Results 1,681-1,700 of 2,011 for speaker:Frances Black

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...

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

Frances Black: Next Tuesday.

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Second Stage (20 Jun 2018)

Frances Black: I speak broadly in support of the Bill at this Stage. I will be brief as I know we will have many contributions. This legislation has been controversial, and a large number of amendments were tabled in the Dáil. Many of those have ironed out some of the more contentious issues, but others remain. There is a valuable discussion to be had in terms of the size of the commission and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Impact of Brexit on the Good Friday Agreement: Discussion (Resumed) (14 Jun 2018)

Frances Black: I apologise for missing Dr. Byrne's presentation. I will keep it very short. Earlier this year, the Tánaiste spoke at a celebration of the anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement at St. Mary's College in west Belfast. I would like to hear what Dr. Byrne thinks about something that was said during the subsequent panel discussion, which covered the implications of Brexit. Both sides...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Impact of Brexit on the Good Friday Agreement: Discussion (Resumed) (14 Jun 2018)

Frances Black: What does Dr. Byrne mean by leadership? Is he talking about the DUP or about leaders who are quite strong within their own communities? Is it more about leadership within certain communities?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Impact of Brexit on the Good Friday Agreement: Discussion (Resumed) (14 Jun 2018)

Frances Black: I have a final question. From the witness's perspective, what does he think we as a committee could do? Has he any suggestions? He talked about more debates between the two communities, and society getting more involved. Can he give a couple of suggestions that he thinks we should be working on or that we should be doing more of? We want to get active on this. We want to do something...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Garda Síochána Oversight and Accountability: Minister for Justice and Equality (13 Jun 2018)

Frances Black: I will try to be brief. I commend the Minister on his work recently with the Magdalen women, which was phenomenal. I welcome the fact the Minister will meet the McAnespie family. I cannot imagine what it must be like for them. I have specific questions on the right to work for asylum seekers following the points raised by Deputy Daly. I share her concerns and the restrictive interim right...