Results 3,641-3,660 of 4,014 for speaker:Jennifer Whitmore

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Sustainable Development Goals and Departmental Priorities: Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (3 Nov 2020)

Jennifer Whitmore: I will also discuss the mother and baby homes issue. It has been a very difficult few weeks in this regard, particularly for the survivors who wanted us all to work together and come up with a good solution for them. That, unfortunately, did not happen in the way it should have happened. There was a lack of consultation and an expedited process resulted in significant confusion on the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Sustainable Development Goals and Departmental Priorities: Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (3 Nov 2020)

Jennifer Whitmore: Can I confirm that there were two separate Attorneys General giving advice on this issue and, during the debates in the Dáil, the Minister was basing his information on the advice from the previous Attorney General in January?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Sustainable Development Goals and Departmental Priorities: Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (3 Nov 2020)

Jennifer Whitmore: I thank the Minister. All Deputies received a letter from the collaborative forum where they outlined their frustration and anger at the fact they were not consulted and were directed to Twitter to get some understanding of what was happening on this legislation. They have asked for the forum to be reconvened and listed recommendations they would like the Minister to consider. Will the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Sustainable Development Goals and Departmental Priorities: Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (3 Nov 2020)

Jennifer Whitmore: Yes. Will additional and specific mental health supports be provided to survivors in advance of the publication of the reports? It will be a difficult time for them. I will also ask about the two advices from the Office of the Attorney General. Was the office specifically asked about the general data protection regulation, GDPR? I am confused as to how it gave such different responses....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: General Scheme of the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (29 Oct 2020)

Jennifer Whitmore: I thank the witnesses. I also have a huge interest in ecology, nature-based solutions and biodiversity. My questions are for Professor Buckley. I note she recommends incorporating two definitions, one for biodiversity and one for nature-based solutions. Will that give sufficient emphasis to or acknowledgement of the need to ensure there is no impact on biodiversity as a result of tools...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: General Scheme of the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (29 Oct 2020)

Jennifer Whitmore: I will take a step back and ask a very high-level question in regard to nature-based solutions and biodiversity. If we do not use this Bill to incorporate or consider the impact of biodiversity on our wildlife - the plants and animal species - what are the risks associated with that, whether it is through opportunities lost or actual pressures on our systems?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: General Scheme of the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (29 Oct 2020)

Jennifer Whitmore: I would see biodiversity and climate change adaptation and mitigation as tied together. I am quite nervous that in the rush to address climate change, we are going to do it through technological adaptations and technological innovations, while biodiversity always tends to be the poor cousin and can get forgotten. It is going to be very important for us to hardwire biodiversity into...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: General Scheme of the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (28 Oct 2020)

Jennifer Whitmore: I wish Professor FitzGerald a happy birthday. I noted with interest his comment on the carbon budget and the amount of resources that will need to be invested to get it right. He spoke about possibly doing some preparatory work on that now. Will he expand on that? Could any other preparatory work be done, perhaps by Departments, to ensure that we can get off to a quick start once we get...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: General Scheme of the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (27 Oct 2020)

Jennifer Whitmore: I thank both witnesses for presenting today. This question is probably more with regard to Dr. Muinzer's presentation but Mr. Church may also wish to comment. In his opening statement, Dr. Muinzer said he worked on doing analysis of international climate law and essentially came up with a series of key features by which successful climate legislation could be determined. What are those...

Commission of Investigation (Mother and Baby Homes and certain related Matters) Records, and another Matter, Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (22 Oct 2020)

Jennifer Whitmore: I believe the Minister's intention is as he says. When he says that he is going to try to resolve this in the way that the survivors want, I believe that he will try. I believe it will be difficult for survivors to put trust in the Minister as a part of the State and a member of an institution such as this. What I would prefer to see is for this Bill to be somehow amended to give extra...

Commission of Investigation (Mother and Baby Homes and certain related Matters) Records, and another Matter, Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (22 Oct 2020)

Jennifer Whitmore: Can I press an amendment?

Commission of Investigation (Mother and Baby Homes and certain related Matters) Records, and another Matter, Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (22 Oct 2020)

Jennifer Whitmore: I do not know if the Minister gets the sense from the Chamber today that there is a real sadness here. As the previous speaker said, there is a sinking feeling because we know the clock is ticking and that nothing is going to change, whatever efforts we make. There is an inevitability that those women are going to be let down again and that their histories and their information will be put...

Commission of Investigation (Mother and Baby Homes and certain related Matters) Records, and another Matter, Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (22 Oct 2020)

Jennifer Whitmore: I do not know whether to be horrified by the Minister's admission that he will not accept any of our amendments today or to be thankful for his honesty as we all now know where we stand and that this debate is purely an academic exercise. What we say, no matter how powerful, critical or constructive it is, will not be incorporated in the Bill or considered. That reflects to a large extent...

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2020
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Revised) (22 Oct 2020)

Jennifer Whitmore: Could the Minister give more information on the Avoca Mines site remediation allocation under subhead C4?

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2020
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Revised) (22 Oct 2020)

Jennifer Whitmore: I am really pleased to see there will be a focus on this. Obviously, the Avoca River is an incredibly important system. As the Minister said, there are many legacy issues relating to it. There were plans for a remediation programme around 2006, I believe, but they were dropped because we hit the recession. It is good to see that progress will be made. This progress, aligned with the...

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2020
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Revised) (22 Oct 2020)

Jennifer Whitmore: I have similar concerns about the figures in the Estimates. It appears there is a reduction in the staffing, and certainly in the amount of money being allocated towards pay, in the area of inland fisheries. We are in a biodiversity crisis, with increased pressures on our fish populations. Throughout the Covid pandemic, while the rivers have been very quiet, I am hearing anecdotally that...

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2020
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Revised) (22 Oct 2020)

Jennifer Whitmore: LAWCO is the agency that works with the councils on the river basin management plans.

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2020
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Revised) (22 Oct 2020)

Jennifer Whitmore: On that remediation fund, is any funding allocated for the Whitestown dump in County Wicklow? The cost of that was estimated at €60 million but I am not sure if there has been any movement on the remediation itself or the funding of it.

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2020
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Revised) (22 Oct 2020)

Jennifer Whitmore: Subhead E12 relates with the just transition. The amount of money involved does not appear to be overly large. Was there a high demand for that project? I understand that the expressions of interest and call relating to that funding occurred midway through the year. Was there big interest in the fund? Is there scope to expand it, as per the climate action fund, because just transition...

Commission of Investigation (Mother and Baby Homes and certain related Matters) Records, and another Matter, Bill 2020 [Seanad]: Second Stage (21 Oct 2020)

Jennifer Whitmore: And Deputy Cairns.