Results 161-180 of 658 for in 'Dáil debates' speaker:Emer Higgins

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (7 Dec 2022)

Emer Higgins: I wish to raise the lack of public transport in Newcastle, which is a growing town. The 68 bus is the only bus that serves the village itself. It is the only form of public transport into the village. It runs only about once an hour and of late it has not been reliable. On top of that, the express route for commuters was cancelled earlier this year without any notice. According to the...

Local Government (Maternity Protection and Other Measures for Members of Local Authorities) Bill 2022: Second Stage (1 Dec 2022)

Emer Higgins: I love my job because being a Deputy can have an impact. I am particularly excited to talk about legislation that will have a serious impact. Put simply, the Bill will allow for councillors in local government to take maternity leave for the very first time but the added benefit of it is that it will encourage more women into politics. I am a member of the Joint Committee on Housing,...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (30 Nov 2022)

Emer Higgins: Since June I have raised the cancellation of public health nurse check-ups for babies and children in community healthcare organisation, CHO, 7 and in particular the areas of Rathcoole, Lucan, Clondalkin and Newcastle. I have been told repeatedly that the HSE has a pipeline of students due to graduate who will become public health nurses. However, this has not materialised. In particular,...

COP27: Statements (29 Nov 2022)

Emer Higgins: I am delighted to have the opportunity to speak about COP27. It is great that we are all here today dedicating our time to do so. The climate crisis is the biggest threat facing us and it is not a future threat. It is a current threat. It is here and now and deserves to be treated as the most pressing issue we face as a human race. Unfortunately, however, that is not always the case,...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh – Priority Questions: Online Safety (24 Nov 2022)

Emer Higgins: 72. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the way that online safety and awareness is currently incorporated into the school curriculum at primary and post-primary school level; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [57484/22]

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh – Priority Questions: Online Safety (24 Nov 2022)

Emer Higgins: I ask the Minister the way in which online safety and awareness is currently incorporated into the primary and post primary curriculum, please.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh – Priority Questions: Online Safety (24 Nov 2022)

Emer Higgins: I thank the Minister for that update. We all acknowledge that we are living in a very different world now from the one we were in ten or even 15 years ago. Children nowadays have so many more pressures on them and much of that is as a result of the online developments. Online gaming and social media are now an everyday part of many teenagers, if not most teenagers, lives. While that has...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh – Priority Questions: Online Safety (24 Nov 2022)

Emer Higgins: It is fantastic to see that the responsible and ethical use of technology is very much at the core of this because that is what we want young people to do, which is to behave responsibly online towards their peers and, above all else, to stay safe. I am aware that the Minister mentioned Webwise in her initial contribution and I have had many dealings with them. They are one of many...

Social Welfare Bill 2022: Second Stage (Resumed) (23 Nov 2022)

Emer Higgins: I am pleased to be discussing this legislation and the changes that will come in as a result of budget 2023. Our social protection system, and our social welfare system before that, has always been instrumental when it comes to supporting and protecting people when they need help the most, whether through times of illness or unemployment or when people reach an older age or need maternity...

Ábhair Shaincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Matters (17 Nov 2022)

Emer Higgins: I wish to advise the House of the following matters in respect of which notice has been given under Standing Order 37 and the name of the Member in each case: Deputy Danny Healy-Rae - to discuss the critical situation in Kerry about accommodation for a person with intellectual disability for residential care. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan - to discuss the recruitment crisis in An Garda...

Dublin City Safety Initiatives and Other Services: Statements (17 Nov 2022)

Emer Higgins: As a Dublin Deputy, I welcome the opportunity to contribute to this debate on safety in our capital city. Dublin is a brilliant city. It is a place I am proud to live and work in. It is a place to which people come from all over the world to visit and stay. Of course, we are not without our problems, and this is especially so when it comes to safety on our streets. Building stronger...

Creeslough, County Donegal: Statements (8 Nov 2022)

Emer Higgins: I offer my sincere condolences to the people of Creeslough, the community at the centre of this tragedy, and to the family and friends of Shauna Flanagan Garwe and her dad, Robert Garwe, Catherine O'Donnell and her son, James Monaghan, Leona Harper, Jessica Gallagher, Martin McGill, Hugh Kelly, James O'Flaherty and Martina Martin - sons, daughters, mothers, fathers, nieces, nephews, aunts and...

Ábhair Shaincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Matters (27 Oct 2022)

Emer Higgins: I wish to advise the House of the following matters in respect of which notice has been given under Standing Order 37 and the name of the Member in each case: Deputy Jennifer Murnane O'Connor - to discuss plans to change the model of contracts for services between the Departments of Social Protection and Health, and dentists. Deputy Jackie Cahill - to discuss the public use of the swimming...

Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme Bill 2022: Second Stage (27 Oct 2022)

Emer Higgins: I am grateful for the opportunity to discuss this legislation, which has been long awaited by many people. It follows years of activism by survivors of mother and baby home institutions to get the recognition and redress they so badly deserve. The critical need for this legislation has been recognised by all political parties, all stakeholders and all groups. I welcome the work the...

Residential Tenancies (Deferment of Termination Dates of Certain Tenancies) Bill 2022: Second Stage (26 Oct 2022)

Emer Higgins: Like everyone else here, I know of a number of people whose tenancies have recently been terminated through no fault of their own. They are facing into a winter of uncertainty. Of course, I welcome any attempt to keep families in their homes and provide them with security. For families who feared losing their tenancy or perhaps felt a notice to quit was imminent, this will buy them time...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (20 Oct 2022)

Emer Higgins: Housing is the biggest societal issue of my generation and every day I meet people who are struggling to pay their rent or losing hope of some day owning their own home. This week, I heard from many prospective first-time buyers and from people saving for a deposit, who are finally seeing light at the end at the tunnel. They are encouraged by the Central Bank's decision to relax lending...

Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2022: Second Stage (Resumed) (13 Oct 2022)

Emer Higgins: If I might, I will start by saying that I am a Fine Gael Deputy and I know that my party and all the Government parties are safe and welcoming spaces for us all to vocalise our own views. We all have the opportunity to do so in this Chamber as well. I believe all our colleagues do this. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to contribute to this debate today. This Bill contains many...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (13 Oct 2022)

Emer Higgins: I raise with the Tánaiste the unreliability of Go-Ahead bus services. Since BusConnects in Lucan, we have new local routes, but they are not reliable. In Lucan, we have the L51 and L52 routes, as well as the 175 route from Citywest to UCD. These are Go-Ahead routes, and all problem routes. When these buses do not arrive, that has consequences. People are left stranded and stuck. I...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Childcare Services (13 Oct 2022)

Emer Higgins: This question asks for an update on the engagement the Minister has had with childcare providers in Dublin regarding core funding and if he will make a statement on the matter.

Ceisteanna Eile (Atógáil) - Other Questions (Resumed) (13 Oct 2022)

Emer Higgins: I welcome our distinguished guests. I thank the Minister for his response. The core funding scheme, Together for Better, which, as the Minister stated, started last month, is a significant move in the right direction. I believe it is the first important step in revolutionising the childcare sector and how we treat and value childcare providers. I am really pleased to hear that...