Results 941-960 of 1,730 for speaker:Aisling Dolan

Seanad: Higher Education Authority Bill 2022: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (21 Sep 2022)

Aisling Dolan: Now.

Seanad: Higher Education Authority Bill 2022: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (21 Sep 2022)

Aisling Dolan: This is landmark legislation. We have a brand new Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science. Funding will be coming through this brand new body to our institutions. We need to ensure the funding is sufficient to allow them to achieve their maximum potential. We are fighting to maximise the funding for research for these universities. I appreciate the...

Seanad: Higher Education Authority Bill 2022: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (21 Sep 2022)

Aisling Dolan: I think I must have come in after it. It is wonderful to see this legislation. I acknowledge the work that goes on. Many people in all offices and Departments had sleepless nights. I acknowledge that this legislation is amazing and will be world class. We will see Ireland up there at the top in years to come.

Seanad: School Transport: Motion (21 Sep 2022)

Aisling Dolan: I move: That Seanad Éireann: acknowledges: - the impact of the free School Transport Scheme to mitigate increased costs of living for families in Ireland; - access for 44,000 new eligible students at primary and post-primary level to school transport; - an increase of 16% in new school transport tickets; - increased Government investment in school transport; notes the: -...

Seanad: School Transport: Motion (21 Sep 2022)

Aisling Dolan: I thank the Minister and everyone for their contributions. I am happy to conclude if everyone is happy and has had an opportunity to speak. The Minister spoke earlier.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: School Transport Issues: Engagement with Minister for Education (21 Sep 2022)

Aisling Dolan: I thank the Chair. There was a joint Commencement matter in the Seanad last week and this evening we have a Fine Gael motion on school transport. We are calling for an additional budget to manage the shortfall in respect of students. There are more than 6,000 students and behind each application there is a family with a story to tell. The Minister has had a fantastic initiative to reduce...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: School Transport Issues: Engagement with Minister for Education (21 Sep 2022)

Aisling Dolan: I thank the Minister very much.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (27 Sep 2022)

Aisling Dolan: I note that what we have seen today is a budget of more than €90.4 billion. It is an increase on last year's budget and it is to help families at a time of crisis. Supports are being put in place. There is an increase in the pension, more social welfare supports and greater numbers of people are able to access the fuel allowance. All of this will tackle issues for the most...

Seanad: Budget 2023 (Finance): Statements (27 Sep 2022)

Aisling Dolan: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Fleming. This is a cost-of-living budget of more than €90 billion. We see the Government responding to a need and an energy crisis for families throughout Ireland. We hear from the Opposition that retrofitting needs to be done but we need people in place to do that job. The Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and...

Seanad: Budget 2023 (Public Expenditure and Reform): Statements (27 Sep 2022)

Aisling Dolan: I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House. In terms of the expenditure we are seeing today, this is one of the best budgets we have seen in a long while. It is to manage the cost-of-living crisis. The questions I have are specifically on education. In recent weeks we have had a big call on school transport. More than 6,000 families are waiting. I understand there will be...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (28 Sep 2022)

Aisling Dolan: The Minister for Education, Deputy Foley, is doing a press conference in the Department of Education. She has announced that the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform will meet the costs of the families who have been waiting for the remaining concessionary bus tickets. This is crucial. It is something I have campaigned for within Fine Gael with Senators Lombard and McGahon. We had a...

Seanad: Impact of Cost of Living Issues on Young People in Ireland: Motion (28 Sep 2022)

Aisling Dolan: I thank the Senators who tabled the motion, which allows us to discuss the issue of young people and the challenges they face. We know that we are in uncertain times, that there is a lot of anxiety and that the past two years, when we had to deal with Covid and the lockdowns, have been harrowing. This has impacted all age groups but particularly young people. As a spokesperson for further...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (5 Oct 2022)

Aisling Dolan: Tens of thousands of people came into Ballinasloe this weekend for the Ballinasloe Fair and Festival. It was wonderful because it has not run for the last two years. This was its 300th anniversary. It was about meeting family and friends and about having a lot of craic and ceol in the town. We had music and bands, particularly those that are well-known locally, although they are...

Seanad: Passport Office: Motion (5 Oct 2022)

Aisling Dolan: I again thank the Senators who have brought forward the motion. I welcome the update from the Minister of State on the achievement with the Passport Office this year. It has been a challenging time, something that is understood by everyone. The Department of Foreign Affairs put measures in place. As the Minister of State has noted, the demand for online passports is incredible. I...

Seanad: Passport Office: Motion (5 Oct 2022)

Aisling Dolan: Some are in their 80s or 90s.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: EU Nature Restoration Target: COPA-COGECA (5 Oct 2022)

Aisling Dolan: It is great to have a representative from County Roscommon here. I welcome Mr. Curley. I suppose he would know about where we come from in the west and the challenges we face. We already have many areas under conservation in the west of Ireland. We have many areas of conservation. That is very much be down to its geographic make up and landscape. It is limestone. Quite a large number...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: EU Nature Restoration Target: COPA-COGECA (5 Oct 2022)

Aisling Dolan: We have the presentation in front of us. Mr. Curley speaks about the background of Copa Cogeca on the first slide.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: EU Nature Restoration Target: COPA-COGECA (5 Oct 2022)

Aisling Dolan: The challenge where we come from is having a viable farming sector while also having to deal with the landscape we have. The overall aim of nature restoration is food security. It is about healthy ecosystems. The overall goal is trying to ensure we have clean water. This has been introduced along with the habitats directive and the birds direct. The EU is also looking at how to maintain...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: EU Nature Restoration Target: COPA-COGECA (5 Oct 2022)

Aisling Dolan: Mr. Curley is an expert on it.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: EU Nature Restoration Target: COPA-COGECA (5 Oct 2022)

Aisling Dolan: What Mr. Curley is saying is so true. What we want to see and what we are seeing is farmers leading on many technologies to manage the demands. Our population is growing at global level. It is down to our farmers to provide food security at a global level. We are all working towards common goals. The overall aim of this is food security and having healthy ecosystems so that we continue...