Results 4,041-4,060 of 5,762 for speaker:Fiona O'Loughlin

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Business of Joint Committee (7 Nov 2017)

Fiona O'Loughlin: As we have a quorum, I call the meeting to order. I remind members to switch off their mobile phones. Apologies have been received from Senator Lynn Ruane. I propose we go into private session to deal with housekeeping matters.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Business of Joint Committee (7 Nov 2017)

Fiona O'Loughlin: As we have a quorum, I call the meeting to order. I remind members to switch off their mobile phones. Apologies have been received from Senator Lynn Ruane. We will go into private session to discuss housekeeping matters.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Home School Community Liaison Scheme: Discussion (7 Nov 2017)

Fiona O'Loughlin: The committee is in public session. Members and witnesses are requested to turn off their mobile phones or to switch them to flight mode; not that we are taking off anywhere fancy and in fact we have a few hours of hard work ahead of us. Mobile phones interfere with the sound system and create difficulties for the parliamentary reporters, television coverage and web streaming, which may be...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Home School Community Liaison Scheme: Discussion (7 Nov 2017)

Fiona O'Loughlin: It is interesting that both Mr. Kelly and Ms Tobin come from the background of being on the ground. I must confess that I completed a course with Sr. Concepta Conaty in the 1990s when the scheme came out. I was a primary schoolteacher at that time. I invite Ms Maeve McCafferty from the INTO to give her presentation.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Home School Community Liaison Scheme: Discussion (7 Nov 2017)

Fiona O'Loughlin: I now call Ms Browne and Ms Gannon, who I presume will split the time between them. It is important that we get to hear of their real experience on the ground and for that to be as up-to-date as possible. There could be no two better teachers to tell us about that than Ms Browne and Ms Gannon.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Home School Community Liaison Scheme: Discussion (7 Nov 2017)

Fiona O'Loughlin: I will now call the witnesses from the Department, but before I do I must inform them that I must excuse myself in a few moments and I will ask Deputy Martin to take the Chair. I need to speak in the Chamber shortly. I ask the witnesses to forgive me when they see me leaving and sneaking back in.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Home School Community Liaison Scheme: Discussion (7 Nov 2017)

Fiona O'Loughlin: I apologise.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Home School Community Liaison Scheme: Discussion (7 Nov 2017)

Fiona O'Loughlin: I take it that Mr. Kelly will link in when we come to questions. Our final speakers are Mr. Pádraig O'Donovan, youth officer, and Mr. Andrew Leeson, area manager, from Foróige. Their contribution here today particularly concerns the strengthening families programme and how it interlinks with home school liaison, where such a liaison exists. I am very conscious, of course, that...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Home School Community Liaison Scheme: Discussion (7 Nov 2017)

Fiona O'Loughlin: Thank you very much. Are there any final comments?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Home School Community Liaison Scheme: Discussion (7 Nov 2017)

Fiona O'Loughlin: Thank you, Deputy Martin, and my apologies for my long absence. Everything ran late in the Chamber although we were on time. I will not go over old ground, because I am interested in looking back and reading the transcripts later to take in the debate and the engagement. I have no doubt that some recommendations came from it. That is what is really important from today's hearing with...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: WorldSkills Competition 2017: Discussion (7 Nov 2017)

Fiona O'Loughlin: We will move on to the next item on the agenda, engagement with Ireland's representatives at the WorldSkills Competition in Abu Dhabi. The purpose of this part of the meeting is to welcome the Irish team who represented Ireland at the WorldSkills competition in Abu Dhabi. They won seven medallions for excellence which is fantastic and an excellent achievement. Every one of the competitors...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: WorldSkills Competition 2017: Discussion (7 Nov 2017)

Fiona O'Loughlin: I thank Mr. O'Toole. I call Mr. Twohig.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: WorldSkills Competition 2017: Discussion (7 Nov 2017)

Fiona O'Loughlin: I thank Mr. Twohig. We will now go to the real VIPs. I will start with Mr. Eoin Shortall. Would he like to say a little bit about his own area and how he enjoyed it?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: WorldSkills Competition 2017: Discussion (7 Nov 2017)

Fiona O'Loughlin: Great. I thank Mr. Shortall.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: WorldSkills Competition 2017: Discussion (7 Nov 2017)

Fiona O'Loughlin: Super. It was a mighty achievement for everyone. I compliment everyone on the beautiful uniforms. They are really lovely.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: WorldSkills Competition 2017: Discussion (7 Nov 2017)

Fiona O'Loughlin: That is great. I thank Mr. Lyne.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: WorldSkills Competition 2017: Discussion (7 Nov 2017)

Fiona O'Loughlin: Great. Thank you.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: WorldSkills Competition 2017: Discussion (7 Nov 2017)

Fiona O'Loughlin: Thank you.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: WorldSkills Competition 2017: Discussion (7 Nov 2017)

Fiona O'Loughlin: Super. Thank you. We are very proud of all your achievements and of the whole team that went out. It is good to get the feedback in terms of your experiences and that it is an experience that will stay with you for the rest of their lives. It is phenomenal to up one's skills and compete on a world stage. I was reading the newspaper this morning and I saw that Aisling Rock from Galway...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: WorldSkills Competition 2017: Discussion (7 Nov 2017)

Fiona O'Loughlin: We will go back to the witnesses when we have heard from the members. I call Deputy Madigan.