Results 1,661-1,680 of 1,997 for speaker:Frances Black

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: North South Implementation Bodies: InterTradeIreland and Tourism Ireland (11 Oct 2018)

Frances Black: It is lovely to see Mr. Gibbons here. I have met with him a couple of times. I commend the work being done by Tourism Ireland. I can see that Mr. Gibbons loves the work he does. He is very passionate about it and is doing a great job. It must be lovely to go abroad and sell such a beautiful product. The island of Ireland is one of the most beautiful countries in the world and Mr....

Seanad: Order of Business (11 Oct 2018)

Frances Black: I mark the passing of the Public Health (Alcohol) Bill in the House last night and which legislation is now going to Áras an Uachtaráin. I made a speech last night during which I forgot to thank a number of people. I take this opportunity to mention their names. One is Ms Kathryn Reilly who worked on the Bill. She is a former Senator and did a great deal of work on the...

Seanad: Public Health (Alcohol) Bill 2015: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (10 Oct 2018)

Frances Black: I welcome the Minister with open arms today. I have been looking forward to this day for a very long time but I will adhere to the rules. I welcome the amendment. A key aspect of the legislation is the introduction of minimum unit pricing for alcohol products. The Bill instructs the Minister for Health to review the effectiveness of this measure three years after commencement and outlines...

Seanad: Public Health (Alcohol) Bill 2015: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (10 Oct 2018)

Frances Black: I will try to be brief but it is so important to mark the passage of this vital, life-saving legislation. I feel very emotional, mainly because I was so emotionally involved in the working through of this Bill. My heart and soul was in this. I came into this House to work on this legislation and it has been my passion for the past two and a half years. Apologies for the confusion but I...

Seanad: Mental Health (Capacity To Consent To Treatment) Bill 2018: Second Stage (10 Oct 2018)

Frances Black: May I share my time with my colleague?

Seanad: Mental Health (Capacity To Consent To Treatment) Bill 2018: Second Stage (10 Oct 2018)

Frances Black: I welcome the Minister of State and wish to speak strongly in support of the legislation, the purpose of which has been outlined in detail by colleagues across the House. I would really like to see it being passed on Second Stage and progress to Committee Stage quickly. I was delighted to co-sign and co-sponsor it and commend Senator Máire Devine and her team, especially Ms McManus who...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Community Policing and Rural Crime: Discussion (3 Oct 2018)

Frances Black: I thank the witnesses for the fantastic work they are doing on the front line. I love the vision for community policing. My gut tells me that policing services have a long way to go. The area that I am interested and work in and on which Dr. Connolly touched is addiction. I have often worked with families with loved ones who had broken into houses to feed their addiction, whether to...

Seanad: Copyright and Other Intellectual Property Law Provisions Bill 2018: Second Stage (26 Sep 2018)

Frances Black: I welcome the Minister of State to the Chamber today and I welcome this important Bill to the House. As a member of Civil Engagement, I worked closely with Senator John Dolan, who has pushed tirelessly to raise disability issues in the House. Having spoken with Senator Dolan and some of the leading organisations dealing with disability issues, I want to flag some of their concerns on Second...

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Sep 2018)

Frances Black: I welcome all of our colleagues back to the House. It feels like we have a lot of work ahead of us. As most Senators will be aware, since I was elected to this House I have worked very hard to tackle alcohol harm in Irish society.I have watched the Public Health (Alcohol) Bill come through the Seanad and I am pleased that we have gotten it through the Seanad. As we know it has been over...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: General Scheme of the Thirty-eighth Amendment of the Constitution (Role of Women) Bill: Discussion (19 Sep 2018)

Frances Black: I do not have much to say. Like Deputies Clare Daly and Ó Laoghaire I do not have a big problem with including reasonable economic rights in the Constitution because those protections are there for a reason. The courts have always been wary of overstepping the line and acting very strongly on them. I would like to hear a little bit more on what the fears or concerns might be if we...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: General Scheme of the Thirty-eighth Amendment of the Constitution (Role of Women) Bill: Discussion (19 Sep 2018)

Frances Black: I thank the witnesses for fantastic presentations this morning. It goes without saying that this is a very complex situation. It definitely needs to be investigated a lot more. I particularly commend Dr. Cahillane on her clear and useful presentation. I have a couple of short questions. First, the Minister said that a replacement clause could have unpredictable legal consequences. Is...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: General Scheme of the Thirty-eighth Amendment of the Constitution (Role of Women) Bill: Discussion (19 Sep 2018)

Frances Black: I said the Constitution can be useful in setting a floor of basic rights below which government and policy cannot go. Most recently, the decision on asylum seekers was raised by the commission. In that case, the Supreme Court did not impose a huge positive obligation on the State but instead ruled that asylum seekers should have a bare minimum access to work. Could we see this in the same...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: General Scheme of the Thirty-eighth Amendment of the Constitution (Role of Women) Bill: Discussion (19 Sep 2018)

Frances Black: I have one question. Witnesses will forgive me if I missed the answer to this. I wish to ask IHEC and Dr. Cahillane their thoughts on a citizens' assembly. Would it be a good idea to go ahead with a citizens' assembly and follow the model of the repeal of the eighth amendment?

Seanad: Order of Business (12 Jul 2018)

Frances Black: I want to say a few words about the progressing of my Control of Economic Activity (Occupied Territories) Bill 2018 yesterday. I thank Senators across the House for their strong support. A fantastic photograph was sent to me this morning of the Irish flag over City Hall in Ramallah in Palestine. It means a lot to the Palestinian people that this legislation progressed yesterday. I did not...

Seanad: Situation in Palestine: Statements (11 Jul 2018)

Frances Black: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Situation in Palestine: Statements (Resumed) (11 Jul 2018)

Frances Black: It will be divided five minutes and three minutes.

Seanad: Situation in Palestine: Statements (Resumed) (11 Jul 2018)

Frances Black: I am a little bit nervous because I am told that the whole of Palestine is watching us today, so Members can imagine that I am anxious. I want to ensure that I say everything I need to. Last night, I welcomed two amazing Palestinian farmers to Dublin. Mona and Fayez travelled all the way from the West Bank to meet ordinary Irish people and groups that had been fundraising, holding public...

Seanad: Situation in Palestine: Statements (Resumed) (11 Jul 2018)

Frances Black: Ireland has the opportunity to take a lead on this and to make a clear, principled case, grounded in international law, that other states will follow. We are not looking to go it alone, but to lead. This is not a radical demand. We are simply asking for consistency in our foreign policy and a disassociation from clear violations of international law. The Bill will not end trade in Israeli...

Seanad: Situation in Palestine: Statements (Resumed) (11 Jul 2018)

Frances Black: -----I will close by saying that this is a modest proposal. It does not place sanctions on any one country.It is not ending diplomatic ties. It is simply saying that if we are sure certain goods have been produced as the result of war crimes, we should not be trading in them. To me, this is the bare minimum that should be expected of an EU member state and a country committed to justice...

Seanad: Control of Economic Activity (Occupied Territories) Bill 2018: Second Stage (Resumed) (11 Jul 2018)

Frances Black: I thank all of the Senators who are supporting the Bill. I thank Sinn Féin, the Labour Party and, of course, the Independent Senators who support it. I especially thank Fianna Fáil. Deputy Niall Collins travelled to Palestine to educate himself on the issue. When he came back, he was clear about how he felt. He saw the situation in Palestine at first hand, as I did. I am...