Results 1,161-1,180 of 5,756 for speaker:Fiona O'Loughlin

Seanad: Commission of Investigation (Mother and Baby Homes and certain related Matters) Records, and another Matter, Bill 2020: Second Stage (14 Oct 2020)

Fiona O'Loughlin: I thank the Minister for attending to listen to our comments, observations and concerns. Undoubtedly, the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes is investigating one of the darkest periods in Irish history. Mother and baby homes represent some of the worst aspects of our collective history and humanity. Their existence was underpinned by a complex web of culpability and...

Seanad: Budget 2021: Statements (14 Oct 2020)

Fiona O'Loughlin: I am sharing time. The Minister is most welcome to the Chamber. This is my first opportunity to congratulate him publicly on attaining high office and I wish him well. He has certainly started in the manner in which he means to go on. I have always considered him very positive, pragmatic and practical, and that is stamped throughout the budget. It is the first time in a decade that Fianna...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Election of Vice Chairman (14 Oct 2020)

Fiona O'Loughlin: I congratulate both.

Seanad: Leaving Certificate 2020: Statements (8 Oct 2020)

Fiona O'Loughlin: I welcome the Minister, Deputy Foley, back to the House. It has been such a difficult time for the students of 2020 and their parents, teachers, the Department of Education and Skills and, indeed, the Minister, who inherited a strange legacy. The word on "unprecedented" has been much bandied about over the past few months but truly the task faced by the Department of Education and Skills...

Seanad: Ireland-China Relations: Motion (8 Oct 2020)

Fiona O'Loughlin: I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House. I thank Senators Mullen and McDowell for tabling this very important motion. A very realistic and grim picture of human rights abuses has been painted. When we think about families and communities and how they are impacted it is absolutely horrific. We cannot be silent in the face of this elaborate campaign of oppression and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Election of Vice Chairman (8 Oct 2020)

Fiona O'Loughlin: I thank the Chair. I thank my proposer and seconder also and thank the members for their support. I certainly look forward to working with the Chairman and with all of the members. When I became Chair of the committee almost five years ago, Tara was the first clerk to the committee. I can absolutely attest to how wonderful she is to work with. Of course, we had Niamh for our final 12...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Care Services (7 Oct 2020)

Fiona O'Loughlin: I welcome the Minister of State back to the Chamber. She has been a most frequent visitor since the Seanad reconvened and she was appointed to her position. I know of her compassion for older people. In her past life as a Deputy she was co-chairman of the all-party committee on dementia and did incredible work on the issue. We could not have anybody more suited to the position she now...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Care Services (7 Oct 2020)

Fiona O'Loughlin: I thank the Minister of State. It is welcome that the existing support hours are to be doubled in order to fully support those who need it, including people with dementia. The new dementia advisers are also welcome. An average of 11 people per day are diagnosed with dementia. That means that, since this Government came into being 102 days ago, approximately 1,122 people have been...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (7 Oct 2020)

Fiona O'Loughlin: Others have commented on today being day one of level 3. Businesses are going to be impacted hugely by these restrictions but we all need to work together to ensure we get through this. The tailbacks, particularly around Dublin, are very difficult. Many of the people caught in tailbacks are front-line workers and many of them are doing deliveries. That has to be looked at again. Like...

Seanad: HSE Winter Plan: Statements (7 Oct 2020)

Fiona O'Loughlin: We will have to make the Minister of State an honorary member of the Seanad at this point. We are all aware that this will be the toughest winter we have ever faced in our health services and in society. We all need to be prepared for the huge pressure that will be placed on our health service at every level. I acknowledge the Government's determination to meet the challenges head-on, the...

Seanad: Statutory Right to Sick Leave Pay: Motion (7 Oct 2020)

Fiona O'Loughlin: I support the principle of the motion. It is vital that we review the illness supports available to workers at this point and work towards a sustainable sick pay regime for all workers. It is important that there be consultation with the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection, the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, the unions and those representing the...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Mental Health Services (30 Sep 2020)

Fiona O'Loughlin: I formally congratulate the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, on her new position. Knowing her work ethic and her compassion, I have no doubt that she will bring a very positive bearing on the areas of mental health and older people. I want to talk about the provision of Jigsaw mental health services in Newbridge. The mental health of our young people has rarely been under the level of...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Mental Health Services (30 Sep 2020)

Fiona O'Loughlin: I thank the Minster of State. I will certainly welcome her to Newbridge with open arms to visit HOPE(D) and the Kildare Youth Theatre, KYT, which is another community group that does a great deal of work on positive mental health through the arts and creativity. The Minster of State mentioned the HSE's Connecting for Life strategy, which is important. It states that the rate of youth...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (30 Sep 2020)

Fiona O'Loughlin: I want to tell the Cathaoirleach, the Leader and Members of the House about my friend Pat Tinsley. In many ways, he is the heart and soul of the community in Newbridge. Over the past number of years every sporting and community gathering was defined by him as a local photographer. Sadly, that has not happened in the past 18 months because Pat has been in declining health. He has been...

Seanad: National Screening Advisory Committee Bill 2020: Second Stage (30 Sep 2020)

Fiona O'Loughlin: I commend Senator Norris for the motion he has put forward with his colleagues. I listened to his compassionate plea earlier for the family he mentioned, and meeting a young Dad and his children. I also listened to the contribution from Senator Casey concerning his knowledge of the children, as well as what the Minister had to say. It is incredibly poignant to think that a family dealing...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (25 Sep 2020)

Fiona O'Loughlin: "You matter because you are you, and you matter to the end of your life." These are the important words of Dame Cicely Saunders, who founded the hospice movement, which has given great dignity, respect and comfort to many at the end of their lives as well as to the family members around them. In 2001, the national advisory committee on palliative care stressed the importance of every region...

Seanad: Safe Reopening of Tertiary Sector and Key Priorities for Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science: Statements (24 Sep 2020)

Fiona O'Loughlin: This is my fourth time addressing the Seanad but it is my first time speaking in the actual Seanad Chamber in Leinster House. I made a wish as I walked in. It is good to be in our own House at this point. The Minister is very welcome. I am looking forward to addressing a few points with him in respect of the reopening of our third level and further education colleges.I also wish to raise...

Seanad: School Transport, Leaving Certificate 2020 and Reopening of Schools: Statements (24 Sep 2020)

Fiona O'Loughlin: I welcome the Minister back to the Seanad. It is her first time to be in the actual Seanad Chamber because we were in the Dáil Chamber the last time we met her, when she had just published the roadmap for schools to reopen. I cannot even begin to think how daunting an experience the preparation of the roadmap must have been for the Minister, her office and her Department. It is a...

Seanad: School Transport, Leaving Certificate 2020 and Reopening of Schools: Statements (24 Sep 2020)

Fiona O'Loughlin: There is no clock so it was difficult to know how much time I had left. The issue is whether the Department's standardisation process was good enough to pick up trends at the level of individual schools. That is probably where the ranking came into play. I will leave it at that. The challenge for the Minister is to keep schools open and we must all work together to achieve that and to...

Seanad: Criminal Justice (Enforcement Powers) (Covid-19) Bill 2020: Second Stage (10 Sep 2020)

Fiona O'Loughlin: I thank the Minister for being with us today to go through this important and necessary Bill. My colleague, Senator Murphy, outlined the necessity of implementing legislation to ensure that we live in as safe a society as possible. The numbers are concerning, with 30,164 cases and 1,781 deaths to date. We are all very concerned at the number of cases to date and at the daily increase in...