Cllr Dollard calls for Maternity Leave for Local Elected Representatives

"We need more women to represent us at local and national level"

“We need more women prepared to enter local politics at the next local election but many bright and enthusiastic young women face challenges that are so fundamental in nature as to put them off before they even start” so says Cllr Maria Dollard one of only 4 women out of 24 County Councillors in County Kilkenny and the only female Councillor serving in the Municipal district of Kilkenny. One of the challenges in a failure of previous governments to introduce Maternity leave for female elected members

“Maternity leave is an issue that has affected many County Councillors who have had their babies while serving as elected members. Many women describe the experience of being forced back to work as trauma. 57% of Green Party Councillors are women and unfortunately we recently lost a Green Party Councillor because of the impact this issue had on her life with her new born baby. Failure to tackle this issue legislatively is a gender barrier to women entering politics. It’s been 40 years since Maire Geoghegan Quinn brought the issue to the table and I think it’s beyond high time this legislative gap was filled. In December I tabled a motion at Council calling for the Government to address this issue and I’m delighted to see that Minister Peter Burke will host the first meeting of an all-female working group set up to examine the provision of maternity leave for councillors.

The six-person group is made up solely of female councillors, one each from Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil, Sinn Fein, the Green Party and Labour, as well as an independent councillor. The group includes councillors from urban and rural constituencies, with Chair of the Dublin City Council Women’s Committee, Councillor Darcy Lonergan representing the Green Party.

“The consideration of maternity leave for councillors is well overdue and I’m delighted that the Minister plans for measures to be in place as soon as possible.”

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Legislation to Cap Excess Profits for Energy Companies

By Maria Dollard • September 4, 2023

New bill to combat high electricity costs welcomed by Kilkenny Councillor by Liam Kelly O’Rourke Kilkenny People 01 Sep 2023 4:48 PM Kilkenny Green Party Councillor, Maria Dollard, has welcomed the publication of the Energy (Windfall Gains in the Energy Sector) (Cap on Market Revenues) Bill. The Bill provides a cap on the market revenues genered by non-gas generators in the wholesale electricity market between December 2022 to June 2023. The estimated proceeds from the cap on market revenues are in the range €80 million to €150 million and these will now be retained and used in the electricity sector to provide financial supports to households and businesses affected by high energy prices. Cllr Dollard, commented: "This is good news for Kilkenny consumers who will see the money collected ring fenced to be returned to consumers who have been paying way too much for electricity for a long time now. We need to support those on the lowest incomes. There’s no doubt some people are being hit harder than others and without access to good insulation, bills can be very high for some, especially older people and people with reduced mobility." Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Eamon Ryan, claimed the move would 'ease the impact of high energy prices on electricity consumers' and stated he intends to bring this Bill through the Houses of the Oireachtas when the Dáil resumes after the summer recess. https://www.kilkennypeople.ie/news/local-news/1287190/new-bill-to-combat-high-electricity-costs-welcomed-by-kilkenny-councillor.html