Results 1,281-1,300 of 1,401 for speaker:Mary Fitzpatrick

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.

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: As for the establishment of an archive, Sean MacDermott Street is an ideal site. The site was given to the State, intended as a repayment. I would like the Minister to speak on that before we finish the debate today.

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 headline-----

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: We want to-----

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (22 Oct 2020)

Mary Fitzpatrick: I thank the Cathaoirleach for his generosity. I will be brief. Today is the first day of the lockdown. Everybody working in front-line services obviously has our support but I ask the Leader to ask the Minister for Transport to address, with Dublin Bus, the provision of public bus services in the city.Ordinarily a Dublin Bus double-decker will carry more than 100 passengers but because of...

Seanad: Electoral (Civil Society Freedom)(Amendment) Bill 2019: Second Stage (22 Oct 2020)

Mary Fitzpatrick: I thank Senators Ruane and Higgins for bringing the Bill to us for debate, as well as Seb, in Senator Ruane's office, who was very responsive to my queries. I must admit that when I first saw the Title of the Bill, and the document I received that referred to keeping in power the voices of the people and of civil society groups, I kind of struggled with what exactly it was about. Once I...

Seanad: Electoral (Civil Society Freedom)(Amendment) Bill 2019: Second Stage (22 Oct 2020)

Mary Fitzpatrick: In respect of posters, the putting up, taking down, disappearing and reappearing, all need to be addressed. I am an ordinary person who cares. I happen to wear a badge that says Fianna Fáil. It is a republican party, which means that it is motivated to actually serve the people. When I think of the other members of Fianna Fáil in Dublin Central, I do not think they differ much...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Water Environment (Abstractions) Bill 2020: Discussion (20 Oct 2020)

Mary Fitzpatrick: We can share time.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Water Environment (Abstractions) Bill 2020: Discussion (20 Oct 2020)

Mary Fitzpatrick: I thank the witnesses for the presentation. I thank Mr. Ó Coigligh for taking the hot seat and promise that I will not turn up the temperature too high. The legislation is important and I am delighted that the Department has brought it to us. It is important in terms of our compliance with European law and, more important, the protection of our water supply. I note the opening...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Water Environment (Abstractions) Bill 2020: Discussion (20 Oct 2020)

Mary Fitzpatrick: I thank Mr. Ó Coigligh.