Results 1-20 of 412 for at speaker:Marie Sherlock

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

Marie Sherlock: I wish to express the condolences of the Labour Party Group to our colleague Senator Moynihan who lost her mother at the weekend. At the start of this week, Max Shields, a 15-year-old boy from Clondalkin, lost his life when swimming in the Grand Canal. I express my condolences to his family. This is the time of year when the weather becomes wonderful, thank God, and people take to the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Businesses: Discussion (15 May 2024)

Marie Sherlock: Spain moved ahead with establishing its own regulatory authority in August of last year and that is now up and running. To what extent is that a model for here? Related to that, what are the organisations’ expectations with regard to the enforcement of the AI Act? Some existing uses of AI within the workplace are going to be outlawed this year, but it is not yet really too clear,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Businesses: Discussion (15 May 2024)

Marie Sherlock: Obviously, there are some activities, such as emotional interaction and so on within the workplace, that are going to be outlawed when the Act takes effect. What correspondence or communication have the organisations received from the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment or, indeed, from the AI commission or advisory group with regard to compliance with the AI Act this year? They...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (14 May 2024)

Marie Sherlock: Over the past eight days, we have seen a number of attacks and attempted attacks on candidates and councillors since the posters went up. I think the most shocking incident was in the early hours of last Wednesday morning when Councillor Tania Doyle and her husband were violently attacked. It is a sheer miracle that they did not sustain life-changing injuries or worse. This is a councillor...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (2 May 2024)

Marie Sherlock: I wish to raise the issue of apprenticeship pay. On 3 May 2023 – almost a year to the day – Labour Party Senators introduced a Bill seeking to ensure that all apprentices would receive the national minimum wage for the duration of their training. The following week, the then Minister and current Taoiseach, Deputy Simon Harris, stated at a Government press conference that he...

Seanad: Smartphone and Social Media Use: Motion [Private Members] (24 Apr 2024)

Marie Sherlock: I welcome the Minister. I sincerely thank Fine Gael and Senator Seery Kearney for using their Private Members' time to discuss this really serious public health issue this evening. I compliment what is a very detailed motion. Of course, social media has a lot of positives and we all use it. However, we are also talking about a device and social media platforms that are addictive by...

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Culture and Governance Issues at RTÉ: Discussion (24 Apr 2024)

Marie Sherlock: I thank our witnesses for attending. I am extremely conscious that the past ten months have been very difficult for RTÉ staff, considering that the greed and serious mistakes of a few have precipitated a crisis for the many within RTÉ. I acknowledge that some former RTÉ workers are in the Gallery. As some were bogusly self-employed and wronged by RTÉ, it is important to...

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Culture and Governance Issues at RTÉ: Discussion (24 Apr 2024)

Marie Sherlock: I will ask about bogus self-employment. I will say to some colleagues present that I look forward to their enthusiastic support when it comes to the transposition of the EU directive on bogus self-employment when it has to be transposed here. I am a little incredulous at some of the union blaming. I will ask about the conditions. Mr. Dooley talked about decisions, or bad practice, by...

Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport And Media: Culture and Governance Issues at RTÉ: Discussion (24 Apr 2024)

Marie Sherlock: Ms Hannick talked very passionately about the situation "Fair City" workers now find themselves in. People are probably a little incredulous at how RTÉ, as a semi-State organisation, can have the level of bogus self-employment it does. People come in as freelancers. Will Ms Hannick very briefly describe how people come in as freelance actors but then end up being bogusly self-employed?

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Air Quality (23 Apr 2024)

Marie Sherlock: I thank the Minister of State. My question today relates to the Government's clean air strategy. As the Government has told us, air pollution is the silent killer in our environment and our society. We know where air quality is poor that those with an underlying condition are at greater risk of stroke, lung disease, lung cancer, asthma and dementia and that those conditions are...

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

Marie Sherlock: I, too, offer my condolences to the family, colleagues and friends of the late Senator Dowling. I wish to raise the issue of the school transport scheme, which is now open for applications but which will close later this month, and how it is designed. The rules of the scheme, particularly the criteria that students need to live 3.2 km away from a primary school or 4.8 km from a secondary...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Maternity Leave (11 Apr 2024)

Marie Sherlock: I thank the Minister of State for coming here, in the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman's place, today. Any of us who are fortunate to have had babies know the immense value of maternity leave. It is a way of society saying to women to take time with their newborn babies. Approximately 60 women in this country each year are diagnosed with cancer during their pregnancy and, of course, their...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Maternity Leave (11 Apr 2024)

Marie Sherlock: I thank the Minister of State for the reply. What is going on here? I see from the reply that departmental officials have been considering this proposal and the Minister hopes to bring it to Cabinet shortly. It is now April. He said he was going to do it by the end of 2023. The Minister of State referred to the pregnancy loss report. We have been given to understand that the Minister is...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: General Scheme of the Employment (Restriction of Certain Mandatory Retirement Ages) Bill 2024: Discussion (10 Apr 2024)

Marie Sherlock: I very much support the calls made by all the witnesses to lift the mandatory retirement age. We have heard a very powerful case, psychologically, financially and in so many other ways, for why it is important people should not be told they are no longer fit for work just because of their birthday. We know that should not be the case and that people want to work longer. Something earlier...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: General Scheme of the Employment (Restriction of Certain Mandatory Retirement Ages) Bill 2024: Discussion (10 Apr 2024)

Marie Sherlock: Just so I am clear in my own mind about what has happened in other countries that lifted the mandatory retirement age, did that apply to all employees there and then or was it to apply to future employees at a certain date or age?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Illegal Israeli Settlements Divestment Bill 2023: Discussion (Resumed) (10 Apr 2024)

Marie Sherlock: Okay. We are now six months on from 7 October. We had been talking with grave concern prior to that date about trade with the illegal settlements and Israel. I heard what Mr. Downes said about there being no review by the Department of the impact of suspension of the EU-Israel trade agreement on Ireland. Is the Department taking a hands-off approach here? Is it fair to characterise it as...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Illegal Israeli Settlements Divestment Bill 2023: Discussion (Resumed) (10 Apr 2024)

Marie Sherlock: What I am trying to get at is that I am shocked the Department has not undertaken a review of the impact for Ireland of a suspension and indeed the implications for trade and jobs. I thank Mr. Downes for naming the IDA clients that are Israeli-owned. While I think we are all are aware that this will impact on jobs, we are also aware that the actions of the Israeli Government are killing...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Illegal Israeli Settlements Divestment Bill 2023: Discussion (Resumed) (10 Apr 2024)

Marie Sherlock: Mr. Downes stated he believes the review is at an early stage. What is the Department's assessment as to when there will be progress on that review of the trade agreement?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Illegal Israeli Settlements Divestment Bill 2023: Discussion (Resumed) (10 Apr 2024)

Marie Sherlock: I welcome the commitments to Deputy Boyd Barrett with regard to the dual-use data. I looked through the annual report and do not think there is any mention of the dual-use licences at all. It may appear in a separate report. What I find peculiar is that since 2014 this issue has been raised through a series of Bills about trade with the illegal settlements. There has been a series of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Illegal Israeli Settlements Divestment Bill 2023: Discussion (Resumed) (10 Apr 2024)

Marie Sherlock: I thank Mr. Downes for his replies. My party is very strongly of the view that we need to be much stronger in looking for trade sanctions against Israel now. I appreciate everything our guests have said about the strictures of our EU obligations but when people are being slaughtered in such a manner by the Israeli Government, it is unconscionable that the Irish State would stand back and not...