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Last Updated: November 20, 2013 by Mary Mitchell O'Connor

Model behaviour from politicians at the 2nd Annual Oireachtas Charity Fashion Show!

The 2nd Annual Oireachtas Charity Fashion Show took place on Tuesday 12th November at The Shelbourne Hotel, Dublin 2. The proceeds of the Oireachtas Charity Fashion Show will go to support Motor Neurone Disease research.

In 2012, when Deputy Nicky McFadden was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease, her Oireachtas friend and colleague Minister Jimmy Deenihan asked stylist Marietta Doran to organise a fashion show to raise funds for Motor Neurone Disease research.

Colleagues from all political parties participated in what was a very successful event, with more than €20,000 being raised last year.Politicians again this year exchanged their usual garb of business suits and conservative clothing for some cutting-edge fashions from many of Ireland’s top designers.

Oireachtas members who participated include Simon Coveney, Richard Bruton, Micheál Martin,Denis Naughten, Sean Conlan, Martin Haydon, Anthony Lawlor, Derek Keating, Mary Mitchell O’Connor, Eoghan Murphy, Tom Barry, Arthur Spring, Heather Humphreys, Timmy Dooley, Billy Kelleher, Áine Collins, Sandra McLellen, Michelle Mulherin, Deirdre Clune, Eamon Coghlan, Imelda Henry, Fidelma Healy Eames, Cait Keane, Catherine Noone, Susan O’Keeffe, Hildegarde Naughton, John Crown, Mark Daly, Averil Power, Trevor Ó Clochartaigh, and Jimmy Deenihan.

Politicians were also joined by professional models including former Miss World, Rosanna Davison, Roz Purcell, Suzanne Jackson of So Sue Me Blog, Cristina Aston of Andrea Roche Modelling Agency, Sarah Morrissey, Karen Fitzpatrick, Yumiko Chen, Naomi Cullen and Matthew John of Assets, as well as some special guests from the worlds of sport and TV including GAA All Star Paul Galvin, this year’s All-Ireland Final’s Man of the Match Bernard Brogan, rugby pundit Brent Pope, Robert Hall of RTÉ Racing, weather presenter Nuala Carey, plus a number of surprise models.

Clothing from leading Irish designers featured, including Jen Kelly Couturier, Master Tailor Louis Copeland, Helen Cody, Sean Byrne, Heidi Higgins, Niamh O’Neill, Claire Garvey, Helen Steele, and Patrick Casey’s stunning collection for Myrtle Ivory Bridal Couture, as well as the creations of award-winning Irish milliners Mark T. Burke, Aoife Hannon and Aoife Kirwan.

Last Updated: November 14, 2013 by Mary Mitchell O'Connor

Strictly Against Breast Cancer Event

December 7^th Breast Cancer Ireland will be putting on their Strictly Against Breast Cancer event. I have offered my dance skills (or lack thereof, I’ll leave you to be the judge!) and will be dancing with the great Professor Arnie Hill.

Some well-known faces will be partnering with survivors and supporters of breast cancer in a glamorous, festive and fun filled night of dancing, dining & entertainment for all, under the critical eye of the judging panel of Norah Casey, Brent Pope, and Louis Copeland to mention a few!

If you are interested in helping Breast Cancer Ireland research a cure please email my office at mary.mitchelloconnor@oir.ie to arrange a table or individual tickets.

It will be a wonderful night to start off the festive season and I would love to see you all there!

Last Updated: November 11, 2013 by Mary Mitchell O'Connor

Nutrition during first 1,000 days dictates health for the rest of a child’s life

Fine Gael Dún Laoghaire TD, Mary Mitchell O’ Connor, has highlighted the importance of good nutrition during the first 1,000 days of a child’s life. Deputy Mitchell O’Connor was speaking at a medical symposium in Dublin today titled Nutrition in the First 1,000 Days.

“The nourishment that we give our children for the first 1,000 days of their lives will dictate their health or otherwise for the rest of their lives. Early life nutrition dictates whether or not your baby grows up to:

· be a healthy or unhealthy adult;
· be obese;
· have heart disease;
· have diabetes.

“In encouraging women in this regard, a focus needs to be placed on supporting women to eat well during pregnancy, to breastfeed for as long as possible and to take the appropriate steps for weaning and then for feeding a toddler.

