Results 1-20 of 1,485 for speaker:Lorraine Clifford-Lee

Seanad: Offences against the State (Amendment) Act 1998: Motion (15 Jun 2016)

Lorraine Clifford Lee: I will keep my contribution as brief as possible. On behalf of the Fianna Fáil group, I voice our support for the two motions before the Seanad today. Both the Criminal Justice (Amendment) Act 2009 and the Offences against the State (Amendment) Act 1998 require that certain sections of the Acts be renewed by the Oireachtas on an annual basis. Fianna Fáil has consistently...

Seanad: Poverty and Homelessness: Motion (15 Jun 2016)

Lorraine Clifford Lee: I move:That Seanad Éireann:notes:- the most recent Central Statistics Office (CSO) Survey on Income and Living Conditions that shows the number of households suffering deprivation has risen from 24.5 per cent in 2011 to 30.5 per cent in 2013 and the number living in consistent poverty has risen from 6.9 per cent to 8.2 per cent; and - that the CSO also shows that the levels of...

Seanad: Poverty and Homelessness: Motion (15 Jun 2016)

Lorraine Clifford Lee: I thank all the Members who contributed to this debate with their insights into this housing crisis. I thank Fine Gael for supporting the motion. It means a lot that this House is passing this motion on an agreed basis. As Senator Norris said, this sends out a very clear signal that this House is prioritising housing and homelessness. In her very eloquent contribution Senator Devine said...

Seanad: Poverty and Homelessness: Motion (15 Jun 2016)

Lorraine Clifford Lee: Many speakers have pointed out-----

Seanad: Poverty and Homelessness: Motion (15 Jun 2016)

Lorraine Clifford Lee: -----that the vast majority of the more than 2,000 children who are homeless live in Dublin. The facts speak for themselves.

Seanad: Poverty and Homelessness: Motion (15 Jun 2016)

Lorraine Clifford Lee: Will the Senator allow me to finish?

Seanad: Poverty and Homelessness: Motion (15 Jun 2016)

Lorraine Clifford Lee: I will finish up in another minute, if that is okay?

Seanad: Poverty and Homelessness: Motion (15 Jun 2016)

Lorraine Clifford Lee: Senator Ruane raised the issue of rough sleepers. She made the valid point that we should not lose sight of rough sleepers. Now that more families are falling into the homeless cycle the focus has gone off rough sleepers. The Senator quite rightly pointed out that we need to resume our focus on rough sleepers. They have high needs and high dependencies and I ask the Minister to address...

Seanad: Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) Bill 2016: Second Stage (23 Jun 2016)

Lorraine Clifford Lee: I thank the Minister and the Minister of State for being present in the House for this debate. I particularly thank the Minister, Deputy Simon Harris, for his helpful explanation of the amendments involved. Having spoken to community activists from many communities blighted by drugs, in particular, activists in the north inner city, we, in Fianna Fáil, feel compelled to support the...

Seanad: Order of Business (28 Jun 2016)

Lorraine Clifford Lee: I second the amendment to the Order of Business proposed by my colleague, Senator Leyden, to allow for publication of the Registration of Wills 2016 Bill.I would be very happy to support it and I look forward to it coming before the House. I would also like to voice my support for Senator Leyden's proposal to locate a passport office in Balbriggan in north County Dublin. It is ideally...

Seanad: Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) Bill 2016: Committee Stage (29 Jun 2016)

Lorraine Clifford Lee: Last week I spoke in favour of the Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) Bill 2016 presented by the Minister. In his contribution, the Minister, Deputy Simon Harris, outlined the reason the Bill is required. He said drug dealers carry relatively small quantities of drugs on their person and this then makes it difficult for authorities to proceed with sale or supply charges. Having spoken to...

Seanad: Immigration (Reform) (Regularisation of Residency Status) Bill 2016: Second Stage (29 Jun 2016)

Lorraine Clifford Lee: The direct provision system currently in place for asylum seekers was established in 2000. When established, it was envisaged that applicants would spend a maximum of six months in direct provision while their applications were being processed. The past 16 years have shown that has not happened and currently there are approximately 2,500 people in direct provision for four years or more....

Seanad: Delivering Sustainable Full Employment: Statements (Resumed) (30 Jun 2016)

Lorraine Clifford Lee: I echo the comments of Senator Higgins on women in the workforce and in particular the issue of child care, which disproportionately affects female employees. It is an issue close to my heart, being the mother of a young child. It disproportionately affects females, although I know many males are involved with child care provision in families as well. However, it often falls on the females...

Seanad: Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) Bill 2016: Report and Final Stages (30 Jun 2016)

Lorraine Clifford Lee: I welcome the Minister and thank her for her very constructive comments yesterday. I thoroughly enjoyed her contributions and feel she gave a great insight into the situation within her own constituency and right across the country. Fianna Fáil welcomes the passage of this Bill, a Bill which has been expected for some time and was expedited in view of recent events. The key objective...

Seanad: Order of Business (5 Jul 2016)

Lorraine Clifford Lee: I second Senator Ardagh's amendment to the Order of Business to bring the Minister for Justice and Equality to the House in light of the shooting earlier in Lusk in my constituency.

Seanad: Order of Business (5 Jul 2016)

Lorraine Clifford Lee: I live close by and the people of Lusk and the general area are concerned about the escalation in gun crime.

Seanad: Proceeds of Crime (Amendment) Bill 2016: Second Stage (5 Jul 2016)

Lorraine Clifford Lee: I welcome the Minister to the House and welcome her comments on this Bill. Just over a week ago, the 20th anniversary of the murder of Veronica Guerin was marked. The Criminal Assets Bureau was established and the proceeds of crime legislation introduced as it was acknowledged that new powers were needed by the authorities to deal with the threat of criminal gangs who thought nothing of...

Seanad: Order of Business (6 Jul 2016)

Lorraine Clifford Lee: I wish to raise an issue I raised briefly yesterday, namely, the shooting in Lusk yesterday morning in broad daylight. A gentleman is clinging to life in hospital and his condition is very serious. This shooting happened before 10 a.m. A mother and her young children arrived on the scene. It is truly shocking that such incidents are happening. We are unfortunately becoming very familiar...

Seanad: Order of Business (7 Jul 2016)

Lorraine Clifford Lee: I draw the attention of the House to an auction taking place at Christie's auction house in London at 7 p.m. Three paintings that form part of the Alfred Beit collection are going under the hammer, namely, "Venus Supplicating Jupiter" by Reubens, "Piazza San Marco, Venice" by Guardi; and "The Piazzetta, Venice, with the Doge’s Palace" also by Guardi. They are being sold to fund an...

Seanad: Proceeds of Crime (Amendment) Bill 2016: Committee and Remaining Stages (7 Jul 2016)

Lorraine Clifford Lee: I accept Senator Bacik's point that there is a dramatic expansion of powers but I believe this is proportionate. While I also accept her point about innocent business owners being caught up in this, I note this is for a 21-day period and not longer. Taking into account the scale of the threat before us at present, we in Fianna Fáil are satisfied that the safeguards as outlined by the...