Results 1,521-1,540 of 4,899 for speaker:Jennifer Murnane O'Connor

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Act 2000 (Exempted Development) (No. 2) Regulations 2019: Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government (29 May 2019)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: If the Minister comes back to us with timescales on enforcement, what will happen with planning-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Act 2000 (Exempted Development) (No. 2) Regulations 2019: Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government (29 May 2019)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: I know the Minister did but I am not happy with them.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Act 2000 (Exempted Development) (No. 2) Regulations 2019: Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government (29 May 2019)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: The Minister did not.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Act 2000 (Exempted Development) (No. 2) Regulations 2019: Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government (29 May 2019)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: The Minister did not answer the question about money.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Act 2000 (Exempted Development) (No. 2) Regulations 2019: Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government (29 May 2019)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: The Minister should not have to-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Update on Rebuilding Ireland - Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness: Discussion (29 May 2019)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: We have all been out canvassing in recent months in the local and European elections. Housing was the biggest issue at the door. As some of my colleagues have said, housing came up as an issue on every doorstep. In fairness, I did say, as a member of the housing committee, that we worked extremely hard and that the work being done had not yet come to fruition but that it would in the next...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Update on Rebuilding Ireland - Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness: Discussion (29 May 2019)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: I compliment the Minister's staff, in particular, Laurence Keating who has been excellent. I have gone to him with several issues. When people do good work, it is important to recognise it. I say, "Well done," to him. Llike the rest of the Minister's staff, he is very good, but he is particularly helpful and very good to give information. I want to give him a mention.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Update on Rebuilding Ireland - Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness: Discussion (29 May 2019)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: I thank the Minister. Along with other speakers, I am also concerned about the homeless figures. There are issues there that we need to address more. We have all said that more needs to be done for people in emergency accommodation. Another example is people who are coming to me who are not even qualifying to go onto the housing list. These people are on family income supplement. They...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Childcare Services Funding (30 May 2019)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: I appreciate the Minister coming to the Upper House to discuss this matter with me. A new national childcare scheme will be rolled out from this October which will replace previous childcare support programmes. The aim of this, as I understand it, is that parents of children aged from two to 15 years attending any Tusla-registered childcare service will be entitled to some level of...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Childcare Services Funding (30 May 2019)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: I am disappointed with the answer because years ago when all these groups were set up, the after-school services were always in what would have been called disadvantaged areas but now these parents are going to lose out. They will not be able to afford to send their children to after-school services. We are talking about the most vulnerable in our society. I beg the Minister to re-examine...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Childcare Services Funding (30 May 2019)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: I appreciate that.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (30 May 2019)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: Friday, 21 June is the national family carers' day in Ireland and Shine a Light will mark the occasion. I encourage all Senators to support it. I have consistently raised the importance of carers in our society and I am increasingly frustrated with the time it takes to process carer's allowance applications. At my regular clinics I hear of backlogs of between six and eight months and that...

Seanad: Fire Safety in Apartment Dwellings: Statements (30 May 2019)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: I do not have to tell everyone there is a crisis in housing as not only do we see the homeless figures climbing but we have mistakes for which we are now paying. Too many apartment blocks were built to poor standards. We have a tortured history in how we built accommodation. To be fair, it seems to me that the co-living scheme, which is being touted as the solution to all our problems, is...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Special Needs Assistants (13 Jun 2019)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: I thank the Minister of State for coming. I have a very important issue that I would like to speak to her about. Last month the Department issued the news that 800 new special needs assistants were to be allocated to schools from September. The reason given was that there was a record number of children in mainstream schools who required support. While I welcome the early announcement as...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Special Needs Assistants (13 Jun 2019)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: As a teacher, the Minister of State would have been-----

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Special Needs Assistants (13 Jun 2019)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: I thank the Minister of State for reply. I knew the Minister was not coming to the House and I felt it was appropriate the Minister of State, as a former principal and teacher, should be here. I have concerns about the appeals process, although the appeal has gone to the NCSE. The Department of Education and Skills and the Minister announced that these extra 800 special needs assistants...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (13 Jun 2019)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: Last year, the World Health Organization, WHO, designated the compulsive playing of video games as a new mental health condition. We are not talking openly about this issue. Parents are worried and feel helpless when they see the damage being done and they do not understand or know the dangers because we are not having the conversation. Some parents will be frightened. This condition will...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (13 Jun 2019)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: The Senator did the same last week on the housing Bill. There was nobody here. There was nobody from Fine Gael here for the housing Bill, which is the biggest Bill ever.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (13 Jun 2019)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: That is true. That is what happened last week.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (13 Jun 2019)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: I could have many an argument-----