Results 121-140 of 354 for at speaker:Mark Wall

Seanad: Historic and Archaeological Heritage Bill 2023: Second Stage (22 Feb 2023)

Mark Wall: I welcome the Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Malcolm Noonan.

Seanad: Welfare and Safety of Workers in the Public Health Service: Motion (22 Feb 2023)

Mark Wall: I welcome the Minister to the House. I thank Senator Hoey for her work in preparing this important motion. I also thank her for her work at the Joint Committee on Health and in relation to health on behalf of the Labour Party, including her work in support of student nurses and other campaigns, over the past two years. I listened to some, and read more, of the testimony at the recent Joint...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Autism: Autism Policy: Discussion (Resumed) (21 Feb 2023)

Mark Wall: I welcome Mr. Hession, Ms Hurley and Ms Conroy this morning. I thank them for being with us. Deputy Tully touched on much of what I want to cover but one of the big issues for us over the past number of weeks and months since we started was the cost of having a loved one with autism. That is something we want to touch on again today and ask a couple of questions. I also want to talk...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Special Educational Needs (16 Feb 2023)

Mark Wall: I will start by painting a picture of two of the many cases I want to speak about. The first case if that of the family of a young man from Newbridge. The family speaks of a loving son whose preschool teachers first raised concerns about him. The boy was granted the access and inclusion model, AIM, programme. He was due to have an assessment by teachers at the end of junior infants' class...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Special Educational Needs (16 Feb 2023)

Mark Wall: I thank the Minister of State. Once again, she gave an honest answer. That is the message I have got from the families I deal with. It is like what that woman said to me yesterday, that it was the first transparent answer she got after almost three years of asking. The Minister of State has given that today, albeit with the disturbing figure of 2,665 children that she has also given us....

Seanad: Domestic Violence (Amendment) Bill 2023: Second Stage (15 Feb 2023)

Mark Wall: I acknowledge Senator Martin for bringing this Bill forward. As has been said by my colleague, the excellent briefing we received today was most worthwhile. The speakers were knowledgeable. As always we had the excellent Noeleen Blackwell, CEO of the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre and Ms Jane McGowan, barrister-at-law, who outlined in great detail what was involved in this Bill. As a public...

Seanad: Teacher Supply and School Places: Statements (15 Feb 2023)

Mark Wall: ...want to start by putting on record our thanks to the many teachers we have in the country who go above and beyond their duties every day of the week. It is always important, as colleagues said, that we start with that and thank them for the great job they do for so many of our students throughout the country in primary, post-primary and third level education. In December last, I tabled a...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (14 Feb 2023)

Mark Wall: I wish to be associated with the remembrance and kind words of Senators O'Loughlin and Clonan regarding Sergeant Declan "Doc" O'Connell. We send our sympathies to his family. Doc, as he was so fondly known, played some over-35s football in Athy town during his time there. He is fondly remembered in the town. It was a shock to everybody in County Kildare when the news of his death broke in...

Seanad: National Forestry Fund: Motion (8 Feb 2023)

Mark Wall: I welcome the Minister of State to the House this evening. I thank Senator Boyhan and the Independent Group for using their Private Members' time to discuss this very important matter. As was mentioned earlier, over 80% of this great country was once covered in forests. The current figure is just over 11.6%, and we have a significant target of 18% to reach by 2050. How we get near that...

Seanad: Family Courts Bill 2023: Second Stage (2 Feb 2023)

Mark Wall: I welcome the Minister to the House to discuss this important Bill, which the Labour Party will support. I note, as colleagues have said, that the programme for Government includes a call for a focus on reforming our family court system to ensure that proceedings involving children are dealt with in a manner that recognises the unique vulnerability and needs of children. That is the most...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (26 Jan 2023)

Mark Wall: It is good to see the Deputy Leader in the chair today. I will bring up a number of worrying cases I have been involved in or am currently dealing with that have regard to utility companies whose customers have contacted me. In one case, I spent a number of days over the Christmas holidays helping a family whose power had been cut off despite a moratorium on this happening. Those days with...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Autism: Autism Policy: Discussion (Resumed) (24 Jan 2023)

Mark Wall: I welcome all the witnesses today: Ms Derval McDonagh, Ms Sarah Jane Lavin, Ms Angela Locke-Reilly, and Dr. Áine Roddy. Ms Lavin, a fellow Kildare person, is particularly welcome from the great county of Kildare. I totally agree with Ms Lavin that independent living does not start at 55. That is a very important issue that she raises today. Could she comment on that? I deal with a...

Seanad: Appointment of Ordinary Members of An Coimisiún Toghcháin: Motion (14 Dec 2022)

Mark Wall: I welcome the Minister of State to the House for the debate on this important motion. I welcome this announcement, given its importance to our democratic process, as referred to by colleagues. The Labour Party will support the motion. It is five months since the Electoral Reform Act 2022 was passed but its four independent members are only being appointed today. Will the Minister of State...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Community Welfare Service: Department of Social Protection (14 Dec 2022)

Mark Wall: I thank our guests for coming in this morning for this important debate. Based on my 16 short years as a public representative, I would like to thank all the CWOs out there because, as was rightly said, they have a difficult job. They are competent in the job they do and every one of them I have dealt with in those 16 years does their job to the best of their ability. The problem, as...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: School Admissions (13 Dec 2022)

Mark Wall: I welcome the Minister of State to the House and thank him for taking the time to be with us. The Minister for Education will be very aware of this issue as I have raised it with her on a number of occasions. Indeed, it is almost one year to the day since she met with Members of the Oireachtas from south Kildare to discuss this issue, following a meeting arranged by the Ceann Comhairle. In...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: School Admissions (13 Dec 2022)

Mark Wall: I thank the Minister of State for his reply. Unfortunately, the first page is cut and pasted from a reply given last year. This is the problem I have in respect of school places in Kildare South. I have been highlighting this for a number of years, as have colleagues in the Oireachtas and on Kildare County Council. Thankfully, we see the results of that on the second page of the reply....

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (13 Dec 2022)

Mark Wall: I wish to be associated with the comments of various Senators about Seanad 100 yesterday. For many of us, it was a special occasion. I thank the Cathaoirleach and all the staff involved for arranging it. I wish to raise two issues with the Deputy Leader, the first of which is the shortage of medication throughout the State. In several recent conversations I had with my local pharmacist,...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2022: Committee and Remaining Stages (13 Dec 2022)

Mark Wall: I support that. I am aware of the Minister's commitment to the means test review and listened to her at the social protection committee, of which I am a member. I recognise how important this is for so many families. I would like clarification from the Minister on the last point Senator Higgins raised. It is important and the Minister is very much aware of my previous interjections on the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Autism: Autism Policy and Employment: Discussion (13 Dec 2022)

Mark Wall: I also welcome our guests today. I apologise for coming to the meeting late. I missed some of the opening statements and the witnesses may have already answered some of my questions. I apologise for that but thank all of the witnesses for being with us today. It is very important. There is an area I wanted to concentrate on. I am aware of and dealing with a number of people who have...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2022: Second Stage (7 Dec 2022)

Mark Wall: I welcome the Minister to the House. I welcome the opportunity to speak on this important Bill. The Labour Party has been advocating for an increase in the qualifying limits for the fuel allowance over many years. My office has dealt with applicants who were just a few cent over the limit. I welcome the move by the Minister to increase those limits. The reaction in my office has been...