Results 61-80 of 676 for at speaker:Jennifer Carroll MacNeill

Public Accounts Committee: 2020 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment
Chapter 6 - Covid-19 Restart Grant Schemes (18 Nov 2021)

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill: It is interesting Dr. Quinn should say that, because most people in Ireland are employed by much smaller enterprises, in many respects. On some of what Dr. Quinn said, for example, on hairdressers, I was in touch with them through Irish Small and Medium Employers, ISME, and they were hugely concerned about the emergence of an even stronger black market in their sector and what that meant....

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Referendum Campaigns (5 Oct 2023)

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill: The Citizen's Assembly on Gender Equality made three recommendations that centred on the Constitution: to insert gender equality and non-discrimination; to remove the reference of women within the home; and to amend Article 41 to protect family life to make sure that children in the family are not discriminated against whether their parents are married or not. As I said, great work was done...

National Broadband Plan: Statements (27 Jan 2022)

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill: I thank the Minister of State and for his answer and for his letter, which contained more responses. I have two more questions. I saw yesterday in the Seanad that a number of 54,000 connections was mentioned. I think the milestone was set at 60,000 homes being ready for connection by the end of January, although I am open to correction on that. Is that correct? I am told that there...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Wastewater Treatment (26 Apr 2023)

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill: I thank Senator Garvey for raising this important issue in Lahinch and more broadly around the country. I will cut to the chase with the Senator. The Department has told me the new treatment plant for Lahinch is currently at feasibility stage, it expects to be at planning permission stage in 2024 and ready for construction in 2025. It is a €20 million to €50 million project....

Seanad: Central Bank (Individual Accountability Framework) Bill 2022: Second Stage (8 Feb 2023)

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill: There have to be fair procedures at every stage. I want to go through some of the engagement that was correctly highlighted with the committee at an earlier stage. The fair procedures have to work both ways. For example, there is the six-year rule highlighted by Senator Black and the look-back in regard to fitness and probity. The reason that is being introduced is that there was a...

Seanad: Finance (No. 2) Bill 2023: Report and Final Stages (12 Dec 2023)

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill: I thank Senator Black for outlining her position on this. As a female Minister of State in the Department of Finance, I have a very acute interest in the gender distribution of policy made in the Department and particularly on the inequitable outcomes for women in pensions and on pension poverty. I am aware of that in everything we do. I appreciate the Senator has had an exchange with the...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (1 Jun 2022)

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill: ...community held a protest outside Leinster House to highlight mental health issues facing the community. As Fine Gael spokesperson for equality, I apologise to them for not being present. I was at a special school with members of the new Joint Committee on Autism at the same time as the protest. In response to a parliamentary question on 25 May, the Minister for Health stated the exact...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (7 Jul 2022)

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill: The impact of wind energy on energy prices is clear. We see that this month with the wholesale energy cost rising to €181 per MWh but going down to as low as €90 per MWh when the wind is at its strongest and up to €232 per MWh when there was no wind. Some 30% of Ireland's electricity up to June of this year has been created by wind - up 6% on last year. However, it is...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Special Educational Needs (26 Jan 2023)

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill: I thank the Senator for raising this matter. He is correct that the Minister of State at the Department of Education, Deputy Madigan, who has responsibility for special needs, has met stakeholders. Last night, I spoke to her to get the most recent update for the Senator. She is in County Mayo; otherwise she would be here in person. I have a similar school in my constituency and I am well...

Passport Services: Statements (26 May 2022)

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill: I am sharing time with Deputy McAuliffe. When I was driving to the House this morning, I saw a queue outside the Passport Service office at 8.45 a.m. It was a long queue and it reminded me that today would be another day of passport issues to be dealt with by the team in my office, who are at their wits' end. I thank them for their work as well as that of the Passport Service. Every...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: General Scheme of the Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (15 Jun 2021)

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill: Yes. My point is that there may be three or five candidates and they can be completely different and possess different skill sets. A court needs lots of different types of things at any given time and there are gaps in experience at different times. If these are being ranked and putting an onus on the Government to be accountable publicly in some way, and we get to how that discretion can...

Public Accounts Committee: Financial Statement 2020 and Related Matters: HSE (16 Sep 2021)

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill: I had a lot of understanding for that position, particularly in the early stages of the pandemic when we did not know what we were dealing with, when staff were at risk and where there were concentrated settings. However, many people are vaccinated now. The cross-party women's group in the Oireachtas had a meeting with patient advocates yesterday, some of whom were accessing maternity...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Banking Sector (30 Mar 2023)

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill: I thank the Senator for raising this important issue. Before giving him a proper answer in respect of the Central Bank and mortgage protection, as a constituency Deputy, I completely understand the scenario he is raising. I will not comment on any individual case but I too have had cases of mortgage holders trying to contact providers and not being able to get through. If it is the other...

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 20 - An Garda Síochána (Supplementary)
Vote 21 - Prisons (Supplementary)
Vote 22 - Courts Service (Supplementary)
Vote 24 - Justice (Supplementary) (29 Nov 2022)

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill: I have had parliamentary question responses which show quite significant variation between prisons in the number of days the schools are open within the prison. I see separately that the Minister of State talks about additional costs because of greater prisoner numbers but also the significant cost of transporting people to and from court, and the effect that has on staffing rosters and the...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Impact of Covid-19: Education – Return to School and School Transport (2 Jul 2020)

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill: That is absolutely right. When Ms Lynch uses the phrase "therapeutic supports", which is featured in the survey, it sounds like it must be something external, expensive and perhaps a bit frightening for those who have not accessed it before. However there is a halfway house, namely, training in child psychotherapy and play therapy provided through the colleges of education or otherwise....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality: Recommendations of Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality: Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (24 Mar 2022)

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill: Forgive me if I missed anything. I am on three committees at present. However, I heard Senator Ruane earlier, who got ahead of me and asked my question, which I know was discussed, about the mechanism for discussing wording and the policy in that regard. Obviously, the Department has a strong role in policy, and the Department of Justice has done some of this work in the past. I am aware...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Hospital Services (4 Jul 2023)

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill: The question of timing is very important, particularly the time patients arrive at a hospital. They can end up with a very long wait until 7 or 7:30 the following morning when the surgical teams come back in. Therefore, if they turn up at 11 p.m., and I have personally experienced this they can either stay until 7 a.m., or they can go home and come back. In my case, I was in Crumlin,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: General Scheme of the Criminal Justice (Hate Crime) Bill 2021: Discussion (17 Nov 2021)

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill: I understand. Are jurisdictions that have considered and not adopted that approach getting convictions? The committee is concerned that we have legislation that works and is a threat. I appreciate the point Dr. Schweppe makes about a conviction of that kind hanging around somebody for a very long time, potentially an unduly long time, particularly in the case of somebody very young and so...

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach: Credit Union (Amendment) Bill 2022: Committee Stage (18 Oct 2023)

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill: ... (b) in subsection (5), by the substitution of the following paragraph for paragraph (b): “(b) of making ineffective a demand for a poll on any such question which is made by— (i) in the case of a credit union other than a corporate credit union, not less than ten members, and (ii) in the case of a corporate credit union, at least one member, having the right to...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2023: Committee Stage (4 May 2023)

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill: I will leave the question of the sectoral order to the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment as it relates to it. I will observe that the Low Pay Commission pays a strong role in wages across every sector. We have had legislation on payment of wages in tips and on sick pay. There have been a number of increases in minimum wage. I note the foregoing in respect of pay, which is a...