Results 561-580 of 1,195 for speaker:Erin McGreehan

Seanad: 25th Anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement: Motion (30 May 2023)

Erin McGreehan: I thank all Senators for their contributions this evening. There is a collective agreement that we are all very grateful for the sacrifices many men and women have made. They pushed for better and they dreamt of what could be. For me, as a new Senator and having been given an opportunity to be in this House, probably one of the greatest privileges I have had is to meet people who were part...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Departmental Funding (25 May 2023)

Erin McGreehan: The Minister of State is very welcome to the House. I am very glad to have an opportunity to speak about a desperate situation in County Louth whereby Louth County Council has closed applications under the housing adaptation grants for older people and persons with disabilities. We are all aware of the importance of these grants. We know they make a significant difference in the lives of...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Departmental Funding (25 May 2023)

Erin McGreehan: I thank the Minister of State and accept everything in his response. As I have said, Louth County Council, like many other county councils across the country, has received increased funding for housing adaptation grants. I will, however, continue to advocate for the families in County Louth who are not able to apply for funding and for the 400 families who have applied but have no hope of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Living with a Disability: Discussion (Resumed) (25 May 2023)

Erin McGreehan: I thank the witnesses for their time. It would have been great to have them here last week when officials from the Departments of Social Protection, Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Education, and Enterprise, Trade and Employment were before the committee. I asked the officials a question about disability-proofing of their policies and the need to look at any decision through a lens of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Living with a Disability: Discussion (Resumed) (25 May 2023)

Erin McGreehan: On that point, I forgot to mention something because I was getting more and more annoyed and lost my train of thought during my contribution. Mr. Delaney has raised a huge problem. As a councillor, I asked Louth County Council to give disability access training to those council staff who are responsible for public realm projects. It was to provide equality and equity training for...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Living with a Disability: Discussion (Resumed) (25 May 2023)

Erin McGreehan: It is all over the place. It is terrible.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Living with a Disability: Discussion (Resumed) (25 May 2023)

Erin McGreehan: It is even difficult for someone who is not-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Engagement with Glencree Centre for Peace and Reconciliation (25 May 2023)

Erin McGreehan: I thank our guests from the Glencree Centre for Peace and Reconciliation for being here; it is always great to have them with us. We are all incredibly ambitious for Ireland. I am especially so and I have such belief in it. We can only operate in what we have at the minute. Organisations like the Glencree Centre for Peace and Reconciliation are facilitators and mediators and this is their...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Tourism Industry (24 May 2023)

Erin McGreehan: The Minister of State is very welcome to the House and I appreciate him being here on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Catherine Martin. I am very grateful that she sent her apologies to me yesterday. I want to speak about the importance of inclusive and accessible tourism. As a society, we recognise the necessity of ensuring everyone can participate in activities without restriction or...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Tourism Industry (24 May 2023)

Erin McGreehan: I thank the Minister of State for the response and encouraging words. Like so many issues, there is goodwill in many policies but the end user does not get the best value. Part M has been amended to ensure there is provision in certain buildings and relates to the Minister of State's Department but nothing has been made compulsory. Currently, it is not compulsory to provide "changing...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó (Atógáil) - Order of Business (Resumed) (24 May 2023)

Erin McGreehan: I ask the Leader for a debate on inclusive sport and how the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport, Gaeltacht and Media is going to encourage and support sports clubs all around the country to welcome people with differing abilities. I raise this after an incredibly successful event last Sunday when my club Glenmore Athletic Club had a come-and-try day for the second year running....

Seanad: Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) (23 May 2023)

Erin McGreehan: I will speak on amendment No. 36 in support of the concept of going after those responsible for the drug trials. All of us in the House agree that illegal vaccine trials were done. The Bill is not the place for it and this amendment is not the amendment for it. However, I am in agreement with Senator Boyhan that we should look at the next steps and how we can work. I know the House will...

Seanad: Civil Defence Bill 2023: Second Stage (18 May 2023)

Erin McGreehan: On behalf of the Fianna Fáil Party, I welcome this Bill. Like other contributors, I acknowledge the great work of each Civil Defence unit in every county around the country. I thank the volunteers for the time they give to each and every community they serve. They are highly motivated and highly trained. They come from all across our workforce. As Senator McDowell said, people join...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Disability Inclusive Social Protection: Discussion (Resumed) (18 May 2023)

Erin McGreehan: The witnesses are all very welcome. Something that comes across every week when people with lived experience and groups appear before the committee is that there is an innate lack of ambition by Departments for people with disabilities. We so often see barriers and a lack of integration. We see so many issues. That is not to say great work is not being done. I am saying that perhaps the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Disability Inclusive Social Protection: Discussion (Resumed) (18 May 2023)

Erin McGreehan: We talk about the lead Department but the Department of Social Protection is the lead when it comes to social protection; the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine is the lead when it comes to agriculture; the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment is the lead when it comes to enterprise; and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage is the lead when it comes...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Disability Inclusive Social Protection: Discussion (Resumed) (18 May 2023)

Erin McGreehan: There are no clear metrics regarding how we are evaluating success. The Departments are working on them but there is no "this is what we want. This is how we are going to get there". I will stay with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. Mr. O'Sullivan said very clearly that we have the Housing for All strategy. There is a whole part of that dealing with housing for...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Agriculture Supports (16 May 2023)

Erin McGreehan: The Minister of State is very welcome to the House to discuss my request that consideration be given to having a review of the compensation package for farmers for the cull of livestock as a result of the foot and mouth disease outbreak in Louth in 2001. I find this very difficult to speak about. It was a very upsetting time in all our lives in north Louth. It was 22 years ago but, given...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Agriculture Supports (16 May 2023)

Erin McGreehan: The crux of the issue is whether the Minister of State is happy with that two-tier compensation process. The Department states that the owners were appropriately compensated, but clearly that is not the case. There have been letters, correspondence and a legal case to state and highlight that farmers were not happy with the outcomes of what happened back then. I have to really stress that...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (11 May 2023)

Erin McGreehan: Following on from Senator Lombard's contribution, I call for a debate on food security in this House. I would like to hear from Ministers in the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine; the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment; and the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications. Considering that food security and the availability of high-quality, sustainable...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Disability Inclusive Social Protection: Discussion (11 May 2023)

Erin McGreehan: I apologise as I had to go to the Seanad and missed the previous question-and-answer session. Every week we are very clear here that the entire system needs a dramatic shake-up and great change. We are stuck in the medical model of benefit and allowance and people always having to convince someone that they need something. It is deplorable. We hear it week in, week out and we constantly...