Results 41-60 of 89 for speaker:Joanne Collins

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (30 Apr 2025)

Joanne Collins: I want to raise an issue I have raised as a Commencement matter twice, but since it is pressing I said I would raise it again today. It concerns the waiting times for domiciliary care allowance appeals. I am dealing with the case of a County Limerick family who have been waiting for 36 weeks just to hear back on the appeals process.Every time they ask, they are told it is in progress and...

Seanad: Diverting Young People from Criminal Activity: Statements (30 Apr 2025)

Joanne Collins: I welcome the Minister of State. I want to take a moment to recognise the incredible work being done through a youth diversion programme in Rathkeale in County Limerick, a programme that was relaunched by the Minister of State earlier this year and which is already making a real difference. Rathkeale is a town that has often been unfairly stereotyped. This programme is helping to build...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Social Welfare Appeals (7 May 2025)

Joanne Collins: I wish to bring to the Minister of State's attention something that is deeply concerning for families in County Limerick and throughout the State, namely, the persistent and unacceptable wait times for domiciliary care appeals. I am acutely aware of a case involving a family in County Limerick who are in their 37th week of waiting to hear about the progress of their appeal. This delay is...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Social Welfare Appeals (7 May 2025)

Joanne Collins: I thank the Minister of State. I am excited to hear about the AI. We all go through our lives with everything happening in an instant. It would be fantastic to see quicker ways of processing these appeals, but this will not help this family today. I will get on to the Minister directly because 37 weeks is too long for the family to wait and to feel invisible. When my office contacts the...

Seanad: Parole (Special Advocates) Bill 2024: Second Stage (13 May 2025)

Joanne Collins: I welcome the Minister to the House. I am pleased to stand in support of this Bill. I commend Senator Lynn Ruane and her team on the thoughtful and considered proposal. The Bill addresses the clear procedural gap in the current parole framework, one that undermines natural justice and leaves applicants vulnerable to decisions made on the basis of undisclosed evidence without any avenue,...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (14 May 2025)

Joanne Collins: I want to raise the issue of the sheer lack of home help supports, which, I am sure, is the case throughout the State, but I am going to concentrate on County Limerick. A case that stood out to me among the many I come across involves a family living in County Limerick. The father, who was once a fiercely independent man, is now living with advanced dementia. He needs 24-hour care. For...

Seanad: National Biodiversity Week: Statements (14 May 2025)

Joanne Collins: I welcome the Minister of State. Today, during biodiversity week, I want to speak about the urgent need to protect and restore biodiversity, especially through a better approach to forestry. I also want to reflect on what that means for my county, Limerick. Ireland is in the grip of a biodiversity disaster and crisis. One in five rare species is at risk of extinction. Our native...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food: Business of Joint Committee (14 May 2025)

Joanne Collins: I might as well throw myself in. I congratulate the Cathaoirleach as well. Like my colleague across the floor, this is my first term in the Seanad. This is my first committee but I am really looking forward to getting stuck in. As my colleague, Deputy Kenny, said, agriculture is agriculture but it affects all parts of rural Ireland as well. I am really looking forward to standing up...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (20 May 2025)

Joanne Collins: I second the amendment. Every day that action is delayed more lives are lost in Gaza. More than 50,000 people - mostly women and children - have been killed. This is not a war; this is a slaughter. The deliberate campaign of destruction is playing out before the eyes of the world.We in this House have expressed solidarity many times with the Palestinian people. The Irish public have...

Seanad: Driving Test Waiting Times: Statements (20 May 2025)

Joanne Collins: I welcome the Minister of State back to the House. I will speak about the delay in driving tests, which is an issue that has spiralled completely out of control. At the end of April, the national backlog had grown to a staggering 83,486 applicants, a number mentioned across the floor this evening. It has increased by 10,000 since the start of the year and by 20,000 in the past six months....

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (27 May 2025)

Joanne Collins: I wish to raise an incident that happened in Newcastle West in County Limerick last weekend. Vile videos were sent to me of fighting on the streets between two different groups. They were absolutely disgusting to watch. People were being kicked in the face while they were on the ground. One person was knocked out, jumped on and punched about 20 times while he was knocked out. This...

Seanad: Local Democracy Task Force: Statements (27 May 2025)

Joanne Collins: Yes.

Seanad: Local Democracy Task Force: Statements (27 May 2025)

Joanne Collins: I welcome the Minister of State. I welcome the progress towards the local democracy task force. My party has long called for more power to be given back to our local elected members. Ireland has the most centralised system of local government in Europe, with limited democratic decision-making powers and insufficient funding and resources for local authorities. While the EU average for tax...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Special Educational Needs (28 May 2025)

Joanne Collins: I highlight a deeply concerning gap in supports for children with disabilities, particularly around the availability of summer services and structured activities during school holidays. I am not speaking about July provision or anything within schools. In recent years, Enable Ireland and other service providers secured places within private summer camps to enable children with special and...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Special Educational Needs (28 May 2025)

Joanne Collins: That all sounds amazing. The funding is desperately needed. I get the staffing issue. Would there be a way to alleviate that issue through special needs assistants that are qualifying and need to do a placement? Would it be an option to try to get their placement as a summer camp? Similarly, special education teachers who are qualified and vetted need to do some training or placement....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food: Engagement with Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (28 May 2025)

Joanne Collins: I welcome the Minister and thank him for giving of his time to be here. I have just two or three points to make. The first is on the delays to ACRES payments. The Minister has said he is now more or less on top of the issue. I know it came down to IT issues. Can he give assurances that these delays will not continue? Much of the backlog has been covered but, given that it took so much...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food: Engagement with Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (28 May 2025)

Joanne Collins: I thank the Minister. That is great and it is nice to hear he recognises when schemes do not go right. I want to go back to forestry. Is the Minister in agreement that we should be planting on peatlands and increasing the planting on peatlands?

Committee on Transport: National Transport Authority: Engagement (28 May 2025)

Joanne Collins: To return to rural transport, I will not get down to the granular level of Local Link services between villages and towns but address the issue of people living outside cities and trying to get into the city for school, college or work. People working from nine to five can forget about it because anyone travelling from west County Limerick into Limerick city has to take a bus coming from...

Committee on Transport: National Transport Authority: Engagement (28 May 2025)

Joanne Collins: That is great. It is just about having that service. As I said, the Local Link service is great but that is for those over a certain age who are not trying to get to a job, school or college at a certain time. The times on that route do not seem to work. The buses are single capacity. Even if the NTA could look at providing double-deck buses, it would help. We have college students...

Committee on Transport: National Transport Authority: Engagement (28 May 2025)

Joanne Collins: This is the route 300 Limerick coach service, the green bus, and the Bus Éireann service. The issues are frequency and capacity, both are working against users at the same time.