Results 1-20 of 178 for like to work speaker:Mary Seery Kearney

Seanad: Better Planning for Local Childcare Provision: Motion (17 Jul 2024)

Mary Seery Kearney: Lest anyone thinks I am unqualified to speak in this area, I have owned a childcare facility. I built the largest one in the city in 2002. I have been a consultant to the sector and led them through GDPR. I have consulted and been a mentor on county childcare committees. If anyone thinks I do not know what I am talking about, actually I do. When I speak to and meet with services, I...

Seanad: Protection of Children (Online Age Verification) Bill 2024: Second Stage (11 Jul 2024)

Mary Seery Kearney: ...pornography. However, I do not think the Bill is the answer. Although I note the Minister is not opposing the Bill I would understand if she was. There is no question that when it comes to pornography, full stop, we need a greater education and I see that increasing. In the education provided in schools we need very clear instruction to discern between the reality and beauty of...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (11 Jul 2024)

Mary Seery Kearney: I congratulate our new colleague, Senator Bradley. I could not be more thrilled to see her here. I am very proud of the Taoiseach for recognising her sheer talent and skill and elevating her to the Seanad. I also welcome the Senator's family. It is a really big day. I was emotional seeing her walking in. Her family can be very proud of her. As her colleague, I am very proud of her....

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (10 Jul 2024)

Mary Seery Kearney: Over recent years, I have spoken in the House about the apartment defects issue on numerous occasions. I welcome to the Gallery Sam and Odette Doran of the Not Our Fault campaign. They represent more than 100,000 homeowners throughout the country who, through no fault of their own, have found themselves to be living in multi-unit developments where there are fire defects. The sequence of...

Seanad: Migration: Statements (10 Jul 2024)

Mary Seery Kearney: First, I congratulate the Minister on his elevation to the leadership of the Green Party and I wish him well with that. We are here to make statements on migration. When I see it and read it, it gives me the chills because I have a fear of any further stoking of the hate and the activities that we have seen in our country in the last year and a half especially, which have just been...

Seanad: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Second Stage (27 Jun 2024)

Mary Seery Kearney: I commend the Minister of State and officials for the amazing work. The engagement with the Oireachtas committee has been fantastic. I commend my colleague, Senator Cummins, on his leadership within our party in this area. He has been insightful in his contributions and a great advocate and colleague. I welcome this Bill. It is critical, exactly as described. We need an coimisiún...

Committee on Drugs Use: Decriminalisation, Depenalisation, Diversion and Legalisation of Drugs: Discussion (27 Jun 2024)

Mary Seery Kearney: I want to come back to the fact that what we are talking about here would be quite a cultural and societal shift. When we put that inside a context that marginalised communities are most impacted by treating drugs in a criminal justice system rather than a health driven system, that suggests it is more than just treating drugs in criminal justice, it is actually about the issues within that...

Seanad: Health (Assisted Human Reproduction) Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (26 Jun 2024)

Mary Seery Kearney: ...explanation of the screening of anybody who applies for fertility and not just surrogacy. As I said last week, I had a problem where if suddenly one has a diagnosis of something which is going to bring a person into a territory of requiring fertility treatment, and then having to prove oneself as a parent, when that is not the case when one does not have a fertility issue. I would argue...

Seanad: Health (Assisted Human Reproduction) Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (26 Jun 2024)

Mary Seery Kearney: -----that the children are only being reared by their biological parents. All sorts of thing constantly go on in society. Step-parents rear children. I have a blended family visiting the House today. Blended families work. They rear children all of the time. As such, to speak about it as being prejudicial to a child born of surrogacy is to deny the reality of what happens in the world...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters: An Inclusive Education for an Inclusive Society: Department of Education (25 Jun 2024)

Mary Seery Kearney: ...the Minister of State for taking the time. I had a meeting with her last week that was very comprehensive. Some of this is just me thinking on further from that meeting. I apologise, but I had to go to another event and the Minister of State may already have answered this question. The parents in my home constituency of Dublin South-Central have the experience of being handed a list...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (20 Jun 2024)

Mary Seery Kearney: I think I am in line for a Louis Vuitton for her 21st birthday or something like that. I am saving; I have saved for 21 years. I want to begin by paying enormous tribute to the Acting Leader. I am thrilled to see him as Acting Leader today. I missed the last day he was here. I am about to speak about the Oireachtas disability group, but I actually want to pay tribute to the fact that...

