Results 401-420 of 669 for speaker:Grace O'Sullivan

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Water Supply Project: Discussion (25 Apr 2018)

Grace O'Sullivan: I thank the witnesses for their presentations. We need security of supply but we need to be sure supply is available through diversification. I support Ms Kennedy's work very much because she has given us the opportunity not only to go with the flow but to do our job as legislators and take a hard look at what is being proposed. I have a number of questions for Mr. Grant. The new...

Seanad: Address to Seanad Éireann by Commissioner Phil Hogan (26 Apr 2018)

Grace O'Sullivan: The Commissioner is welcome. Like him, I am from the south east. I thank him for his update on what the Commission is doing. The engagement between the Commission and national parliaments is positive and should happen more, so I am pleased to see that the Commissioner will be attending the Committee on Agriculture, Food and Marine later today to discuss issues in greater depth. I am...

Seanad: Prohibition of Conversion Therapies Bill 2018: Second Stage (2 May 2018)

Grace O'Sullivan: I commend our youngest Member, Senator Warfield, the Sinn Féin spokesperson on LGBTQI rights. He is the perfect person to bring this Bill through the House because he represents the younger people of Ireland. I hope that this legislation will lead to an opening up of our communities to become inclusive, to recognise the reality of the society we live in and, as the Leader said, to...

Seanad: Order of Business (8 May 2018)

Grace O'Sullivan: I echo the words of Senators Higgins and Warfield with regard to the announcement by Facebook that it will restrict foreign advertising on the eighth amendment for the duration of the referendum campaign. This is to be welcomed and we hope Google will follow suit. There may be a loophole, however, with regard to Internet ad-handling companies. These are Irish-based companies which can...

Seanad: Order of Business (9 May 2018)

Grace O'Sullivan: Ahead of this evening's debate on the Local Government Accountability Bill, will the Leader and his colleague, the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government, Deputy Eoghan Murphy, explain why they are preventing the publication of a key report into possible corruption in local government, a report that the Minister admits has been sitting on his desk since last June? Allegations of...

Seanad: Order of Business (22 May 2018)

Grace O'Sullivan: Senators might notice that some of us are wearing our green ribbons in the Chamber today. I know Senator Devine works very hard on the areas of mental health, as does Senator Ray Burke.

Seanad: Order of Business (22 May 2018)

Grace O'Sullivan: The green ribbon signifies our opposition to the stigmatisation of mental health here in Ireland and acts as a reminder of the damage that such stigmas have done to those suffering from mental health issues in the past and in the present. One would think at this stage that this would be clear and would not be a controversial issue. During the current debate on the referendum to repeal the...

Seanad: Marine Protection: Motion (23 May 2018)

Grace O'Sullivan: I move:That Seanad Éireann: acknowledges: -- that Irish waters are crucial habitats for biodiversity and provide an invaluable source of income for rural areas in tourism, fisheries, research, heritage, energy and more; -- that our seas and ocean are under unprecedented pressure, generated by the combined impacts of climate change, ocean acidification, shipping, fossil fuel...

Seanad: Marine Protection: Motion (23 May 2018)

Grace O'Sullivan: The figure is about 6,000.

Seanad: Marine Protection: Motion (23 May 2018)

Grace O'Sullivan: I thank the Minister of State for his comments. In respect of the petition on the avaaz.orgsite, it is not specific but it is quite close to the motion. It is my view that it is very much in line with the motion. I am very disappointed with the Minister of State's response. I know our motion is ambitious. That is because of the pressures that are on the marine environment. I recognise...

Seanad: Marine Protection: Motion (23 May 2018)

Grace O'Sullivan: That is with regard to microplastics and microbeads.

Seanad: Marine Protection: Motion (23 May 2018)

Grace O'Sullivan: That is July. What we are talking about here are the MPAs. I will be pressing my motion because I believe we need to do this and show leadership. Here we are once again not taking action with regard to climate change. We are talking and talking. We are an island nation on the western fringe of Europe and we have more territorial waters than many states. We really have something so...

Seanad: Marine Protection: Motion (23 May 2018)

Grace O'Sullivan: I thank everyone who spoke in favour of my motion today. All parties, apart from the Government, have supported the motion. It is in our long-term interest and the interest of the nation.

Seanad: Radiological Protection (Amendment) Bill 2018: Committee and Remaining Stages (30 May 2018)

Grace O'Sullivan: I move amendment No. 1:In page 9, line 4, after “apparatus”,” to insert the following:“and (iv) by the insertion of the following paragraph after paragraph (k):“(l) to report annually to the Oireachtas on the implementation of the National Radon Control Strategy or any successor strategy.”,”. It is estimated that 250 people die of...

Seanad: Radiological Protection (Amendment) Bill 2018: Committee and Remaining Stages (30 May 2018)

Grace O'Sullivan: I accept what the Minister said. He obviously recognises the impact of radon on public health. What I am proposing is that we would get a comprehensive report from the EPA. However, I understand that the buck stops with the Minister. If I understand him correctly, he is giving the House a commitment that he will report back to the House and assure us that steps are being taken with regard...

Seanad: Community Banking System: Statements (30 May 2018)

Grace O'Sullivan: I welcome the opportunity this debate affords us to examine the financial services landscape in Ireland and the need for An Post to provide services for a new generation of customers to whom traditional postal services appear irrelevant. There will be a great temptation to see the Kiwi post bank system, which we have heard about here, not just as a solution to the future threats faced by An...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Local Government Reform: Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government (31 May 2018)

Grace O'Sullivan: I welcome the Minister and his officials to the meeting. I would like to focus on the local authority boundaries and, in particular, the boundaries in the south east, which is considered a regional growth centre under Project Ireland 2040. Demographics are changing and it is recognised that economic growth is needed in the area, considering that the unemployment rate has increased over the...

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2016: Report Stage (12 Jun 2018)

Grace O'Sullivan: I echo Senator Warfield's concerns about these amendments being brought in at such short notice.I recognise that the Minister of State speaks about the national planning framework for which there was plenty of time and huge public engagement. To my mind the marine spatial planning document should be on the same footing with the same support and resources to enable the people of Ireland and...

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2016: Report Stage (12 Jun 2018)

Grace O'Sullivan: That is our right.

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2016: Report Stage (12 Jun 2018)

Grace O'Sullivan: I seek clarification regarding Senator Humphreys's concerns. We were given nearly 20 amendments to this Bill just a day ago. As with the point of planning, we need time to assimilate the information and become confident about signing off on this amendment. Given his experience, I will ask Senator Humphreys to advise me on-----