Results 3,661-3,680 of 5,732 for speaker:Fidelma Healy Eames

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) (Dáil Constituencies) Bill 2012: Second Stage (5 Mar 2013)

Fidelma Healy Eames: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan. We met last week on another issue and I believe correspondence about it has been sent to her since then. I hope we will be in contact again on that issue. This Bill is the responsibility of the Minister, Deputy Phil Hogan, and the Minister of State is deputising for him. I support some of Senator Quinn's comments, particularly about...

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) (Dáil Constituencies) Bill 2012: Second Stage (5 Mar 2013)

Fidelma Healy Eames: What is the rationale for not changing the name to Galway West-South Mayo so that the people of south Mayo feel included, respected and wanted? Sin é mo cheist; tá sé an-shimplí ach ba mhaith liom freagra air. If the Minister of State, Deputy McGinley, does not have the answer, will the Minister, Deputy Hogan, supply a written one?

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) (Dáil Constituencies) Bill 2012: Second Stage (5 Mar 2013)

Fidelma Healy Eames: It was both.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs: Forthcoming General Affairs Council: Discussion with Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade (5 Mar 2013)

Fidelma Healy Eames: I welcome the Tánaiste and his officials. I have three questions. I obviously welcome the youth guarantee but am ever mindful that we cannot see it as a panacea for all our ills in respect of youth unemployment. The economist and Nobel Laureate Professor Christopher Pissarides was the person who made me think about this when he visited the Seanad some time ago. I am a bit nervous...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs: Forthcoming General Affairs Council: Discussion with Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade (5 Mar 2013)

Fidelma Healy Eames: My apologies. My second question concerns the European Investment Bank, which members of this committee recently visited. To say I was impressed would be an understatement. It is a really good social, not-for-profit bank. I know we recently secured €50 million towards school projects from that bank. Are we doing enough to maximise the potential projects we could pursue at this...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs: Forthcoming General Affairs Council: Discussion with Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade (5 Mar 2013)

Fidelma Healy Eames: What is the expected duration of the traineeships, apprenticeships and employment opportunities to which the Tánaiste refers?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs: Forthcoming General Affairs Council: Discussion with Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade (5 Mar 2013)

Fidelma Healy Eames: I appreciate the Tánaiste's offer to forward a direct reply.

Seanad: Early Intervention and Economic Benefits: Statements (6 Mar 2013)

Fidelma Healy Eames: I welcome the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs to the Seanad and, like others have said, I know she has her finger on the pulse when it comes to the importance of investing in early intervention in child care and learning. Many other Members spoke about the studies that support investment in this area. The Minister will recall when she was in the Seanad in 2011, I did a study on...

Seanad: Early Intervention and Economic Benefits: Statements (6 Mar 2013)

Fidelma Healy Eames: I apologise; I did not hear. To sum up, the evidence supports the Minister and she is on the right track. However, throughout the country we have better provision in some areas than others, particularly with regard to developing the creativity of young people. For example, in Dublin we have the Ark, the creative writing centre Fighting Words, and Imaginosity, and in Limerick we have the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Social Media: Discussion (6 Mar 2013)

Fidelma Healy Eames: I welcome the Minister and thank the Chairman for the opportunity to be here, as I am not a member of the committee. I am very grateful for the attention this subject is getting. I take all the positive aspects on board but I am here to speak about the abuse of social media. I am a mother of teenagers and I do not know any second level teachers or mother of teenagers who is not tearing...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Social Media: Discussion (6 Mar 2013)

Fidelma Healy Eames: We need to ensure that the abuse is not greater than the good. Can the identity of every user be registered with an IP address in this country? IPs were registered in the United State but their owners could not be tracked down. I thank the Chairman for the opportunity to speak.

Seanad: Education and Training Boards Bill 2012: Second Stage (7 Mar 2013)

Fidelma Healy Eames: I welcome the Minister. I concur with others that this is a big departure, devolving 33 VECs into 16. On being at this point and having reached such an amount of agreement, bar requests for a few amendments, I say, "Well done." I was formerly the chair of County Galway VEC and it was an eye-opener. The reason it was an eye-opener is that VECs aim to provide education for all. Having been...

Seanad: Education and Training Boards Bill 2012: Second Stage (7 Mar 2013)

Fidelma Healy Eames: I thought so. I thank the Minister for that. They felt that this was necessary from the point of view of democratic local representation. I would add that those members should have a competence in education. Those with an education background are not rare. Given that we are ten a penny, and by and large many go into local politics, we should maximise the expertise on the boards by, where...

Seanad: Education and Training Boards Bill 2012: Second Stage (7 Mar 2013)

Fidelma Healy Eames: Let us face it. Not everybody who is elected speaks Irish. I myself was on these boards. I speak reasonable Irish but I would not call it brilliant by any means. I would have been quite challenged in the crossfire of the debate, in terms of comprehending and contributing. An excellent point was raised about SOLAS. Would the Minister clarify and specify the role of the ETB in SOLAS? This...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Special Educational Needs Services Provision (7 Mar 2013)

Fidelma Healy Eames: This is a very disturbing case. I am asking the Minister for Education and Skills to investigate the serious case of an 11-year-old boy. I have given the boy's name and school to the Department. He has high-functioning autism and ADHD. His rights appear to be infringed in that he is not receiving an appropriate education for his needs. He has been locked in an isolation room from 15 to...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Special Educational Needs Services Provision (7 Mar 2013)

Fidelma Healy Eames: This is so critical to put on record.

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Special Educational Needs Services Provision (7 Mar 2013)

Fidelma Healy Eames: Will the Acting Chairman listen? I beg his indulgence.

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Special Educational Needs Services Provision (7 Mar 2013)

Fidelma Healy Eames: When Oisín's mother arrived, she found access to the corridor blocked. She was met by the deputy principal and brought into the secretary's office. She was told gardaí were on their way. When she saw her son, he had cuts to his forehead and blood coming from one nostril. Later that evening, a number of shards of glass were removed from his feet and hair. He had broken the window in the...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Special Educational Needs Services Provision (7 Mar 2013)

Fidelma Healy Eames: There is a meeting at five o'clock-----

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Special Educational Needs Services Provision (7 Mar 2013)

Fidelma Healy Eames: If I can just finish with one sentence-----