Results 261-280 of 1,195 for speaker:Erin McGreehan

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (8 Oct 2024)

Erin McGreehan: I too offer my condolences to the Naughten family on the loss of John. May he rest in peace. I also offer my condolences to the family of Mary O’Rourke, who lost their mam, their granny and a friend. We buried her yesterday. Mary was a mighty woman and an unapologetic Fianna Fáiler. She supported an awful lot of young women and girls in Fianna Fáil. I was very much...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Increasing Employment Participation for Persons with Disabilities: Disabled Persons' Organisations Network (25 Sep 2024)

Erin McGreehan: I thank the witnesses for coming before the committee. I apologise for being in and out because there have been votes in the Seanad. I read the statements. This is an area in which I am very much interested. Mr. Sherwin spoke earlier about there being an attitude in many Departments that supports for people with disabilities to enter the workforce, whether that be through self-employment...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Aligning Disability Funding with the UNCRPD: Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (18 Sep 2024)

Erin McGreehan: Over the past couple of weeks we have discussed many issues in relation to budget 2025 including personal assistant hours, carers and the costs of disability. I believe this is the Minister of State's fifth budget. Each year she has achieved better and greater than the year before. There are many pressures on the system on a daily basis which have been outlined by my colleagues here and by...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Aligning Disability Funding with the UNCRPD: Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (18 Sep 2024)

Erin McGreehan: I am only ever concerned with Louth and Meath.

Seanad: Better Planning for Local Childcare Provision: Motion (17 Jul 2024)

Erin McGreehan: I welcome the Minister to the House. I thank Senator Currie and the Fine Gael Senators for tabling the motion. It is very important that we all speak in here on childcare. The Government is the first Government to have a real focus on childcare and it is very welcome. It has provided one of the largest budgets ever. We have seen a lot of positive changes over the past four years. The...

Seanad: Protection of Children (Online Age Verification) Bill 2024: Second Stage (11 Jul 2024)

Erin McGreehan: The Minister is very welcome to the House. As one of the cosignatories of the Bill, I thank her for not opposing it. I would have been very surprised if it had been opposed. Yes, it is imperfect, and the Minister outlined various issues with it, including legal issues, technical things and the fact that it does not mention the landmark legislation that these Houses and this Government put...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (10 Jul 2024)

Erin McGreehan: My question is directed at the officials and concerns implementation. The Department is the oversight body for the implementation of the UNCRPD. Unfortunately, the Minister of State does not have control of all Departments and she cannot implement the UNCRPD across the different Ministries. I spoke to Mr. Brunell about this previously. How is the interaction and communication between the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (10 Jul 2024)

Erin McGreehan: What about the discrepancies in times? It is five or six hours for private and 30 hours for public.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (10 Jul 2024)

Erin McGreehan: Lastly, and off on a tangent here, I know IHREC is an independent body but to whom is it accountable? Is it accountable and answerable to the Department, no Department or nobody? Maybe is it is something that Mr. Brunell could come back to me on because I am curious about it.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (10 Jul 2024)

Erin McGreehan: IHREC is under the Department's aegis. It is independent but the legislation that underpins it was under the Department. It is the monitoring body. I can easily count loads of circumstances where different State bodies have failed in their obligations, whether, first, in their public service duties and second, under the UNCRPD. IHREC has the right and power to bring people and public...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Medicinal Products (10 Jul 2024)

Erin McGreehan: I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I acknowledge that my colleague, Minister for Health, Deputy Donnelly, has apologised that he could not be here, nor was a Minister of State in the Department available to discuss this issue. I ask that the Minister make a statement on the access to cancer drugs and treatment for private and public patients. I want to shine a light on important...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Medicinal Products (10 Jul 2024)

Erin McGreehan: I reiterate my plea. I do not disagree with anything the Minister of State said but we must have an early-access pathway. We must pool bids with other countries and look at what they are doing. We must also look at ourselves as a State, country and Government. There is a moral and ethical issue here. Will we be able to stand over a situation where people with money can get treatment...

Seanad: Migration: Statements (10 Jul 2024)

Erin McGreehan: The Minister is very welcome. I congratulate him on his election as leader of the Green Party and wish him the best of health and success. We are speaking about migration. I agree with what Senator McDowell said about migration, which is very different from people seeking international protection and asylum. They are two very different things. However, when someone sees a person who is...

Joint Committee On Children, Equality, Disability, Integration And Youth: Report on Assessments of Need for Children: Discussion (18 Jun 2024)

Erin McGreehan: I wish our former Chair, former Deputy Kathleen Funchion, now an MEP, the very best of luck and the best of health in Brussels. The Minister of State is welcome. It is always good to have a Minister in front of us. The assessment of needs, as she knows, has been a topic of conversation in both this committee and indeed the Joint Committee on Disability Matters. We have had many...

Joint Committee On Children, Equality, Disability, Integration And Youth: Report on Assessments of Need for Children: Discussion (18 Jun 2024)

Erin McGreehan: I am disappointed. Hopefully by highlighting-----

Joint Committee On Children, Equality, Disability, Integration And Youth: Report on Assessments of Need for Children: Discussion (18 Jun 2024)

Erin McGreehan: I see the HSE is slow to appoint therapists. There seems to be a significant blockage in appointing therapists in special schools, particularly when there is evidence abroad that this works. It shows good results. Even back as far as 2009, the HSE's own reports and policy documents state that parents could and would work between schools and health centres, but even with its own policy...

Joint Committee On Children, Equality, Disability, Integration And Youth: Report on Assessments of Need for Children: Discussion (18 Jun 2024)

Erin McGreehan: Okay.

Joint Committee On Children, Equality, Disability, Integration And Youth: Report on Assessments of Need for Children: Discussion (18 Jun 2024)

Erin McGreehan: Progressing disability services is not working to the goal of the policy, but we know not all of it is not working. Has the HSE examined the flexibility in relation to unpicking those parts of PDS that are working and amending the stuff that is not? It is not a complete failure. We had people speaking to us at the disability matters committee very recently about how it is a good policy...