Results 1-18 of 18 for other and baby speaker:Thomas Pringle

Supports for Survivors of Residential Institutional Abuse Bill 2024: Second Stage (Resumed) (1 May 2024)

Thomas Pringle: I am thankful for the opportunity to speak on the Supports for Survivors of Residential Institutional Abuse Bill 2024. The State has repeatedly let down survivors of residential institutional abuse and this legislation is yet another example. It is interesting that this legislation is being put forward by the Department of Education. We had the Department of children previously. It...

Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme Bill 2022: Report Stage (Resumed) (22 Feb 2023)

Thomas Pringle: ...to do that. The first states: I would love to give my story to the dail as this really upsets me how things have turned out. I thank you for your help but as a child who was in st patricks and been in different childrens homes, I will still live with unanswered questions to do with my life. Things, such as photos of me been a baby might not be much to some people but it's my life no...

Birth Information and Tracing Bill 2022: Second Stage (Resumed) (20 Jan 2022)

Thomas Pringle: I am thankful for the opportunity to speak on the Birth Information and Tracing Bill 2022 today. I start by making it absolutely clear that this Bill does not provide unrestricted access to birth certificates for adopted people and I, along with many others, see through the narrative that this Government is trying to push that this is a fantastic Bill that gives adopted people exactly the...

Education (Health, Relationships and Sex Education) Bill 2021: Second Stage [Private Members] (24 Nov 2021)

Thomas Pringle: I will first make a point about some of the comments of the previous speakers. We had a debate in this House last night about the mother and baby homes and the treatment of women by the State. Yet, the same Members have come in today to talk about the need for a religious aspect in our schools. It is the exact same religious aspect in our schools that led to the mother and baby home...

Mother and Baby Homes Redress Scheme: Motion [Private Members] (23 Nov 2021)

Thomas Pringle: I welcome the opportunity to speak on this very important issue. I completely support Sinn Féin’s motion for an expansion of the mother and baby homes redress scheme to all former residents of mother and baby homes regardless of how long or short their stay. I thank Deputy Funchion for bringing this motion to the House. I echo the words of the survivors' group, who I...

Planning and Development (Amendment) (No. 3) Bill 2021: Second Stage (Resumed) (29 Jun 2021)

Thomas Pringle: Here we are with yet another piece of rushed legislation, this time the Planning and Development (Amendment) (No. 3) Bill 2021. The Bill has not undergone pre-legislative scrutiny and was rushed through the Seanad last week and yesterday. While I completely understand that it is necessary to work around the situation Covid-19 created, the reality is that shortcuts are being taken and we do...

Maternity Services: Motion [Private Members] (2 Jun 2021)

Thomas Pringle: I thank the Acting Chair for the opportunity to contribute on our motion on national maternity services and I would like to commend my colleague, Deputy Catherine Connolly, and her staff Béibhinn and Rachel, on their work on the motion. I was very happy to put my name to the motion to call on the Government to publish a time-bound and comprehensive implementation plan for the remaining...

Children (Amendment) Bill 2020 [Seanad]: Second Stage (Resumed) (31 Mar 2021)

Thomas Pringle: ...the identification of the child, whether directly or indirectly. Section 252 applies once a person has been charged with an offence. This means that we have instances where a crime is committed and a child is murdered and media outlets can report the matter widely. They can name the child and include photos of him or her and quotes from his or her family. However, once someone is...

Adoption (Information) Bill 2021: First Stage (10 Mar 2021)

Thomas Pringle: .... I note the Private Members’ Bill of Deputy Funchion of Sinn Féin, which was debated earlier. I know the Government accepted it but this Bill needs to go in as well to keep the pressure on and make sure it is brought to a satisfactory conclusion. I note also Labour Senator Bacik's Bill in the Seanad. It seems that many of us were moved to take action after listening...

Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) (Amendment) Bill 2020 [Seanad]: Second Stage (Resumed) (3 Feb 2021)

Thomas Pringle: I am sharing time with Deputy Connolly. The purpose of this Bill is to transpose EU Directive No. 2017/137, also known as the PIF directive. It will amend the 1994 and 2011 Criminal Justice Acts, the Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) Act 2001 and other enactments. In his opening speech last week the Minister of State, Deputy James Browne, told us that the European Commission has...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (20 Jan 2021)

Thomas Pringle: Last week I asked the Taoiseach about the refusal by the commission on mother and baby homes of subject access requests. The Taoiseach responded by stating: “The Minister's bona fides were absolutely correct on that occasion ... I will ask the Minister to come back to the Deputy on the specific point he raised”. The first part of the answer was fallacious, and the latter part...

Commission of Investigation (Mother and Baby Homes and certain related Matters) Records, and another Matter, Bill 2020 [Seanad]: Second Stage (21 Oct 2020)

Thomas Pringle: ...to attend tonight’s debate so I will be taking the five minutes of her time. All of us have received an astounding amount of correspondence on this legislation in recent weeks. I tell the thousands of people who contacted me, and indeed those who are watching closely for the outcome of this debate, that I hear them, I am listening and I respect the agency of every survivor and...

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (23 Sep 2020)

Thomas Pringle: There is no doubt that the Covid-19 restrictions around our society have been hard and necessary. It is incumbent on all of us to ensure that the restrictions are fully followed. As we are standing here today, it is quite possible and probable that my county, Donegal, will move into the next stage of restrictions in the coming days, but we will have to wait and see what happens. There are...

Leaders' Questions (3 Nov 2016)

Thomas Pringle: This week saw the publication of the report, Review of Certain Matters Relating to a Disability Service in the South East, also referred to as the Grace case. The Government and the HSE's response to the terrible abuse carried out in a foster home reminds me of the tendency of Governments to think and give the impression that these are isolated instances confined only to one particular part...

Financial Resolutions 2017 - Budget Statement 2017 (11 Oct 2016)

Thomas Pringle: ...that has gone on between the three pillars of the Government over the changes in the budget. We have Fianna Fáil fighting hard for the pension increases, which is probably more about positioning and trying to capitalise on the so-called grey vote, whenever it can bring itself to collapse the Government and go back to the country again. We then see that Fine Gael has suddenly...

Children and Family Relationships Bill 2015: Second Stage (Resumed) (25 Feb 2015)

Thomas Pringle: ...everything said by Deputy Lyons. We should look at human flourishing as a way of organising society, as it would be much better. The family unit, as it was once known, has changed significantly and it is still changing. In one generation, and in one family alone, the unit can go through several changes as it adjusts to different circumstances. According to the 2011 CSO figures, one...

Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill 2013: Report Stage (Resumed) (10 Jul 2013)

Thomas Pringle: ...I have heard the testimony of women who have travelled to Liverpool to have terminations because they had a diagnosis of fatal foetal abnormality. It was very difficult to listen to that testimony and, for me, very difficult to accept that in 2013 Irish society would force women to make those journeys with a baby they had been looking forward to having, knowing that baby had no chance of...

Mental Health Services: Motion (15 Nov 2011)

Thomas Pringle: ...the opportunity to speak on this important Technical Group motion on mental health services. As we all are aware, one in four of us will experience problems with our mental health. It is part and parcel of being human and living our lives in today's climate. No one should ever be ashamed to seek help and no one should ever have to suffer in silence. Too many lives have been lost in our...