Results 261-280 of 1,451 for speaker:Eileen Flynn

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Childcare Services (2 Jul 2024)

Eileen Flynn: Senator Sherlock will get the chance to come back in. I call the Minister of State.

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Housing Provision (2 Jul 2024)

Eileen Flynn: The Minister of State, Deputy Noonan, is welcome to the House.

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Housing Policy (2 Jul 2024)

Eileen Flynn: The Minister of State, Deputy Collins, is very welcome.

Seanad: Domestic Violence (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2024: Second Stage (26 Jun 2024)

Eileen Flynn: I was not going to speak on this issue this evening but as my colleagues would be aware, as a child, I spent many a time with my mother in women's refuges in Ireland, through barring orders and so on. I can give one example. I remember my mother calling the Garda and gardaí saying that this is how Travellers are and this is a family matter. I am talking about 1996 or 1997....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: An Inclusive Education for an Inclusive Society: Department of Education (25 Jun 2024)

Eileen Flynn: For some children in Donegal, it takes 50 minutes to get to school by taxi and 50 minutes to get back. This is down to a lack of special needs schools in rural Ireland. To confirm, are we discussing the programme that used to be called “July provision”?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: An Inclusive Education for an Inclusive Society: Department of Education (25 Jun 2024)

Eileen Flynn: That is great.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: An Inclusive Education for an Inclusive Society: Department of Education (25 Jun 2024)

Eileen Flynn: The Minister of State mentioned that 1,700 schools had arranged summer programmes for this year. Is that the overall figure or does it only relate to mainstream schools with special classes? Does the Department monitor the uptake of school-based summer programmes? Nearly every Thursday when I drive home, I listen to the radio. Approximately three weeks ago, a mother spoke on radio about...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (25 Jun 2024)

Eileen Flynn: I wish to talk about the cervical scandal that stills exists in Ireland. If a woman is going for a cervical check, her swab gets sent to America or Germany. Can women in this country trust the cervical tests? As someone who has been there and done all of that over the last year and a half, I can say we cannot trust them. It takes six weeks for the test result to come back. We should...

Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community: Traveller Accommodation (Resumed): Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (13 Jun 2024)

Eileen Flynn: I welcome our witnesses, Dr. Rosaleen McDonagh and Ms Rebecca Keatinge. Apologies have been received from Deputy Stanton, who might be a few minutes late. We have received apologies from Senators Joe O'Reilly and O'Hara. I remind members that they must be physically present on the grounds of Leinster House to take part in a meeting of the committee. I will not allow members to take...

Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community: Traveller Accommodation (Resumed): Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (13 Jun 2024)

Eileen Flynn: That is absolutely perfect.

Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community: Traveller Accommodation (Resumed): Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (13 Jun 2024)

Eileen Flynn: We will open it up to members. That was very interesting, especially around evictions.

Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community: Traveller Accommodation (Resumed): Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (13 Jun 2024)

Eileen Flynn: I thank Dr. McDonagh.

Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community: Traveller Accommodation (Resumed): Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (13 Jun 2024)

Eileen Flynn: The committee is aware that IHREC has taken cases against councils. From listening to other witnesses, we at this committee say that accommodation is a personal choice. As soon as we take that choice away and stop using the term "choice for Travellers", they will be pushed into apartments. I agree with Deputy Ó Cuív. We need to keep saying it is a personal choice for Travellers....

Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community: Traveller Accommodation (Resumed): Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (13 Jun 2024)

Eileen Flynn: There is a lot that the Joint Committee on Disability Matters can do, along with us, when it comes to Travellers with disabilities. We are not just Travellers. We are also women and people. Whatever can be seen in the general population also happens in our community. Raising that issue is very important. Combating racism and discrimination is key. How do we break through, if we ever...

Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community: Traveller Accommodation (Resumed): Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (13 Jun 2024)

Eileen Flynn: This makes sense and I ask the members to bear with me. I refer to the local authority TAPs and what Travellers want. What came from the expert group review of 2019 and from this committee as well was a stand-alone agency or authority for Traveller accommodation. I would not be the best at law or whatnot, but the dogs in the street would know that the TAPs are not fit for purpose and the...

Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community: Traveller Accommodation (Resumed): Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (13 Jun 2024)

Eileen Flynn: That is very important. There have been great people engaging in activism for years. It is not only activism; it is meaningful work with reports.

Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community: Traveller Accommodation (Resumed): Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (13 Jun 2024)

Eileen Flynn: One hundred per cent. It is very important. The whole community is tired, looking for hope in that light and saying, "If we only had even the stand-alone accommodation authority for Travellers." A big change needs to happen and it has to be around accommodation. We cannot take our eye of the ball when it comes to Traveller accommodation because it is the wraparound for everything,...

Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community: Traveller Accommodation (Resumed): Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (13 Jun 2024)

Eileen Flynn: I think Dr. McDonagh is right. Is Deputy Buckley finished?

Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community: Traveller Accommodation (Resumed): Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (13 Jun 2024)

Eileen Flynn: Yes. There is a recent example of State racism and discrimination. Again, it is down to a person's choice. Some people may look and say it is racism but some people may look and say it is discrimination. People have differing views and there can be different situations. I agree with Dr. McDonagh that it is not State discrimination. She has opened that up for me. She has made me realise...

Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community: Traveller Accommodation (Resumed): Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (13 Jun 2024)

Eileen Flynn: I agree with that, and going back to what Dr. McDonagh said earlier when she spoke about homophobia and sexism as well, and has always said this over the years, that there is no race to the end. Racism is racism, no matter what community you are from. Again, people do not understand that you can be and are a member of the Traveller community who is in a wheelchair and has other needs as...