Results 381-400 of 1,413 for speaker:Mary Fitzpatrick

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Local and European Elections 2024 and Subsequent General Election: Discussion (28 Nov 2023)

Mary Fitzpatrick: We should aim for a level playing field and we should not leave this to Tidy Towns' groups to undertake.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Local and European Elections 2024 and Subsequent General Election: Discussion (28 Nov 2023)

Mary Fitzpatrick: How many members are there?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Local and European Elections 2024 and Subsequent General Election: Discussion (28 Nov 2023)

Mary Fitzpatrick: If there are seven members of the commission, then I think, with the best will in the world, if they were to get to five polling stations, this would still not be a whole lot of observation. I do not think this is sufficient.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Local and European Elections 2024 and Subsequent General Election: Discussion (28 Nov 2023)

Mary Fitzpatrick: There must be 30 polling stations alone in the constituency of Dublin Central. This is only one constituency, and there are 49 of them. This approach is wholly insufficient. To be relying then on anecdotal, unqualified submissions from the public is also wholly inadequate.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Local and European Elections 2024 and Subsequent General Election: Discussion (28 Nov 2023)

Mary Fitzpatrick: That will help.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Local and European Elections 2024 and Subsequent General Election: Discussion (28 Nov 2023)

Mary Fitzpatrick: Okay. Will the commission, from this perspective, give consideration to taking any action in terms of establishing a minimum qualification for people working in polling stations and for the instructions and training to be provided to them, or is this something the committee needs to write to the commission and request? Is that something that we as a committee need to write to the commission...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Local and European Elections 2024 and Subsequent General Election: Discussion (28 Nov 2023)

Mary Fitzpatrick: Mr. Ryan is confirming what I know. The reality is there are no qualifying criteria. When it comes to actually operating the polling stations and ensuring the validity of what is taking place in the ballot box, there could be people who cannot communicate verbally or in any way with others. It is entirely on them to take action to ensure there is no voter impersonation and to engage a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Local and European Elections 2024 and Subsequent General Election: Discussion (28 Nov 2023)

Mary Fitzpatrick: Returning to the register of electors, I was struck by Mr. O’Leary’s point that our population is growing at two TDs a year. Some 150,000 of 3 million or so is roughly 5% variation to the register of electors. Is the 5% by which it has varied additions, deletions or changes?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Local and European Elections 2024 and Subsequent General Election: Discussion (28 Nov 2023)

Mary Fitzpatrick: So that is after the election. There are two categories of registers, outside of Dublin and in Dublin. Of the 150,000 or so changes, how do they split between those two? Are the majority Dublin or outside Dublin? It is fine if Ms Woods does not know that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Local and European Elections 2024 and Subsequent General Election: Discussion (28 Nov 2023)

Mary Fitzpatrick: You would get a good sense of what the footfall is. I do all the polling stations too and I get a sense of it. I get a sense of the traffic. I have been doing polling stations all my life and I can get a sense of whether the numbers are up for a time of the day or are down that time of the day. Unless I am sitting at a table watching who is coming in voting, who has come in twice or three...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Local and European Elections 2024 and Subsequent General Election: Discussion (28 Nov 2023)

Mary Fitzpatrick: I am not suggesting that you do.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Local and European Elections 2024 and Subsequent General Election: Discussion (28 Nov 2023)

Mary Fitzpatrick: What we need is a system that actually does that. It should not be reliant on spot checks.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Local and European Elections 2024 and Subsequent General Election: Discussion (28 Nov 2023)

Mary Fitzpatrick: Sorry.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Local and European Elections 2024 and Subsequent General Election: Discussion (28 Nov 2023)

Mary Fitzpatrick: I am suggesting we have it before it is finalised because it would be really interesting for us to see, and we may have some suggestions.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Local and European Elections 2024 and Subsequent General Election: Discussion (28 Nov 2023)

Mary Fitzpatrick: I thank Mr. O'Leary.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Local and European Elections 2024 and Subsequent General Election: Discussion (28 Nov 2023)

Mary Fitzpatrick: I thank all the witnesses very much for their participation today. The longitudinal study is great, and I am a huge supporter. Data is where we need to be. Could Mr. O'Leary share with us, not today but before the commission finalises the data set for that longitudinal study, the various data parameters it is going to try to capture with it?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Consideration of the Citizens' Assembly Report on a Directly Elected Mayor of Dublin: Discussion (Resumed) (21 Nov 2023)

Mary Fitzpatrick: I thank the witnesses not just for coming here today, but for all of the work they have done on the citizens' assembly. I am a big fan of the idea of a directly-elected mayor and strong local government. Our local government is far too weak and we need to strengthen it. I was not at all surprised to see that as part of its recommendations the citizens' assembly did not deal solely with the...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (15 Nov 2023)

Mary Fitzpatrick: I cautiously welcome the news that some Irish citizens are to be released from Gaza. I wish the leader of Fianna Fáil, the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs, well and offer him the support of this House and the Irish nation in the work he is doing to try to secure the release of Irish citizens, a ceasefire and a pathway to re-establishing some level of humanity for the...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (15 Nov 2023)

Mary Fitzpatrick: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Vacant and Derelict Buildings: Motion [Private Members] (15 Nov 2023)

Mary Fitzpatrick: I commend Senator Moynihan and her colleagues on tabling the motion. I have said many times, and I will say it again, that the fastest and most sustainable way to increase our housing supply is to reuse the built properties that are already connected to the water and electricity, and are in our communities beside shops, schools, churches and every other meeting place that communities need....