“By the time the baby is born, it has been nourished for almost 300 days. This, combined with combined with the nutrition they will receive for the next 700 days will affect their health for the rest of their lives.

“Breast milk is commonly known as the ‘magic potion for health’ and there is irrefutable evidence that breast-fed babies are less likely to be obese and less likely to develop health problems, such as high cholesterol, diabetes and stroke in their adult lives.

“Yet Ireland still ranks way down the international breast-feeding scale, with fewer than half of new Irish mothers initiating breast-feeding, compared to 80% in the UK and 90% in the Scandinavian countries. As a community, we need to eliminate the stigma surrounding breast-feeding that has existed in Ireland for so long.

“Every year 2,000 people die in Ireland due to obesity related diseases. That is about ten times the average number of people who are killed on our roads. These people don’t need to die because of bad nutrition. The annual cost of obesity is estimated to be a staggering €1.13 billion.

“As a society, we need to focus more on the importance of early life nutrition. As a legislator and member of the Oireachtas Health Committee, I will do everything I can to promote this hugely important message.”

11/11/2013

Last Updated: November 14, 2013 by Mary Mitchell O'Connor

Have your say: Education Committee seeks submissions on SNAs

Submissions invited on the Role of Special Needs Assistants

Mr Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, T.D., on behalf of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection, is inviting written submissions from interested individuals or groups in relation to the role of Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) in primary and post-primary schools.

All submissions and communications in relation to this matter are being handled by Deputy Ó Ríordáin; submissions should not be sent to any other member of the Committee.

Submissions should be sent, preferably by electronic means, to Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin at snasubmissions@oireachtas.ie (in which case it is not necessary to also forward a hard copy of the submission).

Where a submission is not being sent by electronic means, it should be sent to Mr Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, T.D., Dáil Éireann, Leinster House, Kildare Street, Dublin 2, to arrive not later than 3.00 p.m. on Friday 22 November 2013. Submissions sent to any other address may not be accepted.

The following guidelines apply in relation to submissions:

Submissions should be accompanied by a separate covering letter containing the name and contact details (phone number and postal address and, if available, an email address of the individual or group making the submission. If the submission is being made on behalf of a group, the position of the person in that group should be indicated.
Anonymous submissions cannot be accepted.
Submissions should –
- be presented as concisely as possible on numbered pages
- contain –
Submissions should indicate if the individual or group on whose behalf they are made would be prepared to appear in public session at any Committee meeting.

A more detailed document outlining the guidelines for making a written submission is available by clicking here: Making Submissions and Presentations to Oireachtas Committees

Making a submission is a public process

There is no obligation to accept your document once it has been submitted, or to publish any or all of the submission if it is accepted. However, the operations of a Parliament are a public process, and any submissions made may be published either as part of a Committee report, or separately, if the Committee decides to do so.

Members of the Committee

Deputy Joanna Tuffy (Chair)
Deputies James Bannon, Ray Butler, Joan Collins, Clare Daly, Brendan Griffin , Jim Daly, Derek Keating, Charlie McConalogue, Nicky McFadden, Jonathan O’Brien, Willie O’Dea, Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, Aengus Ó Snodaigh, Brendan Ryan
Senators Terry Brennan, Jim D’Arcy, Marie Moloney, Mary Moran, Marie-Louise O’Donnell, Averil Power

The deadline for receipt of submissions is 3.00 p.m. on Friday 22 November 2013.

Should you have any queries in relation to this matter, please contact the Clerk to the Committee at the address above, or telephone 01 618 3481.

Last Updated: November 14, 2013 by Mary Mitchell O'Connor

Mitchell O’Connor urges parents to engage with children about online activity

Fine Gael Dun Laoghaire Deputy, Mary Mitchell O’Connor, has today (Wednesday) called on parents to fully engage with their children about their internet activity in a bid to ensure their safety online.

Deputy Mitchell O’Connor was speaking following the publication of a report by security company, McAfee, which outlined that more than half of the 200 Irish teenagers who were surveyed admitted to wiping their browsing history in order to hide online behaviour from their parents.

“By clearing their internet history in a bid to conceal exactly what they having been doing online, children have no idea of the line of fire they may be putting themselves in. While the world has irrevocably changed in the last 20 years, many children’s belief that they can handle themselves and identify hazardous situations most likely has not.

“But the grim reality is that 20 years ago, when a 14 year old girl was talking to a 15 year old boy she knew that to be the case. Today, a 14 year old girl can assume that she is chatting with a 15 year old boy online, when in fact it is a 60 year old man she is engaged in conversation with.

