Results 1,821-1,840 of 2,011 for speaker:Frances Black

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Legacy Issues Affecting Victims and Relatives in Northern Ireland: Discussion (12 Oct 2017)

Frances Black: Is there is a priority in all of those going forward and does Ms Urwin want us to work on one big one or is it just that-----

Seanad: Northern Ireland: Statements (11 Oct 2017)

Frances Black: I welcome the Minister. I have always had a great interest in the situation in the North. I previously mentioned my strong family links to the North, so it is a very personal issue for me and is very close to my heart. My work with the RISE Foundation has often brought me to the North, where I have worked with cross-community organisations. That was of great interest to me and the...

Seanad: Mental Health (Amendment) Bill 2017: Second Stage (11 Oct 2017)

Frances Black: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Jim Daly, back to the Chamber. I am very happy to speak in favour of this Bill. I commend Deputy James Browne for his work on it. It is great that the Bill has progressed through the Oireachtas very quickly, which goes to show the strong cross-party support for it. That is fantastic. I also congratulate Mental Health Reform whose representatives...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Wards of Court: Discussion (11 Oct 2017)

Frances Black: I thank Ms Farrell for attending the committee meeting today and for her presentation. I agree with my colleague, Deputy Wallace, regarding the lack of accountability and transparency being a common thread throughout many matters that come before us. I am not a legal person. I have a problem with the term "ward of court" and people being called that. It seems a somewhat inhumane term....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Wards of Court: Discussion (11 Oct 2017)

Frances Black: I work with family members who are dealing with the trauma of addiction. They are in very traumatic situations. I heard what Ms Farrell said about the requirement for scrutiny and the need to look for certain things. It is very hard to do all that when people are firefighting as a family. It is very hard to have a clear head. What Ms Farrell is doing is fantastic. I thank her for the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Wards of Court: Discussion (11 Oct 2017)

Frances Black: I asked about the ratification of the UN convention.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Wards of Court: Discussion (11 Oct 2017)

Frances Black: I refer to families who are firefighting and trying to keep going on a daily basis. Does Ms Farrell feel that because people have mental health issues or are very sick, perhaps they do not receive as much care or thought as others? They cannot have a voice and are not challenging anything because they are in a very traumatic place. Does Ms Farrell think that is part of the problem?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Wards of Court: Discussion (11 Oct 2017)

Frances Black: I thank the witnesses for the presentation today. I can imagine it must have been very difficult when the service did not have the resources to be able to do the job the witnesses wanted to do to the best of their ability. I am happy to hear that has changed and the service is willing to work with the families here today. It is a positive message being given. One can imagine the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Wards of Court: Discussion (11 Oct 2017)

Frances Black: Would the service be inclined to communicate in a way that asks the families to come in and speak with its representatives? Does the service wait for the families to make contact?

Seanad: Direct Provision: Statements (4 Oct 2017)

Frances Black: I welcome the Minister. I am deeply sad that we still need to debate this issue. I disagree with the Minister in that I do not see direct provision as a way of protecting people. The system of direct provision is an absolute disgrace and something of which we should be deeply ashamed. The reality is that thousands of people are effectively warehoused and forced to live on €19 per...

Seanad: Mental Health Services: Motion (4 Oct 2017)

Frances Black: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Jim Daly, to the House. I am very happy to speak in favour of the motion and I commend my colleague, Senator Joan Freeman, for bringing it forward. I join colleagues in stressing that 24-7 access to mental health services is essential. The funding must be made available to address this need. Currently, thousands of children are struggling to cope...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Recent Issues Relating to An Garda Síochána: Acting Garda Commissioner Dónall Ó Cualáin (4 Oct 2017)

Frances Black: I thank all the witnesses for coming before the committee. I will speak from my experience of working in another area. Regarding Dr. Geoffrey Shannon's report, I worked with a family who had a child about who they were very concerned and the way the Garda members treated the family was fantastic. One garda in particular gave them unbelievably good support, more than Tusla, social services...

Seanad: Order of Business (3 Oct 2017)

Frances Black: I send my condolences to the people of Las Vegas and to those who lost loved ones in the horrendous atrocity that happened there. I also join my colleague, Senator Higgins, and others in strongly condemning what happened in Catalonia in recent days. No matter one's position, brutal police violence against people trying to exercise their right to free assembly and the democratic process is a...

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Jul 2017)

Frances Black: I join other Senators in welcoming the report published this morning by the Department of Justice and Equality and researchers at University College Cork, UCC, on the lives of children living in direct provision. It further confirms what we all know, that direct provision is a national disgrace and we cannot stand over it.

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Jul 2017)

Frances Black: The injustice is unfathomable. Young people feel unsafe. These children were born into the system and confined to one room and four walls. They are not able to live normal lives or to develop as children should be. This is sowing the seeds for significant mental health problems down the line. We need to reject it. We know the reality of what it is like in these centres. This report...

Seanad: Independent Reporting Commission Bill 2017: Second Stage (19 Jul 2017)

Frances Black: I welcome the Minister and I welcome the independent reporting commission. I hope this will be another step towards achieving a society free from paramilitarism. This will help provide stability and peace in a society that has been plagued by violence for many years. The shared futures agreement promised to build hope and confidence throughout the North and to establish true...

Seanad: Intoxicating Liquor (Amendment) Bill 2017: Committee and Remaining Stages (19 Jul 2017)

Frances Black: I, too, welcome what the Minister has said. Some people might be surprised that I support the legislation bearing in mind my background of community work and helping people who have problems with alcohol, in particular family members. I am in favour of the change because I believe it will help reduce the harm that alcohol does to the health of our people, which is interesting enough. In...

Seanad: Order of Business (12 Jul 2017)

Frances Black: I agree with my colleague, Senator Ó Clochartaigh, on the current homelessness situation. Last night I was very upset by seeing on Twitter a young child talking about what it was like for her to experience homelessness. It was heartbreaking to see and this is one of the reasons I welcome this report. There is huge injustice in this country today. This is one of the wealthiest...

Seanad: International Protection (Family Reunification) (Amendment) Bill 2017: First Stage (12 Jul 2017)

Frances Black: I second the proposal.

Seanad: Report of Seanad Special Select Committee on the Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union: Motion (12 Jul 2017)

Frances Black: I welcome the Minister of State to the Chamber to discuss the report and congratulate her on her new post. A huge amount of work and consultation went into the report and I am delighted to see it before the House. I commend Senator Neale Richmond for his work in chairing the committee and offer special thanks to the organisations and individuals who gave of their time and shared their...