Results 1-20 of 431 for speaker:Lorraine Higgins

Seanad: Flooding: Statements (20 Jan 2016)

Lorraine Higgins: That is no problem at all. I am delighted to have the opportunity to raise the issue of flooding with the Minister of State, who has been to Galway and knows that south Galway was particularly badly affected. We badly need a resolution. Any proposal for flood relief measures in south Galway should be sensible and realistic and should provide a real assurance to local families, businesses,...

Seanad: Flooding: Statements (20 Jan 2016)

Lorraine Higgins: I just need 30 seconds. They interfered with a number of turloughs in the area. Given that I would not build a house on a turlough, I do not expect the State to build motorways in turloughs without having any adverse effects on the local community. We are seeing this now. We need to examine European directives. I propose that the State go to Europe and seek a relaxation of laws on...

Seanad: Flooding: Statements (20 Jan 2016)

Lorraine Higgins: I am nearly finished. This is a very important point to my constituency and I want to make it.

Seanad: Flooding: Statements (20 Jan 2016)

Lorraine Higgins: I only need 30 seconds. The people affected by flooding in south Galway need workable solutions. The time for talking is over. I would welcome any action that can be taken regarding my proposals. I commend the Minister of State on all he has done so far and the empathy he has shown to the families. They need workable solutions going into the future. I would appreciate it if the Minister...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Early Childhood Care Education (16 Dec 2015)

Lorraine Higgins: I welcome the Minister of State to the Chamber. It is the first time I have had the opportunity to address my former director of elections in the Chamber. How different things were this time last year. I ask the Minister of State if there have been any moves by his Department to introduce a salary scale for workers in the child care industry to ensure that their qualifications are...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Early Childhood Care Education (16 Dec 2015)

Lorraine Higgins: And a wonderful director of elections he was.

Seanad: Order of Business (16 Dec 2015)

Lorraine Higgins: I commend a parish priest in Ashbourne, County Meath, for the novel approach he has taken to confirming children in his parish. Usually children who are being confirmed take a pledge not to consume alcohol until they reach 18 years of age. Fr. Darby is insisting that children take a different pledge not to cyberbully others. He has also invited gardaí to speak at masses, from the...

Seanad: Order of Business (16 Dec 2015)

Lorraine Higgins: I thank Senator Byrne. I know she is a constituent of his. It is great to see this proactive measure being taken. It is a great move but it is only happening because there is a legislative vacuum in this area, which is a huge failure. Many people have contacted me over the past year and a half with concerns about online abuse and so on which I have documented in this House, particularly...

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Dec 2015)

Lorraine Higgins: Once again, I call for a debate on the need to introduce time limits for An Bord Pleanála decisions. This is a very pressing at the moment for none more so than people living in east Galway who have been subjected to such an unmitigated disaster in recent days with the flooding. It is clear that families' lives are being destroyed along the Dunkellin river and the Aggard stream all...

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Dec 2015)

Lorraine Higgins: It is wrong-----

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Dec 2015)

Lorraine Higgins: -----and unacceptable. I was told the last time the River Dunkellin-----

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Dec 2015)

Lorraine Higgins: I ask Senator Ó Clochartaigh to allow me to finish my contribution.

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Dec 2015)

Lorraine Higgins: This is a very serious issue and I would like to finish my contribution.

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Dec 2015)

Lorraine Higgins: The River Dunkellin was dredged in 1907 by the British Government and that is the last time it was dredged. That is frankly ridiculous. If we do not dredge it quickly-----

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Dec 2015)

Lorraine Higgins: -----we will contribute to bigger flooding issues in the future. The situation is much the same with the River Clarin in Athenry which burst its banks for the same reason and destroyed several homes in the Caheroyan area. While I have no intention of interfering with the planning process, I call for a little bit of reality to attach to proposals to deal with flooding in south Galway. We...

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Dec 2015)

Lorraine Higgins: -----to safety in their homes. We need flesh on the bones of commitment when it comes to providing flood relief. The time for talking is over. We need decisions. We need a legislative timeframe within which decisions from An Bord Pleanála will be delivered. That is the only way we can bind them so the people of east Galway do not have to wait an eternity for decisions which are...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Flood Relief Measures (2 Dec 2015)

Lorraine Higgins: I welcome the Minister of State. This is the first time I have had the opportunity to address him since he took office, so I am glad the matter is a pressing one for the people of east Galway. It is not a new issue either. The Dunkellin river has flooded on a number of occasions in the past six years and these events have had a major impact on the local people, who live in constant fear...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Flood Relief Measures (2 Dec 2015)

Lorraine Higgins: I thank the Minister of State for his very detailed response. As somebody with an interest in the environment who once wrote a thesis on intergenerational equity and the environment, I totally understand the environment considerations in respect of this project. However, there is a bit of a trade-off going on between the environment and the human right to safety for the people living along...

Seanad: Order of Business (1 Dec 2015)

Lorraine Higgins: A major issue has surfaced in my home town of Athenry relating to school admission procedures and the patent unfairness of the system which is in place. I have been contacted by numerous parents on the failure to have their children accepted into the school of their choice in the town. It is clear from the information I have gleaned from parents that there are a number of discrepancies in...

Seanad: Order of Business (1 Dec 2015)

Lorraine Higgins: I accept that but if this is happening in Athenry, it is happening in Portumna, Tuam, Loughrea, Gort and throughout Ireland. Some parents are applying to have their children educated in numerous schools and are clogging up the system for others who are trying to get their children into just one school. It is unfair and there are issues relating to the enrolment process which require further...