Results 41-60 of 124 for long speaker:Sharon Keogan

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (9 Nov 2022)

Sharon Keogan: ...protestors in Khash, Sistan and Baluchestan. According to Amnesty International, 82 Baluch people were killed in one day in Zahedan, Sistan and Baluchestan, the provincial capital of Iran. I, along with other Members in the Seanad, have been approached by the current Iranian ambassador to meet with him to discuss the situation in Iran. What concerns me more was the attempt by some...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (20 Oct 2022)

Sharon Keogan: I thank the Chairman. "Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is forcing Ireland to rethink its long tradition of military neutrality." This is not the conjecture of some online theorist, or the fear-mongering of a political radical, but it is a quote from our Minister of State with responsibility for European affairs. Speaking last week he said that public opinion may not be ready but he...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs: EU-level Policy Response to Current Energy Security Issues: Discussion (19 Oct 2022)

Sharon Keogan: ...shocked to hear this morning that we may expect this to last for another year. The public will be very disappointed to hear that this crisis is going to last that length of time and possibly even longer. I have a number of questions. My first question is for Mr. O'Donoghue. Many European countries such as France rely on nuclear power as their main source of energy. Could Mr....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs: EU-level Policy Response to Current Energy Security Issues: Discussion (19 Oct 2022)

Sharon Keogan: Do Dr. Deane and Mr. O'Donoghue believe the Government should assess the feasibility of building small, modular nuclear reactors to address the long-term needs in Ireland regarding energy? With regard to prioritising our own citizens, data centres currently consume 14% of our electricity, as mentioned by Deputy Haughey. The building of more data centres would increase Ireland's demand for...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Community Employment Schemes (11 Oct 2022)

Sharon Keogan: ...from €22.50 to €27.50 from January 2023. Meanwhile those in receipt of a weekly jobseeker's payment will receive an increase of €12 per week. The CE scheme is designed to help people who are long-term unemployed or otherwise disadvantaged to get back to work by offering part-time or temporary placements in jobs based within local communities. Participants can take...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (6 Oct 2022)

Sharon Keogan: ...outside our power ends up serving no one and it is past time we acknowledged the inconvenient truth, rather than accusing anyone voicing it of not caring about Ukrainian people. These people need long-term homes, secure jobs, education for their children and grassroots ties with their local communities. There is a limit to how many people we can provide that for, and that limit has...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (21 Sep 2022)

Sharon Keogan: ...big enough to conceal what happened in the past two years. Our Covid inquiry needs to be established. I do not know who the Deputy Leader wants to bring in here to tell us what is being done, just as long as there is someone who can say that we will start the process and mean it. Government needs to stop hiding in the dark because this will not go away.

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: An Garda Síochána (20 Sep 2022)

Sharon Keogan: .... The widely shared horrific scenes of gangs of joyriding thugs in a housing estate in Cherry Orchard have shocked many, but for many others, it is an all-too-familiar sight and shock has long since given way to resignation. Ordinary law-abiding citizens in certain parts of this country are terrorised day in, day out by low-life criminal hooligans who have no respect for their...

Seanad: Planning and Development, Maritime and Valuation (Amendment) Bill 2022: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (Resumed) (14 Jul 2022)

Sharon Keogan: ...the amendments were "throwing a minefield into the judicial review process". Last Thursday, Opposition Deputies and Senators received 48 pages of amendments that had been added to this legislation, which was originally 18 pages long. This left just three working days for an examination of this material before this legislation was voted on in the Dáil. Given the complexities of...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Energy Infrastructure (28 Jun 2022)

Sharon Keogan: ...of State. Next September, An Bord Pleanála is due to make a decision on the planning application submitted by Shannon LNG Limited for a proposed liquefied natural gas terminal on the Tarbert-Ballylongford land bank. The company behind the proposed plant has stated that the Shannon LNG terminal could be built in 12 months, and could even be built to accommodate a gradual transition...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Health and Safety (1 Jun 2022)

