Results 61-80 of 149 for speaker:Patricia Stephenson

Seanad: Child Trafficking and Child Sexual Exploitation Material (Amendment) Bill 2022: Committee Stage (11 Jun 2025)

Patricia Stephenson: This amendment inserts new section 33A to address a critical gap in offender monitoring. Without the provision, individuals currently subject to notification requirements under the Sex Offenders Act might challenge their obligations on technical grounds when terminology changes. This amendment ensures continuous monitoring of all registered offenders without interruption, maintaining public...

Seanad: Child Trafficking and Child Sexual Exploitation Material (Amendment) Bill 2022: Committee Stage (11 Jun 2025)

Patricia Stephenson: I acknowledge the Minister of State's comment that there are legal drafting concerns rather than constitutional issues, which is welcome. I wish to reinforce the following: amendment No. 24 maintains exiting monitoring requirements under updated terminology. There is not an added cost in respect of enforcement agencies or the State. The amendment prevents offenders from seeking relief on...

Committee on Enterprise, Tourism and Employment: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (11 Jun 2025)

Patricia Stephenson: I thank the committee for inviting us here as members of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, as there is great interest in this issue there. I will be quick and will not use up even two minutes. There are obviously deep contradictions between the CSDDD and the omnibus. It is concerning. Everything is theoretical because right now, we do not have the transposition of the CSDDD,...

Seanad: European Council Decision: Motion (10 Jun 2025)

Patricia Stephenson: This is the first time I have had a chance to have a discussion with the Minister of State in the Chamber. I welcome him to the House. We are being asked to consider whether to support the entrance of Ireland's negotiation to the Council decision on the readmission agreement with Kazakhstan. I recognise the important role readmission agreements play when it comes to the overall migration...

Seanad: Situation in Gaza: Statements (29 May 2025)

Patricia Stephenson: I will share time with Senator Cosgrove. I thank the Minister of State for coming in. In his opening remarks, Senator Ahearn commented that he thinks the Opposition are just playing politics with this and that we do not really believe the Government has not done enough. I take great umbrage at that comment. As someone who grew up in post-conflict Belfast and who has worked for years in...

Seanad: Situation in Gaza: Statements (29 May 2025)

Patricia Stephenson: I did not actually say that.

Seanad: Ireland's Economic Outlook: Statements (28 May 2025)

Patricia Stephenson: I thank the Minister for coming in. I apologise for missing his introduction. I know we are all trying to split ourselves in two at the moment. I will also miss his response as I am going to a committee but I will watch it back afterwards. I read the Minister's opening statement and as he said, along with most of the other Senators here, we are obviously facing unprecedented challenges...

Seanad: Dereliction and Building Regeneration Bill 2025: Second Stage (28 May 2025)

Patricia Stephenson: I thank the Minister of State for coming in. The wind was slightly taken from my sails by the vote, so I hope I can find my place and what I was thinking about saying. I welcome Senator Noonan and the Green Party bringing forward this Bill. It existed in a previous iteration during the previous government, which is why it is particularly disappointing that the Government has tabled an...

Committee on Infrastructure and National Development Plan Delivery: Uisce Éireann: Future Work Programme (28 May 2025)

Patricia Stephenson: Some of my comments might be a bit repetitive as other colleagues have already made some of the points. I appreciate the scale of the work Uisce Éireann is undertaking and has been undertaking over the past decade. Water supply and wastewater treatment are issues that are quite big issues in the public psyche at the moment, largely because we are receiving a lot of information around...

Committee on Infrastructure and National Development Plan Delivery: Uisce Éireann: Future Work Programme (28 May 2025)

Patricia Stephenson: What implications does that have? Does it have a negative implication in terms of the work Uisce Éireann is doing for larger planning?

Committee on Infrastructure and National Development Plan Delivery: Uisce Éireann: Future Work Programme (28 May 2025)

Patricia Stephenson: In terms of the capacity supply chain issues around construction, is that within Uisce Éireann's remit to address?

Committee on Infrastructure and National Development Plan Delivery: Uisce Éireann: Future Work Programme (28 May 2025)

Patricia Stephenson: Does Mr. Gleeson see a direct correlation there with the lack of multi-annual funding?

Committee on Infrastructure and National Development Plan Delivery: Uisce Éireann: Future Work Programme (28 May 2025)

Patricia Stephenson: My colleague, Deputy Rory Hearne, received correspondence from the Ceann Comhairle when he tabled a parliamentary question on Uisce Éireann to the Department of housing. He received correspondence back saying that Uisce Éireann is not accountable to the Department of housing. Is that Mr. Gleeson's understanding of the lines of responsibility? Would Uisce Éireann, as a...

Committee on Infrastructure and National Development Plan Delivery: Uisce Éireann: Future Work Programme (28 May 2025)

Patricia Stephenson: I am asking because there has been a bit of football with regard to responsibilities when people are in the public sphere. There has been a narrative around chronic water challenges and issues, and there has been a sort of "It is the Department's fault", "No, it is Uisce Éireann's fault", and a challenge there around where responsibility lies. I am not saying that necessarily to point...

Committee on Infrastructure and National Development Plan Delivery: Uisce Éireann: Future Work Programme (28 May 2025)

Patricia Stephenson: I think from what Mr. Gleeson has said today I will know the response to this, but I think Uisce Éireann's chairperson a few weeks, or maybe months, ago had an article in The Irish Times that talked about Uisce Éireann not having a mandate around future growth related to housing developments. What is the status of that now?

Committee on Infrastructure and National Development Plan Delivery: Uisce Éireann: Future Work Programme (28 May 2025)

Patricia Stephenson: Yes, I can imagine Uisce Éireann then updates the system there. Uisce Éireann is in the programme for Government, the growth and development programme, and the NDP - various policy documents. It has a connection to growth within those documents, so I suppose there is a slight contradiction in that regard. The Department or Government feels Uisce Éireann has a remit, or a...

Committee on Infrastructure and National Development Plan Delivery: Uisce Éireann: Future Work Programme (28 May 2025)

Patricia Stephenson: The issue might be a lack of supply or lack of a treatment plant, which is impacting on the growth of development.

Committee on Infrastructure and National Development Plan Delivery: Uisce Éireann: Future Work Programme (28 May 2025)

Patricia Stephenson: When the witness was speaking before about the prefabs, was that to do with water supply or treatment?

Committee on Infrastructure and National Development Plan Delivery: Uisce Éireann: Future Work Programme (28 May 2025)

Patricia Stephenson: A standard approach for those prefabs was talked about. How do they differ from existing wastewater treatment infrastructure? We probably all have many examples from our own areas of communities being told they will not have new developments for the next five years. What does that look like? How does it differ from what exists? The positives are that it can get done, but what are the...

Committee on Infrastructure and National Development Plan Delivery: Uisce Éireann: Future Work Programme (28 May 2025)

Patricia Stephenson: Is there any barrier to doing that legislatively or-----