Results 41-60 of 82 for speaker:Mike Kennelly

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Health Services (12 Jun 2025)

Mike Kennelly: I welcome the Minister of State. I am speaking on a promise I made to the people of north Kerry that, when I became a voice for them in the Seanad, I would do what I could to reinstate out-of-hours SouthDoc services in Listowel. SouthDoc is an out-of-hours GP service operating across Kerry and Cork, providing urgent medical care when a person's regular GP is unavailable. It is designed for...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Health Services (12 Jun 2025)

Mike Kennelly: I thank the Minister of State for the reply. I have seen this before. Let us be honest. I will go back to what I said in my opening contribution; the population here has grown nearly twofold. We should be thankful that it has. During the Covid pandemic, many of the kids came home to live and work in the area and in their family homes. They have stayed in the area. Football team numbers...

Committee on Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science: Engagement with Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (11 Jun 2025)

Mike Kennelly: I welcome the Minister and his opening comments. I acknowledge the breadth of work his Department has undertaken across all sectors of learning. There is a great deal to be encouraged by, particularly the progress on student accommodation the Minister just mentioned. I will mention the return of student accommodation in Munster Technological University, MTU, in Tralee recently. That is a...

Committee on Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science: Engagement with Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (11 Jun 2025)

Mike Kennelly: MTU Kerry would welcome the Minister.

Committee on Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science: Engagement with Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (11 Jun 2025)

Mike Kennelly: I would like some clarity on the reform to SUSI and the income disregard while students are working. Students can earn up to €8,424, which in today's terms does not match what students have to do. Students have to work more and work longer hours just to stay studying. On Senator Daly's point, I welcome the €500,000 in funding for the bus route. Is it just a pilot programme?

Committee on Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science: Engagement with Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (11 Jun 2025)

Mike Kennelly: We have students for whom a 50-mile one-way trip is not an issue in rural north Kerry where they are attending MTU. The sad reality, though, is that one of the private bus operators turned 70 last week and he can no longer drive that bus. I hope we can work with whatever Department it is to ensure these people over 70 can be allowed to continue. Again, I know it is not the Minister's...

Committee on Children and Equality: Priority Issues Facing the Department: Minister for Children, Disability and Equality (12 Jun 2025)

Mike Kennelly: I have a question to ask on behalf of a family. Foster parents have been looking after a kid for many years, since he was five years old. He will shortly turn 22. He has high enough dependencies in the context of independent living and stuff like that. The only pathway for this family is full-time foster care for this person. What is the best advisable mechanism for this family? They...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: School Transport (8 Jul 2025)

Mike Kennelly: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Michael Moynihan, to the House. As a neighbouring county, I wish County Cork all the best in the upcoming all–Ireland hurling final. We hold no grudges when it comes to the hurling ball. My Commencement matter concerns the need for the Minister for Transport and Bus Éireann to review the rural school bus routes in County Kerry and...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: School Transport (8 Jul 2025)

Mike Kennelly: I thank the Minister of State for his response. He mentioned the fantastic school of Gaelcholáiste Chiarraí. The one thing we want to do is make it accessible to everybody. I received a letter from the principal of Gaelscoil Lios Tuathail this morning. It states: In September fifth and sixth class, we have the following children who will be attending the Gaelcholáiste...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: School Transport (8 Jul 2025)

Mike Kennelly: As we speak, they are in fifth class and sixth class.

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: School Transport (8 Jul 2025)

Mike Kennelly: Absolutely.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (8 Jul 2025)

Mike Kennelly: I feel compelled to raise a worrying and serious matter that has come into the public domain following a court case last week in Killarney, County Kerry, in relation to voter impersonation at Kenmare polling station on 7 June 2024. A Cahersiveen man has avoided a conviction-----

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (8 Jul 2025)

Mike Kennelly: -----for election fraud-----

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (8 Jul 2025)

Mike Kennelly: Absolutely. A Cahersiveen man had avoided a conviction for election fraud after he cast a vote in the local election in June 2024 using a polling card that was not in his name. This polling card was registered to an address in Killarney and had been in a tractor along with several others and that one was missing from the tractor. It is quite extraordinary to learn that in a case where a...

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

Mike Kennelly: Today, I have two issues. The first is to seek a clear and urgent update following the Minister of State, Deputy Hildegarde Naughton's recent visit to St. John of God services in St. Francis's Special School and St. Mary's of the Angels in Beaufort, County Kerry. There is a need for new respite day services in Beaufort. That visit gave families, staff and the wider community some hope that...

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

Mike Kennelly: May I finish? I hate to be the last person here to speak about their county. The Kerry senior football men are coming back up to Dublin to represent a very proud county in football terms. I have heard the Donegal and the Cork anthems in the past couple weeks. I have kept quiet until now.

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

Mike Kennelly: Yes. I wish the Kerry boys all the best on Saturday.

Committee on Children and Equality: Engagement with Tusla (10 Jul 2025)

Mike Kennelly: I know it is under a live investigation but my question is about what specifically Tusla has changed since that incident. Two years have gone since his disappearance was reported. That is one of the serious things that has really affected me. I wanted to join this committee to see that the gaps are closing and that no child falls through those gaps. The witnesses also mentioned the...

Committee on Children and Equality: General Scheme of the Equality (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024: Discussion (8 Jul 2025)

Mike Kennelly: First, I welcome the witnesses all here this evening and thank them for their opening statements. The Trojan work that each of their groups does nationally to protect and stamp out discrimination for all our society has to be welcomed and I wish them all well in the future. Obviously, discrimination is wrong at every level. That is why we are here to support and to help the organisations...

Committee on Children and Equality: General Scheme of the Equality (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024: Discussion (8 Jul 2025)

Mike Kennelly: I suppose the biggest welcome that the groups can get from this proposed Bill is the increased limits on compensation from €15,000 to €75,000. That will stop a lot of public discrimination.