Results 221-240 of 671 for speaker:Tom Clonan

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Rights-Based Care for People with Disabilities: Discussion (Resumed) (15 Nov 2023)

Tom Clonan: I thank everybody for coming in. It is one of the habits of these Houses to sit late. We had a very interesting and engaging set of witnesses last week, particularly Dr. Hillery, the chair of the Mental Health Commission, and Professor Lucey, who is the Inspector of Mental Health Services. They said that, in their opinion, CAMHS was in failure and was failing children and adolescents in...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Rights-Based Care for People with Disabilities: Discussion (Resumed) (15 Nov 2023)

Tom Clonan: I was really struck by something Dr. Hillery said last week. This is going to sound like a statement of the obvious - I will not use the full Monty Python analogy - but obviously children get sick and the most common pattern of illness is in the area of mental health. It is a vital service. I know that Dr. Burke is in a lead role in this area. I wish her the best of luck in her new post...

Joint Committee On Children, Equality, Disability, Integration And Youth: Issues Facing the Early Childhood Sector: Discussion (Resumed) (14 Nov 2023)

Tom Clonan: I thank the witnesses for attending today. I want to apologise. Like many of my colleagues, I was at another meeting. My apologies if I duplicate some of the questions or points that have been raised already. Following on from the meeting last week, I am not sure if it is my colleagues' experience, but I received an enormous volume of correspondence from early childhood care providers....

Joint Committee On Children, Equality, Disability, Integration And Youth: Issues Facing the Early Childhood Sector: Discussion (Resumed) (14 Nov 2023)

Tom Clonan: I had a specific question on aligning the financial reporting with the reporting required for core funding and the mismatch between the reporting periods. The Deputy asked the question and Dr. Brooks answered that and referred to Mr. Considine. I know from submitting annual returns myself over the past 23 years that after a period of time, there is a uniformity. I would imagine that in this...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Family Reunification (8 Nov 2023)

Tom Clonan: I thank the Minister of State for coming in. I want to be as quick as I can. I am asking that the Department and the Minister for Justice adopt an urgent, pragmatic, family centred approach to visa applications to reunite the relatives of Irish families, particularly in the context of the increase in global conflict. We have an increasing global diaspora of Irish citizens and so this is...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Family Reunification (8 Nov 2023)

Tom Clonan: I appreciate the Minister of State giving me that response. I am heartened to hear he has spoken to officials in the Department. It is 30°C in Kuala Lumpur today, there is 83% humidity and those children are barefoot in a mosquito-infested cell. The Malaysian authorities have told me they are imminent in their desire to deport them to Damascus. We do not need an aircraft. We do not...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Rights-Based Care for People with Disabilities: Discussion (8 Nov 2023)

Tom Clonan: I thank everybody very much for coming in. It is part of the way the House works that people have to come in so late. I appreciate our guests being here after hours. I have to declare a conflict of interest before we start. Professor Lucey launched my election campaign in 2016. I do not know if he regrets that now.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Rights-Based Care for People with Disabilities: Discussion (8 Nov 2023)

Tom Clonan: It was the beginning of a long campaign that ultimately bore fruit.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Rights-Based Care for People with Disabilities: Discussion (8 Nov 2023)

Tom Clonan: While listening to proceedings, I have been struck by how people have been very frank in their exchanges. I really appreciate that. Last year, the committee got a very frank admission from the then CEO of the HSE, Mr. Paul Reid, that progressing disabilities had failed and that the CDNTs were not functioning as they ought to. The Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, and Minister, Deputy...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Rights-Based Care for People with Disabilities: Discussion (8 Nov 2023)

Tom Clonan: I thank Dr. Hillery.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Rights-Based Care for People with Disabilities: Discussion (8 Nov 2023)

Tom Clonan: Yes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Rights-Based Care for People with Disabilities: Discussion (8 Nov 2023)

Tom Clonan: Is this something that impacts other disciplines?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Rights-Based Care for People with Disabilities: Discussion (8 Nov 2023)

Tom Clonan: Yes, it is very helpful. I thank Dr. Hillery.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Rights-Based Care for People with Disabilities: Discussion (8 Nov 2023)

Tom Clonan: I asked a question about Covid and whether there is evidence of-----

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (7 Nov 2023)

Tom Clonan: I echo Senator Dooley's comments about the children who are suffering in Gaza at the moment. We have information from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, UNRWA, from Human Rights Watch and from Amnesty International. The eyes and ears of the world are in Gaza witnessing and uploading in real time pictures of the unfolding catastrophe there. We know that every five and ten minutes...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (7 Nov 2023)

Tom Clonan: We have had Irish people in charge of MI5-----

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (7 Nov 2023)

Tom Clonan: -----and foreign intelligence agencies.

Joint Committee On Children, Equality, Disability, Integration And Youth: Issues Facing the Early Childhood Sector: Discussion (7 Nov 2023)

Tom Clonan: I am sorry I was delayed coming in, but I was watched the contributions from my office. As a parent of four children who are now adults and teenagers, I remember how in the early noughties we had four children in Dublin 4 who were under the age of six. Childcare cost €900 per month at that time. Like many of our contemporaries, we both had to work in order to pay the mortgage. That...

Joint Committee On Children, Equality, Disability, Integration And Youth: Issues Facing the Early Childhood Sector: Discussion (7 Nov 2023)

Tom Clonan: One of my children when in creche, was diagnosed with a neuro-muscular disease at 18 months and has additional needs. The wonderful people who are providing the childcare, Liz and Lena, innovated and wrapped everything around him so he was included in everything. It was a powerful endorsement of his rights as a child to participate fully in the cultural and educational life of the Republic....

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (26 Oct 2023)

Tom Clonan: I wish to talk about, and put on the record of the House, the situation that confronts the people of Gaza this morning. The Israel Defense Forces, IDF, has assembled a force of 300,000 troops on the border with Gaza and Gaza is 360 sq. km. To put that in context, the United States invaded Iraq, a country the size of France, with just over 120,000 troops. Israel is proposing to saturate the...