Seanad: Health (Assisted Human Reproduction) Bill 2022: Committee Stage (20 Jun 2024)

Mary Seery Kearney: ...of these amendments. I will go through all of them and point out the errors in their conception, if you pardon the pun. Amendment No. 1, which is based on the idea that parents entering into surrogacy should be on par with adoptive parents and meet the criteria for adoption, seeks to conflate surrogacy and adoption, which are different things in the journey to becoming a parent. It does...

Seanad: Health (Assisted Human Reproduction) Bill 2022: Committee Stage (20 Jun 2024)

Mary Seery Kearney: I have two amendments in this group. I will not be moving any of my amendments. They are merely there for discussion purposes. I flagged to the Minister's officials that this would be the case. Before I get into them, I will address a couple of things. There were a few chestnuts that were always predictable so let us nail those here and now. The first is the quotation from the Ukrainian...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (19 Jun 2024)

Mary Seery Kearney: I commend Senator Ardagh on her Bill. I cannot see anyone not supporting it in its entirety. I have just come from the Committee on Autism's first year anniversary meeting, in which it listed its recommendations and the progress thereon. I want to first reflect on the fact that there is never a case here where a committee sits, produces a report and has a progress report a year on. That...

Seanad: National Cancer Services: Motion (19 Jun 2024)

Mary Seery Kearney: I welcome the Minister of State. I commend my colleague Senator Kyne on drafting and bringing forward this motion. It is excellent and aptly timed. I reiterate the asks. The idea that your probability and possibility of surviving cancer is dependent on where you live, your socioeconomic grouping or your geographical location is awful. It should not be that way in 2024.It is shocking that...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Heritage Sites (13 Jun 2024)

Mary Seery Kearney: I thank the Cathaoirleach for selecting my matter today. The Minister of State is very welcome and I am delighted he is in as Minister of State with responsibility for the Office of Public Works when this an Office of Public Works issue. That is really good news. I have had the privilege of working with the Chapelizod historical society and a lot of those same individuals are in Chapelizod...

Seanad: Health (Assisted Human Reproduction) Bill 2022: Second Stage (13 Jun 2024)

Mary Seery Kearney: It was ten years ago last month that I sent my first email to a predecessor of the Minister's asking for a legal framework for surrogacy in Ireland. I begin, therefore, by congratulating the Minister and his team for the exceptional work that has gone into this Bill. I am very grateful to the Department of Health officials - Pamela, Edward, Colm and others - the members of the...

Seanad: Order of Business (30 May 2024)

Mary Seery Kearney: I will work in reverse order. Senator Maria Byrne welcomed the beds announcement. We all breathed a huge sigh of relief yesterday. The sheer scale of it was very impressive. The Minister also spoke about it at length following the debate in the Dáil on the Assisted Human Reproduction Bill. It is great. Senator Maria Byrne in particular is a huge advocate for University Hospital...

Seanad: Order of Business (30 May 2024)

Mary Seery Kearney: It is important to get the day for no homework right so that it has power. Returning to Senator Hoey, it is an important point. We are seeing the language grow outside Gaeltacht areas but the idea of being able to go to an area where people are shopping and living in the language is lovely.That is a good and very important part of our culture and it ensures the ongoing life of our...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (23 May 2024)

Mary Seery Kearney: I formally second Senator Martin's Bill. It is excellent, insightful legislation. It is very simple and straightforward but much needed, especially where applications regarding coercive control come into play. I congratulate and thank the Minister for Rural and Community Development for her announcement yesterday on the local enhancement programme. The constituency of Dublin...