Results 1,481-1,500 of 2,038 for speaker:Máire Devine

Seanad: National Disability Inclusion Strategy 2017-2021: Statements (26 Sep 2017)

Máire Devine: Did the Minister of State say I harped on about it?

Seanad: Order of Business (20 Jul 2017)

Máire Devine: Well said.

Seanad: Order of Business (20 Jul 2017)

Máire Devine: I thank the Seanad staff and ushers who have assisted, facilitated and supported us all who have been on a learning curve over the past year. I would like to draw attention again at the end of this term to the public consultation committee, which facilitated parents and other affected by mental health issues, and service providers, particularly those dealing with children. I eagerly await...

Seanad: Order of Business (20 Jul 2017)

Máire Devine: It was Deputy Higgins.

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Mental Health Services Provision (19 Jul 2017)

Máire Devine: I welcome the Minister of State, whom I have not met previously. I refer to the Central Mental Hospital in Dundrum. The 2015 Mental Health Commission inspection report referred to various areas of compliance and excellent standards, with many good practices on display. It appears that the hospital and, in particular, its staff are working to a high level and providing an excellent service...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Mental Health Services Provision (19 Jul 2017)

Máire Devine: Yes. Can I make a comment?

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Mental Health Services Provision (19 Jul 2017)

Máire Devine: I thank the Minister of State for his reply. Unfortunately, no date has been given in terms of the negotiations at the Workplace Relations Commission. The stalemate has lasted a year and a half at this stage. Does the Minister of State understand that there are people who cannot be managed in approved centres and people in prison who are waiting to avail of the new facility? A tragedy...

Seanad: Intoxicating Liquor (Amendment) Bill 2017: Committee and Remaining Stages (19 Jul 2017)

Máire Devine: Is this relevant to the amendments?

Seanad: Intoxicating Liquor (Amendment) Bill 2017: Committee and Remaining Stages (19 Jul 2017)

Máire Devine: I endorse the Bill and congratulate Senator Lawless on it. I echo the comments of other Members who lamented the stalling of the Public Health (Alcohol) Bill and referred to the powerful lobby that seeks to dilute it. I hope Fianna Fáil will take note of that. This issue should be a priority. The countless reports of hidden harm and the effects of alcohol on our children and on...

Seanad: Intoxicating Liquor (Amendment) Bill 2017: Committee and Remaining Stages (19 Jul 2017)

Máire Devine: I will be brief. In the late 1980s, when Ian Paisley finally had to give in to pubs opening on Sundays, there were protests about that. I do not believe there will be protests about this Bill in this part of the country. I refer to the harm alcohol can cause. Home drinking has increased massively. I have memories of being a young adult when, for the first time ever one Christmas, my...

Seanad: Intoxicating Liquor (Amendment) Bill 2017: Committee and Remaining Stages (19 Jul 2017)

Máire Devine: No, it was not. To assuage her religious belief, she dutifully introduced Blue Nun to the seven of us. We thought that was astounding at the time but when one looks back one realises it was a naive time. I thank Senator Lawless. I hope we will all enjoy sensible drinking and that this measure will allow us come into the 21st Century in that regard.

Seanad: Order of Business (18 Jul 2017)

Máire Devine: I second Senator Rose Conway-Walsh's amendment to the Order of Business. Shortages of nursing staff are, according to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation today, compromising services. We have been highlighting that for a long time. Safe care and dignity of patients is at risk. The HSE has removed provisions for agency staff in many services and the Health Information and Quality...

Seanad: Order of Business (13 Jul 2017)

Máire Devine: I support Senator Mullen and his offering for what to do with our waste. I have asked myself the same question as I am sure we all have. I recall that a fire took place at a waste provider in Ballymount a few years ago. On that occasion it was thought that the company had hoarded a large amount of recyclables as they had been deemed valuable. Some recyclables are deemed more valuable than...

Seanad: Autism Spectrum Disorder Bill 2017: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Jul 2017)

Máire Devine: I welcome Senator Reilly's Bill. Hopefully it will go through smoothly today. Senators may be aware that the Seanad has been holding public consultations on Thursdays with all stakeholders in the area of child mental health. We hear harrowing stories from parents and also stories that are not so harrowing - but maybe they are glossed over by the HSE. We know the state of the child and...

Seanad: Autism Spectrum Disorder Bill 2017: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Jul 2017)

Máire Devine: On amendment No. 1, there is a minimum requirement of medical professionals that must be present for individual assessments. Is there a minimum requirement in the context of the amendment? Amendment No. 2 allows for the widening of the scope of professionals as may be deemed appropriate. This is a welcome provision. I would ask for clarity on amendment No. 1 because I have a slight concern...

Seanad: Autism Spectrum Disorder Bill 2017: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Jul 2017)

Máire Devine: No, but I thank Senator Reilly for the clarity.

Seanad: Autism Spectrum Disorder Bill 2017: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Jul 2017)

Máire Devine: Amendment No. 5 is the most important and the success of the legislation depends on it. The cost of implementing it must be fully met by an increase in the overall budget for disability services. One cannot stretch the budget; it is already in crisis. I urge the Minister, Deputy Harris, to use the detailed legislation and plan for autism care to argue for the increase in funding for...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Foster Care Services: Discussion (12 Jul 2017)

Máire Devine: I thank the Minister for the update. All of this started with the body of work that this committee has undertaken. Significant failings emerged in the report into the foster care system in Dublin South-Central, which is where I am from, and I am rather concerned about this. I welcome that we only have 8% residential placements. That is good for our children. Some of them are outside...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Foster Care Services: Discussion (12 Jul 2017)

Máire Devine: I have one tiny supplementary. At the beginning, I meant to ask about significant failings that were found in foster carers in Dublin South-Central and Cork - there were two areas. Is there a follow-up to that?

Seanad: Order of Business (11 Jul 2017)

Máire Devine: I express my condolences on yesterday's tragedy in the Kimmage area of Dublin South-Central. Councillor McHugh is on the ground there since yesterday assisting the shocked, bereaved community. The State's baby boom saw almost 64,000 live births recorded in 2016. That is 1.3 births per 1,000 members of the population, which means the highest natural rise in Europe. We have the lowest death...