Results 1,161-1,180 of 1,350 for speaker:Mary Fitzpatrick

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (12 Feb 2021)

Mary Fitzpatrick: I thank the Minister and the Government for the €18 million in funding provided for central Dublin to improve walking and cycling infrastructure. More than ten years ago, when I was first elected as a city councillor, I looked for a greenway on the Royal Canal and I am really glad to see it has progressed. With this funding we will be able to have a high-quality greenway all the way...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Affordable Housing Bill 2020: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (9 Feb 2021)

Mary Fitzpatrick: I thank Mr. Quinlan and his team for all of the work they have done on this Bill. It is most important legislation and I am delighted we have an opportunity to scrutinise it. A major chunk of affordable housing will obviously come from the new builds that will be delivered by the local authorities, the LDA and the approved housing bodies, AHBs. That is most welcome. I am fully...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Affordable Housing Bill 2020: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (9 Feb 2021)

Mary Fitzpatrick: I will be brief because Deputy McAuliffe is coming in after me. My question is on behalf of Deputy Flaherty, who has recently joined the committee. He has asked me to thank the Department for the work it has done. He is particularly interested in hearing feedback from the witnesses on how the shared equity scheme will work to stimulate the provision of affordable homes in rural counties...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of Electoral Reform Bill 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Feb 2021)

Mary Fitzpatrick: I thank the witnesses. I am here in LH 2000 as well. I have a couple of questions for the witnesses. While the Bill is very welcome, I get their point that it is too limited and not ambitious enough. I wonder if it is trying to be all things to all men. I am thinking in particular about the points we have raised with the witnesses on the veracity of communication and the messaging....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of Electoral Reform Bill 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Feb 2021)

Mary Fitzpatrick: It was to do with the strategic direction of an electoral commission and whether it should not be responsible for the regulation of political messaging. The electoral commission will be restricted to referendums and elections. Should those issues be dealt with outside of this legislation and an electoral commission?

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (1 Feb 2021)

Mary Fitzpatrick: Beannachtaí na Féile Bríde. It is the first day of spring and hope, but there is not much spring and hope for Josh Dunne's family. The House should send its condolences. He was a talented young man with his whole life ahead him. Unfortunately, he is not the only young person to have died in Dublin. Indeed, there is an issue with knife crime around the country. We should...

Seanad: Response to Covid-19 (Housing, Local Government and Heritage): Statements (1 Feb 2021)

Mary Fitzpatrick: I welcome the Minister. I apologise for not sitting beside him but for talking to the back of his head instead. As we have Covid restrictions in place here, I do not expect him to turn around. Like the Minister, I thank all of the front-line workers in local authorities, housing charities, trusts and emergency accommodation, in Threshold, the Residential Tenancies Board and Intreo offices....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Homelessness: Discussion (29 Jan 2021)

Mary Fitzpatrick: I thank all the witnesses for coming to our meeting and for sharing with us their knowledge and experience, which is invaluable. I thank the witnesses, their staff and their volunteers for the work they do every day supporting people who are unfortunate and who become homeless. The four witnesses have made a great combination of contributions because they bring different perspectives, and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Homelessness: Discussion (29 Jan 2021)

Mary Fitzpatrick: I will follow up in emails. I thank all the witnesses. Their contributions have been valuable and I thank them for helping us with our work. I hope we can revisit this subject again in the not too distant future as a committee.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Water Treatment (Abstractions) Bill 2020 and Electoral Reform Bill 2020: Discussion (22 Jan 2021)

Mary Fitzpatrick: I thank the Minister of State and the officials. This is very important, as other speakers have said. Democracy is fragile and without a fully functioning electoral process, it is impossible to have fair and free elections, which are essential. The idea of the independent electoral commission is very welcome and long overdue. I am interested to know whether there is any estimate of what...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (19 Jan 2021)

Mary Fitzpatrick: I wish the staff in the complex a happy new year. I thank all the essential workers who worked over the Christmas period and got us this far. We will talk about the mother and baby homes report later so I will reserve my comments on that until the Minister is in the House.I will briefly address three issues. First, I support the call for the acceleration of citizenship approval for all the...

Seanad: Report of the Mother and Baby Homes Commission of Investigation: Statements (19 Jan 2021)

Mary Fitzpatrick: I thank the Minister for coming to the House. I thank all of the mothers, children and survivors who gave their testimony to the commission of investigation and all those who could not do so for various reasons. I am humbled, as I think we all are, by their courage and strength. It is a huge privilege to be here today to contribute. The report of the commission of investigation was never...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (18 Dec 2020)

Mary Fitzpatrick: I am delighted to be standing here just before Christmas. It is a real honour and a privilege for all of us to be in this House. I am conscious of what a difficult year it has been for everyone, with most of us facing into a difficult Christmas. I and all of us in this House are very privileged to be here and I am grateful for that. I thank all my colleagues in the Seanad. I thank you, a...

Seanad: Harassment, Harmful Communications and Related Offences Bill 2017: Second Stage (18 Dec 2020)

Mary Fitzpatrick: I welcome the Minister of State and thank him for coming to the House. The sharing of intimate images without consent is a serious issue, which warrants legislation and severe penalties. We need to call it out as a criminal offence and we need to hold those who offend in this way to account. I am very pleased to join with other Senators and to support Coco's Law today. I am thinking...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (16 Dec 2020)

Mary Fitzpatrick: I wish to remind the House that today, 16 December, is the deadline for submissions for the BusConnects bus corridor project. The Cathaoirleach will be familiar with it. It is a highly ambitious programme to improve our public transportation and address climate action but I also see it as a social equality issue in terms of providing better public transport services in the city to...

Seanad Committee on the Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union: Engagement on Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union (16 Dec 2020)

Mary Fitzpatrick: I thank the Congressman for his time and all the work he and his party have done for this country. We really appreciate it. I am from Dublin, which is not a Border county, but I was born in 1969 and grew up with the Troubles throughout my childhood. I was lucky enough to win a green card in a lottery in the late 1980s and I had the privilege of living in the Congressman's country for eight...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Maternity Services (15 Dec 2020)

Mary Fitzpatrick: I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House to respond to my Commencement matter, which calls on the Minister for Health and the Department to commit to providing €2.5 million in funding for the Rotunda Hospital on Parnell Square in Dublin. For those who are not aware, the Rotunda Hospital is the world's oldest maternity hospital. It is the country's busiest maternity...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Maternity Services (15 Dec 2020)

Mary Fitzpatrick: I appreciate the Minister of State's reply, but I am disappointed. I cannot be satisfied with it. I do not mean that personally where the Minister of State is concerned, but this saga has been ongoing for years. I believe the first proposal to move the Rotunda dates back to the 1990s. The women of Dublin and the women of Ireland deserve better. There was a planned move in 2007. In 2015,...

Seanad: Access to Contraception: Motion (15 Dec 2020)

Mary Fitzpatrick: I did not have the opportunity to follow the debate as I was in committee, so problem is that aside from being aware of the issue that was being debated, I have no idea what has been spoken about in my absence. I thank the Minister of State for giving his time to this motion, and I apologise for not being present. Unfortunately, I was attending a committee meeting at which we were dealing...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Children's Unmet Needs: Engagement with Minister of State at the Department of Children, Disability, Equality, Integration and Youth (15 Dec 2020)

Mary Fitzpatrick: I thank the Minister of State for giving her time and engaging with the committee. The report from the ombudsman was a real indictment of the State's failure of children with special needs, their families, carers and supporters. I really welcome the Minister of State's appointment. As a spokesperson for the Opposition she demonstrated passion and energy and she has brought that to her...