Results 1,541-1,560 of 2,078 for speaker:Mary Seery Kearney

Seanad: Criminal Justice (Smuggling of Persons) Bill 2021: Second Stage (29 Sep 2021)

Mary Seery Kearney: One of the disadvantages of speaking last is that all one's best lines have stolen.

Seanad: Criminal Justice (Smuggling of Persons) Bill 2021: Second Stage (29 Sep 2021)

Mary Seery Kearney: I completely support this legislation and welcome the Minister of State's explanation of it. The hard work that went into consultation in the lead-up to the Bill was excellent. I appreciate the distinction being made between trafficking and smuggling. However, in recent weeks, I have received emails from people living in Afghanistan who are desperate to get out and people living in Dublin...

Seanad: Housing For All - a New Housing Plan for Ireland: Statements (29 Sep 2021)

Mary Seery Kearney: I welcome the opportunity to address the Housing for All plan. I am a member of the joint Oireachtas committee and have valued having an input into this plan and the journey that the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, in particular, has travelled along with us over the past year in the work that we have done on that. I, too, take offence at Senator Fitzpatrick's reference to a lost decade. It is a...

Seanad: National Lottery (Amendment) Bill 2021: Second Stage (29 Sep 2021)

Mary Seery Kearney: I welcome the Bill and congratulate my colleagues for bringing it forward. I know the hard work and thought that went into it, particularly on the part of Senator Ward. I appreciate that and commend him for it. I need to declare that I am anti-gambling for many reasons. I have counselled families who have had an individual gamble away the home from over their heads. Because of the...

Seanad: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2020: Second Stage (28 Sep 2021)

Mary Seery Kearney: I welcome the Bill. I read it as a technical and tidying-up measure that also makes provisions for the Reserve Defence Force. I completely support it. I will begin by taking the opportunity to thank our Defence Forces. Over the past 18 months, they have been extraordinary. At the height of one of the most frightening periods, I had to bring my daughter for a test. The whole thing was...

Seanad: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2020: Second Stage (28 Sep 2021)

Mary Seery Kearney: When is it proposed to take Committee Stage?

Seanad: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2020: Second Stage (28 Sep 2021)

Mary Seery Kearney: Is that agreed? Agreed.

Seanad: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2020: Second Stage (28 Sep 2021)

Mary Seery Kearney: When is it proposed to sit again?

Joint Committee On Children, Equality, Disability, Integration And Youth: General Scheme of the Birth Information and Tracing Bill 2021: Discussion (Resumed) (28 Sep 2021)

Mary Seery Kearney: I thank the Minister for being with us today. I echo what has been shared by Senator McGreehan on terminology. I respect the Minister's remarks and replies but, even in the context of all this, the use of the word "adoptee" can be reductive because there are those who were not adopted but illegally placed. There were all sorts of illegalities in regard to them. In our pursuit of accurate...

Joint Committee On Children, Equality, Disability, Integration And Youth: General Scheme of the Birth Information and Tracing Bill 2021: Discussion (Resumed) (28 Sep 2021)

Mary Seery Kearney: I thank the Minister for, and appreciate, his comprehensive response to my question. I will come back to the second part of my question on the tracing issue. If the information meeting was supplied to everybody, thereby removing the element of it being a moot point going into the information meeting if one knows that he or she will be told it is a no-contact preference, it would also remove...

Joint Committee On Children, Equality, Disability, Integration And Youth: General Scheme of the Birth Information and Tracing Bill 2021: Discussion (Resumed) (28 Sep 2021)

Mary Seery Kearney: That is a good answer, to be fair, and it also complements head 40, which was the subject of Deputy Cairns's question, in that due to a mother's right under subject access request, the little-known other suite of rights under GDPR provides for the right to restrict processing. Therefore, this legislation must restrict that right of restriction in order for everybody to get information they...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Water Services Separation Bill 2021: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (28 Sep 2021)

Mary Seery Kearney: There is little to question in this. It seems very straightforward. Having read the general scheme, it is a straightforward transfer. For people in the street, those living in the average home who get ill after drinking water, as we saw recently in another area of the country, or those who have issues with water supply etc., what will change for them as a consequence of this proposed Bill?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Water Services Separation Bill 2021: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (28 Sep 2021)

Mary Seery Kearney: I appreciate that analogy with the ESB. If there are power cuts at home or if the supply is erratic, etc., I know exactly which helpline to phone. In the same way, any ambiguities between local authorities will ultimately be removed by this proposed legislation. There will then be one single entity with one telephone number to ring in respect of water services, and that is the position at...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Water Services Separation Bill 2021: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (28 Sep 2021)

Mary Seery Kearney: I appreciate that answer. It is very clear. I thank Mr. Ó Coigligh.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (22 Sep 2021)

Mary Seery Kearney: I will bring to the attention of the House the Economic and Social Research Institute, ESRI, report, commissioned by the National Disability Authority, which highlights employment rates among people with disabilities in Ireland. We are fourth lowest among the countries surveyed in that report. People with disabilities in Ireland are twice as likely to experience poverty and deprivation than...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (22 Sep 2021)

Mary Seery Kearney: We need to make sure this House provides for a debate on this, explores the possibility of legislation and determines whether the boundaries of our public order arrangements are too tight.

Seanad: Child and Family Agency (Amendment) Bill 2021: Second Stage (22 Sep 2021)

Mary Seery Kearney: I welcome the Minister back to the House. In the two days the Seanad has been back, he has been here more than I have. I thank him for his commitment to always be in the House for Commencement matters, which is appreciated. I get the logic of this Bill. There is no question about that. It is wieldy, technical legislation. I do not envy the Minister. I want to address the education...

Seanad: Child and Family Agency (Amendment) Bill 2021: Second Stage (22 Sep 2021)

Mary Seery Kearney: Next Tuesday.

Seanad: Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person (Amendment) (Stalking) Bill 2021: Second Stage (22 Sep 2021)

Mary Seery Kearney: Senator Keogan's sharing of her story sums up and brings into this Chamber just how invasive and frightening it can be, so I thank her for that. I commend my Fianna Fáil colleagues on bringing forward this important legislation. I commend the bravery of Una Ring and Eve McDowell in sharing their stories and speaking of their horrific experiences. There is no doubt that coming forward...

Seanad: Bullying and Sexual Harassment in Third Level Institutions: Motion (21 Sep 2021)

Mary Seery Kearney: I congratulate Senator Ruane yet again on a really fine piece of work. It is utterly intolerable that any bullying or harassment should happen in a third level college. Wherever there is a power imbalance, systems and procedures must be in place to ensure that those who would exploit their positions are curtailed in the extreme. It is utterly unacceptable for non-disclosure agreements,...