Results 4,981-5,000 of 5,087 for speaker:Kathleen Funchion

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Business of Committee (20 Oct 2016)

Kathleen Funchion: I propose we go into private session to deal with some items of business following which we will go into public session. Is that agreed? Agreed.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Implications for Good Friday Agreement of UK EU Referendum Result: Discussion (Resumed) (20 Oct 2016)

Kathleen Funchion: On behalf of the committee, I am delighted to welcome Dr. Anthony Soares, deputy director of the Centre for Cross Border Studies, and Mr. Peter Sheridan, chief executive of Co-operation Ireland. They are both going to speak to us on the implications of Brexit for the Good Friday Agreement and its institutions. I propose that we hear from Dr. Anthony Soares first, followed by Mr. Peter...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Implications for Good Friday Agreement of UK EU Referendum Result: Discussion (Resumed) (20 Oct 2016)

Kathleen Funchion: I thank Dr. Soares. I call Mr. Peter Sheridan from Co-operation Ireland.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Implications for Good Friday Agreement of UK EU Referendum Result: Discussion (Resumed) (20 Oct 2016)

Kathleen Funchion: I thank Mr. Sheridan. We will take questions from members now. Senator Feighan had indicated.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Implications for Good Friday Agreement of UK EU Referendum Result: Discussion (Resumed) (20 Oct 2016)

Kathleen Funchion: We have time so we will take one question at a time and then see how we are getting on.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Implications for Good Friday Agreement of UK EU Referendum Result: Discussion (Resumed) (20 Oct 2016)

Kathleen Funchion: I remind everyone to turn their phones off completely because, as they will have heard, it interferes with the microphones. I call Senator Craughwell.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Implications for Good Friday Agreement of UK EU Referendum Result: Discussion (Resumed) (20 Oct 2016)

Kathleen Funchion: I thank the Deputy. There is a lot for the witnesses to comment on.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Implications for Good Friday Agreement of UK EU Referendum Result: Discussion (Resumed) (20 Oct 2016)

Kathleen Funchion: We will start taking two questions together now. I do not want us to run out of time because there are still quite a number of people who want to ask questions. We will have Deputy Carey first and then Senator Ó Donnghaile

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Implications for Good Friday Agreement of UK EU Referendum Result: Discussion (Resumed) (20 Oct 2016)

Kathleen Funchion: I call Mr. Molloy, to be followed by Mr. Brady.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Implications for Good Friday Agreement of UK EU Referendum Result: Discussion (Resumed) (20 Oct 2016)

Kathleen Funchion: We started with lots of time but we are starting to get tight on time, so will people keep their comments brief?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Implications for Good Friday Agreement of UK EU Referendum Result: Discussion (Resumed) (20 Oct 2016)

Kathleen Funchion: We have five minutes so I am afraid we will have to give each of the three speakers one minute. I call Senator Daly, to be followed by Senator Black and then Senator Coghlan.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Implications for Good Friday Agreement of UK EU Referendum Result: Discussion (Resumed) (20 Oct 2016)

Kathleen Funchion: I will revert to Dr. Soares and Mr. Sheridan but may I request them to be brief?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Implications for Good Friday Agreement of UK EU Referendum Result: Discussion (Resumed) (20 Oct 2016)

Kathleen Funchion: On behalf of the committee, I thank Dr. Soares and Mr. Sheridan. Their contributions were very interesting, as was the debate. Many questions were asked and I thank them for facilitating everyone. The more we talk about Brexit, the more complex we find it and we nearly come away with more questions than answers, but that is the nature of it. The witnesses' contributions have been very...

Services and Supports for People with Dementia and Alzheimer's Disease: Motion [Private Members] (19 Oct 2016)

Kathleen Funchion: I welcome the motion and commend Deputy Butler for bringing it forward. I am glad to have the opportunity to speak on the issue. There is plenty of information in the public domain to substantiate the very valid calls for increased supports to all those affected by the condition of dementia. We understand that Ireland’s population is ageing at a rapid rate. We also know that the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: National Collaborative Forum for the Early Years Care and Education Sector: Early Childhood Ireland (19 Oct 2016)

Kathleen Funchion: I thank the witnesses for their presentation. As most of the points have been made, I will not be repetitive; there is nothing more annoying than that. The point has been made that there have been many initiatives over the years. We have had subvention, this scheme, the ECCE and a number of years ago we had an additional payment over and above child benefit. For a number of years parents...

Funding for Education: Motion [Private Members] (18 Oct 2016)

Kathleen Funchion: I did not raise that.

Funding for Education: Motion [Private Members] (18 Oct 2016)

Kathleen Funchion: I welcome some of the positive aspects in budget 2017 on education, such as the increase for resource teachers and special needs assistants. One serious obstacle, however, is the rising costs for parents of sending their children to school. The Bill calls for a multiannual increase to school capitation rates and I support this as it could put a stop to the need for voluntary contributions...

Financial Resolutions 2017 - Financial Resolution No. 2: General (Resumed) (13 Oct 2016)

Kathleen Funchion: I will confine my comments on budget 2017 to the child care scheme. I acknowledge the Minister's efforts in terms of the early years sector and welcome some of the steps she has taken in tackling the crisis of child care costs for some families. However, we have a broken system that has been haphazardly plastered over year after year with ad hocmeasures. It is a sector which has been...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport Expenditure (13 Oct 2016)

Kathleen Funchion: 46. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the status of the review of the school transport scheme; and if his Department will consider increasing funding to the scheme in line with a recommendation by a charity (details supplied) of €5 million resulting in an abolition of fees for parents. [30045/16]

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: School Completion Programme (13 Oct 2016)

Kathleen Funchion: 177. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of schools in receipt of funding for the school completion programme; the total amount of funding allocated from her Department for the school completion programme; and the amount by which the total amount of funding has been cut in 2016. [30053/16]