Results 9,381-9,400 of 9,471 for speaker:Hildegarde Naughton

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2014: Committee Stage (2 Jul 2014)

Hildegarde Naughton: Last week, I was contacted by people from the Irish Postmasters Union. They stated that they understood they could not be included by name in the legislation. I wanted to record that.

Seanad: Order of Business (2 Jul 2014)

Hildegarde Naughton: I refer to the apology by the Taoiseach on behalf of the State to the Roma families whose children were needlessly taken into care last year. I welcome the offer of compensation to the families concerned and the acknowledgement of the inappropriateness of the actions of the Garda Síochána in this case. I commend the Ombudsman for Children on her very straightforward report and...

Seanad: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Second Stage (1 Jul 2014)

Hildegarde Naughton: I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I wish to concentrate on two aspects of the Bill, the first being the termination of local authority tenancies. Section 62 of the Housing Act 1966 has a long history of litigation before our superior courts, going back more than ten years at this stage. As Senators will know, that section gave the relevant council wide-ranging, unfettered and...

Seanad: Order of Business (1 Jul 2014)

Hildegarde Naughton: I raise the issue of the free travel pass for senior citizens and recent speculation that it might be stopped or withdrawn for some of those of pensionable age in the next budget. The present review of the system is not due to any wish on the part of the Government to withdraw the pass but rather that the Minister wishes to review the operation of the scheme in relation to the avoidance of...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2014: Second Stage (26 Jun 2014)

Hildegarde Naughton: It was 72.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2014: Second Stage (26 Jun 2014)

Hildegarde Naughton: I welcome the Minister to the House. There are many commendable aspects to this legislation. The first, section 3, deals with payment service providers and changes the legislation to allow the Department to enhance the services it provides and their proper supervision. Contrary to some commentary on the Bill, the Government has no intention of denuding the post office network. This...

Seanad: Child Protection: Motion (25 Jun 2014)

Hildegarde Naughton: I, too, welcome the Minister of State to the House. I also welcome this motion and fully support it. What we are discussing here is the protection of children. This motion is premised on the judgment of Mr. Justice John MacMenamin in the High Court last year. The judge has subsequently been appointed to the Supreme Court. Mr. Justice MacMenamin has vast experience in the area of child...

Seanad: Order of Business (25 Jun 2014)

Hildegarde Naughton: I return to an issue I raised previously in the House, which is the matter of cyberbullying. The Internet advisory group has reported to the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources and made 30 recommendations which were discussed at Cabinet yesterday and which are to be implemented in the coming months. This is a welcome step. The criminalisation of cyberbullying sends a...

Seanad: Order of Business (24 Jun 2014)

Hildegarde Naughton: I raise the perennial issue of alcohol abuse in Ireland in the context of the publication yesterday of a report by the Health Research Board. Following the multiplicity of reports and findings on this issue, one might have assumed we were beyond being shocked by new findings. However, the numbers in this report are astounding. It shows, for example, that 75% of all alcohol consumption...

Seanad: Address to Seanad Éireann by Ms Catherine McGuinness (19 Jun 2014)

Hildegarde Naughton: I very much welcome the former distinguished jurist and Senator to the House. Ms McGuinness has a litany of other qualifications and has held many positions of both authority and influence, any of which we could happily discuss. However, there is one experience I would like to address and she referenced it in her address. Ms McGuinness was the Sole Member of the tribunal of inquiry into...

Seanad: Mother and Baby Homes: Statements (11 Jun 2014)

Hildegarde Naughton: I thank the Minister, Deputy Flanagan, for attending today in the House where this issue was first raised. In fairness to the Minister, on first becoming aware of this issue he has expressed a willingness to deal with it and I welcome the establishment of a statutory commission of inquiry. This is the proper course to take. The treatment and neglect of children in mother and baby homes has...

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Jun 2014)

Hildegarde Naughton: I welcome the announcement by the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs that a statutory commission of investigation will be established to investigate the matters arising in the mother and baby home in Tuam and in other institutions. It has been less than two weeks since I raised this matter in the House. There was no delay by the Government because it is taking the matter extremely...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Forthcoming Environment Council: Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government (5 Jun 2014)

Hildegarde Naughton: I thank the Minister for attending. I have two questions, the first of which is on the policy framework for climate and energy 2020 to 2030. Does the Minister consider Oxfam's call for binding national targets of energy savings of 40%, boosting sustainable renewable energy by 45% and reducing emissions by at least 55% by 2030 possible? Will Ireland support the current proposals in this...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Forthcoming Environment Council: Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government (5 Jun 2014)

Hildegarde Naughton: It relates to what exactly is envisaged in regard to monitoring and verification of CO2 emissions on board commercial ships. Are we looking at CO2 detectors? What exactly is envisaged in regard to the enforcement mechanisms on board these commercial vessels?

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Regional Development (4 Jun 2014)

Hildegarde Naughton: I thank the Minister. I accept and agree with the emphasis on the indigenous sector and entrepreneurship. That is key and I welcome the efforts the Minister has made in the past three years in this area. He has worked very hard in that regard. Perhaps he might return to the Seanad in the future to update us on the development of the regional enterprise framework and regional development...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Regional Development (4 Jun 2014)

Hildegarde Naughton: I welcome the Minister and thank him for addressing this important issue. The most recent figures available from the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation indicate that IDA Ireland has not achieved its 50% investment target in areas outside Dublin and Cork. In fact, investments outside these two areas in the period 2010 to 2013 accounted for only 35% of all foreign direct...

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed) (4 Jun 2014)

Hildegarde Naughton: I wish to return to a matter I raised last week, namely, the babies buried in the septic tank in Tuam. Subsequent to my raising the issue, a number of politicians in the area took an interest in it and are rightly calling for an investigation. I wrote to the Taoiseach in this regard last week and yesterday I was in communication with the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs. I am...

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed) (4 Jun 2014)

Hildegarde Naughton: I ask the Leader to write to the Minister for Justice and Equality to request her to attend a debate in the Seanad on the matter of the unmarked graves of babies. Tuam is not the only graveyard in existence.

Seanad: Order of Business (29 May 2014)

Hildegarde Naughton: I wish to raise a harrowing story that was highlighted in the Mail on Sundayat the weekend but got overlooked due to the election frenzy. It relates to a mass grave in Tuam, County Galway, where the remains of approximately 800 children - citizens of Ireland - were buried. The area is well know by locals. Many of the children were born outside wedlock. They were thrown lifeless into a pit...

Seanad: Youth Guarantee and Rent Supplement: Statements (28 May 2014)

Hildegarde Naughton: The publication of the youth guarantee implementation plan was a positive step in addressing the difficulties of young people within the State in obtaining employment or suitable educational opportunities. This discussion with the Minister is a welcome occasion to discuss the progress to date. It comes on the back of the Minister's being able to secure agreement on €6 billion of...