Results 821-840 of 2,011 for speaker:Frances Black

Seanad Public Consultation Committee: Young Voices on the Constitutional Future of the Island of Ireland: Discussion (Resumed) (7 Oct 2022)

Frances Black: I thank all of the representatives. They are very welcome here today. All of the presentations were just fantastic. As I listened to all of the presentations today, a part of me wishes that the participants were sitting around the table in Government buildings talking to, discussing with, and advising our Government. The first thing I will say is that Ms Anderson is an inspiration. She...

Seanad Public Consultation Committee: Young Voices on the Constitutional Future of the Island of Ireland: Discussion (Resumed) (7 Oct 2022)

Frances Black: Hear, hear.

Seanad Public Consultation Committee: Young Voices on the Constitutional Future of the Island of Ireland: Discussion (Resumed) (7 Oct 2022)

Frances Black: I thank the witnesses for their presentations this morning. The participation of the young people here is hugely important to our work in Leinster House and in Ireland's future. Hearing their voices, I am just blown away. Evan's point about the limitations of the curriculum is so important. High-stakes testing takes a real toll on students' mental health. That is a theme here today. It...

Seanad Public Consultation Committee: Young Voices on the Constitutional Future of the Island of Ireland: Discussion (Resumed) (7 Oct 2022)

Frances Black: Eoghan spoke wonderfully about this beautiful island of ours. We all live on this stunning island. I ask him to speak more about how he thinks cross-Border co-operation could help us battle climate change. Doireann and Eimear spoke fluent Irish and I am feel ashamed that I cannot speak the language as fluently as them. It is so beautiful to hear them speak one of the most beautiful...

Seanad Public Consultation Committee: Constitutional Future of the Island of Ireland - Public Policy, Economic Opportunities and Challenges: Discussion (7 Oct 2022)

Frances Black: I thank all the witnesses for coming in. I feel slightly intimidated by all the genius academic minds here today. It really is powerful to have them here and I wish we had more time. I feel a bit frustrated we do not have more time to get more information. I thank Dr. McGuinness for his presentation and all the research he has done. What kind of industrial policies does he think would...

Seanad Public Consultation Committee: Constitutional Future of the Island of Ireland - Public Policy, Economic Opportunities and Challenges: Discussion (7 Oct 2022)

Frances Black: I am sitting here thinking it is wonderful to have so many academics speaking about this today and so many who are working on this issue. I want to pay tribute to the late author of the ARINS paper on policing, Dr. Vicky Conway, who recently passed. I want to pay credit to her. She was a phenomenal human being and it is such a shame that she is not here with us today. Professor John...

Seanad Public Consultation Committee: Constitutional Future of the Island of Ireland - Public Policy, Economic Opportunities and Challenges: Discussion (7 Oct 2022)

Frances Black: It is great to hear from Professor Heenan that there is so much appetite for cross-Border co-operation, but it is unfortunate there is not enough being done by governments North and South to support its expansion. What does Dr. Fitzpatrick believe we in the Oireachtas can do to bolster co-operation? Are there jurisdictions that have been rejected? Would the punitive labour market...

Seanad Public Consultation Committee: Constitutional Future of the Island of Ireland - Public Policy, Economic Opportunities and Challenges: Discussion (7 Oct 2022)

Frances Black: My first question is for Dr. Liston and Professor Maguire and relates to the equality, respect and human rights provisions of the Good Friday Agreement, particularly the right to identify and be accepted as Irish, British or both. I am concerned the political boundary rule of World Athletics is in conflict with those provisions. In their submission, the witnesses mentioned Ciara Mageean, an...

