Results 1-20 of 666 for speaker:Emer Currie

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (7 Jul 2020)

Emer Currie: I want to raise the issue of the ongoing closure of the peripheral gates in the Phoenix Park. We can all agree the Phoenix Park was a magical place to be during the Covid-19 restrictions when traffic in Dublin was reduced by up to 70%. A minimal number of cars were accessing the park through the Castleknock and Parkgate Street entrances. The peripheral gates and car parks were closed. The...

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

Emer Currie: I welcome the opportunity to discuss the Microenterprise Loan Fund (Amendment) Bill 2020 today and the emphasis on the July jobs stimulus. The sectors that have been most affected are retail, leisure, hospitality and tourism. I also mention the youth and the regions in rural Ireland in terms of the effect the lack of tourism will have on them. We have talked about home working and one...

Seanad: Microenterprise Loan Fund (Amendment) Bill 2020: Second Stage (9 Jul 2020)

Emer Currie: I extend a very big welcome to the Minister of State, Deputy English, and congratulate him on his new position. I very much welcome the debate on the microfinance Bill and I support the Bill. I welcome the focus on the July jobs stimulus and on SMEs. It is great to hear people talk about SMEs in such a familiar way. We are all connected to SMEs, which employ 1.3 million out of 2.3 million...

Seanad: Microenterprise Loan Fund (Amendment) Bill 2020: Second Stage (9 Jul 2020)

Emer Currie: I am sorry. I ask the Minister of State to consider supporting them because they are the future.

Seanad: Financial Provisions (Covid-19) Bill 2020: Second Stage (16 Jul 2020)

Emer Currie: I thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach for the opportunity to speak on this Bill. I congratulate the Minister of State on his appointment. I welcomed the news yesterday that face coverings should be worn by all customers and retail staff in shops and shopping centres and I welcomed the fact that regulations with details on enforcement and penalties are being drafted. I look forward to seeing...

Seanad: National Oil Reserves Agency (Amendment) and Provision of Central Treasury Services Bill 2020: Second Stage (17 Jul 2020)

Emer Currie: I appreciate the opportunity to engage with the Minister on this Bill. I know it has a long name and we refer to it as NORA, but what we are really discussing are the benefits of the climate action fund, the projects that have been approved and potential projects. As previous speakers acknowledged, we are all working towards a transition to a low-carbon economy, while reaping the benefits...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (24 Jul 2020)

Emer Currie: I recognise the passing of Dr. Ali from Tyrrelstown in west Dublin and I pay tribute to his life, work and sacrifice, and that of his very young family. I also acknowledge the seven other health workers in Ireland who tragically lost their lives because of Covid-19. Their names and that of Dr. Ali should be remembered. Yesterday, we had the announcement of the July jobs initiative, which...

Seanad: Companies (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Covid-19) Bill 2020: Second Stage (24 Jul 2020)

Emer Currie: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Troy, to the Seanad. I welcome this Bill which will help business to adapt in the current very difficult circumstances. I have listened to some of the commentary in this House. I remind people that there is a big difference between remote working and working from home in the middle of a national crisis. We are currently doing the latter. It is not...

Seanad: Education: Statements (28 Jul 2020)

Emer Currie: I welcome the Minister and congratulate her on her appointment. The majority of the local schools I represent in Dublin are digesting the guidelines released yesterday. I welcome them, and particularly the elements relating to minor works, well-being and increased teaching resources.The challenge now is for each school to apply these plans in a bespoke way, to identify what specific...

Seanad: Education: Statements (28 Jul 2020)

Emer Currie: Okay. There is a pilot in Malahide called School Streets. It has been used and has been successful. It is about small and large-scale proposals to provide what I have just spoken about, namely, more sustainable transport. If we deliver bespoke plans in conjunction with the community, this can help in a significant way.

Seanad: Social Welfare (Covid-19) (Amendment) Bill 2020: Second Stage (29 Jul 2020)

Emer Currie: I welcome the Minister to what is usually the Dáil Chamber. It must feel strange. I welcome the Bill and how the PUP is being placed on a statutory footing. I also welcome the clarity that the Minister has given people in recent days, especially concerning those sectors that have not yet opened. I enjoyed Senator McCallion's humorous references to tongue twisters and flip-flops....

Seanad: Social Welfare (Covid-19) (Amendment) Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (29 Jul 2020)

Emer Currie: People have also been in contact with me regarding community employment schemes. It is hard to believe that only a few months ago we were talking about full employment and labour activation schemes for women who may have chosen to rear their children and for whom it is difficult to get back into the workplace. The former Minister, Senator Regina Doherty, was working on returnships....

Seanad: Financial Provisions (Covid-19) (No. 2) Bill 2020: Second Stage (30 Jul 2020)

Emer Currie: I thank the Minister for coming to the Chamber and outlining the Bill. I am very supportive of it and, of course, the July jobs stimulus which offers a range of supports including the €2 billion credit guarantee scheme which was discussed previously in the House, as well as €5.4 billion in direct expenditure, taxation measures and grants. The Bill is mainly focused on tax...

Seanad: Election of Leas-Chathaoirleach (18 Sep 2020)

Emer Currie: I congratulate both candidates. I will support my colleague, Senator O'Reilly. It will be lovely to see a fellow northerner in the Chair. It is a proud day not only for his family but also the network of Fine Gael in Cavan and the councillors there. I enjoyed listening to Senator Wilson's contribution. He is absolutely right about old politics versus new politics. Much of politics is...

Seanad: Withdrawal Agreement Between the United Kingdom and the European Union: Motion (23 Sep 2020)

Emer Currie: I welcome the Minister of State. It is good to see him here and it is lovely to be in this Chamber for the first time. I thank the Fianna Fáil Party for proposing the motion. Breaking the law, bending the truth and acting in bad faith are not words that any modern democracy should want to be associated with, and yet here we are debating the actions of the UK Government doing just that....

Seanad: Withdrawal Agreement Between the United Kingdom and the European Union: Motion (23 Sep 2020)

Emer Currie: Whether it is under Sunningdale or the Good Friday Agreement, power sharing is an essential part of reconciliation and building a shared future. Communities work together for communities, solving problems, creating opportunities, building the future and showing that democracy works. After three years of unnecessary deadlock and political impasse, it is vital that these powers be protected....

Seanad: School Transport, Leaving Certificate 2020 and Reopening of Schools: Statements (24 Sep 2020)

Emer Currie: I thank the Minister for her time today and for her efforts over the past few months. I am aware that she is in demand so I will have to give her a whistle-stop tour of the issues affecting Dublin West. What can be done about the removal of the sibling-first admission policy in primary schools which has been undertaken by the archdiocese in Dublin? I realise this relates only to schools...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Business of Joint Committee (29 Sep 2020)

Emer Currie: Senator Emer Currie.

Seanad: HSE Winter Plan: Statements (7 Oct 2020)

Emer Currie: I was going to raise three issues but will confine myself to just one. The Government's resilience and recovery plan is premised on doing everything we can to keep schools and childcare provision open. As it transpires, minding children is the glue that keeps us together, except when it comes to maternity services. I am sure the Minister of State has heard the expression "happy mama, happy...

Seanad: Statutory Right to Sick Leave Pay: Motion (7 Oct 2020)

Emer Currie: I move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after “That Seanad Éireann:” and substitute the following: “welcomes: - the recent introduction of a new social insurance-based paid parental benefit scheme and extended parental leave rights; - the Government’s intention to examine a further extension of this leave in response to Covid-19 and acknowledges that...