22/06/2022 | 10:25:24 Before I start, I would just like to commend and recommend Amendment 1 on behalf of our Group, put forward by Ms Laura CASTEL and Mr Momodou Malcolm JALLOW, I recommend that to the Parliament. Antisemitism is on the rise across Europe. That is a very worrying statement, but certainly it appears to be true. Of course, in Ireland, we cannot say that because we have no way of officially recording incidents of antisemitism, or indeed, any racist comments or crimes. I will deal with that later on... 21/06/2022 | 10:18:28 Go raibh maith agat, a Uachtarán (Thank you President) The role of the Council of Europe is very much the focus of attention now with the conflict in the Ukraine. Indeed sometimes one would be forgiven for thinking that the Council has a military arm when listening to the recent debates in the situation in Ukraine. It is understandable from the members from Ukraine to a certain extent but from some of the other members it is hard to take. I agree with the the Secretary General Ms Marija... 27/04/2022 | 11:18:16 The horrific of the invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation will have far-reaching effects across Europe and indeed the world. The continued aggression is shocking and the harm being done to the civilian population of Ukraine is terrible. There is no doubt that the efforts of this Council must be to support the people of Ukraine and put whatever pressure we can on the government of the Russian Federation to end this aggression. But we should also not support the government of Ukraine in... 26/04/2022 | 16:36:06 When we consider that the institutionalisation of persons with disabilities affects more than one million citizens within Europe, it shows that a lot needs to be done to satisfy the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). Sadly, in Ireland, we have a terrible history of institutionalising citizens. There has been a long history of abuses being exposed over the last ten years or more with the government having to apologise to citizens on a regular basis. It... 26/01/2022 | 12:15:22 Thank you, Madam Chairperson. The COVID-19 pandemic was and certainly is a time of crisis. That definition is certainly true. The value of sport, both high-level professional and grassroots level, cannot be underestimated at this time and I think that that was one of the lessons of the pandemic. As the report says, small clubs and associations are the backbone of the European sports movement, nurturing local participation and community belonging. I think it also has shown that ultimately the... 26/01/2022 | 10:58:29 In the cover page for this debate it says that "business must not, however, take precedence over values". That is a very worthwhile statement but unfortunately I think it is a statement that has been lost in relation to football at the moment. Are we really to believe that there is any value left in football when we see how the major clubs behave across Europe and how FIFA has behaved with the giving of the World Cup to Qatar? I must confess that I am no expert and have not spent much time... 25/01/2022 | 09:38:10 Go raibh maith agat Mr President, I would like to congratulate you on your election as well (sorry, in our parliament we can take off our masks when we are speaking...sorry). Hate crime against LGBTI people is on the rise right across Europe. It is at different levels of intensity in violence in every country, but wherever it rises, it is having a huge impact on a very vulnerable group in society. Left unchecked, it will lead to attacks on wider marginalised groups as well. We as politicians... 02/10/2019 | 16:11:27 Thank you Madame Chairperson. I would like to take this opportunity to commend the rapporteur Madame TRISSE for her report and recommendations, and also to congratulate the Governor of the bank on behalf of the United Left Group. Madame Chairperson, the Council of Europe Development Bank, or CEB as I will call it from now on is a very important institution of the Council. I feel the ability to lend money to member states that support the aims of the Council as an important part of supporting... 01/10/2019 | 11:03:35 Thank you. I would like to thank the rapporteur Mr Sylvain WASERMAN for his report. It is very interesting. Madame President, the protection of whistleblowers is vitally important. Many public bodies and organisations rely on the effect of whistleblowing in order to provide effective governance. It is a sad reflection on public organisations, but having effective protections and indeed having effective Ombudsman legislations which we will also be discussing this week are critical to ensure... 26/06/2019 | 10:38:13 Thank you, Madam Chairperson. I'm speaking on behalf of the Unified European Left. Madam Chairperson, according to global advocates on mental health, we are facing a global human rights emergency in this field. All over the world, people with mental health disabilities experience a wide range of human rights violations. Member States of the Council of Europe must advocate for mental health systems across the world to conform to a human-rights based approach, which is compatible with the...