Results 1,941-1,960 of 2,078 for speaker:Mary Seery Kearney

Seanad: Planning and Development, and Residential Tenancies, Bill 2020: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (17 Dec 2020)

Mary Seery Kearney: This amendment and legislation are good news. This is a good news story. The reason one finds Government Senators addressing the plight of landlords is generally because the Government is advancing legislation which advances rights for tenants. As a consequence, the Opposition says it is not enough. We must stand up and say a balance needs to be struck. That is the obligation of...

Seanad: Planning and Development, and Residential Tenancies, Bill 2020: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (17 Dec 2020)

Mary Seery Kearney: I believe we should debate through the Chair.

Seanad: Planning and Development, and Residential Tenancies, Bill 2020: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (17 Dec 2020)

Mary Seery Kearney: One can do what one wishes with this but the fact is that the Bill extends protections and supports. It makes sure that vulnerable people in this difficult time have additional supports from the State. It is good legislation for which I thank the Minister.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (16 Dec 2020)

Mary Seery Kearney: I want to raise the issue of equality and what it means. A report in The Irish Timestoday quotes the Balance for Better Business survey, a Government supported survey. It notes that of all the executive director appointments in the last 18 months in the Republic of Ireland, not one woman was appointed during that time.There was a target of having at least one woman in senior management in...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Dec 2020)

Mary Seery Kearney: I thank Senator Craughwell for raising this issue and for his email. I received his email and in panic rang a friend who is an accountant to verify whether the issue raised by Senator Craughwell was true because it was not something that I had considered before. While I hope that at no stage will I need to claim social welfare, it is good to be mindful of the current situation.The cynics...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (15 Dec 2020)

Mary Seery Kearney: I wish to address a pressing issue for the leaving certificate students of 2020, particularly that cohort who went through their course with a pattern of high achievement but were marked down and have missed places in medicine. Many sat the exams in November and now face the deadline to register for the health professions admission test, HPAT, which is a necessity for medicine. The...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Children's Unmet Needs: Engagement with Minister of State at the Department of Children, Disability, Equality, Integration and Youth (15 Dec 2020)

Mary Seery Kearney: As always, I thank the Minister of State for her engagement and briefing. I thank her office for being so engaged and accessible. I really appreciate that. My home constituency is Dublin South-Central, taking in a little of Dublin 6 and Dublin 6W. In that there seems to be exceptionally long waiting lists and it has been considered quite the black hole. One of my emails to the witnesses...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Children's Unmet Needs: Engagement with Minister of State at the Department of Children, Disability, Equality, Integration and Youth (15 Dec 2020)

Mary Seery Kearney: Well done. That is great.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Children's Unmet Needs: Engagement with Minister of State at the Department of Children, Disability, Equality, Integration and Youth (15 Dec 2020)

Mary Seery Kearney: Yes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Children's Unmet Needs: Engagement with Minister of State at the Department of Children, Disability, Equality, Integration and Youth (15 Dec 2020)

Mary Seery Kearney: I thank the Minister of State for her sign language earlier in the Seanad. It was an excellent job. Well done.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing Assistance Payment: Discussion (15 Dec 2020)

Mary Seery Kearney: I thank the witnesses for the exceptional work done by both of their organisations. I have two quick questions on which I would value their views. I am dealing with situations where there are tenants in possession who have come into financial difficulty as a consequence of Covid. They apply successfully for HAP, but when they inform their landlord, suddenly the landlord produces a relative...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Housing Assistance Payment: Discussion (15 Dec 2020)

Mary Seery Kearney: Would Ms O'Reilly care to comment on that?

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (9 Dec 2020)

Mary Seery Kearney: Yesterday, the Scottish Parliament passed fantastic legislation, the Period Products (Free Provision) (Scotland) Act, which means period products are now available free of charge in all schools, colleges and universities. I welcome the move because it lights the way for girls and women, or all who menstruate, to be fully supported with the cost of their periods during their time in education...

Seanad: Annual Transition Statement on Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act 2015: Statements (9 Dec 2020)

Mary Seery Kearney: On biodiversity, just transition and ideas around that, about 25 years ago, my husband was involved in pioneering the plantation of blueberries in Allenwood and the peatlands. It was an idea to see if this fruit would take in Irish soil and it was a great success. There are ideas that have been out there for years and it is great to see them being embraced now. When I was a councillor, I...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (8 Dec 2020)

Mary Seery Kearney: I extend my congratulations to the Minister for Justice, Deputy McEntee, on her lovely and exciting news this weekend. It is a very exciting time for her family and for us. We will travel along the journey of someone at Cabinet being pregnant. This raises the whole issue of the lack of maternity entitlement for particular parts of society. It is a great challenge. It is the first time...

Seanad: Combating Sexual, Domestic and Gender-Based Violence: Statements (Resumed) (8 Dec 2020)

Mary Seery Kearney: During the course of the pandemic, the circumstances shone a light on domestic violence and its prevalence in our community. I am proud that throughout the pandemic, our Government has responded extremely well and promptly provided increased funding to combat this issue.I lament that the conversation needed to happen at all. It is pretty horrific that anyone would be frightened,...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (3 Dec 2020)

Mary Seery Kearney: Today is UN International Day of Persons with Disabilities. I have just come from the Joint Committee on Disability Matters where we had an exceptional, inspirational and challenging meeting with Special Olympics Ireland, Trinity Pathways and WALK in Drimnagh on their incredible work. Every Christmas, I look forward to the RTÉ news report of the children from Chernobyl arriving in...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (2 Dec 2020)

Mary Seery Kearney: I want to talk about the general data protection regulation, GDPR, which normally nods people off to sleep, unless they are like me and get very excited about it. When Max Schrems took Facebook to court here in Ireland, a decision was made which brought about a change in the obligations on companies. Until then, if a company was exporting data out of the European Union or a European...

Seanad: Planning and Development Bill 2020: Report and Final Stages (2 Dec 2020)

Mary Seery Kearney: I find myself going backwards and forwards and checking and rechecking because when I hear the contributions being made I wonder whether I am missing something. The text, as per the amendment made on Committee Stage by the Government, clearly states a planning authority "shall consult with members of the public". The element of consulting with members of the public is absolutely preserved...

Seanad: Planning and Development Bill 2020: Report and Final Stages (2 Dec 2020)

Mary Seery Kearney: Senator Higgins is correct that the “or” does make it binary, so I would urge a review of that and to allow the possibility of "or both". I have full confidence in the views of the executive and the members in local authorities around the country, and that they would not be so minded as to hide behind the word and say that if they had it online, they could not have a public...