Results 1-20 of 42 for speaker:Joanne Collins

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (30 Apr 2025)

Joanne Collins: I want to raise an issue I have raised as a Commencement matter twice, but since it is pressing I said I would raise it again today. It concerns the waiting times for domiciliary care allowance appeals. I am dealing with the case of a County Limerick family who have been waiting for 36 weeks just to hear back on the appeals process.Every time they ask, they are told it is in progress and...

Seanad: Diverting Young People from Criminal Activity: Statements (30 Apr 2025)

Joanne Collins: I welcome the Minister of State. I want to take a moment to recognise the incredible work being done through a youth diversion programme in Rathkeale in County Limerick, a programme that was relaunched by the Minister of State earlier this year and which is already making a real difference. Rathkeale is a town that has often been unfairly stereotyped. This programme is helping to build...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (29 Apr 2025)

Joanne Collins: I want to bring up an issue regarding section 39 workers. After a long and difficult process, an agreement was reached at the Workplace Relations Commission to improve these workers' pay. They are vital front-line workers involved with disability and home care. The question remains as to when the Government will enact and recognise the agreement. In November 2023, there was a WRC...

Seanad: Forestry Sector: Statements (29 Apr 2025)

Joanne Collins: I welcome the Minister of State. Forestry should be a key part of Ireland's response to climate change, supporting rural communities and protecting biodiversity. However, the reality for many forest owners is one of delay, financial loss and frustration. One major ongoing issue is ash dieback. Although the Department has the reconstitution scheme for plantation owners, there is no...

Seanad: Revised National Planning Framework: Motion (29 Apr 2025)

Joanne Collins: I welcome the Minister of State. I wish to take a moment to speak on the section on realising our island and marine potential. The current approach set out in this section is quite weak from a fisheries and seafood perspective, in particular the importance of embedding the principle of consensus and co-creation between the fisheries, the offshore renewable energy, ORE, and environmental...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (9 Apr 2025)

Joanne Collins: I raise the issue of thatched homes. Thatched home owners are facing a growing crisis. They are part of our built heritage. They are not just homes. Every year the owners face the struggle of finding house insurance. Many insurers have just left that sector altogether. The ones that have stayed in the game are charging anything up to €2,500 for house insurance once the owners can...

Seanad: Flooding: Statements (9 Apr 2025)

Joanne Collins: I welcome the Minister of State to the House. Flooding is no longer an occasional crisis. It is an ever-present threat affecting lives, homes and livelihoods throughout the country. From County Limerick to County Cork and from County Galway to the midlands, communities are living in fear of the next storm, the next flood warning or the next disaster. We saw this again just a few months...

Seanad: Prohibition of Advertising or Importuning Sex for Rent Bill 2025: Second Stage (9 Apr 2025)

Joanne Collins: I welcome the Minister. It has never been harder to be a renter in this country. In Limerick, like across the State, rents are soaring, supply is vanishing and behind each number is a person - a student, a lone parent or a young worker barely scraping by. There were over 16,000 eviction notices last year. In my county, rents are at record highs. Student accommodation is oversubscribed...

Seanad: Merchant Shipping (Investigation of Marine Accidents) Bill 2024: Report and Final Stages (8 Apr 2025)

Joanne Collins: I second the amendment.

Seanad: Merchant Shipping (Investigation of Marine Accidents) Bill 2024: Report and Final Stages (8 Apr 2025)

Joanne Collins: I second the amendment.

Seanad: Merchant Shipping (Investigation of Marine Accidents) Bill 2024: Report and Final Stages (8 Apr 2025)

Joanne Collins: I second the amendment.

Seanad: Merchant Shipping (Investigation of Marine Accidents) Bill 2024: Report and Final Stages (8 Apr 2025)

Joanne Collins: I second the amendment.

Seanad: Merchant Shipping (Investigation of Marine Accidents) Bill 2024: Report and Final Stages (8 Apr 2025)

Joanne Collins: I second the amendment.

Seanad: Merchant Shipping (Investigation of Marine Accidents) Bill 2024: Report and Final Stages (8 Apr 2025)

Joanne Collins: I second the amendment.

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Forestry Sector (3 Apr 2025)

Joanne Collins: I welcome the Minister of State. I want to raise the issue of ash dieback, which is of deep concern to farmers, landowners and rural communities across Ireland. Ash dieback is not just a crisis for forestry; it is an environmental, economic and cultural disaster. For generations, ash trees have been a defining feature of our landscape, vital to biodiversity and central to our rural...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Forestry Sector (3 Apr 2025)

Joanne Collins: I thank the Minister of State for his response. The crisis did not happen by accident. It was due to Government failure to address the lack of good import controls. I am concerned about where the costs will land. Plantation owners who applied for the grant will get it back but it will come in staged payments, so they will be out of pocket until they have the trees planted. What about the...

Seanad: Childcare: Statements (2 Apr 2025)

Joanne Collins: I welcome the Minister to the House. I wish to raise a significant flaw in the NCS which is creating financial hardship for childcare providers and placing an unfair burden on parents. Under the current rules, if a parent collects their child early from childcare, the provider is financially penalised. It must either refund the portion of the subsidy it received from the NCS or absorb the...

Seanad: Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2022 (Section 4(2)) (Scheme Termination Date) Order 2025: Motion (27 Mar 2025)

Joanne Collins: I second the motion.

Seanad: Special Education Provision: Motion (26 Mar 2025)

Joanne Collins: I welcome the Minister of State. For too many families in my area, securing an appropriate school place for a child with additional needs is a battle. It is a battle against waiting lists, inadequate resources and a system that often places too much bureaucracy ahead of children's rights. In County Limerick, the reality is stark. Parents of children with autism and other additional needs...

Seanad: Merchant Shipping (Investigation of Marine Accidents) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (25 Mar 2025)

Joanne Collins: Sorry, is this on all amendments?