Senator Catherine Ardagh
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Senator Catherine Ardagh

Fianna Fáil Seanad Spokesperson on Social Protection.

Govt must take action on amending lenient child abuse laws - Ardagh

27/10/2017

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Seanad Group Leader, Senator Catherine Ardagh has raised public concern over the leniency of sentences handed down to those convicted of child abuse or child sex offences and sexual abuse.

Speaking in Seanad Éireann this week, Senator Ardagh said, “Irrespective of any recent high profile case, sadly, victims of child sexual abuse are witnessing those responsible face particularly moderate sentences for their crimes, on a weekly basis in our courts.

“The necessity to update this legislation has been on the table for some time now but Government have not taken any action to fulfil its promise as set out on page 101 of the Programme for Government.

“These are among the most serious offences before our Judiciary, with devastating consequences for victims and their families, and there needs to be a stronger deterrent to stop those that abuse carrying out these malicious acts.

“I very much respect the discretion of the Judges in this State; however, I believe that criminal legislation needs to contain even stronger sanctions to reflect our condemnation of these horrendous crimes and protect children from these abusers.

"Fianna Fáil has proposed to update and expand legislation to effectively deal with sexual offences including stronger criminal penalties and additional safeguards aimed at protecting children from sexual exploitation, child abuse and online grooming.

“It needs to be made abundantly clear that Ireland and our Judiciary have no tolerance for child sexual abuse.

Senator Ardagh concluded, “It’s incumbent on the Government to take urgent action and introduce more stringent legislation to deal with those who abuse children.”
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Senator Catherine Ardagh expressed concern about the deterioration of local authority accommodation in certain estates since the financial crisis and called for a nationwide timeframe for the refurbishment of local authority housing

26/10/2017

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Senator Catherine Ardagh calls on the government to take urgent action and introduce more stringent legislation to deal with those who abuse children as promised on page 101 of their program for government

25/10/2017

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Senator Catherine Ardagh raises concerns about the deterioration of the health service

25/10/2017

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Senator Catherine Ardagh criticises banks' handling of tracker mortgage scandal

24/10/2017

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Gender pension gap leaves Irish women with a raw deal –Ardagh

13/10/2017

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- Over 80% of Irish women are discriminated under current pensions system -


Fianna Fáil Seanad Group Leader and Seanad Spokesperson on Social Protection, Senator Catherine Ardagh has said the huge cohort of women getting a raw deal under the punitive pension changes introduced in 2012, are being left in serious financial hardship as a consequence.


As it stands, over 80% of Irish women are not entitled to a full State Contributory Pension because they took time out of their working lives to raise a family or care for a relative and therefore lost important credit contributions and fail to meet the threshold for the full State pension.


They are therefore left in financial difficulty as a consequence.


Speaking on the issue, Senator Ardagh said, “The changes introduced in 2012 have had a disproportionate negative impact on women and represent the very real and present inequality in Ireland.


“The current pensions system fails to recognise the valuable contribution that these women have made to society and who have likely saved the State money as they were caring for others in the absence of any services made available by the Government.


“The increase in number of paid contributions needed to qualify for a State pension makes it more difficult for those without a full-time, long-term working history to qualify for the maximum weekly payment.


“Just 16% of women in Ireland receive a full state pension, the remainder of those eligible are being heavily penalised for choosing to take career breaks or time out of paid employment to have children or care for loved ones.

“The Social Protection Committee’s recent report on pensions recommends that these changes, specifically, the increase in the number of bands and the doubling of the minimum number of required contributions are ‘demonstrably inequitable.’


“We must move towards a social welfare system that is adequately fit for purpose and effectively provides a decent standard of living, without prejudice for all those who rely on it


"The gender pay gap is a matter which I and my colleagues in Fianna Fáil are are determined to see addressed,” concluded Senator Ardagh.

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Senator Catherine Ardagh calls on the Minister for Social Protection to attend the Seanad and provide details on how she will address the gender pension inequality stemming from the 2012 changes

12/10/2017

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Senator Catherine Ardagh proposes James Browne's Mental Health (Amendment) Bill 2017 in Seanad Éireann

12/10/2017

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