Results 7,201-7,220 of 7,652 for speaker:Joanna Tuffy

Seanad: Maternity Protection (Amendment) Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (2 Dec 2003)

Joanna Tuffy: Most people would not believe that if we told them. They would presume we have that facility. We talk about such matters, but we are way behind in terms of implementation. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.

Seanad: Maternity Protection (Amendment) Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (2 Dec 2003)

Joanna Tuffy: I move amendment No. 39: In page 10, lines 36 to 37 to delete "to whom subsection (1) applies" and substitute "who has informed her employer under subsection (1) that she is breastfeeding her child". The purpose of this amendment is to remove ambiguity in the section as it is currently worded.

Seanad: Maternity Protection (Amendment) Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (2 Dec 2003)

Joanna Tuffy: I am not sure, but I think my party's amendment has the same intention as the Government's amendment. Will the amendments have the same effect?

Seanad: Maternity Protection (Amendment) Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (2 Dec 2003)

Joanna Tuffy: Can the Minister of State explain the consequential amendments? Many of them are similar to the amendments that have already been put down about maternity leave.

Seanad: Maternity Protection (Amendment) Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (2 Dec 2003)

Joanna Tuffy: I thank the Minister of State and welcome the Bill. It is an important progression of rights in this area, although more needs to be done. I agree with Senator White's comments, but this issue is important to men too.

Seanad: Maternity Protection (Amendment) Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (2 Dec 2003)

Joanna Tuffy: I am here in my capacity as justice spokesperson, but I am interested in the issue as a woman and as a person. I would like us to develop longer maternity leave but we also need to examine other European countries where there is paternity leave. This would mean the leave could be interchangeable between parents, which would be helpful to many Oireachtas and local authority members. In this...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters. - Traveller Accommodation. (2 Dec 2003)

Joanna Tuffy: I wish to know whether the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government has monitored the progress of South Dublin County Council, of which I was previously a member, in terms of the delivery of its Traveller accommodation programme. There does not seem to have been much progress in respect of this programme, which was adopted almost five years ago and which is due for...

Seanad: Order of Business. (26 Nov 2003)

Joanna Tuffy: The Governor of Mountjoy, John Lonergan, has been quoted in the newspapers as saying that the last thing the prison service wants is an industrial dispute. He spoke about the repercussions and the damage it would cause in the prison and to the lives and already difficult work of prison officers. We heard this morning that the prison staff will not get the benchmarking increases in the new...

Seanad: Address by Mr. Joe McCartin, MEP. (26 Nov 2003)

Joanna Tuffy: I welcome Mr. McCartin to the House, thank him for his very informative and positive contribution on Europe and wish him well. Senator Higgins raised the issue of the distance that exists between the public and the EU institutions. One issue that arose in the Seanad during our examination of Seanad reform is whether we could play a bigger role in monitoring European affairs. Today's debate is...

Seanad: Overseas Development Aid: Motion. (26 Nov 2003)

Joanna Tuffy: I thank the Minister of State for coming here this evening. He has been in the House a number of times to discuss related issues. I wish to move the Labour Party amendment.

Seanad: Overseas Development Aid: Motion. (26 Nov 2003)

Joanna Tuffy: I will speak to the Labour Party amendment. I also support the Fine Gael amendment, which is similar. The main point of the Labour Party amendment is that the Government is not keeping its targets for overseas development aid as a percentage of GNP. Unless the Government changes its policy and increases its aid for 2004, it is unlikely we will reach the UN target of 0.7% of GNP by 2007. That...

Seanad: Order of Business. (25 Nov 2003)

Joanna Tuffy: Senator Hanafin mentioned older people. Perhaps the Leader could arrange for a debate on the findings of a report by the National Council for Ageing and Older People which found that we have the lowest life expectancy of 17 European countries. A number of recommendations were made which I would like discussed in the House, including that a fund of €5 million should be provided to support...

Seanad: Personal Injuries Assessment Board Bill 2003: Report and Final Stages. (25 Nov 2003)

Joanna Tuffy: I support this Fine Gael amendment and I am glad that Senator Leyden supports the underlying principle of the amendment because the Labour Party raised a similar amendment yesterday. I was interested in Senator Leyden saying he expected the Dáil to amend the legislation. What does that say to the Senate about its legislative role?

Seanad: Personal Injuries Assessment Board Bill 2003: Report and Final Stages. (25 Nov 2003)

Joanna Tuffy: That is my understanding of what the Senator said.

Seanad: Personal Injuries Assessment Board Bill 2003: Report and Final Stages. (25 Nov 2003)

Joanna Tuffy: The Senator said it does not involve legal arguments when it comes before the board. Everything is legal just as everything has a legal dimension. This is supposedly an administrative procedure and there is administrative law. We are removing an area from the determination of the courts and putting it into the hands of the board. Of course it is a legal matter but it may be dealt with in a...

Seanad: Personal Injuries Assessment Board Bill 2003: Report and Final Stages. (25 Nov 2003)

Joanna Tuffy: I second the amendment. The Labour Party raised a similar issue yesterday. This feature of the legislation is a major catch-22 for the individual claimant. It is another aspect of the legislation that disadvantages the claimant relative to the respondent. If the claimant is not happy with the board's determination, he or she is faced with the prospect of having everything reviewed again at a...

Seanad: Personal Injuries Assessment Board Bill 2003: Report and Final Stages. (25 Nov 2003)

Joanna Tuffy: I second the amendment. Amendment put and declared lost.

Seanad: Personal Injuries Assessment Board Bill 2003: Report and Final Stages. (25 Nov 2003)

Joanna Tuffy: I second the amendment. Amendment put and declared lost. Amendment No. 7 not moved.

Seanad: Personal Injuries Assessment Board Bill 2003: Report and Final Stages. (25 Nov 2003)

Joanna Tuffy: I second the amendment.

Seanad: Personal Injuries Assessment Board Bill 2003: Report and Final Stages. (25 Nov 2003)

Joanna Tuffy: I welcome the fact that there is a time limit. One reason I, as a Labour Party member and solicitor, support the legislation in general and the setting up of the board is that many people who are entitled to awards do not make compensation claims after an accident. They are deterred by the prospect of going to court and the time it will take. There are many aspects of the board that I welcome...