Results 1,641-1,660 of 2,011 for speaker:Frances Black

Seanad: Control of Economic Activity (Occupied Territories) Bill 2018: Report and Final Stages (5 Dec 2018)

Frances Black: I am going to keep it very short until the Bill is passed, at which point I would like to make a final speech and thank a few people. I have to disagree with the Minister of State on what the Attorney General said. At some point I would like to see what the Attorney General said. We have opinions from the top legal people in Europe - Michael Lynn, Professor James Crawford and Professor...

Seanad: Control of Economic Activity (Occupied Territories) Bill 2018: Report and Final Stages (5 Dec 2018)

Frances Black: I want to thank a few people. I am so delighted and I feel so emotional. I am so proud to see Seanad Éireann pass this Bill in full today. It is an historic and momentous occasion and I know how much it means to the Palestinian people to know that someone out there cares. Today, we send a strong signal that Ireland will always stand on the side of international law, human rights and...

Seanad: Control of Economic Activity (Occupied Territories) Bill 2018: Report and Final Stages (5 Dec 2018)

Frances Black: The huge level of cross-party support for this Bill is a testament to the fact that it is not a radical ask. We are simply saying that if we know certain goods have been produced as a result of war crimes, we should not be trading in them. This is the bare minimum that should be expected of a country with a deep commitment to human rights. If not, there is a clear hypocrisy. How can we...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund: Motion (5 Dec 2018)

Frances Black: I thank the Minister of State for coming before the committee and for his presentation. I read the briefing document that was circulated to members. This fund is great in the way it is used to support a number of positive integrative initiatives and I strongly welcome it. There is one piece in the briefing document I want to ask about. It mentions "the efficient management of migration...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund: Motion (5 Dec 2018)

Frances Black: I was just wondering-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund: Motion (5 Dec 2018)

Frances Black: Does the Minister of State want me to ask the other questions again?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund: Motion (5 Dec 2018)

Frances Black: On the underspend, can we use the extra money to welcome more refugees?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Bail (Amendment) Bill 2017: Discussion (5 Dec 2018)

Frances Black: I thank the witnesses for their clear and precise presentations. This is my first time to get an understanding of Deputy O'Callaghan's Bill. The work that Ms Deane is doing is absolutely fantastic. I cannot imagine what it would be like for a family member to lose somebody to homicide. When we bring it back to the human level of what it is like for family members - the devastation they...

Seanad: Control of Economic Activity (Occupied Territories) Bill 2018: Committee Stage (28 Nov 2018)

Frances Black: I welcome the Minister of State. I will try to be as brief as I can, but this is an important section and I must ensure that people understand the issue, given that there have been many questions about it. Section 3 mirrors section 2, as our aim is to focus solely on international law. While much of the debate has covered Israel's 50-year occupation of the West Bank and relentless...

Seanad: Control of Economic Activity (Occupied Territories) Bill 2018: Committee Stage (Resumed) (28 Nov 2018)

Frances Black: Next Tuesday.

Seanad: Irish Nationality and Citizenship (Naturalisation of Minors Born in Ireland) Bill 2018: Second Stage (21 Nov 2018)

Frances Black: Yes.

Seanad: Irish Nationality and Citizenship (Naturalisation of Minors Born in Ireland) Bill 2018: Second Stage (21 Nov 2018)

Frances Black: I welcome the Minister of State to the Chamber. I am delighted to be able to speak strongly in favour of this important Bill. I commend Senator Bacik and the Labour Party Senators for their work on bringing it forward. I also welcome the guests in the Public Gallery who have worked very hard on the issue. The Bill proposes a modest, humane, compassionate change and I urge my colleagues...

Seanad: Fossil Fuel Divestment Bill 2016: Second Stage (14 Nov 2018)

Frances Black: I know we are very tight on time so I will try to be as brief as possible. I put on record my firm support for this legislation.I congratulate Deputy Pringle on initiating the Bill. I welcome our guests in the Visitors Gallery and I especially thank Ms Selina Donnelly of Trócaire who has worked tirelessly and passionately on this issue. She is an amazing woman. I hope the Bill will...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: North-South Implementation Bodies: Waterways Ireland and Loughs Agency (8 Nov 2018)

Frances Black: I thank the witnesses for their presentations. I am so naive in this area that I would not have had any clue, so today is a great learning curve for me about the work done by the two agencies. We can take our waterways for granted. I live on the canal and I walk along it most days. I have also been on the Shannon. I feel bad saying it but I had not realised the amount of work the...

Seanad: Address to Seanad Éireann by Ms Deirdre Hargey, Lord Mayor of Belfast (8 Nov 2018)

Frances Black: I welcome the Lord Mayor and thank her sincerely for her historic address. Given my own family background in north Antrim, I am deeply passionate about the North of Ireland and I am happy to see sustained engagement between these Houses and Belfast. I have a huge soft spot for Belfast. It is an amazing city – vibrant, musical and full of life, energy, humour and complexity.To have...

Seanad: Parental Leave (Amendment) Bill 2017: Second Stage (7 Nov 2018)

Frances Black: May I share my time with my colleague, as I wish to give Senator Ruane two minutes?

Seanad: Parental Leave (Amendment) Bill 2017: Second Stage (7 Nov 2018)

Frances Black: I welcome the Minister of State and I am really delighted to speak in support of the Bill. I commend Deputies Shortall and Catherine Murphy for their great work in bringing the Bill to this point. We all know that getting Private Members' legislation passed into law is not easy but it is an excellent example of how Opposition Members can push through real meaningful changes when we work on...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Future Direction of An Garda Síochána: Garda Commissioner (24 Oct 2018)

Frances Black: I thank the Commissioner for his presentation. I wish him well in his role. I imagine it is quite a big undertaking. He has a great deal of work ahead of him.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Future Direction of An Garda Síochána: Garda Commissioner (24 Oct 2018)

Frances Black: The Commissioner touched on many issues, including those that I wanted to ask him about. He spoke about police training and development and touched on the human rights aspect of that. Will he expand a little more on that? Could he give us an example of the human rights aspect of training and what that entails?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Future Direction of An Garda Síochána: Garda Commissioner (24 Oct 2018)

Frances Black: A report covering mental health within Garda Síochána was published earlier this year. The reality is that gardaí at the coalface have to deal with major issues. I imagine that have to deal with very traumatic issues.