Results 1,881-1,900 of 2,011 for speaker:Frances Black

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) (Voting at 16) Bill 2016: Second Stage (29 Mar 2017)

Frances Black: I commend Senators Warfield and Ruane on this great legislation and I welcome all the young people here today. Robust voter participation is fundamental to a healthy democracy and 16 and 17 year olds voting would increase voter engagement across the entire electorate. There are a few reasons the voting age should be lowered to 16. First, 16 year olds voting build lifelong voters. Second,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Penal Reform: Simon Communities of Ireland (29 Mar 2017)

Frances Black: I thank the witnesses for coming in today. I am very aware of the fantastic work they all do. I can only imagine how frustrating it must be at times, particularly when working on the ground and fire-fighting most of the time. I will ask a hypothetical question. I imagine there is a high percentage of people who are in addiction or have mental health issues. Not all obviously, but I...

Seanad: Order of Business (28 Mar 2017)

Frances Black: I want to talk about the emotive topic in Ireland today that is eviction. Now, when I read the newspapers, it feels like we are turning back to the late 1800s where tenants were being evicted from their homes by rack-renting landlords but now the landlords are the foreign vulture funds and in some cases domestic lending agencies.

Seanad: Order of Business (28 Mar 2017)

Frances Black: In rural Ireland, farms are being repossessed and lands that have been in families for generations are being sold off by vulture funds. Some banks are selling off agricultural debts to multinational property asset companies which subsequently demand immediate payment of moneys owed. Fears are growing that an entire generation of farmers could be wiped out, stalling hopes of a sustainable...

Seanad: Sea-Fisheries (Amendment) Bill 2017: Committee Stage (22 Mar 2017)

Frances Black: I am totally opposed to this Bill, particularly after meeting with some of the people who will be directly affected by its implementation. I want to be their voice as they feel their livelihoods are being threatened and that they will be forced to give up fishing and to give up the legacy to their families. I do not know if the Minister has seen the film "Atlantic" but I would encourage him...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Penal Reform: Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice (22 Mar 2017)

Frances Black: I thank Mr. Carroll for the great work his organisation does. It works in many areas. As Mr. Carroll was speaking, I tried to get an understanding of his experience with adolescents. If one has an adolescent who is starting to play up and get into trouble, in his experience, what would be the proper intervention services to provide or means of preventing that young person from going down...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Penal Reform: Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice (22 Mar 2017)

Frances Black: Is there a huge difference between the three institutions of Hydebank Wood Prison, Grendon Prison and St. Patrick's Institution? Would it be a good idea to take one of these models for use in this country? Mr. Carroll has spoken a little about this. If we were to choose one of these models, which one would be the best in his experience? The main element for me is always addiction and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Penal Reform: Prison Officers Association (22 Mar 2017)

Frances Black: I thank the witnesses for their presentation. I wanted to ask a little more about the Villabona project in Spain to find out how it works. Mr. Clinton said that a prison estate is divided up into units for therapy and education. How does that work? On a more general level, it must be so hard for prison officers to be working in such a chaotic environment, particularly in the context of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Penal Reform: Prison Officers Association (22 Mar 2017)

Frances Black: I have one more question, if I may. In terms of the training unit, why has that not worked? How did it slip away and what were the reasons for that?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Penal Reform: Prison Officers Association (22 Mar 2017)

Frances Black: Okay, so it was working really well. My apologies, I misunderstood.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Penal Reform: Prison Officers Association (22 Mar 2017)

Frances Black: Yes, we would.

Seanad: Order of Business (21 Mar 2017)

Frances Black: I offer my condolences to Captain Dara Fitzpatrick's family. I can only imagine what it has been like for them. I pay tribute to her and to Mark Duffy, Ciarán Smith and Paul Ormsby on the great work they have done down through the years and I hope and pray that Mark, Ciarán and Paul are found soon. I also pay tribute to all the volunteers and crew who are out there looking for...

Seanad: Tourism Industry: Motion (8 Mar 2017)

Frances Black: The character of Ireland and our people is a brand in itself and we must do all that we can to support those who attend to the needs of tourists on a daily basis. We must note the good work of Tourism Ireland in recognising this hard work. It was established as one of the “six areas of co-operation” under the framework of the Belfast Agreement of Good Friday 1998. Their remit...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Penal Reform: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Mar 2017)

Frances Black: I thank the witnesses for their presentation today. Regarding the 70% of people who enter the prison system with addiction issues, does that include those with alcohol issues, gambling problems and so forth?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Penal Reform: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Mar 2017)

Frances Black: I can only talk about my own experience. I worked in Dóchas and ran some programmes with the organisation with which I work. I found it an amazing experience. I worked with prisoners who were incredible. They really wanted to recover. It is very difficult for prison officers to work in the chaos of addiction. We have worked with family members who have a loved one with an alcohol,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Penal Reform: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Mar 2017)

Frances Black: That is something to think about, namely, specifically training staff to understand the impact of addiction, but it is also important for them to learn how to cope with those in the chaos of addiction. We only ran three programmes because the funding ran out. Unfortunately, education which is very important for prisoners got in the way of the programmes we were running. Many of the women...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Penal Reform: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Mar 2017)

Frances Black: I will give a very good example of a woman with whom we worked whose son was coming out of prison, but he was going to have to go back in again. At that point he wanted to move into recovery. He wanted to get into a treatment centre, but, unfortunately, they could not get him in anywhere. She ended up ringing the Joe Duffy show. I have given this example previously. Thankfully, as a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Penal Reform: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Mar 2017)

Frances Black: I thank the witnesses for their very comprehensive presentation. I thank the service for its great work. What happens with somebody who is serving a life sentence in prison? What is the procedure in terms of the Probation Service for when they are ready to be released? I simply want to find out the way that process works. Is training provided for probation officers throughout the country...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Penal Reform: Discussion (Resumed) (8 Mar 2017)

Frances Black: Yes.

Seanad: Order of Business (7 Mar 2017)

Frances Black: I would also like to highlight the horrendous nature of what happened in the Tuam mother and baby home. An inquiry is being held into these shocking events. All of the people who have been impacted on by their dealings with mother and baby homes and other institutions such as the Magdalen laundries need to be listened to. The Coalition of Mother and Baby Home Survivors state approximately...