Results 1-20 of 1,663 for speaker:Aisling Dolan

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Public Transport (8 May 2024)

Aisling Dolan: With the withdrawal of Aircoach from 8 April 2024, and the X20 service in 2021, on the Dublin to Galway route, those services have been stopped. We currently only have Citylink, which goes every two hours between Dublin and Galway and services the towns between those two cities. This Commencement matter was intended for the Minister for Transport. I am frustrated. I raised this in 2021...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Public Transport (8 May 2024)

Aisling Dolan: The Minister of State knows very well that he is standing in for the Minister, Deputy Ryan. Any Minister who comes in here to reply to any Commencement matter is speaking on behalf of the Minister that they represent. It is unfortunate and I would like the clock to be reset, please. What the Minister of State has provided me with here from the NTA is supposed to be the rural Ireland...

Seanad: Disability (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2023: Committee Stage (8 May 2024)

Aisling Dolan: I acknowledge the importance of accessibility and of this Bill. Senator Clonan is raising a lot of things we in government are reviewing and looking at as well. I wanted to highlight the work at regional level that we see across the likes of Roscommon and Galway. I ask the Minister of State to address this in her response but I wish to highlight the just transition programme currently...

Seanad: Research and Innovation Bill 2024: Committee Stage (Resumed) (8 May 2024)

Aisling Dolan: The Minister of State and the Senator have acknowledged the importance of governance. Governance is crucial. I hope we will see an increase in the Exchequer funding that goes to the agency but governance is of the utmost importance. The Minister, Department and chair of Tailte Éireann will need to be able to speak to this. It is important that the relevant Minister be the Minister...

Seanad: Research and Innovation Bill 2024: Committee Stage (Resumed) (8 May 2024)

Aisling Dolan: We have spoken previously on this as well with Senator Higgins. This agency is for research and innovation. Innovation is about bringing the fruits of research out into our communities and out into society to ensure that it has an impact and that it does not sit on a dusty shelf somewhere. That is what is really crucial about this. Much of this knowledge transfer and technology transfer...

Seanad: Research and Innovation Bill 2024: Committee Stage (Resumed) (8 May 2024)

Aisling Dolan: I welcome Professor Carey. We should have this debate as Gaeilge as well. I worked specifically on promoting funding programmes within SFI so I know a lot about the accessibility of some of these programmes, how we promote them, how we engaged researchers from a broad background and how we were one of the first agencies many years ago to do online Teams-type events and activities to ensure...

Seanad: Research and Innovation Bill 2024: Committee Stage (Resumed) (8 May 2024)

Aisling Dolan: The Minister of State might speak to this point a little. The corporate plan, from my understanding of it, is an organisational structure, so the structure of Taighde Éireann is about how it will operate. That is what the corporate plan, to my understanding, is about. It is more the organisational structure because it will be an agency bringing together two entities. What is spoken...

Seanad: Loneliness: Motion (1 May 2024)

Aisling Dolan: I welcome our new Minister of State, Deputy Colm Burke, in his new role with responsibility for public health in the Department of Health. As colleagues have mentioned, for many years he has advocated on health issues and fought for many people in the health area. There has been an increase in loneliness. Earlier I was looking at an article in The Irish Times - my computer has just gone...

Seanad: Flooding on Lough Funshinagh: Statements (30 Apr 2024)

Aisling Dolan: As the Minister of State has said, the Lough Funshinagh region in south Roscommon is an absolutely stunning limestone landscape of rolling hills. It contains the islands of Inchnamona and Inchmore. Lough Funshinagh is a turlough, which means it is a disappearing lake. However we know, fully, that it has not disappeared. In fact there has been nothing since 2016 only an increase, year...

Seanad: Research and Innovation Bill 2024: Committee Stage (Resumed) (30 Apr 2024)

Aisling Dolan: It has been noted by the Minister of State that this is very clearly outlined in the Universities Act 1997 and, of course, with all universities that is a key tenet. Regarding funding that is coming under this agency, it will fund across all disciplines and will be based on excellence. The very first line talks about the maintenance of excellence in the standard and quality of research and...

Seanad: Research and Innovation Bill 2024: Committee Stage (Resumed) (30 Apr 2024)

Aisling Dolan: It is important that we have attractive terms and conditions for researchers in our universities. This is clear. He is now our Taoiseach, but when Deputy Harris was the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, he and the Minister of State examined the issue of stipends for people doing PhDs and so on to make it more accessible for people to do PhDs and...

Seanad: Research and Innovation Bill 2024: Committee Stage (Resumed) (30 Apr 2024)

Aisling Dolan: I want to highlight the excellence we see across partnerships that are already happening with our universities and colleges. Just recently, we saw €7 million come into the US-Ireland programme. This is a phenomenal programme that is bringing in researchers. That €7 million will fund ten research positions in colleges in Ireland, another ten or 11 in Northern Ireland and the...

Seanad: Smartphone and Social Media Use: Motion [Private Members] (24 Apr 2024)

Aisling Dolan: I second the motion.

Seanad: Smartphone and Social Media Use: Motion [Private Members] (24 Apr 2024)

Aisling Dolan: I thank the Minister for being with us today. This is a very important topic. The purpose of bringing this Fine Gael Private Members' motion, in particular in relation to smartphones and social media use, is how we regulate it. I have talked to parents, school principals, schools and teachers. Schools are taking the lead themselves. Without any regulation, they are putting bans in place...

Seanad: Research and Innovation Bill 2024: Committee Stage (23 Apr 2024)

Aisling Dolan: I welcome the Minister, Deputy O'Donovan, who is here in his brand new role in the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science. I recognise that this is a landmark piece of legislation. We are talking here about the definitions of research and innovation, but this Bill is going to bring about the funding of all areas of research. It is an incredible...

Seanad: Research and Innovation Bill 2024: Committee Stage (23 Apr 2024)

Aisling Dolan: As Fine Gael Seanad spokesperson for education and further and higher education, I know we spent many hours here debating this really important legislation with our current Taoiseach and former Minister, Simon Harris. The then Minister spent time with his team and the officials from the Department to engage across the board, particularly on Committee Stage, and to consider amendments that...

Seanad: Research and Innovation Bill 2024: Committee Stage (23 Apr 2024)

Aisling Dolan: Whether it is to be called research Ireland or Taighde Éireann, the number one priority for this agency is the availability of funding. That is what this agency has to do. The people operating the agency and those on its board need to be fighting for funding. They need to get Exchequer funding for the agency to distribute to researchers. That has to be the number one priority of this...