Results 41-60 of 98 for speaker:Sarah O'Reilly

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

Sarah O'Reilly: We have incredible biodiversity in Ireland. This week represents a great opportunity for people not only to enjoy it aesthetically but also to understand the necessity of our biodiversity. On Sunday, Cavan Public Participation Network, along with the Irish Environmental Network, launched National Biodiversity Week in beautiful Belturbet, County Cavan. There was a huge turnout with a wide...

Seanad: Public Health (Restriction on Sale of Stimulant Drinks to Children) Bill 2025: Second Stage (14 May 2025)

Sarah O'Reilly: I welcome this Bill into the Seanad. I was very proud to cosign the Bill. It is a public health Bill that aims to ban the sale of high-energy or stimulant drinks to under-18s. It is a good Bill. The heavy lifting on the energy drinks Bill was done by Independent Senator Sharon Keogan, and I acknowledge the work she has done on this over the past number of years with others. She should be...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (15 May 2025)

Sarah O'Reilly: New figures have come to light showing that nearly 4,000 deportation orders have been overturned in the past decade. The State is now revoking more deportation orders than it is actually enforcing. The Ministers, Deputies Helen McEntee and Simon Harris, oversaw the highest number of revocations. The Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, has already quashed 127 deportation orders this year alone....

Seanad: Mental Health and Suicide Prevention: Statements (15 May 2025)

Sarah O'Reilly: The Minister of State is very welcome. A recent UNICEF report paints a poor picture of youth well-being in Ireland. It found that one in three 15-year-olds report low life satisfaction. Our teenagers may be successful in school, but they are struggling in life and that is the sad reality. We pride ourselves on academic results, but we need to do more for their emotional and mental...

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

Sarah O'Reilly: I was to speak on something else today but I would like to lend my support to Senator Patricia Stephenson's call for a proper debate in this Chamber on Gaza and the atrocities happening there. It is time the Minister, Deputy Harris, came in here to debate the issue with all those who speak with passionate voices on this issue every day. They deserve no less and the people in Gaza deserve no...

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

Sarah O'Reilly: I thank the Minister of State for coming in. I raised this issue in 2023 on Cavan County Council. The driving test wait times in Cavan were shocking. A huge number of young people in rural parts of the country rely on private transport to get to and from college, training, football and jobs. I myself have a big lump of a lad who is 22 years of age and his mammy is dropping him off to...

Seanad: Public Procurement: Statements (22 May 2025)

Sarah O'Reilly: I thank the Minister of State for coming here today. I was not really prepared to talk about this but I felt I had to because it is a very important subject. The public procurement process excludes local shops and small businesses and indigenous local businesses. I have sat on five or six school board meetings where this has always been an issue. The school cannot go locally to purchase...

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

Sarah O'Reilly: I commend the O'Farrell family on the constant and dignified efforts they have made to ensure there is justice for Shane O'Farrell as well as reform in our judicial system. To think that 14 years on the family is only now getting an apology from the Government is heartbreaking. Their son's killer had 40 previous convictions and he should have been in jail when Shane was killed. The Courts...

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

Sarah O'Reilly: Local government is the closest form of government to the people. Its finger is on the pulse of what people need. The Minister of State is aware it is under-resourced, underappreciated and overburdened. He should be aware of the previous report that stated that Ireland has one of the most centralised governments in Europe. It is time to reverse the dominance of central government over...

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

Sarah O'Reilly: May I correct the record?

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

Sarah O'Reilly: I referenced ETBs, and ETBs were not included.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (28 May 2025)

Sarah O'Reilly: I was at a very informative presentation yesterday given by EDIT in the audiovisual room. One of the women speaking spoke about her issues with the current inheritance tax system. She does not have any children, and she has a sister with a disability. She wants to make sure that her sister is set up for life if, God forbid, she should pass. She cannot leave more than €40,000 to her...

Seanad: Ireland's Economic Outlook: Statements (28 May 2025)

Sarah O'Reilly: I thank the Minister for coming to the House. Ireland risks fines of between €8 billion and €26 billion if we fail to meet the EU climate targets. I believe we were set up for a sure fail on unreachable targets and our Government obediently and knowingly signed us up for inevitable failure. In 2008, when the economic crash came, the Government incentivised farmers to produce...

Seanad: Dereliction and Building Regeneration Bill 2025: Second Stage (28 May 2025)

Sarah O'Reilly: I am happy to support this Bill today. I am disappointed it is not going any further for another 18 months. Implementing a Bill like this would be a necessary and long overdue intervention in the fight against the decay and neglect that is eating away at the heart of our towns and villages. Throughout the country more than 100,000 homes lie vacant or derelict while families queue for...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Business Supports (10 Jun 2025)

Sarah O'Reilly: I thank the Minister of State for being here to take this important issue. She is aware that Wellman International, based in Mullagh, County Cavan, recently went into examinership. Serious concerns have been raised regarding the future of the company and the rights of its employees. There are more than 200 jobs at risk. The company has been an established employer in the area for more...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Business Supports (10 Jun 2025)

Sarah O'Reilly: The Minister of State did not answer any of my questions with concrete solutions. She has a lot of hope and talks a lot about hope. The Government said it was well aware of what was happening. If it was well aware, why did it continue pumping taxpayers' money into a business it knew was going into examinership? These workers are supporting families. They poured years of their lives and...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (10 Jun 2025)

Sarah O'Reilly: Two weeks ago, an online survey commissioned by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine on providing supports for the forgotten farmers closed. Like many others, I welcomed the allocation of €5 million in the 2025 budget to support the men and women who, due to restrictions in agricultural policy and administrative delays at the time and through no fault of their own, were...

Seanad: Child Trafficking and Child Sexual Exploitation Material (Amendment) Bill 2022: Committee Stage (11 Jun 2025)

Sarah O'Reilly: I thank Senator Flynn and the Civil Engagement Group for their work on this issue. I agree with all the amendments and fully support their proposals. It is beyond time that our laws be updated so that images of child abuse are referred to as what they are. We have a very serious problem of child trafficking and child sexual exploitation in this country. Aontú has exposed a number...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (12 Jun 2025)

Sarah O'Reilly: The recent RTÉ exposé on nursing homes in Dublin and Laois was heartbreaking to watch. Vulnerable elderly people - our mothers, fathers, grandparents and neighbours - were left without dignity and proper care. Yet, the Government continues to outsource elder care to private corporations, many of which put the bottom line before people. It was shocking to watch an elderly man ask...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (12 Jun 2025)

Sarah O'Reilly: On a point of clarity, it was announced on 13 May, yet all Oireachtas Members in Cavan received a letter from the housing authority in Cavan on 28 May. That was after the announcement. Applications are in and so when the application-----