Results 1,221-1,240 of 1,350 for speaker:Mary Fitzpatrick

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

Mary Fitzpatrick: I raised a very important point and I do not need the Leader of the House to respond in detail, but will she take it up with the Minister for Health and ask him to come to the House to address the concerns raised about the Rotunda Hospital?

Seanad: Seanad Bill 2020: Second Stage (18 Nov 2020)

Mary Fitzpatrick: I move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after "That" and substitute the following: - "the Bill to be read a second time on 31st December, 2021, to allow for further consideration of the Bill". I wish to share my time with Senator Cassells. I thank Senators McDowell and Higgins, and all of the Senators and Deputies, I guess, who worked on the commission and the report. I have to say...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (17 Nov 2020)

Mary Fitzpatrick: I draw the attention of the House to legislation that will be introduced by my colleagues, Deputies McAuliffe and Lahart, in Dáil this evening. The legislation in question relates to scrambler and quad bikes and the social use of them in our communities. I live in the constituency of Dublin Central and I am aware that the use of these bikes has been an issue right across the city and...

Seanad: Traveller Accommodation: Statements (17 Nov 2020)

Mary Fitzpatrick: I am pleased to welcome the Minister of State on behalf of the Fianna Fáil Party.Before I say another word, I wish to acknowledge Senator Flynn, whose presence will contribute greatly to this important discussion. I am honoured to contribute on behalf of the Fianna Fáil Party. We have all been consumed by the issue of Covid since March. It has taken over our lives, but it is...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Statement of Strategy 2021-2025: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. (12 Nov 2020)

Mary Fitzpatrick: I thank Ms Quinn for her presentation and for coming before the committee. It is very important that we get this strategy document right and that the strategy for the Department reflects the significant challenges facing the country in terms of Covid, climate action and Brexit but also reflects the fact we have a new Government made up of three very distinct parties. Significant effort was...

Seanad: Political Donations: Motion (11 Nov 2020)

Mary Fitzpatrick: I wish to share my time with Senator Malcolm Byrne, if that is agreeable to the House?

Seanad: Political Donations: Motion (11 Nov 2020)

Mary Fitzpatrick: Yes.

Seanad: Political Donations: Motion (11 Nov 2020)

Mary Fitzpatrick: I offer condolences and sympathies to the family of Mr. William Hampton. It is really unseemly that anybody's will would be drawn into this type of a debate. It is really unseemly that public representatives, of any description, are actually debating the need for transparency around the funding of political activities in this day and age. If this was 20, 30 or 50 years ago one might...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Strategic Housing Developments: Discussion (10 Nov 2020)

Mary Fitzpatrick: I thank all of the witnesses for their presentations. I thank the representatives of An Bord Pleanála. I have engaged with the board on a number of applications. I will direct my comments largely to the Department. I consider the SHD process to be a massive missed opportunity on the part of the State. It achieved the objective of speeding up the decision-making process but at the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Strategic Housing Developments: Discussion (10 Nov 2020)

Mary Fitzpatrick: I will be as brief as I possibly can. I thank all of the witnesses for their presentations. It appears really perverse that we are sitting here as a housing committee with the officials in the midst of a housing crisis and we all want to see more homes delivered, and yet we are being highly critical of a process that was put in place to fast-track the approval of housing. We must use our...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Sustainable Development Goals and Departmental Priorities: Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (3 Nov 2020)

Mary Fitzpatrick: I thank the Minister for attending, albeit virtually. I congratulate him on his appointment to his Ministry. Like others, I will start out with the mother and baby homes and the commission of investigation because these have rightly dominated in the past couple of weeks. The commission was working for five years. That the Oireachtas collectively dealt with such a sensitive and important...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Referendum on Right to Housing: Discussion (3 Nov 2020)

Mary Fitzpatrick: I thank the witnesses for attending and I am delighted to welcome them to the committee. As the other speakers in my group will indicate, Fianna Fáil is very supportive of this proposal. I come from Dublin Central and I have been a city councillor for 15 years. I come at the housing crisis, therefore, from the lived experience of my constituents over those 15-odd years. I firmly...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Referendum on Right to Housing: Discussion (3 Nov 2020)

Mary Fitzpatrick: On behalf of the Fianna Fáil group, I thank all of the witnesses for being here today. I agree with Deputy Ó Broin that this has been a very worthwhile meeting and that there is consensus but it is important that we tease out the issue further. The Constitution is very precious and important. Any proposed changes to it must be well-thought out and well balanced. I agree there is...

Seanad: Residential Tenancies Bill 2020: Second Stage (23 Oct 2020)

Mary Fitzpatrick: I am delighted to welcome the Minister and his officials and I thank him for bringing this important legislation before the House. As the Minister stated, there is nothing more important in any of our lives than to have a secure home and to have a place to call home. I am on the record as stating that after Covid-19, climate action and Brexit, I do not believe this Government has any bigger...

Seanad: Residential Tenancies Bill 2020: Second Stage (23 Oct 2020)

Mary Fitzpatrick: Now.

Seanad: Residential Tenancies Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (23 Oct 2020)

Mary Fitzpatrick: Can we allow the Senator to speak to it and can she read the amendment, please? It was not circulated to the rest of us.

Seanad: Residential Tenancies Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (23 Oct 2020)

Mary Fitzpatrick: I thank Senators for the amendments. I think we are in danger of trying to fix the massively dysfunctional environment of the private rented market in an emergency piece of legislation. The Minister has accepted it and I believe he is committed to trying to fix the systemic problems around supply, the provision of public and affordable housing and security of tenure, of which Senator...

Seanad: Commission of Investigation (Mother and Baby Homes and certain related Matters) Records, and another Matter, Bill 2020: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (23 Oct 2020)

Mary Fitzpatrick: The Sinn Féin speaker clearly has a well-rehearsed script. I will stick to the amendments.

Seanad: Commission of Investigation (Mother and Baby Homes and certain related Matters) Records, and another Matter, Bill 2020: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (23 Oct 2020)

Mary Fitzpatrick: I was not taking the Chair's comment that way. I welcome amendments Nos. 1 and 7 from the Minister. When this Bill was introduced to the Seanad, I was critical of the Government's approach in fast-tracking the legislation. It is not how we should do our business. I accept the urgency. Survivors have been waiting five years for the commission of investigation to complete its work. It has...

Seanad: Commission of Investigation (Mother and Baby Homes and certain related Matters) Records, and another Matter, Bill 2020: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (23 Oct 2020)

Mary Fitzpatrick: I will finish then.