Results 21-40 of 3,697 for speaker:Lynn Ruane

Seanad: Order of Business (12 Jul 2016)

Lynn Ruane: I also call for a debate on the Cassells report. Although only three options are laid out, we need to have a discussion. The future of education is one of the most significant things we will discuss over the next few years. We need to talk about investing in our future, our young people and in lifelong learning. The narrative yesterday was heavily based on talk of income-contingent loans....

Seanad: Social Protection: Statements (12 Jul 2016)

Lynn Ruane: I will. There is not loads in it. I thank the Minister for his time. I want to focus briefly on the one-parent family payment. I come from the perspective that the reform in the last few years in regard to one-parent families should be reversed. Such families have traditionally suffered higher deprivation and poverty rates than the general population despite increased social welfare...

Seanad: Social Protection: Statements (12 Jul 2016)

Lynn Ruane: -----rather than risk losing a guaranteed and secure payment.

Seanad: Criminal Justice Act 1994: Motion (14 Jul 2016)

Lynn Ruane: I will be brief. I was watching this on screen and I felt the need to come to the House and reiterate my opposition to lowering the thresholds with regard to a mini-CAB. It contributes to the cycle of criminality. We are talking about removing small amounts of cash - around €1,000 - whether from the drug trade or from the black economy in general, such as street traders and...

Seanad: Citizens' Assembly: Motion (15 Jul 2016)

Lynn Ruane: I move amendment No. 1:To delete all words after “in as economical a manner as possible;” down to and including “from the date of the first Assembly meeting;” and substitute the following: “ - the Assembly will first make a report and recommendation on the matter set out at (i) above to the Houses of the Oireachtas within three months from the date of the...

Seanad: Action Plan for Housing: Statements (20 Jul 2016)

Lynn Ruane: I wish to share time with Senator Dolan with four minutes each.

Seanad: Action Plan for Housing: Statements (20 Jul 2016)

Lynn Ruane: While I will focus mainly on student accommodation, on listening to the Minister's opening statement I will pick up on two points. As for Dolphin House and the regeneration, it is an area - around the canal communities - in which I have worked for a long time. I wish to recommend reading a book by a man named John Bissett on the failures of the public private partnerships, PPPs, in St....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Educational Research Centre: Discussion with Chairperson Designate (7 Sep 2016)

Lynn Ruane: I do not know whether the questions are really appropriate, but some points jumped out at me in the contribution of Dr. Travers. I know Ireland does relatively well in the PISA scores. We are approximately 17th globally. However, we fall down elsewhere. Approximately 15% of Irish people have not reached a basic skill level in mathematics and science. Has the ERC done much research in...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Educational Research Centre: Discussion with Chairperson Designate (7 Sep 2016)

Lynn Ruane: I have a suggestion, which is possibly something the Educational Research Centre is already examining. We look at what we need to provide for students in terms of resilience, numeracy and literacy, but I have been working on a programme and there is probably research I could tie in to it. It is with regard to the teacher training curriculum. Dr. Travers stated some of the research impacts...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Educational Research Centre: Discussion with Chairperson Designate (7 Sep 2016)

Lynn Ruane: Early intervention is crucial but there is a lack of acknowledgement of dyscalculia as being a learning disability in the same way as dyslexia is recognised. Early intervention happens but in DEIS schools resources and acknowledgement are not available to diagnose somebody with dyscalculia. My daughter has dyscalculia but I had to find funds to bring her to the Dyslexia Association of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Vote 26 – Department of Education and Skills (29 Sep 2016)

Lynn Ruane: I notice there is an all-male panel but I am sure there are some female experts in the Department. I spent a lot of time reading the documents and there should be an easier way for them to reported. Instead of putting all the budgets into one and trying to figure out where all the expenditure goes, Departments should break the expenditure up into second level and third level separately. ...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Vote 26 – Department of Education and Skills (29 Sep 2016)

Lynn Ruane: -----are resources being allocated for this? If another body is doing such work, maybe the money could be better spent elsewhere. I have loads of questions.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Vote 26 – Department of Education and Skills (29 Sep 2016)

Lynn Ruane: It is not recognised as being the same as dyslexia because if it was, provisions would be made for it in the leaving certificate in the same way.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Vote 26 – Department of Education and Skills (29 Sep 2016)

Lynn Ruane: There are no provisions made in the leaving certificate for someone with dyscalculia, therefore, there are no reduced points, even with a diagnosis from the Dyslexia Association of Ireland. Until reservations are made for people at leaving certificate level, it always will be seen as a lesser disability.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Vote 26 – Department of Education and Skills (29 Sep 2016)

Lynn Ruane: I completely agree with my colleagues on the third-level sector and the immediate need for interim funding while we review the Cassells report, especially in light of the figures which suggest that there has been an increase of approximately 10% in the past two to three academic years. This figure is set to continue to grow. On the issue of access to education and the piece that appears...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Vote 26 – Department of Education and Skills (29 Sep 2016)

Lynn Ruane: On the Minister's point regarding the need to sharpen the weighting for funding in terms of access and so on, I believe we first need to overhaul access from second level to third level in terms of how the Department divides up the colleges versus the schools. Currently, the colleges have no say in this regard, as the links were set years ago by the Department and have never been reviewed....

Seanad: Order of Business (5 Oct 2016)

Lynn Ruane: I express my solidarity with the women of Poland who engaged in a public strike on Monday to register their justified opposition to the measures currently being debated in the Polish Parliament to further restrict access to abortion in a country that already places significant barriers to women who need to access an abortion. It is unacceptable that an abortion access regime that already...

Seanad: Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement: Motion (5 Oct 2016)

Lynn Ruane: I wish to share time with Senators Frances Black and Colette Kelleher.

Seanad: Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement: Motion (5 Oct 2016)

Lynn Ruane: I thank Senator Higgins for bringing this motion before the House. No matter how we look at CETA, it is clear the agreement undermines the public good and threatens public services, everything from health and energy to social services and transport. We should not now or ever see the provision of essential public services as a potential market, whereby corporations can make a profit. Trade...

Seanad: Seanad Bill 2016: Second Stage (Resumed) (12 Oct 2016)

Lynn Ruane: I thank the Seanad Independent group for using their Private Members' time for this crucial Bill. It is the first Bill that I and many others in the House put their names to as Senators. I reiterate my strong support for its proposed reforms. Seanad Éireann has no mandate to continue in its current form. Every Senator sitting in the House following its retention by the Irish people...