Seanad Public Consultation Committee: Constitutional Future of the Island of Ireland - Public Policy, Economic Opportunities and Challenges: Discussion (7 Oct 2022)

Frances Black: My second question is to my colleague, Mr. Carlile, and concerns the role civic society plays in this conversation. He mentioned Jimmy Nesbitt's contribution at the recent Ireland's Future event. Mr. Nesbitt suggested in his speech that the time could be right to view the debate in a post-unionism and post-nationalism context. He said: I know many Northern Protestants are open to this....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Business of Joint Committee
Architects of the Good Friday Agreement (Resumed): Lord Alderdice (6 Oct 2022)

Frances Black: I thank Lord Alderdice for coming in today. It has been powerful listening to him. Many of the questions have been covered and he has answered them brilliantly, might I add. I only had one question. It is about the drafting of the Good Friday Agreement and the whole area of the criteria for how the Secretary of State can call a border poll at any time and we do not know what the criteria...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Business of Joint Committee
Architects of the Good Friday Agreement (Resumed): Lord Alderdice (6 Oct 2022)

Frances Black: I thank Lord Alderdice.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (5 Oct 2022)

Frances Black: She is just writing her speech.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (5 Oct 2022)

Frances Black: I want to welcome Senator O'Loughlin's mam to the Chamber and all our visitors today. They are very welcome. I also want to send condolences to the family of Rory Mason from Kildare, the young man who died in Ukraine in its army. Like my previous colleague, Senator Ó Donnghaile, I want to thank the more than 5,000 people who came from all corners of the island to the 3Arena last...

Seanad: Address to Seanad Éireann by the Rt. Hon. Lord John McFall, Lord Speaker of the House of Lords (5 Oct 2022)

Frances Black: I am very pleased to welcome the Lord Speaker to Ireland and to this Chamber on behalf of the Civil Engagement Group. In my capacity as a member of the Joint Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement, we are in regular contact with British and Northern Irish parliamentarians. I have found the engagement between our institutions to be stimulating and fruitful. I know that...

Seanad Public Consultation Committee: Young Voices on the Constitutional Future of the Island of Ireland: Discussion (30 Sep 2022)

Frances Black: It is an honour to be here to hear the witnesses' voices. I felt so emotional listening to them that a few times I nearly burst into tears because they were so inspiring. I feel our future in this country is in safe hands because we have young people like these here with us. It really is a privilege, and I thank them all. Some of them have travelled from far and wide to be here. I also...

Seanad Public Consultation Committee: Young Voices on the Constitutional Future of the Island of Ireland: Discussion (30 Sep 2022)

Frances Black: I will keep it very short. I thank the representatives for their contributions. We need their voice, as my colleague has said. The issues that we are talking about here today impact young people enormously. Sometimes we in Government Buildings live in a bubble. We are nearly institutionalised. I may be repeating myself but this is why it is so important that the witnesses are here...

Seanad Public Consultation Committee: Voices of All Communities on the Constitutional Future of the Island of Ireland: Discussion (30 Sep 2022)

Frances Black: I always feel a little intimidated speaking after my colleague here because he is such a wonderful speaker. I thank the witnesses all so much for coming in today. We had young people in this morning and it was mind-blowing. I have to be honest with everyone about that. Hearing these presentations today, and I look forward to hearing the others as well, I want to repeat my thanks to the...

Seanad Public Consultation Committee: Voices of All Communities on the Constitutional Future of the Island of Ireland: Discussion (30 Sep 2022)

Frances Black: Some of them are still here. They were fantastic. We need to hear more young people. Go raibh míle maith agaibh.

Seanad Public Consultation Committee: Voices of All Communities on the Constitutional Future of the Island of Ireland: Discussion (30 Sep 2022)

Frances Black: Mr. Cusnahan and others mentioned a border poll. I do not even think about a border poll. For me, it is about planning and preparing. Everything comes down to planning, preparation, communication and these conversations. It is vital for our Government to be looking at planning. There have been a lot of academic papers on planning and preparing. Colin Harvey has done significant work on...

Seanad Public Consultation Committee: Voices of All Communities on the Constitutional Future of the Island of Ireland: Discussion (30 Sep 2022)

Frances Black: Go raibh maith agat, a Chathaorlaigh. I thank everybody who came in today. I thank them for giving us their time and for making their submissions. I also thank everyone who sent in a submission. There were more than 100. This work that the Seanad is doing is vital. I did not think too much about it until I was sitting here this morning listening to the young people. I knew it would be...