Results 1,321-1,340 of 1,383 for speaker:Eileen Flynn

Joint Oireachtas Committee On Key Issues Affecting The Traveller Community: Business of Joint Committee (20 Apr 2021)

Eileen Flynn: I welcome all our guests to this meeting and thank them for taking part. I also thank the Business Committee for agreeing to this meeting today. Before we hear from our witnesses, we have some committee business to attend to. I remind members that they must be on the grounds of Leinster House or the Convention Centre in Dublin to attend this meeting. If any member attempts to participate...

Joint Oireachtas Committee On Key Issues Affecting The Traveller Community: Traveller Employment and Labour Market Participation: Discussion (20 Apr 2021)

Eileen Flynn: Before we hear from the witnesses, I propose we publish their opening statements on the committee webpage. Is that agreed? Agreed. This is the third public meeting of this committee on Traveller employment. The first meeting took place in December 2019, when we heard from Traveller organisations. On behalf of the committee, I am delighted to extend a warm welcome to our witnesses. I...

Joint Oireachtas Committee On Key Issues Affecting The Traveller Community: Traveller Employment and Labour Market Participation: Discussion (20 Apr 2021)

Eileen Flynn: I thank Dr. McGinnity for that eloquent presentation. It was brilliant to hear from her. I now call on Ms Shirley Comerford to make her opening statement.

Joint Oireachtas Committee On Key Issues Affecting The Traveller Community: Traveller Employment and Labour Market Participation: Discussion (20 Apr 2021)

Eileen Flynn: Sorry, Ms Comerford. Could I pause you for a moment, please? I ask members to put themselves on mute. Carry on, Ms Comerford. I am sorry about that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee On Key Issues Affecting The Traveller Community: Traveller Employment and Labour Market Participation: Discussion (20 Apr 2021)

Eileen Flynn: I thank Ms Comerford for that. It is very much appreciated. I now call on Ms McDonagh from the Open Doors Initiative to make an opening statement.

Joint Oireachtas Committee On Key Issues Affecting The Traveller Community: Traveller Employment and Labour Market Participation: Discussion (20 Apr 2021)

Eileen Flynn: I thank Ms McDonagh so much for that presentation.

Joint Oireachtas Committee On Key Issues Affecting The Traveller Community: Traveller Employment and Labour Market Participation: Discussion (20 Apr 2021)

Eileen Flynn: Please do. Thank you. I call Ms Jeanne McDonagh.

Joint Oireachtas Committee On Key Issues Affecting The Traveller Community: Traveller Employment and Labour Market Participation: Discussion (20 Apr 2021)

Eileen Flynn: Do any of the committee members wish to contribute? They can contribute on the second round if they wish. I wish to make a few points, as a Traveller woman. First, many Traveller women, like women from the general population, choose to be stay-at-home mothers and wives. For members of the public who are watching these proceedings, there is nothing shameful about choosing that as a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee On Key Issues Affecting The Traveller Community: Traveller Employment and Labour Market Participation: Discussion (20 Apr 2021)

Eileen Flynn: We have to draw up a report on employment for the Traveller community. Many of the questions I had have been asked. Deputy Mitchell mentioned the identifier and so forth. I will refer back to the women who presented here today about going from the real to the ideal. The real is that we do not have many Travellers in employment. What do they see as the ideal solution to that, to get...

Joint Oireachtas Committee On Key Issues Affecting The Traveller Community: Traveller Employment and Labour Market Participation: Discussion (20 Apr 2021)

Eileen Flynn: Thank you for your feedback. Does Deputy Stanton wish to contribute?

Joint Oireachtas Committee On Key Issues Affecting The Traveller Community: Traveller Employment and Labour Market Participation: Discussion (20 Apr 2021)

Eileen Flynn: Thank you, Deputy. There are no final comments so I thank our witnesses for attending the meeting today. It was an eye opening and educational afternoon for me. Sometimes we think we know the gaps and inequalities, but it is always important to be reminded. I hope the witnesses will be able to come to Leinster House in person in the near future to present to us again. On behalf of the...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (26 Mar 2021)

Eileen Flynn: I will be delighted to support Senator Higgins's Private Members' Bill when it is before the House today. It will put quality at the heart of the procurement process and is rightly being called a game changer. I wish to draw the House's attention to a report that was recently published by Unite the Union, entitled "Hungry Bellies Are Not Equal to Full Bellies: Exploring inequality and...

Seanad: Residential Tenancies Bill 2021: Second Stage (26 Mar 2021)

Eileen Flynn: I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House today. This debate allows us to express our opinions on all sides. This is why we are all in politics. We all have a different story and we are all looking at things from a different perspective. I share concerns that section 2 of the Residential Tenancies Bill 2021 will leave some tenants at risk of eviction. Threshold, the national...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Impact of Covid-19 on Reopening of Schools and State Examinations: Update (2 Mar 2021)

Eileen Flynn: I will start with a few questions for the Minister, Deputy Foley. I heard the word "equal" six or seven times from the Minister's notes but it is not a word we should be throwing around when we know it is not true. I say this with much emotion because there are so many schools in Ireland that do not have equal funding and which are struggling. These are very disadvantaged schools, one of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Impact of Covid-19 on Reopening of Schools and State Examinations: Update (2 Mar 2021)

Eileen Flynn: Her words are important too.

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

Eileen Flynn: I thank the Cathaoirleach and wish also to thank my colleague, Senator Ruane, for giving me her time slot today. Today marks the fourth anniversary of the recognition of Travellers in Ireland as an ethnic minority group, after decades of being denied our Traveller ethnicity. The then Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, stood up in this very Chamber on 1 March 2017.He made a lovely statement which went...

Seanad: Ábhair Ghnó an tSeanaid – Matters on the Business of the Seanad (22 Feb 2021)

Eileen Flynn: Two weeks ago I spoke here to raise the issue of the digital divide. My colleague, Senator Byrne, said earlier this month that funding of €5.8 million has been allocated to the education and training boards. I very much welcome and appreciate this allocation, which was announced in December. We have not yet discussed how the rural digital divide affects children, young people under...

Seanad: National Climate and Air Roadmap for the Agriculture Sector: Statements (22 Feb 2021)

Eileen Flynn: I welcome the Minister to the House to address this important issue. We all know the critical and global importance of addressing climate change. Like the current pandemic, climate change is something all countries must tackle together. If we did not know it already, this past year has taught us how interconnected we are on Earth. Today, we are discussing the national climate and air...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (8 Feb 2021)

Eileen Flynn: Today, I wish to speak about a forgotten subject. Education is at the heart of discussions in Ireland right now and it is at the heart of the political argument and debate. Every single child has the right to an education but the pandemic has taught us that not every child has that equal right to be successful within the education system. Before the pandemic, we obviously knew of the...

Seanad: Special Education Provision: Statements (8 Feb 2021)

Eileen Flynn: The Minister of State is very welcome to the House. I am delighted to have the opportunity to speak on this critical issue. We have to bring ourselves back to a few weeks ago when parents of children with special needs did not know where they were. One moment, they were told that the schools were to open and the next moment, they were told the schools were not to open. Many parents who...