Results 3,001-3,020 of 3,747 for speaker:Lynn Ruane

Seanad: Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Bill 2018: Second Stage (6 Dec 2018)

Lynn Ruane: I welcome the legislation. This is a truly historic Bill that seeks to vindicate the decision made in the referendum in May, when 66.4% of the electorate voted to repeal the eighth amendment of the Constitution and allow broader access to legal abortion services in the State. I wish to pay tribute to the Citizens' Assembly for its work on the constitutional and legislative change required...

Seanad: Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Bill 2018: Second Stage (6 Dec 2018)

Lynn Ruane: It is what?

Seanad: Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) (Amendment) Bill 2018: Committee Stage (5 Dec 2018)

Lynn Ruane: I move amendment No. 57:In page 33, to delete line 16. I thank the Minister of State for her time in the Seanad this afternoon. I will speak to all the amendments together. I welcome the Bill but I want to express my disappointment at how it has been progressed through the Oireachtas. In the Joint Committee on Education and Skills we decided not to hold pre-legislative scrutiny sessions...

Seanad: Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) (Amendment) Bill 2018: Committee Stage (5 Dec 2018)

Lynn Ruane: Yes.

Seanad: Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) (Amendment) Bill 2018: Committee Stage (5 Dec 2018)

Lynn Ruane: I move amendment No. 58:In page 33, line 20, to delete “appropriate.”.” and substitute the following:“appropriate.”,and(c) in subsection (6), by the insertion of the following paragraph after paragraph (c):“(d) minimum employment standards for English language teachers.”.”.

Seanad: Employment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2017: Committee Stage (4 Dec 2018)

Lynn Ruane: I move amendment No. 6:In page 15, between lines 8 and 9, to insert the following:“(15) In the event of hours becoming available an employer shall be required to offer any surplus hours appropriate to their qualifications to existing part-time employees first.”. I thank the Minister for appearing before the Seanad and I welcome the Bill. It is strong legislation which, among...

Seanad: Employment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2017: Committee Stage (4 Dec 2018)

Lynn Ruane: The figures show that more than 100,000 people are underemployed. That is 30,000 more than in 2008, so it is obviously a very large number. On my amendment and with due respect to the Minister, there is nothing in this which is not workable. Many people throughout the unions have been lobbying for and seeking this change since 2013. Many of these people may have been part of those...

Seanad: Employment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2017: Committee Stage (4 Dec 2018)

Lynn Ruane: I know we are saying that we can look at other measures and that we can look at the codes and regulations put in place under previous Acts but 33% of Tesco workers want more hours and cannot get them, and that is with the agreements that have come before. Right now, 33% of Tesco workers want more hours and, despite having an agreement to get them, the company will not give them. That is...

Seanad: Employment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2017: Committee Stage (4 Dec 2018)

Lynn Ruane: The Minister has said that the concept of this amendment has not been scrutinised. It has been six months since it was debated in the Dáil. The Bill went through Committee Stage in the Lower house. There has been-----

Seanad: Employment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2017: Committee Stage (4 Dec 2018)

Lynn Ruane: -----a considerable amount of time on Committee Stage for things to be scrutinised and put in place. If this House was always to state that amendments cannot be included because there would be administrative burdens involved in the context of how they would work, we would never be able to introduce amendments. It is not up to the law-makers to hold consultations on how something would work...

Seanad: Employment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2017: Committee Stage (4 Dec 2018)

Lynn Ruane: Does the Minister know what I mean?

Seanad: Employment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2017: Committee Stage (4 Dec 2018)

Lynn Ruane: It happens with all legislation.

Seanad: Employment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2017: Committee Stage (4 Dec 2018)

Lynn Ruane: The same situation arose last year in respect of an amendment to the Adoption (Amendment) Act 2017. We were told that an amendment would be completely unworkable in practice and that it would give rise to too much of an administrative burden. Lo and behold, when it passed, everything necessary fell into place in order for it to work.It is not about a notice hour. That is administrative...

Seanad: Employment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2017: Committee Stage (4 Dec 2018)

Lynn Ruane: It is important to say that it was not only Deputy Clare Daly who was not convinced. The result of vote was in the region of 38 to 35, with the support in Independents 4 Change, the Labour Party, and Sinn Féin. Fianna Fáil abstained and Fine Gael opposed it. When the amendment was before the Dáil, it was definitely not just Deputy Clare Daly who voted to keep it in. The...

Seanad: Employment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2017: Committee Stage (4 Dec 2018)

Lynn Ruane: At this point, I am willing to take a breather to think about everything that has been said. I will return with this amendment, or a variation of it, on Report Stage. Perhaps the Minister could come back on Report Stage not necessarily with an amendment to address all of this but with an amendment to the legislation that commits to a public consultation and a review of the section....

Seanad: Employment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2017: Committee Stage (4 Dec 2018)

Lynn Ruane: I am just being ironic, but one never knows. If we are to take this section seriously and if we are to really address it we must look for a public consultation on it. The WRC has codes of practice on various matters such as grievances and disciplinary procedures. This is another matter that the WRC could examine and on which it could draw up codes of practice so that we can implement some...

Seanad: Employment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2017: Committee Stage (4 Dec 2018)

Lynn Ruane: It is not about mistrusting the Minister's word.As I said, we never know the landscape and how things will change. Of course I trust the Minister's word but I just do not know what will come after that if the Minister is not there. It is not about trusting the Minister; it is just how things are. We often have in-built reviews and reports in legislation. It is not something new or unusual....

Seanad: Employment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2017: Committee Stage (4 Dec 2018)

Lynn Ruane: Instead of a review it should be a consultation process whereby the WRC would take submissions.

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Lobbying Reform (29 Nov 2018)

Lynn Ruane: I thank the Cathaoirleach for selecting my Commencement matter and the Minister for appearing in the Seanad to take it. I raise an issue of deep concern to many civil society groups involved in public advocacy campaigning and working within organisational structures to effect positive changes in public life. In this country we have an incredibly rich and proud tradition of civil society...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Lobbying Reform (29 Nov 2018)

Lynn Ruane: I thank the Minister. I acknowledge the role of the proposed electoral commission and how crucial that will be to advancing further where we are with elections and referenda. It was made very clear, however, during debates in this Chamber - I think it was with the Minister of State, Deputy Phelan - that an electoral commission could take a considerable amount of time to establish. In the...