Results 1,321-1,340 of 1,827 for speaker:Jillian van Turnhout

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Public Health and Food Safety: European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety (22 Jan 2015)

Jillian van Turnhout: I welcome the Commissioner to Ireland and thank him for today's presentation. The committee would endorse many of the proposals put forward. I wish to raise the issue of childhood obesity, which was highlighted in the presentation. Children today will form the first generation whose life expectancy may be less than that of their parents because of childhood obesity. It is a strong...

Seanad: Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes: Motion (27 Jan 2015)

Jillian van Turnhout: I question how we can have a motion before the House when it has not completed its passage through the Dáil. What would happen if we were to amend the motion? It is a motion that is going through both Houses and I do not understand how we can take it now. I ask for clarity on the matter.

Seanad: Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes: Motion (27 Jan 2015)

Jillian van Turnhout: Okay. Therefore, the motions can be different.

Seanad: Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes: Motion (27 Jan 2015)

Jillian van Turnhout: I welcome the Minister to the House. I welcome the changes he announced regarding the definition of women and the inclusion of sampling of county homes by the commission. The existence of mother and baby homes is a stain on Ireland's social conscience. It is a shame we carry individually and as members of the collective that turned a blind eye to the abuse and suffering of women and...

Seanad: Regulation of Lobbying Bill 2014: Second Stage (29 Jan 2015)

Jillian van Turnhout: I join previous speakers in welcoming this important and overdue Bill. I congratulate the Minister on its introduction. He did not face an easy challenge but his personal commitment to this issue has been evident. As he stated, this legislation is part of a suite of reform measures. I view the Bill in that context. I must confess that I have only given the legislation a cursory glance...

Seanad: Regulation of Lobbying Bill 2014: Second Stage (29 Jan 2015)

Jillian van Turnhout: I will lobby the Minister. I am being upfront about why I want to lobby him. What the Minister is trying to do is really good. I want to be as supportive of it as I can to ensure we bring in this legislation and he can commence it as soon as possible.

Seanad: Regulation of Lobbying Bill 2014: Second Stage (29 Jan 2015)

Jillian van Turnhout: Exactly.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Seventh Report on Child Protection 2014: Discussion (29 Jan 2015)

Jillian van Turnhout: I thank Dr. Shannon. His reports are always comprehensive and valuable. If I get any gaps in my time, his work is something I go to because he has given us so much material that we as legislators should work on. I congratulate him on being appointed founding patron of the Children's Rights Alliance. I may be slightly biased in saying that it is an outstanding organisation.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Seventh Report on Child Protection 2014: Discussion (29 Jan 2015)

Jillian van Turnhout: Dr. Shannon's appointment is well deserved and the alliance has made a superb choice. My first question is more general. I received a commitment last year from the former Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Deputy Fitzgerald, that the Government would look at Dr. Shannon's different reports - I feel sometimes he is reporting on an issue again and again - and look to carry out some...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Seventh Report on Child Protection 2014: Discussion (29 Jan 2015)

Jillian van Turnhout: I know but I have the special rapporteur in front of me and given the forthcoming legislation on children and families, I would like to make sure that I understand what was meant by that comment because I believe it has been repeatedly misrepresented. My final point relates to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child. Ireland will be before this committee within the next 12 months....

Seanad: Gender Recognition Bill 2014: Committee Stage (3 Feb 2015)

Jillian van Turnhout: I move amendment No. 2: In page 5, between lines 21 and 22, to insert the following:“ “child” means a person under the age of 18 years;”.I welcome our visitors to the Visitors' Gallery and I congratulate Senator Zappone. I did not speak on that amendment because I intend to say a great deal on this substantive point. I do not plan to speak on other matters, but...

Seanad: Gender Recognition Bill 2014: Committee Stage (3 Feb 2015)

Jillian van Turnhout: I am conscious of the time and that I have outlined all of my arguments. I am disappointed, as I was co-operative in how I tried to put forward my position and explain what we are trying to do on an evidence basis as well as a human one. That is part of our job. The Minister of State is right in that we can consider other laws, but some of those were drafted a long time ago. Malta is...

Seanad: Gender Recognition Bill 2014: Committee Stage (3 Feb 2015)

Jillian van Turnhout: -----and shall, as far as practicable, by its laws protect and vindicate those rights. For me, this is a very specific case. Leading up to the referendum I felt at last we were no longer saying to children to sit and wait in the corner, as it were, because we were going to deal with the adult stuff first, sort our lives out first and make children wait. We were dealing with these problems...

Seanad: Gender Recognition Bill 2014: Committee Stage (3 Feb 2015)

Jillian van Turnhout: I am speaking on the issue. I am entitled to comment on Committee Stage.

Seanad: Gender Recognition Bill 2014: Committee Stage (3 Feb 2015)

Jillian van Turnhout: I know.

Seanad: Gender Recognition Bill 2014: Committee Stage (3 Feb 2015)

Jillian van Turnhout: I am responding. We are on Committee Stage and I suggest the Acting Chairman looks at the fact that amendments have been grouped. The Minister of State has said that the provision is based on the advice of the Attorney General, so we are saying one person will make this decision. Will he go back to Government and ask whether we really are willing to exclude? Will he ask whether this means...

Seanad: Gender Recognition Bill 2014: Committee Stage (3 Feb 2015)

Jillian van Turnhout: I will withdraw it and re-table it on Report Stage.

Seanad: Workplace Relations Bill 2015: Second Stage (4 Feb 2015)

Jillian van Turnhout: I thank the Minister. I welcome the guests of the Leas-Chathaoirleach, who are in the Gallery. They are: Terry and Jackie Kroeger, who are visiting from the United States, Johnny O'Hanlon from Cavan, and Enda Buckley from west Cork. They are more than welcome to the Seanad.

Seanad: Workplace Relations Bill 2015: Second Stage (4 Feb 2015)

Jillian van Turnhout: I welcome the Bill, although I have to admit it was not one to which I was paying particular attention. That speaks to the issue Senator Bacik mentioned about the Title. In a previous life I worked in the private sector for quite a long time. I was a director of human resources and logistics in a small to medium business where we had, on average, 50 employees. Once I started reading this...

Seanad: Mediation Services: Motion (4 Feb 2015)

Jillian van Turnhout: I also welcome the Minister of State and join in commending Senator Conway on putting this motion on the agenda to give Members an opportunity to discuss this matter in the Chamber. I certainly concur with Senators O'Donovan and Bacik about urging the Minister to bring the Bill before the Seanad first and I hope a clear date will be given in this regard. I believe the Seanad is highly...