Results 1-20 of 47 for speaker:Joanne Collins

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

Joanne Collins: I want to raise the issue of the sheer lack of home help supports, which, I am sure, is the case throughout the State, but I am going to concentrate on County Limerick. A case that stood out to me among the many I come across involves a family living in County Limerick. The father, who was once a fiercely independent man, is now living with advanced dementia. He needs 24-hour care. For...

Seanad: National Biodiversity Week: Statements (14 May 2025)

Joanne Collins: I welcome the Minister of State. Today, during biodiversity week, I want to speak about the urgent need to protect and restore biodiversity, especially through a better approach to forestry. I also want to reflect on what that means for my county, Limerick. Ireland is in the grip of a biodiversity disaster and crisis. One in five rare species is at risk of extinction. Our native...

Seanad: Parole (Special Advocates) Bill 2024: Second Stage (13 May 2025)

Joanne Collins: I welcome the Minister to the House. I am pleased to stand in support of this Bill. I commend Senator Lynn Ruane and her team on the thoughtful and considered proposal. The Bill addresses the clear procedural gap in the current parole framework, one that undermines natural justice and leaves applicants vulnerable to decisions made on the basis of undisclosed evidence without any avenue,...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Social Welfare Appeals (7 May 2025)

Joanne Collins: I wish to bring to the Minister of State's attention something that is deeply concerning for families in County Limerick and throughout the State, namely, the persistent and unacceptable wait times for domiciliary care appeals. I am acutely aware of a case involving a family in County Limerick who are in their 37th week of waiting to hear about the progress of their appeal. This delay is...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Social Welfare Appeals (7 May 2025)

Joanne Collins: I thank the Minister of State. I am excited to hear about the AI. We all go through our lives with everything happening in an instant. It would be fantastic to see quicker ways of processing these appeals, but this will not help this family today. I will get on to the Minister directly because 37 weeks is too long for the family to wait and to feel invisible. When my office contacts the...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (30 Apr 2025)

Joanne Collins: I want to raise an issue I have raised as a Commencement matter twice, but since it is pressing I said I would raise it again today. It concerns the waiting times for domiciliary care allowance appeals. I am dealing with the case of a County Limerick family who have been waiting for 36 weeks just to hear back on the appeals process.Every time they ask, they are told it is in progress and...

Seanad: Diverting Young People from Criminal Activity: Statements (30 Apr 2025)

Joanne Collins: I welcome the Minister of State. I want to take a moment to recognise the incredible work being done through a youth diversion programme in Rathkeale in County Limerick, a programme that was relaunched by the Minister of State earlier this year and which is already making a real difference. Rathkeale is a town that has often been unfairly stereotyped. This programme is helping to build...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (29 Apr 2025)

Joanne Collins: I want to bring up an issue regarding section 39 workers. After a long and difficult process, an agreement was reached at the Workplace Relations Commission to improve these workers' pay. They are vital front-line workers involved with disability and home care. The question remains as to when the Government will enact and recognise the agreement. In November 2023, there was a WRC...

Seanad: Forestry Sector: Statements (29 Apr 2025)

Joanne Collins: I welcome the Minister of State. Forestry should be a key part of Ireland's response to climate change, supporting rural communities and protecting biodiversity. However, the reality for many forest owners is one of delay, financial loss and frustration. One major ongoing issue is ash dieback. Although the Department has the reconstitution scheme for plantation owners, there is no...

Seanad: Revised National Planning Framework: Motion (29 Apr 2025)

Joanne Collins: I welcome the Minister of State. I wish to take a moment to speak on the section on realising our island and marine potential. The current approach set out in this section is quite weak from a fisheries and seafood perspective, in particular the importance of embedding the principle of consensus and co-creation between the fisheries, the offshore renewable energy, ORE, and environmental...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (9 Apr 2025)

Joanne Collins: I raise the issue of thatched homes. Thatched home owners are facing a growing crisis. They are part of our built heritage. They are not just homes. Every year the owners face the struggle of finding house insurance. Many insurers have just left that sector altogether. The ones that have stayed in the game are charging anything up to €2,500 for house insurance once the owners can...

Seanad: Flooding: Statements (9 Apr 2025)

Joanne Collins: I welcome the Minister of State to the House. Flooding is no longer an occasional crisis. It is an ever-present threat affecting lives, homes and livelihoods throughout the country. From County Limerick to County Cork and from County Galway to the midlands, communities are living in fear of the next storm, the next flood warning or the next disaster. We saw this again just a few months...

Seanad: Prohibition of Advertising or Importuning Sex for Rent Bill 2025: Second Stage (9 Apr 2025)

Joanne Collins: I welcome the Minister. It has never been harder to be a renter in this country. In Limerick, like across the State, rents are soaring, supply is vanishing and behind each number is a person - a student, a lone parent or a young worker barely scraping by. There were over 16,000 eviction notices last year. In my county, rents are at record highs. Student accommodation is oversubscribed...

Seanad: Merchant Shipping (Investigation of Marine Accidents) Bill 2024: Report and Final Stages (8 Apr 2025)

Joanne Collins: I second the amendment.

Seanad: Merchant Shipping (Investigation of Marine Accidents) Bill 2024: Report and Final Stages (8 Apr 2025)

Joanne Collins: I second the amendment.

Seanad: Merchant Shipping (Investigation of Marine Accidents) Bill 2024: Report and Final Stages (8 Apr 2025)

Joanne Collins: I second the amendment.

Seanad: Merchant Shipping (Investigation of Marine Accidents) Bill 2024: Report and Final Stages (8 Apr 2025)

Joanne Collins: I second the amendment.

Seanad: Merchant Shipping (Investigation of Marine Accidents) Bill 2024: Report and Final Stages (8 Apr 2025)

Joanne Collins: I second the amendment.

Seanad: Merchant Shipping (Investigation of Marine Accidents) Bill 2024: Report and Final Stages (8 Apr 2025)

Joanne Collins: I second the amendment.

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Forestry Sector (3 Apr 2025)

Joanne Collins: I welcome the Minister of State. I want to raise the issue of ash dieback, which is of deep concern to farmers, landowners and rural communities across Ireland. Ash dieback is not just a crisis for forestry; it is an environmental, economic and cultural disaster. For generations, ash trees have been a defining feature of our landscape, vital to biodiversity and central to our rural...