Results 1,381-1,400 of 1,888 for speaker:Sharon Keogan

Joint Committee On Children, Equality, Disability, Integration And Youth: General Scheme of the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) (Amendment) Bill 2021: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Feb 2022)

Sharon Keogan: I would like the witnesses to expand on the issues I have raised.

Joint Committee On Children, Equality, Disability, Integration And Youth: General Scheme of the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) (Amendment) Bill 2021: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Feb 2022)

Sharon Keogan: Mr. Harris stated, "We would restate our ask, made first in respect of the original legislation in 2016, that in line with CRPD obligations, every opportunity is afforded to a wide range of stakeholders, particularly people with disabilities, to meaningfully participate both in this pre-legislative scrutiny". It is important that the disability sector is included in this. How will we do...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (9 Feb 2022)

Sharon Keogan: I want to raise the issue of the divestment of schools. The debate has sprung up again about the divestment of schools in this country, that is, schools removing themselves from the patronage of the Catholic Church. This debate has been springing up every now and again for the past few years, often when there is a slow news day. As of 2021, of the national total of 3,126 standard schools,...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (9 Feb 2022)

Sharon Keogan: I do not agree with that.

Seanad: Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person (Amendment) (Stalking) Bill 2021: Report and Final Stages (9 Feb 2022)

Sharon Keogan: I welcome the Minister to the House and I commend my colleague Senator Chambers on this Bill. As someone who was the victim of a stalker for a number of years, I welcome this legislation. I am delighted to see it and I welcome that the Minister is bringing it swiftly through both Houses. I thank her for that.

Seanad: Personal Injuries Assessment Board (Amendment) Bill 2022: Second Stage (9 Feb 2022)

Sharon Keogan: I second the Bill. The Minister of State is very welcome to the House. I am glad to be here to support the Bill this evening. A lot of work has gone into it. I commend my Independent colleague, Senator Mullen, on bringing it forward. We are always in need of keen-eyed legislators who can spot areas where the law is falling down and there is work to be done. That is what we are here to...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Social Welfare Benefits (8 Feb 2022)

Sharon Keogan: The Minister of State is very welcome to the Chamber. I thank him for giving of his time to deal with this matter. The household benefits package helps with the cost of electricity or gas and waives the television licence fee for persons aged 70 or over and has been of immense help to thousands of people across the country. It is a scheme which should be lauded and built upon. In...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Social Welfare Benefits (8 Feb 2022)

Sharon Keogan: The Minister of State has not told me anything new. I knew about these payments and allowances that are allocated to the elderly. This is a very specific allowance for broadband, which can be a considerable cost to the elderly, particularly those who live on their own and have nobody. Those who live on their own are the most vulnerable. The allowance of €2.50, which amounts to...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (8 Feb 2022)

Sharon Keogan: I want to pay tribute to a Cavan woman, Leona Maguire, on winning the LPGA tournament this weekend. She is a great ambassador not only for Cavan but for young women in sport and young girls. Last October the Leader promised me she would arrange a debate in the Seanad on mental health and young people. We talked last week and in previous weeks about the death of Eden Heaslip. This weekend...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (3 Feb 2022)

Sharon Keogan: I wish to raise the issue on the National Women's Council. I was looking over the headlines yesterday and read, "Woman in hospital after assault in broad daylight in St. Stephen's Green" and "Gardaí identify boy (13) as person of interest in attack on woman in Cork". I thought, "What on Earth is going on? What has become of this country?" However, I remembered that we, luckily, have...

Seanad: Child Trafficking and Child Sexual Exploitation Material (Amendment) Bill 2022: Second Stage (3 Feb 2022)

Sharon Keogan: I am delighted to see the Child Trafficking and Child Sexual Exploitation Material (Amendment) Bill 2022 before the House today. I support my colleague Senator Flynn in proposing it. A number of terms have been used to replace the term "child pornography", such as "child sexual exploitation material", "child sexual abuse material" and "child sexual abuse imagery". Such phrases go to...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (2 Feb 2022)

Sharon Keogan: I want to raise the issue of unmasking schoolchildren. When the National Public Health Emergency Team, NPHET, decided that primary school children should be masked back at the start of December, the National Parents Council was flooded with calls from concerned parents. They did not feel that they had been given enough information to understand why their children now needed to wear masks...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (2 Feb 2022)

Sharon Keogan: Hear, hear.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (2 Feb 2022)

Sharon Keogan: And admitting to it.

Seanad: Search and Rescue Policy: Motion (2 Feb 2022)

Sharon Keogan: I second the motion. I do not wish to take too much away from Senator Craughwell. I commend my good Independent colleague on his tenacity and doggedness in pursuing this issue. "Doggedness" is the right word because he is a dog with a bone, an army attack dog, and he has not let go of this issue despite all the obstacles and opposition he has faced. I am sure there are people who would...

Seanad: Passport Office Service: Motion (2 Feb 2022)

Sharon Keogan: I welcome the Minister to the Chamber for what was introduced as a most important matter - so much so that the Government benches are almost empty. Indeed one could say that this is parliamentary party business masquerading as parliamentary business. I thank Ms Siobhan Byrne and all the staff in the passport service and recognise the incredible pressure they are working under. A number of...

Seanad: Passport Office Service: Motion (2 Feb 2022)

Sharon Keogan: It probably will.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs: Potential Russia-Ukraine Conflict and the Role of the European Union: Discussion (2 Feb 2022)

Sharon Keogan: I am not too sure I can comment on Professor Tonra's last statement regarding our fishing men and fleets and their take on the recent events. I thank our guests for their presentations. It is clear that the EU lacks real hard power or any diplomatic muscle here. What role could an autonomous EU military capacity play in combating Russian aggression in Ukraine? What framework would have to...

Joint Committee On Children, Equality, Disability, Integration And Youth: Rights of the Child in respect of Domestic and International Surrogacy: Discussion (1 Feb 2022)

Sharon Keogan: This is a topic I really was not very familiar with at all. I thank everyone for sharing their experiences. Each one of them has made me think about the challenges they face. This can be a very contentious issue and it evokes very strong emotional reactions. The idea of a woman undergoing pregnancy to give birth to somebody else's child challenges all our traditional notions of what being...

Joint Committee On Children, Equality, Disability, Integration And Youth: Rights of the Child in respect of Domestic and International Surrogacy: Discussion (1 Feb 2022)

Sharon Keogan: Guardianship, and I speak as a foster mother, does have challenges. Even to go outside the jurisdiction, to go up North, you have to have permission to take the child out of the Irish jurisdiction, so it can be difficult. How are the birth mothers of the surrogates looked after emotionally after giving birth to a child?