Results 3,881-3,900 of 3,983 for speaker:Jennifer Whitmore

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Public Services Card (30 Jun 2020)

Jennifer Whitmore: 859. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the way in which parents can apply for a public services card to obtain a MyGovID required to apply to the national childcare scheme while her Department has temporarily postponed the appointment service for allocating the card; when departmental offices including Intreo and local offices will reopen for this purpose; if an...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Departmental Staff (30 Jun 2020)

Jennifer Whitmore: 901. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if his Department has established a working from home policy for its employees; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13550/20]

Written Answers — Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Departmental Staff (30 Jun 2020)

Jennifer Whitmore: 926. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if her Department has established a working from home policy for its employees; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13544/20]

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Childcare: Impact of Covid-19 (23 Jun 2020)

Jennifer Whitmore: I thank the witnesses for attending. I acknowledge the sacrifice and work of their staff over recent months. I also acknowledge and thank their families because the sacrifice was not just made by those staff but by their children and by the members of their extended families who stepped in and assisted. I am aware of a nurse in Wicklow whose sister took her child for eight full weeks. She...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Childcare: Impact of Covid-19 (23 Jun 2020)

Jennifer Whitmore: Ms Ní Sheaghdha was not involved in the development of the scheme. Does she feel there is now sufficient consultation between the unions and the Department to develop childcare solutions that will work for the workers?

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Childcare: Impact of Covid-19 (23 Jun 2020)

Jennifer Whitmore: It seems that we are taking a wait-and-see approach. There does not seem to be a huge amount of proactive addressing the needs that will exist after 29 June. We do not know exactly how many staff will not have the childcare they will require. Have the witnesses carried out an analysis in respect of what the impact would be if the schools do not open on a full-time basis? If they do not...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Childcare: Impact of Covid-19 (23 Jun 2020)

Jennifer Whitmore: Ms Ní Sheaghdha referred to the mental health impacts of this on INMO workers. I imagine there were significant mental health impacts on the children of front-line workers as well. Has anyone done any analysis or a review on that?

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Childcare: Impact of Covid-19 (23 Jun 2020)

Jennifer Whitmore: I thank the Chair for allowing me in. This session was incredibly interesting. It was my first time to attend the committee. Many important points were made and questions asked. As the Chair stated, the rate of infection among healthcare workers is one of the things that will need to be looked at further. A significant amount of the discussion today dealt with issues unrelated to the...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Childcare: Impact of Covid-19 (Resumed) (23 Jun 2020)

Jennifer Whitmore: I thank the different groups that have come in to talk to us. It is important that we have this level of engagement with them because it is patently obvious that there has not been sufficient engagement with the sector in recent months. We are really reaping the non-rewards of that at the moment. I will refer to a comment Ms Byrne made earlier and with which I could not agree more. She...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Childcare: Impact of Covid-19 (Resumed) (23 Jun 2020)

Jennifer Whitmore: I thank Ms Donohoe. Perhaps Ms Byrne or Ms Heeney might comment on behalf of Early Childhood Ireland.

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Childcare: Impact of Covid-19 (Resumed) (23 Jun 2020)

Jennifer Whitmore: Did they give a reason for that?

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Childcare: Impact of Covid-19 (Resumed) (23 Jun 2020)

Jennifer Whitmore: I thank the witnesses.

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Childcare: Impact of Covid-19 (Resumed). (23 Jun 2020)

Jennifer Whitmore: I thank our guests from the Department for attending. I acknowledge that it has been a difficult period and that a great deal of work has been done by the Department in challenging circumstances. I want to come back to some of the previous points that were made. Seeking to develop a policy to provide a specific childcare service for front-line workers and not including the representative...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Childcare: Impact of Covid-19 (Resumed). (23 Jun 2020)

Jennifer Whitmore: I have only a couple of minutes and I have another question. Two things have become really clear over the course of Covid, the first being that in the absence of childcare, women are left holding the baby. The second, which has become blatantly clear, is that women can no longer be left holding the baby while also trying to hold down a job. We will have to address this. We have to get the...

Climate Action and Low Carbon Development: Statements (17 Jun 2020)

Jennifer Whitmore: If the Minister is agreeable, we will go back and forth with questions and answers. I welcome this opportunity to discuss biodiversity. Last week, I raised the issue with the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Deputy Bruton. Fundamentally, biodiversity and its capacity as a nature-based solution to climate change and dealing with climate change adaptation and...

Climate Action and Low Carbon Development: Statements (17 Jun 2020)

Jennifer Whitmore: I have gone through the EU biodiversity strategy, which contains many really good proposals. As the Minister stated, there is a commitment to protect a minimum of 30% of not just terrestrial areas, but also marine areas and, within that, to have a heavily protected area of 10%. That would be quite a significant change from the current situation, but it is an important goal to aim for....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (16 Jun 2020)

Jennifer Whitmore: 279. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the specific changes and improvements his Department has made to the July provision scheme in 2020 in view of the Covid-19 pandemic to tackle the educational and social disadvantage faced by students with special needs; the provisions being put in place which are different to previous years and which will enable more students avail of the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (16 Jun 2020)

Jennifer Whitmore: 280. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to assess the accessibility of the July provision scheme with a view to improving its reach and outcomes into the future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11376/20]

Written Answers — Department of Health: Patient Transport (16 Jun 2020)

Jennifer Whitmore: 671. To ask the Minister for Health the way in which persons living in County Wicklow who have hospital appointments after 1 p.m., at which time the hospital travel scheme ends, are expected to travel with limited public transport available and family assistance might not be available also; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11372/20]

Written Answers — Department of Health: Covid-19 Pandemic (16 Jun 2020)

Jennifer Whitmore: 672. To ask the Minister for Health the way in which access to sexual and reproductive healthcare including cervical screening, STI testing and treatment, abortion and contraceptive services have been impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11373/20]