“The internet has added to our lives in ways we cannot measure. But it is an incredibly dangerous place, especially for our young people, who, irrespective of their maturity, are incapable of identifying the surreptitious and stealthy actions of adults who are intent on engaging them in activities unsuited to their years.

“Our young people are also exceptionally vulnerable when it comes to dealing with the level of aggression and abuse they may come into contact with in chat rooms and via other fora.

“I am urging parents to talk to their children about their on-line behaviour and to impress upon them the need to be open and transparent about their activities. Going online with your child and role playing with them about what they would do in certain situations, if they came across something inappropriate or upsetting, is a good way to communicate with them and to give them the tools to enable them to cope.”

Ends

Last Updated: November 14, 2013 by Mary Mitchell O'Connor

Minister’s move away from rote learning is a positive

More emphasis needs to be placed on numeracy and literacy levels, writes Mary Mitchell O’Connor

THERE’S been a renewed focus over the last week on the Education Minister’s plans to reform the junior cycle and to effectively abolish the Junior Cert exam and replace it with a system of continual assessment for our second-level students. The response to Minister Ruairi Quinn’s plans has been far from universal acceptance.

Change for the sake of change, we are told, is not a good thing. But anything that can move us away from the over-reliance on rote learning at second level and towards a system where adaptability and creativity is encouraged and enhanced has the potential, in my view, to be something very positive.

Our education system, particularly at second level, has become hugely reliant on rote learning in recent decades, leaving us with a situation where the students getting the highest grades are those who can learn huge tracts of text off by heart and reproduce it in an exam situation. The foundations for this approach are laid in the run-up to the Junior Cert and are cemented at Leaving Cert level.

This system has not served us well. Our adult numeracy and literacy rates are very disappointing. An international study published by the OECD and the Central Statistics Office in October ranked Ireland at below average. While there has been marginal improvement in literacy levels when compared with earlier studies, Ireland is placed at just 19th out of 24 countries for numeracy.

Any reform of our education system must place a huge emphasis on improving our numeracy and literacy levels. Mr Quinn has expressed his wish to drive forward implementation of the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategy in our schools. As a fragile economy emerging from a bailout, we need to strive to constantly update our skillset and reform the way we teach core subjects and skills. This needs to start at pre-school level and extend to lifelong learning.

I want to see an education system where children are actively involved in their own learning, where teamwork and collaboration are encouraged and where students are taught skills, rather than just subjects. The new junior cycle has the potential to deliver this kind of education system.

“But where are the resources?” the cynics shout. Resources, and the perceived lack thereof, can act as the single biggest excuse to resisting reform. You can never have enough resources in the education system or in any of our frontline public services. But that’s not a reason to preserve the status quo. The teachers with whom I have worked in the past are creative and dedicated individuals, who want to do their best to improve their students’ educational experience. It is these teachers who will deliver real change.

Education should prepare children for a future of constant change; it must teach them how to be adaptable and creative. This must start at the earliest possible stage. At pre-school level, we have an internationally recognised curriculum framework, Aistear, which puts learning through play and exploration at the heart of education for children under six.

At primary level, parental involvement becomes increasingly important. Some parents who may not have had a good experience of school themselves must be helped to identify how important it is for their children to make the most of their time at school. Children reflect parental behaviour, and so schools must empower parents to empower their children.

Each tier of our education system must be flexible and adaptable. Under the new junior cycle, schools will be able to offer short courses in subjects like Chinese or IT coding, exposing teenage students to all sorts of subjects that might otherwise have seemed beyond their reach.

While an expanded subject choice is often a positive, how we deliver that choice must be closely considered. For example, the number of degree courses available at third level has ballooned in the last decade. In 2000, 44 higher education institutions offered 287 level eight honours degree courses. This year, 45 institutions will offer 919 degree courses.

At the same time, our universities are slipping down the international rankings. In my view, this is proof that we need to get back to basics and concentrate on improving our numeracy and literacy rates before we offer almost 1,000 different degree programmes across the country.

Equally valuable in our education system are apprenticeships and courses offered in our ITs and colleges of further education, which provide options to students who don’t progress to university.

We need to ensure we are giving our young people the right skills to partake in our changing economy. But education is about much more than employability, and if the experience of the last five years or so has taught us anything, it should be that nothing is certain. We must always be ready to change, to adapt.