Sharon Keogan: ...as something that will save lives. This has not proven to be the case in the past 20 years. Since its inception the programme has largely been run by retired trade unionists who organise day-long courses that teach basic on-site safety. It is content that all apprentices know a week into their course. It is content such as lift from the knees and not from the back, do not do a...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (1 Jun 2022)

Sharon Keogan: Last month, which is not as long ago as it sounds, the Irish Dental Association met for its annual general meeting, AGM. It highlighted pressing concerns facing the industry here and called for Government intervention in key areas in need of reform. Top of that list is the need for the overhaul of the dental treatment service scheme, the HSE-managed scheme which offers medical card holders...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (26 May 2022)

Sharon Keogan: .... The State paid €30 million for the site but it is being rented out for €200 a month. Surely to God one does not need to be a genius to come up with solutions and find ways to build sustainable, long-term housing for people who need it, not only for refugees but people on the social housing lists and people who seek affordable housing. The Government has a site that is...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on International Surrogacy: Potential Double Standards in Protections for Surrogate Mothers in Domestic Arrangements: Discussion (26 May 2022)

Sharon Keogan: I thank Professor Golombok very much. She has long been a campaigner for diverse families. Her studies and research are based on a very small sample, perhaps of a couple of dozen people. Given the small sample size, it is hard to arrive at a definitive conclusion. Page 4 of Professor Golombok’s document states: Findings are presented of a study of families created through...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Abortion Services (19 May 2022)

Sharon Keogan: I was not expecting anything else from the Department, to tell the truth. I am very disappointed. I understand the review is ongoing. I am unfamiliar with how long it will take to conclude the review or when the results will be published. There are safeguarding issues here, specifically with regard to coercive control and domestic violence, and there are also difficulties in identifying...

Seanad: Carbon Policy: Motion (19 May 2022)

Sharon Keogan: ...; it is a more environmentally friendly source of energy that fossil fuels; - while Ireland should continue investing in renewable sources of energy, electricity generated from nuclear power could help Ireland to meet its long-term energy needs; notes that: - carbon taxes exist as a disincentive, but they can only be effective if members of the public are using more energy than they...

Seanad: Regulation of Display of Electoral and Polling Posters and Other Advertisements Bill 2022: Second Stage (17 May 2022)

Sharon Keogan: ...welcome this Bill and commend the Members from the Green Party who have brought it forward. The plastering of our towns and cities with blown-up images of incumbent and prospective politicians has long been the most immediately apparent hallmark of an election. Even this tradition must be examined as we strive to be more conscious of the waste of materials and energy and to move beyond a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on International Surrogacy: Issues relating to International Surrogacy Arrangements and Achieving Parental Recognition: Discussion (Resumed) (5 May 2022)

Sharon Keogan: ...for ever. You are the mother of her children. How will that affect Ms Wheatley and her family going forward? How will it affect the children? How will it affect the surrogate mother in the long term? When Ms Wheatley looked at Ukraine, did she look at some of the issues in terms of what the Ombudsman for Children said about surrogacy there? Why Ukraine in particular?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on International Surrogacy: Issues relating to International Surrogacy Arrangements and Achieving Parental Recognition: Discussion (Resumed) (5 May 2022)

Sharon Keogan: ...the meeting. One of the things that Ms Wheatley said is that she does not exist. Anyone who gives love to a child exists. Let me say that here and now. I know this because I fostered four children long term and perhaps 150 in total came through my door. Anyone who gives care and love to a child exists. They see Ms Wheatley as the parent. My only concern is that mother who gave birth...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (4 May 2022)

Sharon Keogan: ...be availed of. If that happens and everything goes without a hitch, it will be wonderful. However, we have never had to look too far in this country to see short-term solutions that have lingered long past their due date. That, of course, is simply not an option here. The apprehension is that if things do not all go according to plan and long-term accommodation is not found for...