Results 1-20 of 2,103 for speaker:Sharon Keogan

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Child Protection (22 Oct 2025)

Sharon Keogan: This subject might be of interest to the children. There might be some unaccompanied minors from Ukraine here this morning. We are now over three years into the largest displacement crisis Europe has seen since the Second World War. Ireland, rightly so, opened its doors, but opening doors is not the same as ensuring safety. Safety begins with knowing who is in our care. How many...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Child Protection (22 Oct 2025)

Sharon Keogan: I thank the Minister. Unfortunately, none of my questions were answered but the most shocking line of that contribution is that 777 children are under the care of Tusla and 432 Ukrainian children have aged out. They are no longer in the care of or accommodated by the agency. It is only supporting five young people over the age of 18 today. That is absolutely shocking. I know one young...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó (Atógáil) - Order of Business (Resumed) (22 Oct 2025)

Sharon Keogan: I will address the presidential election and the growing campaign calling for people to spoil their votes. Some have said that spoiling your vote subverts our democracy. I ask such people to look around the Houses they find themselves in today and to look at the portraits on these walls. Was it a subversion of democracy when 73 Irish MPs refused their seats in the British-approved...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó (Atógáil) - Order of Business (Resumed) (21 Oct 2025)

Sharon Keogan: I rise with a heavy heart to address two tragedies that have taken place in our nation over the past week. A young man fled war in Ukraine and, within four days, was murdered with unspeakable brutality in Ireland. A girl ran away from a Tusla centre and is, allegedly, raped. What do these two tragedies have in common? They were entirely preventable. They highlight two areas in which our...

Seanad: Cost of Childcare: Motion (21 Oct 2025)

Sharon Keogan: We wish to share time and I would like to speak first.

Seanad: Cost of Childcare: Motion (21 Oct 2025)

Sharon Keogan: I rise today in support of this motion not because I agree with the proposers on everything - far from it - but because on this issue they are right. Budget 2026 has failed Irish families. It has failed mothers and fathers who are working every hour they can just to afford the privilege of placing their children in the care they need so that they can work in the first place. It has failed...

Seanad: Statement by the Taoiseach (16 Oct 2025)

Sharon Keogan: Could we speak, a Chathaoirligh? There are only two of us.

Seanad: Statement by the Taoiseach (16 Oct 2025)

Sharon Keogan: Would the Taoiseach mind if we take a minute? There are only two of us left in the Opposition who have not spoken.

Committee on Children and Equality: Child Poverty and Deprivation: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Oct 2025)

Sharon Keogan: I thank the witnesses for their statements and attending this committee meeting today. Before I start, as this is the children's committee, I wish to say how deeply saddened and horrified I was regarding the death of the child in residential care yesterday. Residential care is not the way forward for Tusla. I am asking and begging Tusla to just-----

Committee on Children and Equality: Child Poverty and Deprivation: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Oct 2025)

Sharon Keogan: It is not the way forward. Children are coming to this country and our own children-----

Committee on Children and Equality: Child Poverty and Deprivation: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Oct 2025)

Sharon Keogan: I am sorry.

Committee on Children and Equality: Child Poverty and Deprivation: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Oct 2025)

Sharon Keogan: I ask Tusla to do better for these children. It is just awful what is happening. My first question is to Ms Canavan. Last week, I talked about in-kind services to combat child poverty. A research paper was carried out in 2019, which looked at 22 European-founded in-kind benefits. It determined such benefits to be more efficient than cash in curbing child poverty, particularly during...

Committee on Children and Equality: Child Poverty and Deprivation: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Oct 2025)

Sharon Keogan: What about food poverty?

Committee on Children and Equality: Child Poverty and Deprivation: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Oct 2025)

Sharon Keogan: In-kind services.

Committee on Children and Equality: Child Poverty and Deprivation: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Oct 2025)

Sharon Keogan: Some countries provide an-kind credit card service to parents who are struggling and it can be used only for food.

Seanad: Defamation (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (Resumed) (15 Oct 2025)

Sharon Keogan: I move amendment No. 8: 8. In page 7, after line 32, to insert the following: “Serious harm threshold for natural persons 7. (1) The Principal Act is amended by the insertion of the following section after section 12: “12A. A statement concerning a natural person shall not be considered defamatory unless its publication has caused, or is likely to cause, serious harm...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (14 Oct 2025)

Sharon Keogan: Before I begin my speech today, I would like to first send my congratulations to President Trump for the successful ceasefire in Gaza and this week's peace summit in Egypt. There is a long way to go in this peace process, but I hope everyone will join me in expressing our support for its success and for bringing an end to the horrendous suffering caused by this war. I wish to call for a...

Committee on Children and Equality: Child Poverty and Deprivation: Discussion (9 Oct 2025)

Sharon Keogan: I thank the witnesses for coming in. I really appreciate it, as well as the work they do on the care of our children. Obviously, the budget did not go far enough with regard to child poverty. It is a missed opportunity, once again, by the Government to look after the households that are most vulnerable. I have a couple of questions about the future of in kind versus cash supports....

Committee on Children and Equality: Child Poverty and Deprivation: Discussion (9 Oct 2025)

Sharon Keogan: It is, really, or not necessarily. What mechanisms can the State use for better outcomes for children who may come from disadvantaged backgrounds?

Committee on Children and Equality: Child Poverty and Deprivation: Discussion (9 Oct 2025)

Sharon Keogan: Maybe we would not have the outcomes we have had in relation to certain children who have been missing for a number of years. They have not had very good outcomes either as a result of that. This is about how the State can stop something like that happening again by means of regular welfare checks, health checks, school attendance checks, etc. What is the witnesses' position on that?