Results 121-140 of 13,004 for speaker:Louise O'Reilly

Committee on Public Petitions and the Ombudsmen: Petition on Reform of Pet Laws (30 Sep 2025)

Louise O'Reilly: That is not all. It is on social media, in the mainstream media and on WhatsApp groups. It is right across the board, not just at horse fairs. It is on other occasions and at other markets. If we isolate one, we miss the fact that this is happening all around us. It is not a case of saying "I am not going to such and such a market, so therefore I am not part of it." It is actually...

Committee on Public Petitions and the Ombudsmen: Petition on Reform of Pet Laws (30 Sep 2025)

Louise O'Reilly: I thank Ms Fitzpatrick very much. I ask committee members to remain for a few moments because we have a small piece of business to finish. I thank the witnesses most sincerely, not just for today - obviously this is a very important part of it - but for all of the work they have done and will continue to do. We can tell from the presentations how passionate they feel. I want our...

Committee on Public Petitions and the Ombudsmen: Decisions on Public Petitions Received (30 Sep 2025)

Louise O'Reilly: I will fly through this. I am under a bit of pressure for time. I propose that the petitions considered by the committee at this meeting and previous meetings be published and that the replies from the Department and other bodies may also be published. Is that agreed? Agreed. We have five petitions to consider. P00002/25 proposes that we would publish the response received from the...

Committee on Public Petitions and the Ombudsmen: Petition on Reform of Pet Laws (30 Sep 2025)

Louise O'Reilly: It is not one size fits all. It is not magic. To be fair, we are throwing everything into the mix here to make sure that we catch everything when it comes to thefts and returns.

Committee on Public Petitions and the Ombudsmen: Petition on Reform of Pet Laws (30 Sep 2025)

Louise O'Reilly: Had Senator Brady anything to add?

Committee on Public Petitions and the Ombudsmen: Petition on Reform of Pet Laws (30 Sep 2025)

Louise O'Reilly: We often do not harness the power of the census.

Committee on Public Petitions and the Ombudsmen: Petition on Reform of Pet Laws (30 Sep 2025)

Louise O'Reilly: There are those car boot markets that are set up as well. I know that is a problem.

Committee on Public Petitions and the Ombudsmen: Petition on Reform of Pet Laws (30 Sep 2025)

Louise O'Reilly: It is the link with criminality that I think would shock a lot of people. I thank our witnesses for sharing the information with us and continuing their campaign and the work they do, and for allowing the committee to be part of that debate. We will consider what they have given to us and how we can advance this. We will talk to the secretariat and consider it ourselves. We will certainly...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Code (25 Sep 2025)

Louise O'Reilly: 97. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if he is aware of the fact that when custody is split between two separated or divorced co-parents, there is no mechanism by which both co-parents may each receive half of the children's allowance and the children's allowance instead universally goes to the mother regardless of circumstances; if he is aware of the financial...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Code (25 Sep 2025)

Louise O'Reilly: I want it to be clear before I put this question that I understand completely why the default is that child benefit goes to the mother. I absolutely respect that. I appreciate where it comes from. However, increasingly I have people coming into my office and contacting my office here in the Dáil to say that they are co-parents, children are not cheap, they split the bills 50:50 and...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Code (25 Sep 2025)

Louise O'Reilly: I think so. I respect the reply that the Minister has given and I do not disagree necessarily. However, there are instances increasingly where parents can demonstrate, either with a mandate from the court or, indeed, with an informal arrangement, that they split the custody, the care and, more importantly, the bills - as I said, children are not cheap - 50:50. There is an unfairness there....

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Social Welfare Code (25 Sep 2025)

Louise O'Reilly: That is a sensible suggestion and one that I will take on board. I welcome the fact that the Minister is not opposed or hostile to the notion that we can look at it. I am not sure exactly what can be done but a conversation on this would be worthwhile at committee. I will engage with the committee Chair and with the Department.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: School Meals Programme (25 Sep 2025)

Louise O'Reilly: On a related note, in the context of waste within the hot school meals programme, I understand the relationship is between the school and the provider but the Minister's Department issues guidelines and those guidelines refer to things like portion size and calories. Will the Minister issue some guidelines regarding age appropriateness? A child of four does not eat the same portion size as...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: School Meals Programme (25 Sep 2025)

Louise O'Reilly: We have known for months that at least one in five parents skip meals or reduce their own portions to ensure their children have enough to eat. That underlines the importance of this programme. The Minister's colleague, An Taoiseach, Deputy Micheál Martin, has said he will personally intervene in the case of one school in Cork. I have just read a newspaper article in which he confirms...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: School Meals Programme (25 Sep 2025)

Louise O'Reilly: I will give the Minister another chance to tell me what the timeline was regarding when the Department knew about the service withdrawal and when the parents knew. This came as a bolt out of the blue. When you are living on a low income or a fixed income and you are trying to feed kids, you plan ahead. Parents had planned ahead on the basis that their kids would be getting a hot meal in...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Poverty Data (25 Sep 2025)

Louise O'Reilly: Is that the dashboard that will be published in early 2026?

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Poverty Data (25 Sep 2025)

Louise O'Reilly: Maybe when he comes back in, the Minister can tell me when the dashboard, which will allegedly contain a number of child poverty measurements, will be available. I know it will come from the child poverty unit so is not, strictly speaking, the Minister's Department, but I am sure it will be involved in it. Here is my difficulty. The consistent poverty rate for children is running at 8.5%,...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: School Meals Programme (25 Sep 2025)

Louise O'Reilly: 84. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of schools under contract to a supplier (details supplied) under the hot school meals programme; the number of these schools that exclusively cater to additional educational needs; the number that are DEIS schools; the number that are DEIS+ schools; his plan to provide parents of children affected by the cessation...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: School Meals Programme (25 Sep 2025)

Louise O'Reilly: The question relates to the sudden cessation of an element of the hot school meals programme. I am specifically interested in the number of schools impacted that are DEIS schools or that exclusively cater for children with additional educational needs. The Minister has to be aware that this news came as a bolt out of the blue for parents. It seemed there was no contingency in place when it...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Poverty Data (25 Sep 2025)

Louise O'Reilly: 82. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if he is aware that the measurement 'consistent poverty' obscures the full number of people both at risk of poverty and in material deprivation; if he is aware that 'consistent poverty' fails to account for housing costs; if he will consider using both 'material deprivation' and 'at risk of poverty after housing costs' as...