Results 121-140 of 1,679 for speaker:Sharon Keogan

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (1 Feb 2021)

Sharon Keogan: I thank the Cathaoirleach. I appreciate that. I have scant regard for the recent apologies by our political leaders regarding mother and baby homes. Those leaders are predominantly male, I might add. They have failed women and children all too often. Apologies mean very little without meaningful action. We must reach out to survivors and provide every assistance and support possible....

Seanad: Response to Covid-19 (Housing, Local Government and Heritage): Statements (1 Feb 2021)

Sharon Keogan: I welcome the Minister. I have every confidence in him to deliver for the homeless in this country and I believe he is going to do a great job as Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage. I draw to his attention an issue that has been overlooked by his Department. The issue arises where a tenant of a county council house may wish to buy. I understand all of the local authority...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Apprenticeship Programmes (8 Feb 2021)

Sharon Keogan: I thank the Minister for coming here this morning to reply to this matter. Last year, I addressed him in this House on the matter of apprenticeship schemes. In particular, I proposed that he provide funding to revive and reinvigorate local authority apprenticeship schemes. I was very encouraged at the time by the Minister's favourable response to this proposal. What progress has been made...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Apprenticeship Programmes (8 Feb 2021)

Sharon Keogan: I thank the Minister. I fully welcome the work that the Minister has done to date in making my suggestion a real, live project throughout this country within local authorities. It is an untapped source. We have 31 local authorities in the country. Even if each of them was to create 100 apprenticeships over the next five years, that would be 3,100 apprenticeships created by his Department...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (8 Feb 2021)

Sharon Keogan: A matter of deep concern to me over the course of this pandemic has been the cessation of cancer screening, delayed cancer diagnoses and the disruption to the treatment of cancer patients. I raised the matter of the shutdown of normal healthcare services in response to Covid-19, in addition to many other questions, in correspondence to the Minister for Health dated 16 November. To date,...

Seanad: Free Provision of Period Products Bill 2021: Second Stage (8 Feb 2021)

Sharon Keogan: Hear, hear. Well done.

Seanad: Mental Health and Covid-19: Statements (12 Feb 2021)

Sharon Keogan: I welcome the Minister of State to the House again. I am grateful to have the opportunity to address her and my colleagues on a matter of grave importance. There is surely not a family in this country that is not affected by the issues of mental health disorder, dementia or intellectual disability. Mental health is an often overlooked and neglected aspect of healthcare in this country....

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (15 Feb 2021)

Sharon Keogan: I was looking at a graphic yesterday that illustrates how appalling the progress of our vaccination programme has been compared with that of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, our nearest neighbour.We have vaccinated only 5% of our population with the first dose of an approved vaccine whereas in Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK, they have vaccinated over 23% with at least one dose....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Report of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes: Engagement with the Minister for Children, Disability, Equality, Integration and Youth (16 Feb 2021)

Sharon Keogan: I welcome the Minister and thank him for engaging with us, whether it is in the Seanad or at this committee. We have all been taken aback by personal testimonies, including those of Senator Victor Boyhan, Independent Councillor Francis Timmons in Dublin or Independent Councillor Mary Linehan-Foley in Cork. It must have been really difficult for Councillor Linehan-Foley, as a survivor, to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Report of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes: Engagement with the Minister for Children, Disability, Equality, Integration and Youth (16 Feb 2021)

Sharon Keogan: Does Ms McGarrigle know when that was done? I talked to a couple of survivors and they had not heard from anybody. Is it just being done at the moment? She might elaborate on that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Report of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes: Engagement with the Minister for Children, Disability, Equality, Integration and Youth (16 Feb 2021)

Sharon Keogan: To my knowledge, that is not the case. I know of some survivors who have not heard any word back from the commission on the matter, and they were wondering when they would hear.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs: Northern Ireland Protocol (Article 16) (resumed): Engagement with Mr. Maroš Šefovi (16 Feb 2021)

Sharon Keogan: Good morning to the Vice-President. Will he please outline the current status of the Joint Partnership Council? Is it currently operational and have members of the relevant sub-committees and task forces been appointed? If, as I hope, it is operational, there would be limited chance of the invoking of Article 16 happening again. I do not think the process was followed correctly to invoke...

Seanad: Report of the Mother and Baby Homes Commission of Investigation: Statements (Resumed) (19 Feb 2021)

Sharon Keogan: The Minister is very welcome. Regardless of one's viewpoint on it, I welcome the publication of the final report of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes. I wish to put it on the record of the Seanad that the stories of the victims and the survivors behind this report will be locked away from the public eye for 30 years. This conflicts with the Government's and Fianna...

Seanad: Report of the Mother and Baby Homes Commission of Investigation: Statements (Resumed) (19 Feb 2021)

Sharon Keogan: Does the Acting Chairperson mind if I ask the Minister one thing? He gave a commitment at the committee on children-----

Seanad: Ábhair Ghnó an tSeanaid – Matters on the Business of the Seanad (22 Feb 2021)

Sharon Keogan: Councillor Frank Roche in Cork and Councillor Brendan Fay in Cavan have asked me to request an extension to the hedge cutting season by two weeks due to poor weather conditions, as called for by the Association of Farm and Forestry Contractors of Ireland. The hedge cutting season ends on 28 February so urgent clarification on this issue is required for farmers and hedge cutting contractors....

Seanad: Councillors' Pay: Motion (22 Feb 2021)

Sharon Keogan: I thank Senator Craughwell for bringing this matter to the House today. I also thank the Minister of State, Deputy Peter Burke, for coming to the Seanad to take on board our considered views on the role and remuneration of councillors. Since I have been elected to the Seanad, the inadequate pay structure of councillors has been high on my agenda. I was told by the Leader of the Seanad that...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Forestry Sector (26 Feb 2021)

Sharon Keogan: I thank the Minister of State and I thank the Senator for raising such an important matter.

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Local Authority Housing (26 Feb 2021)

Sharon Keogan: I thank the Senator for bringing up such an important issue this morning and I am glad to hear a review is under way.

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Employment Rights (26 Feb 2021)

Sharon Keogan: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Troy, to the House.

Seanad: Health (Amendment) Bill 2021: Second Stage (1 Mar 2021)

Sharon Keogan: I thank the Minister for attending. There is a distinct feeling of déjà vuabout this afternoon's debate. It is another piece of the Governments Covid-19 legislation being driven through the House faster than a speeding bullet. Ironically, the speeding bullet is 12 months too late. While I can understand the rationale behind expediting the legislative process in respect of an...