Results 381-400 of 2,078 for speaker:Mary Seery Kearney

Seanad: Affordable Housing Bill 2021: Committee Stage (28 May 2021)

Mary Seery Kearney: In a country that values neutrality, it is hard to use battle analogies so I will go with the one I know best, which is that of an election campaign. The advice would always be to leave everything on the field, to do everything possible and when one stands there on the day of the count or the announcement of who has won, one will know one did everything that was possible to win that seat....

Seanad: Affordable Housing Bill 2021: Committee Stage (28 May 2021)

Mary Seery Kearney: I am with Senator Warfield in spirit because the language in the Bill is awkward. I wonder why the phrase "different social backgrounds" makes me so uncomfortable. Perhaps I am uncomfortable because considering that would force me, and all of us, into a place where we recognise that there are different social backgrounds. I looked up "social backgrounds" for the sheer heck of it in...

Seanad: Affordable Housing Bill 2021: Committee Stage (28 May 2021)

Mary Seery Kearney: I want to make a clarification. With huge respect, I need to put on the record, lest there be any ambiguity, that under no circumstances am I setting a situation whereby any one demographic in our State is the nirvana to which everybody else should aspire. Over the past year with Covid, we have seen demonstrations of community in every socioeconomic group and every possible profile in our...

Seanad: Affordable Housing Bill 2021: Committee Stage (28 May 2021)

Mary Seery Kearney: I support the thrust and principle of Senator Fitzpatrick's amendment. We need to mandate the members of our local authorities to hold their executive to account in the performance of their adherence to the development plan probabilities and possibilities, and in looking at the provision of housing and homes in accordance with this Bill and the Land Development Agency.It is incredibly...

Seanad: Affordable Housing Bill 2021: Committee Stage (28 May 2021)

Mary Seery Kearney: I thank the Minister of State for his remarks. I want to briefly address the housing need and demand assessment. I downloaded all those documents that have been supplied by the Department. It is a fantastic tool and it will give us an accurate assessment. Having a tracking system that brings us back to how is that being adhered to and how is that being rolled out means we will not have a...

Seanad: Covid-19 Vaccination Programme: Statements (31 May 2021)

Mary Seery Kearney: I congratulate the Minister on the fine job he is doing and ask him to convey our thanks to all those involved. Approximately two weeks ago I met Fórsa and its representatives spoke about the various categories of employees involved behind the scenes. We are very quick to thank those on the front line but behind the scenes are the administrators and a heap of people who absolutely...

Seanad: Civil Legal Aid (Exclusion of Value of Free or Partly Free Board) (Amendment) Bill 2021: Second Stage (31 May 2021)

Mary Seery Kearney: I welcome this legislation. It is well done and it is a welcome item of Private Members' business for this evening. I welcome the decision to act sensibly, compassionately and rightly with respect to disregarding HAP in the calculation of eligibility for legal aid. It is an inappropriate inclusion and should have always been an inappropriate inclusion. It is an important step. However,...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (1 Jun 2021)

Mary Seery Kearney: I really welcome the publication of the economic recovery plan later today. This is a very important development. Having met with various industry groups over the past couple of weeks, it is clear there is a shortage of people coming back into the workplace and in some instances, a reluctance to come back. We really need to recognise and highlight that staff shortage. It is appropriate...

Seanad: Affordable Housing Bill 2021: Committee Stage (Resumed) (4 Jun 2021)

Mary Seery Kearney: Amendments Nos. 40 and 67 may be taken together by agreement.

Seanad: Affordable Housing Bill 2021: Committee Stage (Resumed) (4 Jun 2021)

Mary Seery Kearney: Amendments Nos. 42 and 43 are related and may be discussed together.

Seanad: Affordable Housing Bill 2021: Committee Stage (Resumed) (4 Jun 2021)

Mary Seery Kearney: Does the Senator wish to speak to the amendment?

Seanad: Affordable Housing Bill 2021: Committee Stage (Resumed) (4 Jun 2021)

Mary Seery Kearney: Amendments Nos. 44 to 50, inclusive, are related and may be discussed together, by agreement. Is that agreed? Agreed.

Seanad: Affordable Housing Bill 2021: Committee Stage (Resumed) (4 Jun 2021)

Mary Seery Kearney: As no one else is indicating, I call the Minister of State.

Seanad: Right to Housing: Motion (4 Jun 2021)

Mary Seery Kearney: I support the motion. To have a right to housing enshrined in the Constitution is natural and correct. I have reservations about adequacy and housing. We have a lot of work to do in defining those two words and ensuring they are correct. One of the interesting things one encounters when studying constitutional law is that sections of the Constitution are remarkably similar in wording to...

Joint Committee On Children, Equality, Disability, Integration And Youth: National Action Plan for Childminding 2021-2028: Discussion (25 May 2021)

Mary Seery Kearney: Thank you, Chair. I am in Leinster House. I thank the witnesses for their participation, for coming and speaking so frankly with us today. Their submissions to us are a thorough and honest appraisal of the fears that would lie in the process ahead. I would despair at the notion that we could not get there by 2028. The past year has proven the centrality and absolute necessity of...

Joint Committee On Children, Equality, Disability, Integration And Youth: National Action Plan for Childminding 2021-2028: Discussion (25 May 2021)

Mary Seery Kearney: Yes.

Joint Committee On Children, Equality, Disability, Integration And Youth: National Action Plan for Childminding 2021-2028: Discussion (25 May 2021)

Mary Seery Kearney: I think we have well and truly heard that. What other things does the sector need and what would regulation look like?

Joint Committee On Children, Equality, Disability, Integration And Youth: National Action Plan for Childminding 2021-2028: Discussion (25 May 2021)

Mary Seery Kearney: I am asking the question now.

Joint Committee On Children, Equality, Disability, Integration And Youth: National Action Plan for Childminding 2021-2028: Discussion (25 May 2021)

Mary Seery Kearney: What I am hearing from Ms Walsh is that part of what childminding offers is that preservation of the home experience, as opposed to the centre experience, and that this is what should be central in the design of any regulations in this regard. It is practical to have a sleep room but it is not practical to close off a kitchen. Children should have that freedom to roam in the same way as...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Accessibility in Planning and Delivery of Transport Projects: Discussion (3 Jun 2021)

Mary Seery Kearney: I thank the witnesses for their presentations and supplying their opening statements in advance, especially the NTA as the appendix to its submission was very helpful and useful. In terms of the Luas, I have travelled with people with disabilities on the Luas and it has been a very user-friendly experience. However, the problem is with the frequency of services. For instance, pre-Covid when...