Results 681-700 of 5,732 for speaker:Fidelma Healy Eames

Seanad: Gender Recognition Bill 2014: Report and Final Stages (17 Feb 2015)

Fidelma Healy Eames: I support in particular amendment No. 12 tabled by Senators van Turnhout and others on an interim gender-----

Seanad: Gender Recognition Bill 2014: Report and Final Stages (17 Feb 2015)

Fidelma Healy Eames: Excuse me, that is what I am discussing. My apologies. I support the amendment for an interim gender recognition certificate. I am struck by the knowledge and awareness of young children about their need to live in their preferred gender. I do not know how these children survive in society and in school without any recognition they are transitioning or have transitioned. The amendment is...

Seanad: Gender Recognition Bill 2014: Report and Final Stages (17 Feb 2015)

Fidelma Healy Eames: I want to talk about intersex people, which is something I have learned a lot about since the start of consultations on this legislation. This Bill appears to fail intersex people, despite the fact that the Minister of State says it will be open to them.The Bill is more specific to the needs of transgender people, and provision for intersex people appears to be just added on. Based on what...

Seanad: Gender Recognition Bill 2014: Report and Final Stages (17 Feb 2015)

Fidelma Healy Eames: It applies at this stage too because of the medical evaluation provision. I would therefore like to speak to it at this stage. The figure of 1% of the population equates to 46,000 people. Many of these people may not know they are intersex. The condition varies. In terms of a medical and psychiatric evaluation, the terminology is not applicable to intersex people. They have not been...

Seanad: Gender Recognition Bill 2014: Report and Final Stages (17 Feb 2015)

Fidelma Healy Eames: I would like the Minister of State to address the questions I asked him. I have much more detail on this issue and I can come back on it.

Seanad: Gender Recognition Bill 2014: Report and Final Stages (17 Feb 2015)

Fidelma Healy Eames: I will come back in on amendment No. 29, but some of my questions relate to amendment No. 13.

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Physical Education Facilities (11 Feb 2015)

Fidelma Healy Eames: I thank the Minister of State who is always generous with his comments. However, his official reply is very disappointing. He indicated that a cross-departmental approach is being taken in the discussions. I want the Minister for Education and Skills or the Minister for Transport, Sport and Tourism to offer leadership in developing the appropriate infrastructure. That may involve local...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Physical Education Facilities (11 Feb 2015)

Fidelma Healy Eames: Two.

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Physical Education Facilities (11 Feb 2015)

Fidelma Healy Eames: It is not a general policy issue.

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Physical Education Facilities (11 Feb 2015)

Fidelma Healy Eames: Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. My request to the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan, is that she lead a new scheme to provide gymnasiums for existing schools which do not have them and that it be a cross-departmental scheme involving Departments such as the Departments of Children and Youth Affairs, Health and Transport, Tourism and Sport which all have a...

Seanad: Order of Business (4 Feb 2015)

Fidelma Healy Eames: The Minister for Health, Deputy Varadkar, was in this House just over a week ago talking about the HSE's service plan. He said he would not comment on the state of accident and emergency units in individual hospitals. However, the Minister has to deal with hospitals individually because there is a difference between them and a crisis in some. The information I have is absolutely shocking....

Seanad: Order of Business (3 Feb 2015)

Fidelma Healy Eames: I am a little surprised that other Members across the House did not raise the issue of the fear that is mounting around the new proposed special educational needs model. My inbox is full with e-mails since last Wednesday or Thursday. There was a large meeting in Galway prior to Christmas with about 100 teachers and parents in attendance who are very concerned that the new proposed model by...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: State Examinations (3 Feb 2015)

Fidelma Healy Eames: I am pleased to hear the level at which moderation will take place. The Minister stated that following internal moderation there would also be external moderation of all schools for all subjects by the State Examinations Commission. Will the Minister explain how this will happen? How much of this detail is understood by the teachers and the unions? I mean this respectfully. I am very...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: State Examinations (3 Feb 2015)

Fidelma Healy Eames: What about the audit of 12% to 15% of papers?

Seanad: Commencement Matters: State Examinations (3 Feb 2015)

Fidelma Healy Eames: Will Minister comment on hope?

Seanad: Commencement Matters: State Examinations (3 Feb 2015)

Fidelma Healy Eames: What can the Minister do to reach out to teachers and assure parents and students that the process will be objective?

Seanad: Commencement Matters: State Examinations (3 Feb 2015)

Fidelma Healy Eames: Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire. This matter relates to the current state of play with the entrenchment regarding the junior certificate and the fact that 350,000 children and 27,000 teachers have already had two days at home. It is a desperate situation. It is not just the students doing junior certificate this year who are suffering, but students in every year. The mock junior and...

Seanad: Universities (Development and Innovation) (Amendment) Bill 2015: Second Stage (28 Jan 2015)

Fidelma Healy Eames: I welcome the Minister to the House. I commend Senator Barrett for presenting us with a fine talking point and his Bill is very welcome. We have not had enough discussion on third level education in this House, nor across the wider Oireachtas. We have waited for years for a number of reports and measures, such as the Hunt report and the Technological Universities Bill. Even now they have...

Seanad: Universities (Development and Innovation) (Amendment) Bill 2015: Second Stage (28 Jan 2015)

Fidelma Healy Eames: We are a doing a terrible job of teaching languages. Ms Barbara Nolan from the European Commission spoke about language skills at the conference and I was struck hard by the following figure. I learned that only 30% of the staff in Google are Irish graduates because we do not have the languages and more than one language is needed. Therefore, languages is a vital area for investment. Of...

Seanad: Gender Recognition Bill 2014: Second Stage (Resumed) (28 Jan 2015)

Fidelma Healy Eames: The Minister of State is very welcome to the House. The transition from one gender to another is a very difficult issue for many people. One can only begin to imagine how difficult it is for them. Two experiences have brought this home to me. In 2010 I was involved in preparing a report on early school leaving for the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Education. As part of that project we...