The aim of our education system should be to prepare young people and students for life and help them reach their full potential, whatever that may be.

Mary Mitchell O’Connor TD is chairperson of the Fine Gael Internal Education Committee and a former school principal

Sunday Independent

http://www.independent.ie/opinion/analysis/ministers-move-away-from-rote-learning-is-a-positive-29722060.html

Last Updated: October 30, 2013 by Mary Mitchell O'Connor

Nightly Water Restrictions to apply to all areas of Dublin this Week

Due to a serious production problem at Ballymore Eustace Water Treatment Plant, Dublin City Council, on behalf of the four Dublin Local Authorities, is urging consumers all over the Dublin region to conserve water, in an effort to restore levels in our treated water reservoirs to normal. Nightly restrictions, which are likely to lead to a loss of supply, will be put in place from today, Wednesday 30th October from 8.00pm each evening to 7am the following morning. It is likely that restrictions will remain in place until at least next Monday 4th November, and will be reviewed on a daily basis. This will assist us in replenishing treated drinking water levels to a normal level.

The reason for the restrictions is due to a serious production problem at the Ballymore Eustace Water Treatment Plant, which has caused a significant reduction in water production since last weekend. Prior to this, Dublin City Council had introduced reductions in water pressure during the night in an effort to replenish storage levels, but this did not achieve the desired effect. We are working assiduously to identify the cause of the problem and to mitigate the effects, but it may take some time to completely resolve the issue. It should be stressed that there is no problem with the quality of treated drinking water or with storage levels of untreated/raw water.

In an effort to maintain storage of treated water at a sustainable level, we are asking consumers to help us in restoring adequate water supplies by restricting their use of water as much as possible. We are asking people to visit www.taptips.ie<http://www.taptips.ie/ for easy water saving tips. We will be shutting off supply each night this week in order to conserve supplies. While we will make every effort possible to maintain pressures during peak demand periods, pressures will be reduced during the times indicated above. This will result in lower pressures and loss of supply across the entire Dublin region.

Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council apologises for any inconvenience caused by these restrictions. We are asking consumers to bear with us while every effort is being made to restore the water supply to normal.

Press Releases will issue each morning during the period of restrictions providing a daily update of the situation.

Water is precious. Let’s conserve it.

For further information contact:

Dublin City Council Media Relations Office T. (01) 222 2170; M. 087 740 0277.

Last Updated: November 14, 2013 by Mary Mitchell O'Connor

Mary Mitchell O’Connor: System is letting down women – and their children

The best possible nutritional option for a child in the first 1,000 days of their life is breast milk. The World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Department of Health both recommend exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months and up until two years in addition to the introduction of complementary solid foods.

Research has shown that breastfeeding for 26 weeks or more is associated with a 51pc reduction in the risk of obesity. Breastfeeding can also contribute to a lifetime of good health, helping to lower blood pressure, cholesterol and help stave off type-2 diabetes in later life.

Why then, when the benefits are so profound, are only 56pc of women currently initiating breastfeeding in Ireland? This compares poorly when considered against other European countries. Figures from the UK suggest that 81pc of mothers initiate breastfeeding there. This figure soars to above 90pc in most Scandinavian states (ESRI, 2012).

The number of mothers exclusively breastfeeding upon discharge from hospital in Ireland is only 46pc. And this falls to 22.7pc by the time infants are three months old.

With the majority of women leaving hospital within three days of giving birth, why are the rates of breastfeeding within that timeframe falling by 10pc? Why do they fall again so quickly within the first three months?

Obviously, the level of support required for new mothers is simply not being provided. What is needed is both emotional and practical support. While the benefits of breastfeeding are clear, it is also known to be difficult and challenging – particularly when dealing with all the other emotions and physical challenges presented immediately following the birth of a child.

A focused response to help increase initial initiation rates is needed as well as a programmatic approach to helping promote, support and encourage mothers who start the process to keep it up for as long as possible.

Research indicates that in order for mothers to be successful at breastfeeding, many support structures are necessary for both initiation and duration. Additional education and public information programmes to highlight the profound impact that breastfeeding will have on the the long-term health of your child is the first step.

Outside of that, we need lactation experts within the hospital system as well as amongst the public health community – visiting our new mothers and being available to give them the immediate help that they need during those difficult first days and weeks.

