Results 381-400 of 3,462 for speaker:Jennifer Carroll MacNeill

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Covid-19: Review of the Reopening of Schools (Resumed) (2 Sep 2020)

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill: It may take a couple of weeks for any child to settle back in, particularly this year. From a practical perspective at post-primary level, the absence of lockers and having to carry big, heavy books and also, perhaps, some gym gear or equipment for practical classes or whatever it may be, all adds to the anxiety of managing a day and managing it differently as well. Some of the videos have...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Policy (8 Sep 2020)

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill: 495. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the timeline for the introduction of free, safe and adequate period products for publicly funded educational spaces; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21251/20]

Written Answers — Department of Health: HSE Reports (8 Sep 2020)

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill: 970. To ask the Minister for Health if the report from the National Treasury Management Agency on the number of treasury units in the HSE has been implemented (details supplied); if not, the reason; the plans in place to implement same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21150/20]

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Covid-19: Legislative Framework Underpinning the State's Response (9 Sep 2020)

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill: I am sorry, but we lost the connection with the committee room for a few seconds. I thank the two witnesses for attending and being of assistance to the committee today. The rule of law and its operation are always important and never more so than when citizens are in real danger from any source, be it an external threat or what we have all experienced in the last number of months. While...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Covid-19: Legislative Framework Underpinning the State's Response (9 Sep 2020)

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill: Thank you. Dr. Buquicchio referred to the "margin of appreciation". What specifically does he mean by that, in respect of the judicial review? Is he saying that governments basically have a large degree of flexibility in the approach that they are taking and as long as they are not actually transgressing on civil liberties they can take a broader approach in these circumstances? I ask him...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Covid-19: Legislative Framework Underpinning the State's Response (9 Sep 2020)

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill: Obviously, Dr. Buquicchio has gone through the different parliamentary and executive responses in different parts of Europe. Our own research in this Parliament indicates that the real difficulty has been the voting arrangements in different parliaments. Parliaments have come up with different solutions for ways of meeting and for scrutinising executive decisions in the management of the...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Covid-19: Legislative Framework Underpinning the State's Response (9 Sep 2020)

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill: Specifically, the problem we have with the Irish Constitution is that it requires Members to be in a particular physical place when meeting and when voting as Members of Parliament. That has been a barrier to exercising the required degree of parliamentary scrutiny so we are trying to look to the future to see what arrangements we might make. I wish to ask Lord Sumption about what he said...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Covid-19: Legislative Framework Underpinning the State's Response (9 Sep 2020)

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill: What is Lord Sumption's view on the exercise of voting rights by Members of Parliament and their being present for voting? I ask him to address the functionality of the Parliament in terms of confirming the regulations.

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Covid-19: Legislative Framework Underpinning the State's Response (9 Sep 2020)

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill: I agree. One of the proposals the committee may consider is the provision of remote voting to enable all Deputies to participate. I thank the witnesses for their participation.

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Covid-19: Legislative Framework Underpinning the State's Response (9 Sep 2020)

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill: That is no problem. Dr. Kenny's point is interesting because this committee was faced with the challenge of how we would meet, how we would take privilege, hear from witnesses and afford them privilege and so on. There is a practical difficulty with what he is saying, although it is interesting and I agree with him and I would love to discuss it with him in detail. There is a practical...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Covid-19: Legislative Framework Underpinning the State's Response (9 Sep 2020)

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill: It is certainly worth considering. These are questions this committee asked several times. At the end of the day, when we are stuck with the legal advice we have, it seems difficult. It would be nice to be able to pursue these things in a speculative way to try to get better answers, but of course that is not an option for us at the moment. I will go back to my other questions. Deputy...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Covid-19: Legislative Framework Underpinning the State's Response (9 Sep 2020)

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill: It is an ongoing communications challenge. The committee heard evidence from behavioural scientists and other public health experts. One of the scientific experts questioned the common sense behind the requirement for a €9 meal and how it protects the public, as have many other people, but the behavioural scientists from another university responded that when a person is engaged in...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Covid-19: Legislative Framework Underpinning the State's Response (9 Sep 2020)

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill: I totally agree. We have all learned a significant amount about the way in which this is communicated. Every time we get an answer and explanation about the balance relating to choices that have to be made in terms of reducing contacts generally in the community, we learn more about it. People deserve to be given the respect of knowing the reason for different things but, as Mr. Murphy...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Covid-19: Legislative Framework Underpinning the State's Response (9 Sep 2020)

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill: That is no problem. I will come back in later.

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Covid-19: Legislative Framework Underpinning the State's Response (9 Sep 2020)

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill: On that point, I am just suggesting that-----

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Covid-19: Legislative Framework Underpinning the State's Response (9 Sep 2020)

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill: It was the case that people should do so, not that they must do so.

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Covid-19: Legislative Framework Underpinning the State's Response (9 Sep 2020)

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill: I agree. I took the opportunity to correct that and state that it was a case that people should do it, not that they must do it.

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Covid-19: Legislative Framework Underpinning the State's Response (9 Sep 2020)

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill: On that point, we have been examining all of the different changes and nuances in this committee. The three-week period is important. It takes two weeks potentially for symptoms to show, which needs to be borne in mind as the economy opens up and people behave differently. It also takes that long just to get the evidence. There is then a very short window for making decisions,...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Covid-19: Legislative Framework Underpinning the State's Response (9 Sep 2020)

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill: I meant to say the second female appointment since 1979. I should say it slowly because it is so important. The Law Society has had many more female appointments but the election of Ms O'Boyle is excellent. On the substantive point, I note that much of the attention, particularly in the Bar Council submission, relates to the conduct of criminal proceedings which, of course, are very...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Examination of HIQA Report on the Impact of Covid-19 on Nursing Homes in Ireland (10 Sep 2020)

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill: What the Chairman has said is very important as it speaks to the empathy shared by everybody on this committee and in the Parliament. We go about our work in a technical way but there are people on this committee who lost close relatives in nursing homes because of Covid-19 and they share the personal experience of so many families. That is being represented today. We also go about our...