Results 61-80 of 19,907 for speaker:Alan Kelly

Seanad: Order of Business (18 Dec 2007)

Alan Kelly: I welcome the comments by numerous Senators today on mental health. I will not dwell on or repeat them, except in one area. I was in agreement with Senator Glynn on the issue of the way in which mental health services are being used by people who should probably be using other forms of treatment, for example those who are suffering in some cases from drug abuse. In areas where I suppose...

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Dec 2007)

Alan Kelly: We can go on all night.

Seanad: Order of Business (20 Dec 2007)

Alan Kelly: I wish all my fellow Senators the best of goodwill for the season. I repeat my call for a debate on the public service. I do so for a number of reasons. There are two matters to which I draw the House's attention, one of which is the review of the labour market which was brought forward by FÁS. The statements made by FÁS should concern all Members, particularly having regard to the...

Seanad: Appropriation Bill 2007: Second Stage (Resumed) and Subsequent Stages (20 Dec 2007)

Alan Kelly: I welcome the Minister of State to the House. My party will facilitate the passage of this Bill. This is a time also to reflect on the budget. I welcome the unified approach to the budget this year and spending in specific areas, including the national development plan. I was intrigued to hear the previous speaker say that economics is not an exact science because some Ministers speak as...

Seanad: Order of Business (30 Jan 2008)

Alan Kelly: I ask the Minister of Education and Science to come to the House to discuss the issue of third level access. In this regard I refer to mature students and those who recently have lost their jobs because of the turnaround in the fortunes of the Celtic tiger, which unfortunately is quite sick at present, especially in respect of the construction and manufacturing sectors. It is sad to note...

Seanad: Order of Business (30 Jan 2008)

Alan Kelly: The Government allowed applications for this fund to be made prior to the budget in the knowledge that it would be taken away in the budget. That was disgraceful. I ask the Leader whether he can update Members regarding the mid-western development plan, which was put together last May and about which Members have heard nothing. I am unsure whether it ever will take place, particularly in...

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed) (6 Feb 2008)

Alan Kelly: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed) (6 Feb 2008)

Alan Kelly: I call on the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment and the Minister of State at his Department, Deputy Billy Kelleher, to debate the issue of jobs and wage structures. The Taoiseach recently replied to my party leader, Deputy Eamon Gilmore, regarding job losses in the construction and manufacturing industries, stating that he is confident they will be replaced by jobs in other...

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed) (6 Feb 2008)

Alan Kelly: I am just finishing, a Chathaoirleach. I will take the same amount of time as my colleagues.

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed) (6 Feb 2008)

Alan Kelly: I appreciate that.

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed) (6 Feb 2008)

Alan Kelly: All I am asking for is fair play.

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed) (6 Feb 2008)

Alan Kelly: I condemn what Irish Ferries is trying to do. The Government has said it cannot do anything but any legislation that can be introduced from a European point of view, or anything that can be done by the national employment tribunal to alleviate the situation should be encouraged. Attacks on the minimum wage from the tourism sector, whether from the Irish Hotels Federation or Irish Ferries,...

Seanad: Order of Business (7 Feb 2008)

Alan Kelly: I concur with the comments of Senators Fitzgerald and O'Toole on the issue of driving tests. I am concerned that a recent report showed that nine of every ten road deaths are caused by careless driving. That just goes to show the issue with which we are dealing. There is a staggering level of backlog for driving tests throughout the country. The Minister said he had put his neck on the...

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Feb 2008)

Alan Kelly: On a number of occasions I have raised in the House the issue of workers' rights, my concerns given the changing economy, and the issue of the minimum wage and the way in which it is exploited sometimes. I have raised the issue of Irish Ferries, the Irish Hotels Federation, the whole area of tourism and the case of various individuals who have been exploited, including the case of a...

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Feb 2008)

Alan Kelly: I have a track record in this House of raising the issue of workers' rights and do so again today. Last week I called on the Government to name and shame those who tried to pay people less than the minimum wage. Unfortunately today I must name and shame the Government itself, as Ireland is one of only four countries that is refusing to put in place the EU agency worker directive. I condemn...

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Feb 2008)

Alan Kelly: Not only will we be bringing workers into this country and, according to Fianna Fáil, asking them to accept different pay, they will get into their cars and be asked to pay different fines if they get caught for speeding or to drive at different speeds, according to the Leader. It is absurd. Everyone in the House will respect an important issue, namely, the Rebecca O'Malley report has not...

Seanad: Order of Business (27 Feb 2008)

Alan Kelly: Will the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment come to the House to discuss the important issue of technology investment? In the past couple of days, a number of firms have stated that growth rates will be below what the Government expects, although they are hopeful they will grow as we reach 2010-11. I am, however, concerned that support mechanisms for certain sectors of the...

Seanad: Order of Business (27 Feb 2008)

Alan Kelly: That is ridiculous.

Seanad: Order of Business (28 Feb 2008)

Alan Kelly: I request that the Minister for Health and Children be invited to the House for a debate on the ambulance service, an issue I raised previously on the Order of Business and on the Adjournment. There is a danger of going down the wrong road in terms of developments in this critical service, on which I received some disturbing evidence in recent weeks. Press reports have covered this issue....

Seanad: Order of Business (28 Feb 2008)

Alan Kelly: We can all preach, even if we do not read the Bible. The Leader's comments yesterday about the mature drinking of alcohol——