools Building Projects | Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters | Seanad debates
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description: I thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach. The Minister of State is very welcome to the Seanad to discuss this important matter. As he knows, I am passionate about the delivery of services for my...
encoded: I thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach. The Minister of State is very welcome to the Seanad to discuss this important matter. As he knows, I am passionate about the delivery of services for my constituency. One of my top priorities is the delivery of a new school building for Rush National School. It is a matter I have continuously raised in the Seanad and one we need to keep raising and pressing the Department on because this is a project that has been in the offing for 18 years. The school leadership, under Morgan Doran, and the board of management have been pressing this. The previous principal, Margaret Dobinson, started the campaign. It has been a long and sorry history, which I will bring the Minister of State briefly through. Approval was obtained in 2010 and planning permission was granted in 2013. While it was renewed on a couple of occasions due to it expiring, it finally expired on 8 December 2024. A fresh planning application was required and this is currently in process. It is a school of some 700 pupils. It was built in 1953 and is completely inadequate. A new 32-classroom school needs to be delivered that will also have two autism classrooms, which are really badly needed, particularly in light of the previous Commencement matter. The same demand is seen throughout north County Dublin. Rush has a big population with more than 11,000 people and is increasing rapidly. Thousands of houses are being built and delivered in north County Dublin and Rush is at the centre of that. There is huge demand on school places and autism classrooms and the principal of Rush National School, Morgan Doran, wants to deliver this school so that he can cater for the huge demand in the area. The school is not fit for purpose. I am raising this Commencement matter to see whether we can get some information as to where the project is at. While the school wants to engage positively and collaboratively with the Department of Education, there is a complete lack of information coming fro…
date: 2025-02-25T02:00:00+00:00

EU-UK Youth Experience Scheme: Motion | Seanad debates
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description: Congratulations to the Leas-Chathaoirleach on her election. I had the great fortune of knowing Tras Honan. She was a mighty woman and it is fantastic that we have one of her successors among...
encoded: Congratulations to the Leas-Chathaoirleach on her election. I had the great fortune of knowing Tras Honan. She was a mighty woman and it is fantastic that we have one of her successors among us. I know the Senator's rate of work and how fair and dedicated she is to the job. I look forward to working with her. It is a testament to her tenacity and hard work over the years that she is in this position. I hope she enjoys today as it is a big day for her. The Minister is very welcome on his first visit to the Seanad as Minister for Justice. He has hit the ground running and we in Fianna Fáil are very proud of the pace of work he has set for himself and the confidence he is instilling within his office. People feel he is on their side. As somebody who is out and about in my constituency talking to people, it is really good that they know there are more gardaí being recruited. There is a lot of work there and we know the Minister is going to do a very good job. I look forward to working with him. He has considerable experience as a Dublin city councillor and as a TD as well as from his professional background as a lawyer. The Minister is very well equipped for this job and no doubt many challenges lie ahead. This is one of the easier matters for the Minister to come to the House with because we all agree it is very worthwhile. It might be politically difficult in other quarters down the line but we can all see the benefits to our opting into this scheme. Even though it does not have a material difference on the face of it, as the Minister outlined, there are risks involved if we are not at the negotiating table. There is a risk our common travel area with the UK, which we know is very important, could be undermined. I am fully supportive of this and I think most parties will be too. The avenues for young people to embark on exchanges, to work and to learn about each other have been considerably narrowed since Brexit. If we look back to the origins of the EU, the reason it…
date: 2025-02-19T02:00:00+00:00

EU-UK Youth Experience Scheme: Motion | Seanad debates
type: item
description: It was all Senator Boyhan's fault.
encoded: It was all Senator Boyhan's fault.
date: 2025-02-19T02:00:00+00:00

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business | Seanad debates
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description: That is disgraceful.
encoded: That is disgraceful.
date: 2025-02-13T02:00:00+00:00

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business | Seanad debates
type: item
description: Shame.
encoded: Shame.
date: 2025-02-13T02:00:00+00:00

Rail Timetables: Iarnród Éireann | Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport | Committee meetings
type: item
description: We discussed this matter yesterday and I thank Mr. Meade for coming back today with a good solution.
encoded: We discussed this matter yesterday and I thank Mr. Meade for coming back today with a good solution.
date: 2024-10-09T13:30:00+00:00

Rail Timetables: Iarnród Éireann | Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport | Committee meetings
type: item
description: Iarnród Éireann will do further work on the issue with Wednesdays.
encoded: Iarnród Éireann will do further work on the issue with Wednesdays.
date: 2024-10-09T13:30:00+00:00