Public health nurses, practice nurses, GPs and community support groups must provide practical support on preparing and initiating breastfeeding. All healthcare professionals in contact with expectant mothers should provide information on the benefits of breastfeeding and offer practical advice on preparing to breastfeed. By planning ahead, the likelihood of success is increased dramatically.

The length of maternity leave that a woman takes is a major determinant of how long women will breastfeed. Returning to work part time increases the risk of stopping breastfeeding by 150pc, while returning full time increases the risk by 230pc. Employers need to be aware of the best practice guidelines developed by the Department of Health and ensure they do what they can to facilitate mothers who wish to continue to breastfeed.

See www.breastfeeding.ie and www.who.int for support and further information on breastfeeding.

Irish Independent

http://www.independent.ie/opinion/analysis/mary-mitchell-oconnor-system-is-letting-down-women-and-their-children-29709871.html

Posted: October 24, 2013 by Mary Mitchell O'Connor

Mary Mitchell O’Connor welcomes row-back from Facebook on beheading video

Social Network site’s policy on violent content still open to question

Fine Gael Dun Laoghaire Deputy, Mary Mitchell O’Connor, has today (Wednesday) welcomed the decision by Facebook to remove a beheading video from the site and said the company’s willingness to re-examine the issue is proof of the volume of public sentiment against such horrific violence.

Deputy Mitchell O’Connor went on to say that while Facebook has committed to combatting glorified violence, its commitment to ensuring that graphic content is shared responsibly is open to question.

“Following on from a public backlash surrounding the publication of a beheading video on Facebook, the media giant has backed down and conceded that the video ‘improperly and irresponsibly glorifies violence’ and removed it from view. The company has committed to strengthening the enforcement of its policies on graphic content, ensuring that an emphasis is put on the context of the material and whether or not it is being shared with an age appropriate audience and contains a warning about what the material contains.

“While this is to be welcomed, I am still concerned that this is leaving our young people exposed to violent images and that videos and images of a graphic nature can be shared publically on people’s walls for a considerable amount of time before it is reported and removed.

“Our children are being increasingly exposed to violent material, through video games, TV and movies and through social media. I do not think that allowing material of a graphic nature to be shared on Facebook for the purpose of condemning it is acceptable. People can be made aware of what is going on in certain places without having to witness it first-hand. I am calling on Facebook to re-think the issue and to place an outright ban on explicitly violent material once and for all.”

24 October 2013

Last Updated: October 24, 2013 by Mary Mitchell O'Connor

Fair City storyline helping to lift the lid on domestic violence

Fine Gael Dun Laoghaire Deputy, Mary Mitchell O’Connor, has today (Thursday) said the storyline being carried on popular Irish soap opera, Fair City, which centres around domestic violence in the Bishop family home, while difficult to watch, sends a message to those suffering abuse at the hands of a partner that help is at hand and that any abuse should be reported.

“Fair City has a long history of tackling the issue of domestic violence and abuse. Not only does it deal with the abuse of women but it has also, in the past, tackled the issue of husbands falling victim to abuse at the hands of their wives.

“The storyline which centres on domestic abuse in the Bishop household and depicts a husband beating his wife and daughter will, sadly, strike a chord in many households across the country. SAFE Ireland has said that domestic abuse is the most under-reported, undocumented and unprosecuted crime in the country, with the result that too many women are enduring horrific beatings, many on a regular basis, at the hands of husbands or boyfriends.

“While the support systems that are currently in place in Ireland to assist those who are in need of shelter are far from adequate, a number of reforms are underway to deal with family law cases and the administration of justice. The in-camera rule is being overhauled to allow for greater transparency of family law cases and a referendum is being planned to provide a unified system of Family Courts later next year.

“Services such as the Women’s Aid National Freephone Helpline (1800 341 900) are in place to provide support for those in need and it is vital that we encourage our sisters, mother, aunts and girlfriends who are suffering abuse to come forward and to seek help in a bid to turning their lives around.

“It is estimated that one in five women in Ireland will experience violence and abuse from an intimate partner at some stage in her life, so this is not an issue that is affecting just a small number. Women can fall victim to domestic violence, which may first manifest in subtle forms of intimidation and control, irrespective of class, race or religion. It is up to all of us to get the message out that striking a partner is never ok. I applaud shows such as Fair City for playing its part and addressing this difficult issue, especially for the men and women at the centre of abuse.”

24/10/2013