Results 5,421-5,440 of 6,604 for speaker:Ruth Coppinger

Teaching Council (Amendment) Bill 2015: Report and Final Stages (17 Jun 2015)

Ruth Coppinger: The Teaching Council did not ask for this provision and does not agree with it.

Teaching Council (Amendment) Bill 2015: Report and Final Stages (17 Jun 2015)

Ruth Coppinger: The Minister should make that clear.

Teaching Council (Amendment) Bill 2015: Report and Final Stages (17 Jun 2015)

Ruth Coppinger: I spoke about this issue on Second Stage when I made some of these points. It is unfortunate that the Minister chose to reject something that even the Teaching Council of Ireland had recommended, namely, that it be looked at on a case by case basis and that a sub-committee could make a recommendation on whether a case should be heard in public. For some reason, the Minister rejected that...

Teaching Council (Amendment) Bill 2015: Report and Final Stages (17 Jun 2015)

Ruth Coppinger: Does the Minister want me to talk about bullying of teachers?

Teaching Council (Amendment) Bill 2015: Report and Final Stages (17 Jun 2015)

Ruth Coppinger: Really?

Teaching Council (Amendment) Bill 2015: Report and Final Stages (17 Jun 2015)

Ruth Coppinger: It was a poor professional performance on my part not to submit amendments on this section. The provision is so broad as to be clearly open to abuse by principals and boards of management. A psychologist friend of mine tells me that the greatest number of cases she deals with concerning workplace issues involve teachers. That is because principals, in particular, have a huge level of power...

Teaching Council (Amendment) Bill 2015: Report and Final Stages (17 Jun 2015)

Ruth Coppinger: I support the amendments. I thank Deputy Boyd Barrett for tabling them because they would not have been raised otherwise. Let us consider the definitions listed in section 42 of the principal Act. They can mean many different things to many different people. We need far more definition of what constitutes the subject of a complaint. Let us consider "poor professional performance". What...

Teaching Council (Amendment) Bill 2015: Report and Final Stages (17 Jun 2015)

Ruth Coppinger: I have one area of concern. The Minister is saying that in order for someone to renew their registration as a teacher, they would have to show they have completed in-service training and continuing education, which is not specified. What exactly does the Minister mean? Has any teacher refused to go on in-service training? Is this an issue or a problem? My own experience in teaching is...

Teaching Council (Amendment) Bill 2015: Report and Final Stages (17 Jun 2015)

Ruth Coppinger: I have a question following what the Minister said. I was an insecurely employed teacher for a long time before I got a permanent job. I would welcome any improvement, but when will the Ward report be fully enacted? It was talked about a year ago and a draft report was mentioned on one of the union websites back in March. It seems to me that everything that is discussed regarding teaching...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Aer Lingus Sale (17 Jun 2015)

Ruth Coppinger: 35. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will report on meetings with workers in Aer Lingus and their trade unions concerning the sale of the State's share of the company; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23477/15]

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Aer Lingus Sale (17 Jun 2015)

Ruth Coppinger: 38. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport If he will report on meetings held with Aer Lingus executives concerning the sale of the State's share of the company; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23476/15]

Employment Equality (Amendment) Bill 2015: Second Stage [Private Members] (16 Jun 2015)

Ruth Coppinger: The Government's decision to accept this Bill is extremely welcome. It is a tribute to the social movement that took place around the marriage equality referendum. Let us face it, if that referendum had not been passed in such a decisive way, we probably would not be having this debate or seeing the Government accepting the Bill. I take this opportunity to thank the teachers' unions, the...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Cabinet Committee Meetings (16 Jun 2015)

Ruth Coppinger: There are more homeless people now.

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Cabinet Committee Meetings (16 Jun 2015)

Ruth Coppinger: They are not social houses.

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Cabinet Committee Meetings (16 Jun 2015)

Ruth Coppinger: The reason we have asked this question is because I have been in the Dáil for just over a year and in that time we have not had a debate on housing. I participated in the debate on the housing Bill last year but since then there has not been a debate on the biggest disaster and crisis facing the majority of people in this country. The Taoiseach mentioned a couple of issues and said...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Cabinet Committee Meetings (16 Jun 2015)

Ruth Coppinger: There is not one house in Dublin 15. The reason for that is because the council does not have any land, and also because NAMA has many houses in Dublin 15. It has 170 units in Hollywood Rath on 20.98 acres. As to the type of unit in question, they are mansions. No one in Dublin 15 who is on the housing list can afford them. We have a housing crisis but let NAMA, which is paid for by the...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Cabinet Committee Meetings (16 Jun 2015)

Ruth Coppinger: Yes. What people who are waiting on housing are forced to do when their rent supplement is not increased is to pay illegal top-ups on their rent to landlords. It is the only type of social welfare fraud that I do not hear the Government giving out about, because the people who benefit from the fraud are wealthy landlords and those who suffer from it are the poorest people in the State who...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Cabinet Committee Meetings (16 Jun 2015)

Ruth Coppinger: 5. To ask the Taoiseach when the Cabinet sub-committee on Construction 2020, housing, planning and mortgage arrears last met. [21844/15]

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Electoral Commission in Ireland: Discussion (16 Jun 2015)

Ruth Coppinger: The Government has taken the power away from the councils and they have nothing to do as a result.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Electoral Commission in Ireland: Discussion (16 Jun 2015)

Ruth Coppinger: Yes, and it happened on foot of a Government decision.