Results 1-15 of 15 for other and baby speaker:Jennifer Whitmore

Supports for Survivors of Residential Institutional Abuse Bill 2024: Second Stage (30 Apr 2024)

Jennifer Whitmore: I thank my colleague Deputy Gannon who has very strongly and adeptly described the flaws and gaps in this legislation, and indeed the trauma still experienced by so many survivors in the State. I want to talk about another group of men and women who deserve recognition and the support of the State but who have been completely ignored by it to date, namely the survivors of Westbank...

Nature Restoration Law: Statements (7 Mar 2024)

Jennifer Whitmore: Where to start? Speaking as someone who has worked and studied in this area since I was 17, the debate so far this evening has been incredibly difficult to listen to. When we have the Chair of a committee talking about the sole purpose of a river being to drain water away from farmlands, I wonder whether we need to have an ecological education programme within the Houses of the Oireachtas....

Future of Regional Pre-Hospital Emergency Care: Motion [Private Members] (1 Mar 2023)

Jennifer Whitmore: ...there are two motions on the NAS this week. Related issues were also discussed at the Joint Committee on Health. Pre-hospital emergency care is a vital cog in our healthcare services. Paramedics and other workers in the NAS provide life-saving care every day, often in incredibly challenging contexts. However, this crucial service is under-resourced, with insufficient staff and vehicles...

Forestry Strategy: Statements (26 Jan 2023)

Jennifer Whitmore: ...about forestry, biodiversity or our environment, it says all the right things. It says all the things that people in our communities want to hear. We have the Tánaiste talking about rewilding land. We have the Taoiseach talking about turning the tide on climate change and biodiversity loss and leaving the planet to the next generation in a better condition than we inherited it. We...

Institutional Burials Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages (15 Jun 2022)

Jennifer Whitmore: ...the amendments. I took that to mean that he might consider accepting them at some point down the road, but his latest response would indicate they are not under consideration at all. The mother and baby homes commission reported that at least 9,000 children died while in the State's care. Many causes of death are largely unknown, as are the locations of the remains. However, it is...

Institutional Burials Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages (15 Jun 2022)

Jennifer Whitmore: I move amendment No. 6: In page 10, between lines 36 and 37, to insert the following: “(ii) of persons whose death may have occurred in a violent or unnatural manner, or suddenly and from unknown causes, or”. While the Bill makes significant progress in providing a framework to address some of the horrific aspects of modern Irish history, it falls short of international...

Government Response to Situation in Ukraine: Statements (30 Mar 2022)

Jennifer Whitmore: I welcome the opportunity to take part in this discussion and I thank the Minister for remaining in the Chamber. I am incredibly proud of the generous and warm welcome that the Irish people have demonstrated to those fleeing the horrific violence in Ukraine. The collective condemnation of this unacceptable Russian aggression and the heartfelt expression of solidarity with the people of...

Family Leave and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2021: Committee and Remaining Stages (25 Mar 2021)

Jennifer Whitmore: ...3, in which we outline a number of areas we think the Minister should report to the Dáil on in a number of months. It is good policy to have a review of this legislation because we need to understand how it impacts people and how it can be improved, so it is important that there is a continual review of the legislation that passes. This amendment contains a number of areas that we...

Family Leave and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2021 [Seanad]: Second Stage (24 Mar 2021)

Jennifer Whitmore: The Social Democrats also welcome this Bill. It is an important step towards facilitating work-life balance and giving the supports families need to take care of their children. Many parents will breathe a sigh of relief when they see this Bill is before the Dáil and it is hoped they will soon see the effects of the legislation on the ground. Parents have been waiting for this for a...

Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes: Motion [Private Members] (24 Feb 2021)

Jennifer Whitmore: I move: That Dáil Éireann: notes: — the shocking revelation that all 550 recorded audio testimonies of survivors have been deleted by the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes (the Commission) - the vast majority of survivor testimonies provided to the Commission; — that many survivors have refuted the Commission’s claim that permission was...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (18 Feb 2021)

Jennifer Whitmore: I want to follow up on the question from Deputy Bríd Smith on the mother and baby homes commission. On the one hand, the Tánaiste said the Government knows there is a flaw in the system and that once these commissions hand over their reports they dissolve and the Government is left answering questions for them. On the other hand, the Tánaiste is saying he will not extend the...

Report of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes: Statements (Resumed) (20 Jan 2021)

Jennifer Whitmore: Last week our radio waves and newspapers were flooded with life stories and lived experiences of the survivors of the mother and baby homes and their accounts of loss and trauma, sadness and anger. The stories were very difficult to listen to and I cannot even begin to imagine what it was like to have lived and be still living through it. I hope that telling those stories helped even a...

Report of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes: Statements (13 Jan 2021)

Jennifer Whitmore: The publication of the report into the mother and baby homes marks a hugely important point in our country's history and the path towards justice for all our citizens. While the women and children in the homes and institutions have never had any doubt about the abuses and horrors that took place behind their doors, this report now brings together many of their stories and lived experiences...

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

Jennifer Whitmore: The Minister started by saying that our most fundamental duty today is to acknowledge the profound failures and mistreatment of Irish women and their children who were cruelly deprived of choice and agency, and, in many cases, coerced into unnecessary institutional settings. I absolutely agree. We and the Government need to acknowledge that. We need to acknowledge the bravery and dignity...

Maternity Leave Benefit Extension: Motion [Private Members] (14 Jul 2020)

Jennifer Whitmore: This afternoon, I took a phone call from a woman in my constituency. She rang to tell me her story and the reason an extension to maternity leave was so important to her. She was carrying twins. Tragically, she lost one of the babies. She continued with her pregnancy but it was a very difficult pregnancy. She was grieving for her baby and the birth was very traumatic. This woman has not...