Tag Archives: Leinster House

Oireachtas members last night enjoyed dinner blindfolded to raise awareness about the challenges faced by people with sight loss. Dine in the Dark is an initiative which has been promoted by the National Council for the Blind in Ireland (NCBI) and the Restaurant Association of Ireland (RAI) to increase awareness of the challenges faced on a daily basis by people who are blind and visually impaired. The dinner was hosted by Senator Martin Conway, who is himself visually impaired. The fully booked meal included Ministers, TDs and Senators from across all political parties and is the first time in the history of the Houses of the Oireachtas that such an event was held. Senator Conway said, “The NCBI’s Dine in the Dark event is a fantastic initiative that challenges people to go outside their comfort zone and gives them an insight into what life is like with vision impairment. “Last year the event was a great success for the NCBI …

On this Thursday, Senator John Dolan and members of the disability community will hold a protest outside Leinster House to highlight the Government’s failure to ratify the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) – 10 years after a previous government signed the convention on March 30, 2007. In spite of many commitments from successive governments this groundbreaking convention has not been ratified and Ireland is the only EU country not to have done so. Speaking today (Tuesday), Senator Dolan said, “It is very important that people with disabilities are afforded every opportunity to attend this protest on Thursday. I have contacted management and unions at Irish Rail and Bus Éireann urging them to find a way of ensuring that the current dispute does not deny people with disabilities access to public transport on Thursday. For many people with disabilities public transport is their only means of transport and large numbers will want to attend this …

Minister of State for Mental Health and Older People, Helen McEntee has confirmed work is underway on a roadmap for improved out-of-hours access to mental health services. On Wednesday, the minister received a petition of almost 12,000 signatures from Shari McDaid, on behalf of the Mental Health Reform, A Lust for Life, Uplift and Future Voices at Leinster House. The campaign is calling for the delivery of Holistic, 24/7 community based crisis mental health services across Ireland. Minister McEntee said,”Improving access to mental health services is a key priority for me as minister and work is underway in this area. Anyone who needs help should be able to get it. We need to ensure that seven-day access is in place, across the country, before we move towards the provision of 24/7 access. We must walk before we can run. “I am glad to say that specific actions are in place around many of the issues raised in the petition. For …

The Chairman of the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade Pat Breen has this afternoon met with members of the family of Ibrahim Halawa in Leinster House in advance of his visit to Egypt. Last month, Deputy Breen accepted an invitation from the Egyptian authorities, which followed a formal Committee request to visit Cairo. Deputy Breen says the meeting with the Halawas and their representatives was an important listening exercise, which will inform the official visit to Cairo, which begins on this Tuesday. “Today marks the two year anniversary of Ibrahim’s imprisonment in Cairo and the Committee has considered the case on an ongoing basis over the course of his detainment. All Committee Members are united in our grave concern for the well-being of Ibrahim Halawa. This afternoon’s meeting with Ibrahim’s sisters was a valuable opportunity to hear the family’s concerns for Ibrahim’s health and well-being. The discussions will inform my visit – on behalf of the Joint Committee …

THE Ballyea-born leader of Ógra Fianna Fáil has said the tragic death of a homeless man, Jonathan Corrie, just 50m from the gates of Leinster House, is a stark reminder of the homeless crisis that is engulfing the country. Eoin Neylon said the Government has neglected the crisis for too long and its failure to put in place a realistic housing policy has only made matters worse. “This tragic death should serve as a reminder to all of the ongoing homeless crisis that is engulfing our country. It is harrowing to think that a person can die while sleeping rough on our streets in 21st century Ireland. It should not take the death of an individual for the Government to recognise the true extent of the homeless crisis. In fact, this case sadly reflects the fate of Polish man Josef Paveka in Ennis last year. “We have been calling for greater investment in emergency accommodation services and social housing schemes …