Results 1-20 of 52 for long speaker:Eileen Flynn

Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community: Give Travellers the Floor: Discussion (18 Apr 2024)

Eileen Flynn: ...These have been circulated. Are they agreed? Agreed. No apologies have been received. Before we start the discussion today I will read a note on privilege. All witnesses are reminded of the long-standing parliamentary practice that they should not criticise or make charges against any person or entity by name or in such a way as to make him, her or it identifiable or otherwise...

Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community: Give Travellers the Floor: Discussion (18 Apr 2024)

Eileen Flynn: ...Athy markets, recycling clothes. Daddy and Mammy sold clothes, bric-a-brac, second-hand shoes and books in the market. I remember it was five books for £1 or one book for 20p. That is going back. We have come a long way as a community but by God, we have a longer way to go for equality of opportunity. It is important when we talk about women's equality that we include Traveller...

Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community: Give Travellers the Floor: Discussion (18 Apr 2024)

Eileen Flynn: ...our community. People say, "If you cannot see it, you cannot be it." There is so much out there you can see and want to be but, unfortunately, you do not have the opportunities. We have, however, come a long way in 40 years. It took us nearly 40 years to get recognised as an ethnic minority group. It might take us the next ten or 20 years to get that State apology. Again, we deserve...

Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community: Traveller Education Policy: Department of Education (11 Apr 2024)

Eileen Flynn: ...While I had an overall good experience, I had nasty comments like “Why aren’t you off getting married?” and those stereotypes that unfortunately professional teachers still have today. That is changing, along with training and education for teachers and, as Deputy Stanton said, having members of the Traveller community in the teaching profession. Traveller education...

Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community: Traveller Accommodation: Discussion (Resumed) (21 Mar 2024)

Eileen Flynn: ...out of a public house - they are called public houses because they are for the public, but they are not for Travellers - there is no support for them to take a discrimination case. We should be long past that. I took numerous discrimination cases before I was a Senator and it is like pulling teeth because of the system. The case goes through the Workplace Relations Commission, WRC,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Planning for Inclusive Communities: Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (20 Mar 2024)

Eileen Flynn: ...- but the Minister of State has responsibility for the overall delivery. As I said earlier, I know that his heart is in the right place and that he wants things to be better. We do not know how long the Government is going to last, so let us be honest about the situation. The Minister of State has an opportunity to work with us as a committee to make better changes for people children...

Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community: Traveller Accommodation: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Feb 2024)

Eileen Flynn: Thank you. Just to say, Tony, it is not attacking anyone personally. This was going on long before your time and I am sure the same applies for Galway as well. It is okay and it gives me the voice to use this platform I have here to say that there are still big issues. While everything looks good on paper, I am expressing my experience of still living on site and dealing with the...

Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community: Traveller Accommodation: Discussion (Resumed) (22 Feb 2024)

Eileen Flynn: ...to us as well. We need that honesty as a committee, as well as communication and to try to work together. It is not about attacks and us against them, because that has been happening for too long. It is really about coming together and working for the common good. Again, I thank the witnesses so much for coming to our committee. The information has been very helpful to us and will...

Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community: Traveller Accommodation: Discussion (Resumed) (7 Dec 2023)

Eileen Flynn: ...already there. Cork Traveller Visibility Group has worked for decades on the answers, and so too has the National Traveller Women's Forum, Pavee Point and ITM. The list of organisations is as long as your arm. The answers are there but it is that accountability and implementation that this committee is looking for. We could move on and talk about Travellers in the justice system,...

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

Eileen Flynn: ...autistic children. I have not heard CAMHS acknowledge today that autistic children or children with other disabilities not having access to it is discrimination. I have a list of emails as long as my arm from people looking for access to CAMHS for an autistic child. In the next 15 to 20 years, we will see that a service that was meant to look after all young people excluded some...

Seanad: Electricity Costs (Emergency Measures) Domestic Accounts Bill 2023: Second Stage (8 Nov 2023)

Eileen Flynn: ...for people. I am not objecting to the Bill; far from it. However, what I am saying today is that we need to look at future-proofing and insulation in people's homes. Insulation has been around for a long time now and the majority of houses in the country would be insulated, but that is not the case for many people living in trailers and mobile homes or whatever people want to call them....

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

Eileen Flynn: ...being developed to provide a specific support package for them. We need to ensure there is ring-fenced funding for these services and ensure they have a range of placement options for medium and long term when they cannot return home. I get it 100%. It is important we focus on what is working for our young people. However, unfortunately, in the past year, looking at report after...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Consent Programmes in Irish Education: Discussion (7 Nov 2023)

Eileen Flynn: ...me it was underfunded and did not know if it would be able to roll it out the next year to transition year students. Even listening to some of the speakers today, it is clear that we have come a long way from a little Catholic one-way country, even in the last ten or five years. I remember that because I was a member of the Traveller community, I did not have to do sex education in...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: Implementation of Inclusive Education in Schools: Department of Education (18 Oct 2023)

Eileen Flynn: ...reading of the report suggests many children from the Traveller community are put on reduced timetables because they are regarded as bold or misbehaving. To me, that form of punishment should be long gone. It punishes the parents as well. I am still waiting for the Minister, Deputy Foley, to get back to me about a meeting on this. My focus for today's purposes is the 24% of Traveller...

Seanad: Budget 2024 (Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform): Statements (10 Oct 2023)

Eileen Flynn: ...many short-term, one-off measures in this budget may allow people to keep their heads above water for a few hours and get people out of a dark space for a short period, they will not make a real long-term difference to highly vulnerable people. This budget has definitely not future-proofed life for people who are living in poverty. Of course, we welcome the news about the cost of living....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Current and Future Plans of the School Building Unit: Department of Education (3 Oct 2023)

Eileen Flynn: ...with mica, with many schools in Donegal and beyond being affected. What is the Department doing to ensure these schools are safe? One of my colleagues spoke about prefabs. They are not fit for long-term use. They should only be used for five to ten years tops. In many cases they are used for additional special classes. A few months ago, Loreto Secondary School in Letterkenny got an...

Seanad: Road Safety: Statements (27 Sep 2023)

Eileen Flynn: ...for pedestrians, cyclists, and for drivers.Thankfully, I built up the courage. I have to drive because I live in rural Ireland. I did the driving test in Donegal and passed it first time. There was a long wait for it. I now drive from Donegal to Dublin. I do not feel I have a choice because the public transport does not meet my needs, even in Donegal. If I need to take one of my kids...

Seanad: Disability (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2023: Second Stage (11 Jul 2023)

Eileen Flynn: ...x201d; because people with disabilities are not the issue. It is society that is the issue, and previous Governments and the State are the issue. I thank Senator Clonan for bringing this very important and long overdue Bill to the House. I am very passionate about people's rights and I am passionate about the rights of people with disabilities. I first went on the Joint Committee on...

Seanad: Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme Bill 2022: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (28 Jun 2023)

Eileen Flynn: ...provide a statement recognising survivors who are applicants to the scheme and who have provided testimony about their life experiences in the institutions. Survivors have been silent for far too long. We urge that, under the scheme, their stories be shared. They are very powerful and need to be shared and, most importantly, to be recognised. The redress scheme is supposed to be the...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (21 Jun 2023)

Eileen Flynn: ...of the time we can always draw on the negative stuff that happens within society. Again, this is the opportunity to say "Happy Pride" to everybody and to remember it is a protest. We do have a long way to go to stop homophobia within society in general.