Results 1,041-1,060 of 1,195 for speaker:Erin McGreehan

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (29 Jun 2021)

Erin McGreehan: I congratulate the Cathaoirleach on one year in his position. Today is a great day for me and an incredible way to mark my first year in this House with the announcement of the funding to bring the Narrow Water bridge project to tender. As someone from the area, I have seen that things have not always been so simple in the Cooley Peninsula and on Carlingford Lough. Long gone are the days...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Pre-Legislative Scrutiny of the General Scheme of the Birth Information and Tracing Bill 2021 (29 Jun 2021)

Erin McGreehan: I am in Leinster House. I thank the witnesses for their contributions and their submissions. I have several questions. On a question to Aitheantas, how do the witnesses feel the legislation relates to the IO’T case which was mentioned in their submission? On the practicalities of the Bill, when we are talking about medical information, there are no fathers’ names or details....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Pre-Legislative Scrutiny of the General Scheme of the Birth Information and Tracing Bill 2021 (29 Jun 2021)

Erin McGreehan: The first question was on the IO’T case and it was to Aitheantas because the case was mentioned in its opening statement. I also asked about access to and availability of information. I want to tease out opinions. I am trying to get a grasp of the legislation myself and want to take in the opinions of the witnesses, including on whether a new agency is even possible.

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Environmental Policy (28 Jun 2021)

Erin McGreehan: I wish to share time with Senator Martin.

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Environmental Policy (28 Jun 2021)

Erin McGreehan: The Minister of State is very welcome. I suppose one could say that Senator Martin and I have serious bees in our bonnets about this issue. We want a ban on the importation of non-native bees into this country. As the Minister of State well knows, it is not only us but many Irish beekeepers, bee enthusiasts and those of us who care deeply about our native biodiversity. I have spoken to...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Environmental Policy (28 Jun 2021)

Erin McGreehan: I was told there was told there was a great buzz about this today. The best bee for this country is the native Irish bee. The European Commission has stated, in a question about the protection of our native bee species, "Ireland can, however, decide at national level whether or not to give legal protection to this sub-species and to take the necessary conservation measures to protect it,...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (28 Jun 2021)

Erin McGreehan: I welcome the launch of the "Love this place, leave no trace" campaign this morning. I urge members of the public, when they are using public amenities, beaches or parks, to leave no trace and to respect the beauty that we have here. When we visit places, we expect to find them in good condition and we want to leave them that way for the next person. I also ask that people bringing their...

Seanad: Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2021: Second Stage (Resumed) (25 Jun 2021)

Erin McGreehan: The Minister is very welcome to the House. It is a privilege for me to speak on this Bill. This is the beginning of something exciting and is working towards a cleaner and more sustainable future. It will strengthen the statutory framework for governance of climate action by the State in order to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. It will drive the implementation of that suite of policies...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Younger People in Nursing Homes: Discussion (24 Jun 2021)

Erin McGreehan: The witnesses are very welcome. Like the other committee members, I am very concerned about this issue. I have a few questions I would like to run through. One of the witnesses mentioned earlier that there was funding for recruitment and that it had started this week. That funding was supplied six months ago. What was the delay in that recruitment process? All of a sudden the HSE is...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Younger People in Nursing Homes: Discussion (24 Jun 2021)

Erin McGreehan: On that point, the fair deal funding is not supposed to be used for the under-65s. We are breaking our own rules by using it for the under-65s. Surely some flexibility can be found to create a better instrument to get that money. We are already breaking rules in using it for people under the age of 65. Are we breaking our rules in moving people on out of hospital and putting them into a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Younger People in Nursing Homes: Discussion (24 Jun 2021)

Erin McGreehan: The Time to Move on from Congregated Settings report referred to nursing homes also and stated the HSE should conduct a review of nursing homes. Therefore, it was relevant.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Engagement with Irish Central Border Area Network (22 Jun 2021)

Erin McGreehan: I wish to ask one brief question. As former member of the east Border region, I am innately aware of the importance of the work done by ICBAN and the Northern and Western Regional Assembly. They advocate for economic development. More importantly, it is about the personal relationships that are built up across the Border. We all know that the Border region, from the west to the east, has...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Employment Support Services (21 Jun 2021)

Erin McGreehan: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Joe O'Brien, to the House. In this Commencement matter, I am seeking an extension of the reasonable accommodation fund to the public sector and, in light of our extensive obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, that it be changed to a person-centred fund rather than an employer-centred fund....

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Employment Support Services (21 Jun 2021)

Erin McGreehan: I certainly will raise my concerns with the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. The Minister of State's response outlines the valid reasons why his Department looks after the labour force. However, this highlights the lack of acceptance of disability in the workforce. There is unconscious bias and people with disabilities are constantly fighting for access and to be seen as equal...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (21 Jun 2021)

Erin McGreehan: Last Saturday was World Sickle Cell Day and I commend the Sickle Cell Society Ireland on its fantastic event on the day. Its informative conference featured international experts and created awareness of this inherited blood disease. Sickle cell disease is a red blood cell disorder. People with the condition do not have enough healthy red blood cells to carry oxygen around the body. The...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: UN Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities and Ratification of Optional Protocol: Discussion (Resumed) (17 Jun 2021)

Erin McGreehan: I thank the witnesses for their time and contributions. It is almost daunting to be the last speaker because many of the questions have already been covered. I am ambitious for this committee and it is great to have a January 2022 deadline. We have all been asking for a timeline. One big issue for me is implementation. It is transformative and is about attitude. It will cross every...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: UN Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities and Ratification of Optional Protocol: Discussion (Resumed) (17 Jun 2021)

Erin McGreehan: With regard to what Mr. Harris said about getting the public sector to that 6%, the fact the assistive technology grant is not an individual grant for public sector employees is a huge disadvantage to them. I know so many of our employees in the Civil Service who have to make a business case to get assistive technology and they are often turned down because it is in county councils or a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: General Scheme of the Birth Information and Tracing Bill 2021: Discussion (15 Jun 2021)

Erin McGreehan: I am in Leinster House. I thank the witnesses for their contributions. I wish to ask Mr. Gloster a question. He mentioned how he almost felt that Tusla's capacity had been overwhelmed by the work it had to do in respect of adoptees. Do Tusla and the Adoption Authority believe that they have the capacity to work under this Bill? Some of the adoptees I have met feel traumatised by what...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Engagement with Ireland's Future (Resumed) (15 Jun 2021)

Erin McGreehan: It is always great to discuss the future of Ireland. I have a question out of pure curiosity for Reverend Karen on her road to Damascus and becoming a member of this group. I am very curious about it. Can she say she is a unionist any more? She has come to the right side of the road and has now become a nationalist. I would love to know from her point of view how has she reconciled this...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Social Welfare Benefits (14 Jun 2021)

Erin McGreehan: I thank the Cathaoirleach for allowing this matter. I also thank the Minister of State, Deputy Joe O'Brien, for taking it on behalf of the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Humphreys. My ask today seems very reasonable to me. Those with epilepsy should have an entitlement to the free travel scheme. Up to 40,000 people in Ireland live with epilepsy with approximately 1,200 of them in...