Results 1,641-1,660 of 1,827 for speaker:Jillian van Turnhout

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2012: Committee Stage (27 Apr 2012)

Jillian van Turnhout: When we come to section I will elaborate on why I feel so strongly about this. Amendment No. 2 to section 1 offers a good compromise. While I would not be entirely happy with it I acknowledge that it is fair. Looking at our provision of child care in Ireland, in the past we had a model where we provided child care based on the status of the parent. It was purely a measure to get women back...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2012: Second Stage (27 Apr 2012)

Jillian van Turnhout: May I suggest that the time be extended to accommodate all those who wish to speak on Second Stage?

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2012: Second Stage (27 Apr 2012)

Jillian van Turnhout: Can we get a response to our request from the Chair?

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2012: Second Stage (27 Apr 2012)

Jillian van Turnhout: I have made the request.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2012: Second Stage (27 Apr 2012)

Jillian van Turnhout: I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I acknowledge the helpfulness and professionalism of civil servants in the Department of Social Protection in the lead-up to this debate. I rise to speak with an extremely heavy heart and a sense of foreboding. Together with my colleague, Senator Zappone, I will be trying to persuade the Minister and Minister of State that section 4 should be...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2012: Second Stage (27 Apr 2012)

Jillian van Turnhout: No.

Seanad: Thirtieth Amendment of the Constitution (Treaty on Stability, Coordination and Governance in the Economic and Monetary Union) Bill 2012: Second Stage (23 Apr 2012)

Jillian van Turnhout: I welcome the Minister of State. As we face into the forthcoming referendum campaign, I do not believe any of us would have chosen the current political climate, with the difficulties relating to the household charge, water charges and the septic tank charge, in which to launch such a campaign. The French presidential election campaign has given rise to talk with regard to add-ons being...

Seanad: Human Trafficking and Prostitution: Motion (18 Apr 2012)

Jillian van Turnhout: I thank the Minister and warmly welcome him to the House. I even more warmly welcome the words he has shared with us. His commitment to the issue is clear but perhaps we can reflect on it somewhat. I tabled this motion together with my colleagues Senators Katherine Zappone, Fiach Mac Conghail and Mary Ann O'Brien. Much has been made of the six-month period, but my understanding was that...

Seanad: Housing Policy: Statements, Questions and Answers (28 Mar 2012)

Jillian van Turnhout: I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I welcome the opportunity provided to the Seanad to have this important debate. This morning The Irish Times quoted from the most recent CSO survey on income and living conditions in Ireland, which showed that the gap between the richest and poorest grew by more than 25% in 2010. The rate of those at risk of poverty rose from 14.1% in 2009 to...

Seanad: Order of Business (21 Mar 2012)

Jillian van Turnhout: I welcome the adoption by the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva last Thursday of the report of the working group on Ireland's universal periodic review, UPR. During the review on 6 October last, UN member states made 127 recommendations to Ireland concerning our human rights record. As the Leader knows, I noted on the Order of Business before that the Government immediately accepted 26...

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) (Political Funding) Bill 2011: Report and Final Stages (15 Mar 2012)

Jillian van Turnhout: I second the amendment. The members of the Independent group feel extremely strongly about amendments Nos. 1 and 3. I will not reiterate what my colleague, Senator Mac Conghail, said but I must point out that there are no guidelines for Independent Members. The guidelines we follow are the same as those which apply to political parties. We are, therefore, interpreting those guidelines as...

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) (Political Funding) Bill 2011: Report and Final Stages (15 Mar 2012)

Jillian van Turnhout: I would never do that.

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) (Political Funding) Bill 2011: Report and Final Stages (15 Mar 2012)

Jillian van Turnhout: Yes. We tabled this amendment as a group. We have come under fire from the public and we are strongly of the view that our allowances should be vouched. I do not see why we should have come under fire in respect of this matter. As stated on Committee Stage, I returned quite a large portion of my allowance to the Minister for Finance. It is slightly unusual that I was obliged to gift the...

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) (Political Funding) Bill 2011: Report and Final Stages (15 Mar 2012)

Jillian van Turnhout: I formally second the amendment.

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) (Political Funding) Bill 2011: Report and Final Stages (15 Mar 2012)

Jillian van Turnhout: I move amendment No. 4: In page 26, line 31, to delete "30 per cent" and substitute "40 per cent". We outlined our position quite strongly during the previous Stages of this debate. I will not reiterate all of the reasons we believe this legislation should be amended to provide for a gender threshold of 40%. We welcome the Bill and support it fully. In 2003, the committee of ministers of...

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) (Political Funding) Bill 2011: Report and Final Stages (15 Mar 2012)

Jillian van Turnhout: Exactly. There are 2.25 million women to choose from. I do not understand why there will be a delay in moving to 40%. This Government can do it without a problem. There are more than 2 million females in this country. I do not believe the political parties cannot find the candidates to get us to 40%.

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) (Political Funding) Bill 2011: Report and Final Stages (15 Mar 2012)

Jillian van Turnhout: While I do not like quotas, I like the results. That is the reality.

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) (Political Funding) Bill 2011: Report and Final Stages (15 Mar 2012)

Jillian van Turnhout: The Minister referred to the local elections, on which I will comment during the debate on our next amendment. He has made some valid points which underline the next amendment which we tabled. In spite of the number of female Deputies rising slightly since 1997, the overall percentage of women standing in general elections is decreasing. We must be more ambitious. Previously we debated...

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) (Political Funding) Bill 2011: Report and Final Stages (15 Mar 2012)

Jillian van Turnhout: I second this amendment. We are missing an opportunity by not applying the gender quotas to local elections. I agree fully with the 5050 Group and its contention that for quota legislation to be meaningful and to work, it must be extended to local government. By failing to do that, I believe we will run the risk of making the same mistake that was made in France, to which Senator Keane...

Seanad: Treaty on Stability, Coordination and Governance in the Economic and Monetary Union: Statements (14 Mar 2012)

Jillian van Turnhout: In common with my colleagues, I welcome the opportunity to have this debate in this forum. I also take the opportunity to acknowledge the presence in the Visitors Gallery of Dr. Stephen Kinsella, a leading economist from the University of Limerick, who will provide a report on the debate. Consequently, I will be careful about what I say about economics. I also thank the Library and...