Results 6,121-6,140 of 6,374 for speaker:Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

Select Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Adoption (Amendment) Bill 2016: Committee Stage (16 Nov 2016)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: Yes.

Select Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Adoption (Amendment) Bill 2016: Committee Stage (16 Nov 2016)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: I accept the decision to rule out of order amendment No. 4, which I understand involves a charge on the Exchequer. However, I do not agree with the decision to rule amendment No. 4 out of order. I am not sure if I should pursue the matter with the committee secretariat or the Bills Office. In any event, I will refer to one phrase used in the section about which I have a concern. The use...

Select Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Adoption (Amendment) Bill 2016: Committee Stage (16 Nov 2016)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: I am sorry but I wish to make another brief comment. If the Minister is coming back with an additional amendment I will wait to see what it contains but I wish to tease out my point. To follow that to its logical conclusion then it is possible that there would be circumstances in which the court might decide it was not practicable to hear the voice of the child, despite the fact that the...

Select Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Adoption (Amendment) Bill 2016: Committee Stage (16 Nov 2016)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: I move amendment No. 6:In page 11, lines 27 to 31, to delete all words from and including “the” in line 27 down to and including line 31 and substitute the following:“the child resides in the State, and”. Unfortunately I have left my notes behind. The amendments are related. There is somewhat of a difficulty in having such a sharp cut-off at the age of 18 in...

Select Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Adoption (Amendment) Bill 2016: Committee Stage (16 Nov 2016)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: I have a few comments to make. The amendment does not relate to children. I accept all the points made about the best interests of the child and his or her protection and that is the primary purpose of adoption. To offer an analogy, this is similar to the importance of considering the welfare of the child after he or she ceases to be a child such as, for example, the importance of an...

Select Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Adoption (Amendment) Bill 2016: Committee Stage (16 Nov 2016)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: Yes, that is the primary reason, namely, if an adoption process had been set in train but was not completed.

Select Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Adoption (Amendment) Bill 2016: Committee Stage (16 Nov 2016)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: I ask the Minister to give it further consideration.

Select Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Adoption (Amendment) Bill 2016: Committee Stage (16 Nov 2016)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: I do not believe that in legislation, we should just assume that because the authority is going to prioritise, it necessarily resolves it. That is a matter of administration, resources and capacity. Perhaps it has been successful thus far. This relates to legal rights and entitlements and the capacity and ability of the authority to show some flexibility. I will return to it on Report...

Select Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Adoption (Amendment) Bill 2016: Committee Stage (16 Nov 2016)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: I move amendment No. 14:In page 17, between lines 9 and 10, to insert the following:"(7) The Minister shall provide by way of regulation for the circumstances under which this will apply.".". I wish to get a response from the Minister. It seems quite open-ended in respect of the provision, which states:The Authority, having regard to the particular circumstances of the case may accept an...

Select Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Adoption (Amendment) Bill 2016: Committee Stage (16 Nov 2016)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: I move amendment No. 17:In page 20, between lines 18 and 19, to insert the following: "Insertion of new section 58A into Principal Act 26.The Principal Act is amended by the insertion of the following new section:"58A.A Child who has been adopted under the provisions of the Adoption Acts shall continue to be entitled to have access to his previous parents or guardians, or relevant...

Select Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Adoption (Amendment) Bill 2016: Committee Stage (16 Nov 2016)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: I wish to tease this out a little further. I recognise that the birth parents no longer have any parental rights or duties but I am focusing on the rights of the child. The child has a past that cannot just be set aside. The fact that there appears to be no statutory right for the child is an issue. I am not necessarily thinking of the birth parents but other relatives with whom the child...

Select Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Adoption (Amendment) Bill 2016: Committee Stage (16 Nov 2016)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: I accept what was said. I look forward to seeing the adoption (information and tracing) Bill. Generally, what we have been discussing arises where both people involved in any arrangement are adults. This is substantially about circumstances involving a child. In circumstances in which an adoptive parent, or, legally speaking, a parent, prevents a child who wants to visit a grandparent or...

Select Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Adoption (Amendment) Bill 2016: Committee Stage (16 Nov 2016)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: I am satisfied to withdraw the amendment in those circumstances. The primary point is on the recourse the child has in the aforementioned circumstances.

Select Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Adoption (Amendment) Bill 2016: Committee Stage (16 Nov 2016)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: I think I am required to make a quick comment if I am to table further amendments on Report Stage. Is that correct?

Select Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Adoption (Amendment) Bill 2016: Committee Stage (16 Nov 2016)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: The sudden cut-off of the foster care allowance is difficult and problematic. The Minister should consider some form of transition payment once people have formally adopted. The two items which may be the subject of further amendments are the regulation of adoption agencies and permanent guardianship. I will refer to these matters in more detail at a later stage.

Mental Health Services Funding: Motion [Private Members] (15 Nov 2016)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: Ba mhaith liom buíochas a ghabháil le Fianna Fáil as ucht deis a thabhairt dúinn labhairt ar an gceist seo. Is léir go bhfuil an-chuid dul chun cinn fós le déanamh ó thaobh na físe atá ag an Rialtas i leith na meabhairshláinte. The implementation of A Vision for Change is a considerable distance from happening. We have seen a reduction...

Irish Sign Language Report: Motion (10 Nov 2016)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: Before I begin, I wish to make a suggestion. I am keeping an eye on the monitor and I am conscious that, unlike the people in the Visitors Gallery, those watching the stream of this debate will not benefit from being able to see the interpreter. I am not sure whether any of the Oireachtas staff can do anything about it. It might be worth focusing a camera on the interpreter in the press...

Social Welfare Bill 2016: Second Stage (Resumed) (10 Nov 2016)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: I am Sinn Féin spokesperson on children and youth affairs. In preparing for the budget and our alternative, the issue of child care, which has been discussed substantially since then, was a big focus. A substantial amount of children's interests and welfare issues come under the responsibility of the Department of Social Protection as well. The investment in subsidising child care in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: After-School Support Services (10 Nov 2016)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: 143. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the status of the implementation of the commitment in the programme for Government that additional capitation funding will be provided to schools which make buildings available for afterschool care; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34184/16]

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: School Completion Programme (10 Nov 2016)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: 339. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the timeframe for the development of a new school completion strategy as promised in the programme for Government; the details on the consultation process leading to such a strategy; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34183/16]