Results 1,481-1,500 of 2,078 for speaker:Mary Seery Kearney

Joint Committee On Children, Equality, Disability, Integration And Youth: General Scheme of the Birth Information and Tracing Bill 2021: Discussion (Resumed) (19 Oct 2021)

Mary Seery Kearney: I will have to go, Chair, when the bells are going in the background.

Joint Committee On Children, Equality, Disability, Integration And Youth: General Scheme of the Birth Information and Tracing Bill 2021: Discussion (Resumed) (19 Oct 2021)

Mary Seery Kearney: I believe Ms Mac Manus is being generous.

Joint Committee On Children, Equality, Disability, Integration And Youth: General Scheme of the Birth Information and Tracing Bill 2021: Discussion (Resumed) (19 Oct 2021)

Mary Seery Kearney: If it does not go far enough, what more does Ms Kiernan want it to do?

Joint Committee On Children, Equality, Disability, Integration And Youth: General Scheme of the Birth Information and Tracing Bill 2021: Discussion (Resumed) (19 Oct 2021)

Mary Seery Kearney: We need, therefore, to widen definitions and to widen the scope of persons who can apply.

Joint Committee On Children, Equality, Disability, Integration And Youth: General Scheme of the Birth Information and Tracing Bill 2021: Discussion (Resumed) (19 Oct 2021)

Mary Seery Kearney: We need to widen that definition. Okay. I think that is important. Does anyone else want to respond?

Joint Committee On Children, Equality, Disability, Integration And Youth: General Scheme of the Birth Information and Tracing Bill 2021: Discussion (Resumed) (19 Oct 2021)

Mary Seery Kearney: It was vulgar in the way that it was administered.

Joint Committee On Children, Equality, Disability, Integration And Youth: General Scheme of the Birth Information and Tracing Bill 2021: Discussion (Resumed) (19 Oct 2021)

Mary Seery Kearney: My goodness. I think that goes to the heart of it. So much of the information is false, fraudulently forged and made to appear correct when it is not and from others I have spoken to, it is patent lies and deliberate misleading. Unpacking all that, I do not know that any Bill will ever address that. We have got to at least put the issues on the table for some consideration of some solution...

Joint Committee On Children, Equality, Disability, Integration And Youth: General Scheme of the Birth Information and Tracing Bill 2021: Discussion (Resumed) (19 Oct 2021)

Mary Seery Kearney: That is heard loud and clear, very much so.

Joint Committee On Children, Equality, Disability, Integration And Youth: General Scheme of the Birth Information and Tracing Bill 2021: Discussion (Resumed) (19 Oct 2021)

Mary Seery Kearney: I thank Ms McDermott for that clarification. It is powerful for us to understand why the term "birth mother" is problematic for some people. My own preference would be to use the word "mother" for everybody because the term "natural" is difficult for those women who lived with their children and had the opportunity to rear them. Some have come before the committee and talked about the...

Joint Committee On Children, Equality, Disability, Integration And Youth: General Scheme of the Birth Information and Tracing Bill 2021: Discussion (Resumed) (19 Oct 2021)

Mary Seery Kearney: I agree with Ms Coughlan. Ms Mac Manus referred to the paternalistic attitude of knowing better and telling someone she would be better to forget. I was struck by the fact that if Ms Mac Manus's group has submitted the same submission three times, there must still be some remnant of that inherent bias. I am being generous and calling it a "remnant".

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (14 Oct 2021)

Mary Seery Kearney: On Thursday last week, I began to implement a commitment, on which I will follow through every Thursday, to speak about the issues raised in the Joint Committee on Disability Matters in this House because it is an excellent forum for us to challenge some of our thinking around what I termed last week "ableist privilege", a phrase used by one of the witnesses. This morning, the committee...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (14 Oct 2021)

Mary Seery Kearney: Absolutely.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: From Accessibility to Universal Design: Discussion (14 Oct 2021)

Mary Seery Kearney: I thank everyone who has contributed. Yet again, it has been a powerful engagement. As part of this theme, there is nothing like the lived experience to bring home the gaps in equality across all aspects of our society. Last week a witness used the term "ableist privilege". I cannot help but sit and think that this is another example of ableist privilege. It would appear, at a very...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: From Accessibility to Universal Design: Discussion (14 Oct 2021)

Mary Seery Kearney: I am equally sorry. I will do the same. I meant to do that as well.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: From Accessibility to Universal Design: Discussion (14 Oct 2021)

Mary Seery Kearney: That is a very important point. Any home that is wheelchair accessible is also future-proofed for intergenerational living. I have that in my home. It is not wasted. It just means we are future-proofing because at any point in our life cycle we may have accessibility challenges. I totally take the point about needing statistics. We need metrics and they should be there at a very basic...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: From Accessibility to Universal Design: Discussion (14 Oct 2021)

Mary Seery Kearney: A good question is whether that information is in the new housing needs and demands analysis process that was introduced in local authorities just prior to Housing for All. Maybe I can begin by ascertaining how much of that ensures we have assessment of needs regarding disabilities and accessibility.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: From Accessibility to Universal Design: Discussion (14 Oct 2021)

Mary Seery Kearney: I thank the witness. It is a very important point.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (13 Oct 2021)

Mary Seery Kearney: I would like to be associated with Senator Murphy's remarks about the late Paddy Moloney. He is truly a great loss; he leaves a fantastic legacy.I wish to bring to the House's attention and seek a debate on the care of migrant children who have come to our country as unaccompanied minors and their oversight while they are in care. I pay tribute to Ms Shamim Malekmian of the Dublin...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (13 Oct 2021)

Mary Seery Kearney: I will finish now, and I thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach for his indulgence. The House needs to debate this subject. I will raise it as a Commencement matter with the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. We need to focus on this. As a state, we have a responsibility to these children. They need to be represented and spoken for in the Houses.

Seanad: Budget 2022: Statements (Resumed) (13 Oct 2021)

Mary Seery Kearney: As chair of a drugs task force and as part of that network, I know the Senator gave a commitment to speak strongly on that issue. I am proud of the Senator and the drugs task forces would be proud of how she has represented their needs. I trust the Minister of State is on a trajectory of engagement that will have a positive outcome in the review.