Results 6,681-6,700 of 7,652 for speaker:Joanna Tuffy

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (Revised) (4 Mar 2015)

Joanna Tuffy: Under which programme is the National Educational Welfare Board?

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (Revised) (4 Mar 2015)

Joanna Tuffy: If the Minister wishes to make any closing remarks, she may do so. After that, we will conclude the meeting.

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (Revised) (4 Mar 2015)

Joanna Tuffy: I thank the Minister, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan, the Minister of State, Deputy Damien English, and the officials from the Department of Education and Skills for attending.

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Message to Dáil (4 Mar 2015)

Joanna Tuffy: In accordance with Standing Order 87, the following message will be sent to the Dáil:The Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills has completed its consideration of the following Revised Estimate for public services for the year ending 31 December 2015: Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills.

Children and Family Relationships Bill 2015: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (12 Mar 2015)

Joanna Tuffy: First, I want to apologise for any confusion I caused earlier. I had picked up the Committee Stage amendments by accident - mea culpa. I very much agree with the points made by Deputies Shortall, Boyd Barrett and Mac Lochlainn. What I would say that is a little different is that I accept progress is being made in this legislation in that more unmarried fathers will qualify for guardianship...

Children and Family Relationships Bill 2015: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (12 Mar 2015)

Joanna Tuffy: The majority are not.

Children and Family Relationships Bill 2015: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (12 Mar 2015)

Joanna Tuffy: I understand what she is saying. That should not be used against everybody. She said a particular phenomenon should be used to rule out a right for everybody. As Deputy Shortall said, does she have evidence that unmarried fathers are more likely than married fathers to be violent? What does evidence does she have to back up her claim? I am not aware of any such evidence. Many other...

Children and Family Relationships Bill 2015: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (12 Mar 2015)

Joanna Tuffy: There are a lot of amendments. Is the time allowed only two minutes?

Children and Family Relationships Bill 2015: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (12 Mar 2015)

Joanna Tuffy: I thought there was a group.

Children and Family Relationships Bill 2015: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (12 Mar 2015)

Joanna Tuffy: I may not have done as much work on this as Deputy Coppinger. Many of the people who have suffered domestic violence are married and have husbands. That is agreed by everybody. Nobody is going to put conditions on the guardianship rights of a married father, as we almost certainly could not do so under the Constitution. The family is based on marriage in the Constitution. I presume that...

Children and Family Relationships Bill 2015: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (12 Mar 2015)

Joanna Tuffy: I do not believe that could happen, and it would not be a good idea. I understand the issues of violence, as women constitute the majority of victims. Women have automatic guardianship rights, no matter what, and it is not as if there would never be an issue. There were proposals from my party on this. The ruling is that there is automatic guardianship if a person is on a birth...

Children and Family Relationships Bill 2015: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (12 Mar 2015)

Joanna Tuffy: On the example Deputy Coppinger cited of the woman's husband, she stated the woman was shocked to find that a Bill would give him automatic guardianship. He already has automatic guardianship.

Children and Family Relationships Bill 2015: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (12 Mar 2015)

Joanna Tuffy: Okay, fair enough. I suppose we are revisiting issues we have already addressed. The issues Deputy Coppinger raises should be dealt with in other ways and not through the granting of guardianship, because we do not do that for married fathers and mothers or unmarried mothers. There is another side to it. I briefly worked as a solicitor and when I was an apprentice, I worked on some...

Children and Family Relationships Bill 2015: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (12 Mar 2015)

Joanna Tuffy: There are thousands of fathers and mothers who are not married but who propose to live together, are living together, or have lived together but separated, all of whom share parenting relationships. Many of those people have not sought a declaration. Where a relationship between a mother and father breaks down, the mother might not agree to sign the declaration, even though she should do...

Children and Family Relationships Bill 2015: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (12 Mar 2015)

Joanna Tuffy: A declaration cannot be signed by the father only. Although I do not agree with the way in which progress is being made in this Bill, progress is, none the less, being made. As a result of the new provision in relation to cohabitation, more fathers than would otherwise be the case will have guardianship rights. That is progress. As a result, more people and, particularly, more children...

Children and Family Relationships Bill 2015: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (12 Mar 2015)

Joanna Tuffy: If the proposed register were established, it would not cover those who signed declarations under the existing legislation, in which case it would not provide a complete record.

Children and Family Relationships Bill 2015: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (12 Mar 2015)

Joanna Tuffy: It is not possible to legislate in the manner outlined as to do so could undermine the rights of people who already have a declaration. In cases where the declaration was not registered, the validity of a declaration that had already been signed would be undermined. There are issues that need to be explored.

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Education and Training Provision (24 Mar 2015)

Joanna Tuffy: 246. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if funding will be provided for training and education opportunities in an area (details supplied) in Dublin 22; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12042/15]

Written Answers — Department of Health: Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (24 Mar 2015)

Joanna Tuffy: 607. To ask the Minister for Health the position regarding an application for nursing registration in respect of a person (details supplied) in Dublin 22; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11449/15]

Written Answers — Department of Health: Mental Health Services Provision (24 Mar 2015)

Joanna Tuffy: 716. To ask the Minister for Health the position regarding provision of mental health services in Dublin Mid-West (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12039/15]