Results 1,281-1,300 of 1,730 for speaker:Aisling Dolan

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Leaving Certificate Reform: Discussion (5 Oct 2021)

Aisling Dolan: Yes. My question follows on from what we were saying. A few queries arose regarding career guidance and the support around same. A website,careersportal.ie, is a good resource that is accessible to students, parents and educators. I believe it was Ms Neville who made an interesting comment about the supports in place for DEIS schools. There are DEIS levels 1 and 2 for urban and rural...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Leaving Certificate Reform: Discussion (5 Oct 2021)

Aisling Dolan: Would reform of the leaving certificate reduce the impact that access to particular grinds has?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Leaving Certificate Reform: Discussion (5 Oct 2021)

Aisling Dolan: In other words, reform of the leaving certificate would allow more inclusion and access and reduce the divide between those who can and those who cannot access more grinds and so on, which is a costly endeavour. I thank Ms Neville.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Leaving Certificate Reform: Discussion (5 Oct 2021)

Aisling Dolan: I understand. It is dependent on the census. Our last census was 2016 and the next will be in one or two years' time, so we are lagging behind in terms of data. A crucial point is that we depend on statistics about the levels of need - one-parent families, high levels of poverty and disadvantage. We must ensure that DEIS designation targets those areas. It is important that we allocate...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Leaving Certificate Reform: Discussion (5 Oct 2021)

Aisling Dolan: Today we are hearing representations from students and teachers about matters at primary, post-primary and further and higher education levels, including PLC courses. I thank everyone for submitting their opening statements. There is a body of information there and there is an awful lot in them about the role of senior cycle reform. I thank all the organisations that are with us today, the...

Joint Committee On Health: Mental Health Services: Samaritans Ireland (5 Oct 2021)

Aisling Dolan: This is a very important meeting. I had the opportunity to hear the start of Mr. Mulligan's opening statement which was absolutely fantastic. I welcome Mr. Mulligan, Mr. Fitzgerald and Ms Stack from the Samaritans. It is an honour to meet them and to know what they and their volunteers have done over the past 18 months. It is has been incredible. It is incredible also to think that they...

Joint Committee On Health: Mental Health Services: Samaritans Ireland (5 Oct 2021)

Aisling Dolan: It is one of those things we are trying to promote very much in our regional areas. At the moment, I am trying to see if we can get people who will be able to help us with home help because it is a real crisis at the moment even getting home help hours for regional areas. I am very happy to do that. I have offices in a number of areas in the constituency. I am happy to promote that and to...

Joint Committee On Health: Mental Health Services: Samaritans Ireland (5 Oct 2021)

Aisling Dolan: That is perfect. It is just that I am very interested in this area. I think it is a good thing because, although I know it is anonymous, sometimes being able to see a face and all of that is very important. Many of our areas are so isolated that it can be very difficult, particularly with the lack of public transport, to get to urban areas to be able to sit down with somebody, if that was...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Home Care Packages (30 Sep 2021)

Aisling Dolan: I welcome the Minister of State at the Department of Health with responsibility for mental health and older people, Deputy Butler, to the Seanad. Families are applying to the HSE's home care hours scheme and receiving approval, which is great, but no help or home care is forthcoming. There are delays and backlogs and the shortage of staff is having an impact. I request an update from the...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Home Care Packages (30 Sep 2021)

Aisling Dolan: I thank the Minister of State for her response but I am shocked by it. I understand that funding has been provided and that the Government and programme for Government have indicated there is to be support for home care hours but there are still challenges that we have to rectify. No one else is going to rectify the recruitment problems within the HSE, or within the CHOs. We have to do...

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

Aisling Dolan: I welcome the announcement made today by the Minister for Rural and Community Development, Deputy Humphreys, to expand the walks scheme. This is a fantastic way to support rural and regional development. Government investment in the regions is all part of our rural future. As there is now funding for 31 new trails in 13 counties, there will be a lot more places all around Ireland for...

Seanad: National Lottery (Amendment) Bill 2021: Second Stage (29 Sep 2021)

Aisling Dolan: I welcome and support this Bill. It is about amending the Act. It will outlaw the use by private operators of the national lottery's activities to profit or otherwise make further betting offers. The national lottery supports good causes. Over 30 cent in each €1 is put towards good causes. Recently, I checked what the good causes were. One with which I was very familiar is the...

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

Aisling Dolan: I wish to acknowledge that my local area has a Europe Direct library. There are actually only eight such libraries across the country and one of them is based in Ballinasloe. Our MEP, Colm Markey, who spoke to us here last week, was in Ballinasloe yesterday. What is really good about this particular library is that covers the areas of counties Galway, Roscommon, Clare and Longford. As to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Leaving Certificate Reform: Discussion with School Management Bodies (28 Sep 2021)

Aisling Dolan: I thank the witnesses. This meeting has been excellent and there has been so much interesting content. I have been interested in how there are been many similar topics that have been raised, across the board, between all of the groups that have presented before us. From what I can tell, some similar topics that have jumped out of me are around the digital section. I must admit I was...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Leaving Certificate Reform: Discussion with School Management Bodies (28 Sep 2021)

Aisling Dolan: I thank Mr. Flood. I do not know if Mr. Crone might like to come in-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Leaving Certificate Reform: Discussion with School Management Bodies (28 Sep 2021)

Aisling Dolan: I thank Mr. Crone. I apologise to Mr. Curtis and Mr. Irwin. I did not get to speak to everybody. I hope I will next time.

Seanad: Address to Seanad Éireann by Members of the European Parliament (22 Sep 2021)

Aisling Dolan: For Roscommon-Galway, there has been great engagement with the MEPs here today. It is wonderful to see it. I thank Ms Walsh, especially for her work on gender-based violence and LGBTQI rights and particularly in the context of mental health. I know Mr. Markey will be attending a launch event of the Europe Direct library in Ballinasloe next Monday. It is very important. There are eight...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Mental Health Services: Discussion (22 Sep 2021)

Aisling Dolan: I thank Mental Health Ireland, which is representing mental health reform. I am a Senator based in Ballinasloe, which is very much a rural area. Mental health is a huge issue in our area, as is protecting people and making sure they are safe. I read through the submissions and looked at the website. We speak a lot about waiting lists. I am very interested in how we are using innovation...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Mental Health Services: Discussion (22 Sep 2021)

Aisling Dolan: I agree with Dr. Keogh on that. There is a suite of measures that can be used to engage with people with mental health difficulties.