Results 101-120 of 676 for speaker:Emer Currie

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Future of Ireland: Discussion (11 May 2021)

Emer Currie: Last night, I read out the names of the victims of the Ballymurphy massacre. I felt it was important to do so and to acknowledge what an important day this is for all of us. While we are all here talking about the future, the past weighs heavily on us this morning. Today is an opportunity to hear the truth about what happened.

Seanad: Young People: Motion (17 May 2021)

Emer Currie: Apologies for cutting the Senator short. I wish to commend my colleague, Senator Seery Kearney, on putting forward this motion, and on her hard work and commitment in this area and her empathy for young people. I feel it too. I feel it for my own children who are now aged six and eight. There is a massive about of mother's guilt for when we were both working full-time and they were...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: School Facilities (18 May 2021)

Emer Currie: I welcome the Minister of State. My Commencement Matter concerns a licence agreement for a green field beside a school in Dublin 15, St. Patrick's National School in Diswellstown. The agreement is with Park Developments Group. It is a local agreement between the school and developer for the use of the land. It is zoned for community infrastructure and will not be used for housing. The...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: School Facilities (18 May 2021)

Emer Currie: I thank the Minister of State for that response. I am glad to hear that the Department is committed to this project and understands the urgency behind it. This issue has been going on since December 2019 so I sincerely hope a resolution and an agreement can be found and I hope Park Developments will come to an arrangement with Fingal County Council and the Department. The school would like...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Shared Island Unit: Department of the Taoiseach (Resumed) (18 May 2021)

Emer Currie: I am here.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Shared Island Unit: Department of the Taoiseach (Resumed) (18 May 2021)

Emer Currie: That is alright, I can barely see myself. I am in one of these booths in the convention centre for the first time and it feels a bit odd. I just managed to get the lights on. My question relates to the North-South Ministerial Council. It is obviously dependent on having a nationalist and a unionist Minister attend and we have seen non-attendance in the last number of months, thought...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Shared Island Unit: Department of the Taoiseach (Resumed) (18 May 2021)

Emer Currie: If there is time, I will ask another question.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Shared Island Unit: Department of the Taoiseach (Resumed) (18 May 2021)

Emer Currie: It is great to hear the dialogue series is progressing. I share Senator Ó Donnghaile's view that awareness is a bit low around this and I would prefer to see more insights coming out of this and the sharing of progress. Is one of the outputs of the series that there could be an appetite to progress the North-South consultative forum and there could be engagement with enough groups for...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (24 May 2021)

Emer Currie: This morning, I want to raise the wedding industry, which is worth approximately €2.3 billion per annum. I understand it is worth more than the conferences industry. We all know the impact of weddings on our local economies in terms of the business for venues, caterers, bakeries, florists and hair and beauty salons, all of which services attract VAT at 23%, not 9%. There is a wedding...

Seanad: Affordable Housing Bill 2021: Second Stage (Resumed) (24 May 2021)

Emer Currie: I welcome the Minister. For me, housing is the biggest issue that our country faces. Covid has been an inconvenient distraction from that but it has evolved the thinking on housing, community, quality of life, how and where we can work and, consequently, how and where we can live. By restricting their movements, we restricted spending so more potential buyers have been able to save up...

Seanad: Organisation of Working Time (Reproductive Health Related Leave) Bill 2021: Second Stage (24 May 2021)

Emer Currie: I thank the Labour Party Senators for bringing the Bill forward. I acknowledge anyone in this House or in the other House who has been affected by this issue. All Senators know the anguish many people and families suffer in trying to have a child, as well as the physical or psychological pain of miscarriage, IVF and other fertility and reproductive treatments. It is so common. Every time...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Special Educational Needs (25 May 2021)

Emer Currie: The matter I raise relates to equity in education and goes to the heart of an inclusive education system. The backdrop is that a national school in Roselawn, Dublin 15, wanted to provide a reading class for the community and the board of management and staff were fully on board. The school successfully opened a special class for autism called Sonas in June 2019 and I attended the opening....

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Special Educational Needs (25 May 2021)

Emer Currie: I thank the Minister of State for conducting a review of the process and of reading classes. She said it was an operational error, but an operational error does not give any comfort to families whose hopes were raised and who have now been disappointed. I refer to the postcode lottery in that children in certain areas may be able to access this type of education, facility and service, and...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (31 May 2021)

Emer Currie: This morning, I raise the TidyTowns competition. It is great to see it back this year and that there are €1,000 grants available. Many groups were disappointed that the competition did not go ahead last year but that did not stop much of their work. Members worked within their 2 km and 5 km zones, and boy did we need them. As we heard this morning, there have been masks on the...

Seanad: Covid-19 Vaccination Programme: Statements (31 May 2021)

Emer Currie: I have never been happier to tick the box which states I am in the 40 to 44 age group than when I did so today. The purpose of the digital green certificate is to facilitate the safe movement of citizens within the EU during the pandemic. It is valid in all EU member states for people who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 and others. There are people from the North, who live in the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Representatives of the Ballymurphy Families (25 May 2021)

Emer Currie: Good morning. I wish to thank Mr. Teggart and our guests for giving of their time here this morning. I thank them for their tireless campaign over the past 20 years, and over the 50 years since they were denied truth and justice for their loved ones. I was honoured to have read the names of the victims into the Official Report on the night before the findings of the inquest. We all felt...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Engagement with Ireland's Future (1 Jun 2021)

Emer Currie: It is nice to meet Mr. Murphy again. This is fourth time that I have met representatives of Ireland's Future in the last year. Any contribution in this area is to be valued. That is the case not just in respect of Ireland's Future but also the other groups that we have met and the work of the shared island unit. I must say that I am concerned about some of the language used. I hear...

Seanad: Gender Pay Gap Information Bill 2021: Second Stage (14 Jun 2021)

Emer Currie: I thank the Minister for presenting this vital legislation to the House. We have waited for it for a long time. The gender pay gap is often criticised as being a blunt measurement and the argument is the 14.4% pay gap does not mean women are necessarily paid that much less in a like-for-like scenario, although I know that happens. We already have the right to equal pay but we lack...

Seanad: Employment Equality (Amendment) (Non-Disclosure Agreements) Bill 2021: Second Stage (14 Jun 2021)

Emer Currie: Normally, when we get up to contribute to debate on a Bill, we want to add value. The preparation of this Bill, however, has been really thorough. So much work has gone into it that the only value I can really add is my support for Senator Ruane and the Civic Engagement Group. I thank Seb McAteer in Senator Ruane's office, who has put a lot of work into this. I also commend the...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Employment Support Services (15 Jun 2021)

Emer Currie: I want to talk to the Minister of State about the newly found localism that Covid has brought about. It is a positive move. Owing to the travel restrictions, people were forced to stay within a radius of 2 km to 5 km but a side effect was that they discovered what was under their own noses and grew to appreciate it more. We were moving towards a sense of that anyway because of concerns...