Results 1-20 of 86 for long speaker:Emer Currie

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Wildlife Protection (17 Apr 2024)

Emer Currie: I thank the Minister of State for bring here personally today. Four minutes does not seem long enough to summarise the four years it has taken for a local sports club, St, Oliver Plunkett Eoghan Ruadh "Plunkett's" GAA, to get to the point where a proposal for the redevelopment of Martin Savage Park, just off the Navan Road, was ready for a Part 8 planning process. We have an issue when...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Schools Building Projects (11 Apr 2024)

Emer Currie: ...directly with the Minister for Education in person and was assured it was being dealt with. It is not that there has not been any communication but we seem have been going around in circles for a long time without any clear pathway for the school. In November, the Department of Education agreed to conduct a full roof examination but then refused the quote that was provided to it, even...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (20 Mar 2024)

Emer Currie: They say a week is a long time in politics. What about a morning? There will be a lot of political reflections this morning about the news about our party leader and Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, but I will add some personal reflections. He has been my friend for more than 30 years and I hope we will be friends for over 30 more. As teenagers the politics seeped out of our pores and we were...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (7 Mar 2024)

Emer Currie: ...previously, but there is a dearth of information on key strategic projects in Dublin West. This issue affects other areas as well. I wish to discuss the unnecessary stress and heartache caused by long admissions timelines and a lack of co-ordination. This year in Dublin 15, families have received letters from schools placing their children on long waiting lists. It has caused a great...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Northern Ireland (7 Feb 2024)

Emer Currie: ...establishment of Stormont at the weekend. I congratulate the First Minister, the deputy First Minister, the other new Ministers and the MLAs as they take up their positions. They certainly have a long to-do list. However, it is our to-do list I will talk about today. Careful examination of the language as well as the impact of the UK Government's command paper, Safeguarding the Union,...

Seanad: Death of Former Taoiseach: Expressions of Sympathy (7 Feb 2024)

Emer Currie: ...as I am concerned. I looked at my father's book yesterday and that is what he said; the reason he supported him at every step was because of his integrity. He was incredibly resilient. In such a long career he was able to take the knocks and bounce back, and thank God he did. But he was also utterly committed to reconciliation on this island. Even up until December 2022 when he...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (24 Jan 2024)

Emer Currie: ...rental. Some 247 apartments, a mix of studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments, are available through our new State agency, the Land Development Agency, LDA, under the cost-rental scheme. Long-term, secure tenancies are available at a cost that is at least 25% less than market value. That is available to households with a net income of less than €66,000, which could be a...

Seanad: Health (Termination of Pregnancy Services) (Safe Access Zones) Bill 2023: Second Stage (14 Dec 2023)

Emer Currie: ...not the case. This is legal healthcare and people have an entitlement to access it without intimidation, without the forces of control and shame that have been too powerful in this State for too long. I thank Together for Safety for all of their work, and I thank the Minister for bringing this important legislation to the House before Christmas. I look forward to its passage.

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Schools Building Projects (7 Dec 2023)

Emer Currie: ...to people making the decision about whether to send a child to Ériu, a third of parents and students are deciding that not knowing is a reason for them to choose a school elsewhere. Four years is just too long. The catchment area is Blanchardstown west, but it also includes Blanchardstown village. As a result, the school could potentially end up anywhere in the Blanchardstown...

Seanad: Recent Violence in Dublin City Centre: Motion (29 Nov 2023)

Emer Currie: ...not acceptable. We still have cycles of poverty in our society, and yet we have an economy that is performing strongly. I am of a school of thought, and think the Minister is too, where Mandela said, "As long as poverty, injustice and gross inequality exist in our world, none of us can truly rest." I really believe that. I also believe, however, that there are threats in our society...

Seanad: Budget 2024 (Finance): Statements (10 Oct 2023)

Emer Currie: ...í. College fees were abolished for part-time students and those earning less than €56,000. Why is that not being focused on? Apprenticeship fees are also being cut by 33%.Apprenticeships are a great pathway for people to access long-term employment and lifelong learning. Altogether, this has been a very positive day. I want to again thank the Minister of State for...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Finance and Economics: Discussion (13 Jul 2023)

Emer Currie: I do not think the committee has ever seen me so quiet for so long.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Finance and Economics: Discussion (13 Jul 2023)

Emer Currie: This is fascinating. I thank the witnesses very much. I am sorry I missed the start of it; I had another engagement. I do not want to keep the witnesses too long. There is debate about what constitutional change will look like. Much of it is based on the idea of integration and a 32-county model. Some people have noted that, perhaps, we would keep the assembly and other structures in...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Planning Issues (11 Jul 2023)

Emer Currie: ...of at least one childcare facility per 75 dwellings in new housing developments and it is recommended that services look after approximately 20 children. That is reasonable and would have gone a long way to avoiding the problems we have. What is not reasonable are the grounds on which developers or builders can get around those requirements.The first ground is the number of studio or...

Seanad: Non-Fatal Offences against the Person (Amendment) (Spiking) Bill 2023: Second Stage (31 May 2023)

Emer Currie: ...they lose all their capabilities, they are put in a state of extreme vulnerability and then suffer the consequences, whether that is a sexual attack or a theft. Whatever the consequences, they are long-lasting. I would imagine that everybody has experienced spiking to some extent. If they have not, they will know somebody who has been spiked, they will have been in the presence of...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (19 Apr 2023)

Emer Currie: ...primary school teacher training, in both undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. However, I would welcome the opportunity for us to engage with the Minister for Education on both short-term and long-term actions that will solve this issue. As the teachers said, it is about the ability to access full-time jobs and salary. The Minister committed to looking at promotional opportunities...

Seanad: Location of Victims' Remains: Motion (22 Mar 2023)

Emer Currie: ...for Justice to address the irregularity of the Troubles permanent disablement payment scheme or injured pension. We are in the situation where the pension has been introduced in the North after a long time and people are applying for it. However, I believe that a person wishing to apply was born in the South, that person does not get the same access to the pension. So a potential...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Architects of the Good Friday Agreement (Resumed): Lord Empey (9 Mar 2023)

Emer Currie: ...with her back in 1999. My father had obviously been pressing her on areas of co-operation. They met about energy. He talked about how great it was that they met for discussions and said "long may that continue and perhaps we will soon reach the stage where nobody will pay much attention to these meetings." Of course, we know it has not ended up like that. Over the past few years we...

Seanad: International Women's Day: Statements (8 Mar 2023)

Emer Currie: ...people from Phoenix FM, the Huntstown Community Centre and Castleknock Tidy Towns. While reference has been made to International Women's Day and the progress we have made, it does not take long before the focus shifts to the actions that are outstanding. It is such a privilege to be in this building. I feel that every single day I walk through its doors. I shared this morning how I...