Results 1-17 of 17 for other and baby speaker:Maire Devine

Seanad: Imminent Closure of Cuisle Accessible Holiday Resort: Statements (27 Nov 2019)

Maire Devine: I welcome the Minister of State to the House. Nobody here doubts his passion and commitment to his portfolio.This issue was raised by several Senators as soon as they learned of it and Senator Leyden pushed for it to be discussed further today. To term it that we cannot question and ask the Minister of State without him feeling we are questioning his commitment is somewhat misguided. I do...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (10 Oct 2019)

Maire Devine: Mental Health Week is kicking off today with events throughout the country. This morning, I attended the Oireachtas health and well-being team's information and coffee morning. The team will roll out events for Members and staff. I urge everyone to attend when information on them is put up on the Plinth website. It is concerning that, during world mental health week, the Government failed...

Seanad: Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union: Statements (1 Oct 2019)

Maire Devine: I welcome the Minister of State to the House and I thank the Tánaiste for his comprehensive statement on the UK withdrawal. Everybody here has talked about the profound implications for this country. A no-deal exit will bring lasting damage at every level. I tend to concur with Senator McDowell when he says the UK Government has no intention of getting a deal. It is playing silly...

Seanad: Genetic Testing: Motion (10 Jul 2019)

Maire Devine: Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. I welcome the motion and I am proud to speak on behalf of Sinn Féin. I thank Senator Norris for extending the opportunity to add my name to this very worthy motion. The issue has already been discussed in the Lower House, where a Sinn Féin amendment to a motion included a call for a newborn screening test. In this State newborn babies...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (17 Apr 2019)

Maire Devine: The report on the mother and baby homes published today is the fifth interim report and we have watched each one, as have the relatives of the women in the mother and baby homes. They have stuck with this over the years and many of them are now elderly and frail. Some have sadly passed on without learning what happened to their children, their brothers, sisters and even their mothers. The...

Seanad: Civil Liability (Amendment) (No. 3) Bill 2018: Second Stage (4 Jul 2018)

Maire Devine: ...welcome the Minister to the House. It is an apt time to take this Bill. I am delighted to open the Second Stage debate. This Bill is about being transparent in healthcare, being protected by law and not being protected by the idea of doing something voluntarily, which is unenforceable. We know that to be the case now. More than that, this Bill is about delivering for the men, women,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Future of Mental Health Care: Community Health Care Organisations: Discussion (Resumed) (24 Jan 2018)

Maire Devine: I am usually brief but do not quote me on that. In the interests of brevity, I will only ask questions, although I can make statements. I thank Mr. Walsh and Dr. McCormack for their briefings on CHO 7. The Chairman will discuss the issue of money, as not being able to discover what the budget is has got us around this table numerous times. I will ask different questions. Some are...

Seanad: Report on Lone Parents in Ireland: Statements (25 Oct 2017)

Maire Devine: ...2% of children in one-parent families are living in consistent poverty. Lone parents have a tough job, one I certainly would not want to have to do. Walking the floorboards at night with a crying baby, with nobody to share the load, is difficult and very rarely a lifestyle choice. The 26.2% of children who are in one-parent families are three times more likely to be living in consistent...

Seanad: Coroners (Amendment) Bill 2016: Second Stage (18 Oct 2017)

Maire Devine: ...suicide, or suicide as a direct result of the effects of medication. I appeal to the Minister to allow this to be the coroner's responsibility. Let coroners do their job. They are professionals and will make prudent decisions about unintended effects. Please allow the Bill to progress through the Houses. This legislation follows tough campaigning and Trojan work by parents Stephanie...

Seanad: Order of Business (11 Jul 2017)

Maire Devine: ...my condolences on yesterday's tragedy in the Kimmage area of Dublin South-Central. Councillor McHugh is on the ground there since yesterday assisting the shocked, bereaved community. The State's baby boom saw almost 64,000 live births recorded in 2016. That is 1.3 births per 1,000 members of the population, which means the highest natural rise in Europe. We have the lowest death rate,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Foster Care Services: Discussion (31 May 2017)

Maire Devine: I thank both groups for their work. Their compassion and passion for our vulnerable children comes through clearly. Does EPIC agree with the statement that, given the emotions of children, institutional care is of a lesser quality than direct foster care in a home? There has been an increase in the number of children under 12 being placed in institutional care. Is that due to the lack of...

Seanad: Second Interim Report of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes and Certain Related Matters: Statements (17 May 2017)

Maire Devine: What happened to them then? This was in 2012 and we had complete silence and nothing was heard. The next time the documents reared their heads, it seems, was in 2014 when the interdepartmental group report on mother and baby homes was published. However, the 1,000 files were not included in that particular report. Instead, according to correspondence from the HSE, the files were handed...

Seanad: Order of Business (12 Apr 2017)

Maire Devine: I propose an amendment to the Order of Business. I would like an invitation to be extended as a matter of urgency to the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Deputy Katherine Zappone, to come to the Chamber to respond to questions on the second interim report of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes which was published yesterday and her response to it. The survivor...

Seanad: Commission of Investigation Announcement on Tuam Mother and Baby Home: Statements (9 Mar 2017)

Maire Devine: I welcome the Minister back to the House on another very sad occasion in our collective history. The outrage and sadness throughout the country is palpable. We have staggered from scandal to scandal in recent years and it has sent the country reeling. People are disturbed, shocked and bewildered. We are a society in mourning for the countless losses and deaths and the unspeakable criminal...

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed) (7 Mar 2017)

Maire Devine: There are many issues to raise but, along with many others, I really need to raise the Tuam babies case and mother and baby institutions. Tomorrow is International Women’s Day and to gel it all together I was at the Flowers for Magdalenes event on Sunday. This is the sixth time we have hosted the event. I listened to the stories of the women. One woman said: "They took my hair;...

Seanad: Symphysiotomy Payment Scheme: Statements (Resumed) (22 Feb 2017)

Maire Devine: Probably. Symphysiotomy, a word I have difficulty pronouncing, is a barbaric and medieval practice, which was carried out for many years in this State. It is a procedure that women were advised to undergo without knowledge of what it involved. Symphysiotomy is a similar to the spatchcock cooking technique used in the preparation of birds. It involves the use of a chainsaw and was often...

Seanad: Order of Business (17 Nov 2016)

Maire Devine: ...have been cancelled in the emergency department at St. James Hospital this morning because staff are being pushed to the limit. We are now at breaking point. I again refer to the treatment of mothers and their children. One of the scandals that was allowed to occur in mother and baby homes in the 1960s was the carrying out of vaccine trials on women and children. The inquiry of the...