Results 21-40 of 1,617 for speaker:Sharon Keogan

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulations and Directive on International Protection, Asylum and Migration: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Sharon Keogan: I am just saying that if we were members of this pact at this moment in time-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulations and Directive on International Protection, Asylum and Migration: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Sharon Keogan: I am well aware of what the Minister brought to Cabinet today.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulations and Directive on International Protection, Asylum and Migration: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Sharon Keogan: If we were part of the pact today, would the Minister have that decision or would it be in the hands of the EU solidarity co-ordinator? That is the question.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulations and Directive on International Protection, Asylum and Migration: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Sharon Keogan: I believe we would not.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Regulations and Directive on International Protection, Asylum and Migration: Discussion (23 Apr 2024)

Sharon Keogan: There are 77 people per day at the moment seeking asylum in this country. We will hit 23,000 this year. As regards the Rwanda Bill yesterday, I want to know what measures will be put in place to stop what is happening in Northern Ireland. People are coming in through Belfast and down into the Republic. What is happening to stop that flow? Nothing is happening. The Department of Justice...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: School Textbooks (17 Apr 2024)

Sharon Keogan: I welcome the Minister of State. The junior cycle book scheme was published on 5 March 2024. It provides free books to second level students up to junior certificate, excluding fee-paying schools. Under Article 42.4 of the Constitution, the State has a duty to supplement and give reasonable aid to private and corporate educational initiatives. To the extent that reasonable aid is...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: School Textbooks (17 Apr 2024)

Sharon Keogan: I thank the Minister of State for the comprehensive answer. While parents send their children to private schools, they continue to pay taxes that support the overall education system. No child should be discriminated against, as far as I am concerned. The allocation of public funds for education reflects the Government's priorities, societal values and the need to balance the complete...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (17 Apr 2024)

Sharon Keogan: This morning, the national conservatism event in Brussels resumes after a tumultuous attempt to cancel it yesterday. It is deplorable that the mayors of several districts in Brussels cancelled the event, citing concerns over what they pathetically deemed public safety. Today, the Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, and the Hungarian President, Viktor Orbán, are expected to speak....

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (17 Apr 2024)

Sharon Keogan: I thought I had three minutes.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (17 Apr 2024)

Sharon Keogan: The EU migration pact will have a paltry two and a half weeks of debate in this House in the coming week. The public concern is that we are losing control of our borders, our checks and balances and our safety. A set of legislative instruments such as a pact should rightly be a matter for a referendum to the people but we will not get that because we do not have a Government or a leadership...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (17 Apr 2024)

Sharon Keogan: The events in Brussels yesterday were an attack on free and peaceful assembly. It is a bad look for a city proud of its role in the European project. If the EU was a proper democratic institution, we would call it hypercritical, but it is not democratic in its law-making. The hate speech Bill and the EU migration pact show us the threat it poses when it does not act on its democratic mandate.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (17 Apr 2024)

Sharon Keogan: This is the document.

Seanad: Cost of Doing Business: Statements (17 Apr 2024)

Sharon Keogan: The Minister is very welcome. I congratulate him on his elevation to the office.

Seanad: Cost of Doing Business: Statements (17 Apr 2024)

Sharon Keogan: I welcome this timely opportunity to make statements on the cost of doing business. This is a year in which the costs across the nation are increasing. Businesses in particular suffer not just as a result of increased business costs, but also due to the costs imposed and initiatives created by this Government.The Government's increased cost of business grant offers €257 million for...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (16 Apr 2024)

Sharon Keogan: I call on the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Deputy Roderic O'Gorman, to create a formal public consultation process on emergency refugee accommodation across the country. Recent national and international documentaries have addressed the ongoing issue of migration in Ireland and its impact on local communities. Our Government fails to cope with our...

Seanad: Health (Termination of Pregnancy Services) (Safe Access Zones) Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (16 Apr 2024)

Sharon Keogan: I thank the Cathaoirleach. I am fine.

Seanad: Health (Termination of Pregnancy Services) (Safe Access Zones) Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (16 Apr 2024)

Sharon Keogan: Amendment No. 6 would ensure that silent prayer is protected. In England, several people were interrogated, arrested and fined for simply standing in the vicinity of abortion providers' premises and silently praying without holding any signs or making any statements. One man, Mr. Adam Smith-Connor, was asked by a police officer "What is the nature of your prayer?" When Mr. Smith-Connor...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (11 Apr 2024)

Sharon Keogan: I welcome Senator O'Hara. I am really glad to hear that he has a sense of humour because he will certainly need it in here over the next couple of months. I ask the Leader to write to the Minister for Health regarding the Human Tissue (Transplantation, Post-Mortem, Anatomical Examination and Public Display) Act 2024, which came into effect on 28 February 2024. The opt-out register is still...

Seanad: EU Regulations (Police Co-operation on Migrant Smuggling and Trafficking in Human Beings): Motion (11 Apr 2024)

Sharon Keogan: The Minister is very welcome to the Chamber. I congratulate her on retaining her position. I welcome the opt-in regarding enhanced police co-operation against human trafficking. An international approach to this issue is of critical importance in tackling human trafficking. By its nature, human trafficking is dependent on well organised, international criminal networks. One challenge...

Seanad: Road Traffic Bill 2024: Committee and Remaining Stages (11 Apr 2024)

Sharon Keogan: The Acting Chairperson would love to get to his feet-----