Results 22,381-22,400 of 26,795 for speaker:David Cullinane

Seanad: Order of Business (25 Nov 2015)

David Cullinane: Who?

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2015: Second Stage (25 Nov 2015)

David Cullinane: I welcome the Minister of State to the House. Obviously, we are in a better position with this social welfare Bill than we were with the first three from this Government. Having said that, we have to look at what has happened in the round, consider the Government's five budgets and look at this budget in its own right. We must consider the analysis of those organisations which are tasked...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2015: Second Stage (25 Nov 2015)

David Cullinane: It could not be up.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2015: Second Stage (25 Nov 2015)

David Cullinane: I appreciate that. I welcome the positive elements of the legislation. We supported the Bill in the Dáil and we will support it here. If something is being given back to people, it has to be supported but a great deal more could be done. If we had a more progressive Government that did not include either Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael, I am sure we would be looking at a different...

Seanad: Seanad Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2015: Second Stage (25 Nov 2015)

David Cullinane: I commend Senator Wilson on bringing forward the Bill, even though I would probably vote against it if a division were called.

Seanad: Seanad Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2015: Second Stage (25 Nov 2015)

David Cullinane: We did indeed and I will get to that. If I had a choice, I would vote against the Bill but it will not be pushed to a division. It would take a brave politician to go back to the people again on Seanad abolition and nobody is inclined to do so. If a constitutional convention was held on Seanad reform and it recommended changes, I would support that and those changes could be put to the...

Seanad: Order of Business (24 Nov 2015)

David Cullinane: I, too, call for a debate on health care with the Minister for Health, Deputy Varadkar. Opposition Senators and some Government Senators have been calling for this for almost a year and it has not happened. It is not fair to say to nurses because they are pondering strike action as a last resort that they are putting older persons at risk or that they are responsible for what is happening....

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Nov 2015)

David Cullinane: It is important that we have a debate in this House as soon as possible on the agreement in the North which has been reached by all parties and by both Governments. It is obviously good news that the institutions will remain in place. It is also good news that additional funding has been agreed - £550 million to help the most vulnerable citizens in the North. I note that as a result...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Technological Universities (18 Nov 2015)

David Cullinane: I also welcome the Minister and thank him for taking this important motion, even though it does not fall into his portfolio.I am glad the Minister has taken this Commencement matter because he has taken a hands-on approach to what has been happening in the south east in recent years with the jobs action plan and the south-east action plan as well. The Minister will be aware of the importance...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Technological Universities (18 Nov 2015)

David Cullinane: It is obviously good and useful that both institutes are at least talking and that some progress is being made, if I am to take the Minister's word at face value. I am sure that some progress has been made. I have spoken to people in both institutes on numerous occasions, as well as other stakeholders mainly in Waterford but also in the wider region. The problem is that while they may be...

Seanad: Services for People with Asthma: Motion (18 Nov 2015)

David Cullinane: I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House to take part in this debate and commend the authors of the motion on raising the issue of asthma in the Seanad. I was diagnosed with asthma a number of years ago, almost by accident. I thought I had a bad cough linked to hay fever, a condition from which I suffer badly in the summer. Most people do not realise that there is a connection...

Seanad: Order of Business (17 Nov 2015)

David Cullinane: On behalf of my colleagues in the Sinn Féin Party, I warmly welcome Senator Máiría Cahill to the Seanad. I wish her very well and every success. I acknowledge the presence of her family and friends in the Gallery. Like previous speakers, I think it is appropriate to remember the former Senator Jimmy Harte and to wish him every success in his recovery. It has to be said that...

Seanad: Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2015: Committee Stage (11 Nov 2015)

David Cullinane: I move amendment No. 8:In page 7, line 31, to delete "6 months" and substitute "12 months". I did not want to come in on the last number of amendments or the section because the Senators who spoke made the points I would have made, so I did not feel the need to prolong the debate. However, I do want to pick up on something the Minister said in the last part of his contribution. There is no...

Seanad: Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2015: Committee Stage (11 Nov 2015)

David Cullinane: I thank the Minister for his reply. To be fair, what he says makes sense. While I propose to withdraw the amendment, it does show up that a one-size-fits-all approach, whether in six or 12 months, is, possibly, not the way to go. The Minister has made the point that children have different needs and will come into the system at different times and so on, such that providing that a plan be...

Seanad: Order of Business (5 Nov 2015)

David Cullinane: I call for a debate on where Government policy and strategy stand in respect of the proposed technological universities. A commitment was given in the programme for Government to allow institutes of technology to make joint applications to obtain the status of technological university. A number of such applications were submitted, with some applicants being more advanced than others. There...

Seanad: Order of Business (5 Nov 2015)

David Cullinane: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Bill 2015: Committee Stage (Resumed) (5 Nov 2015)

David Cullinane: Our amendment puts a timeframe on it and we support the thrust of what Senator Barrett has said. Our amendment proposes that the expert group should report back within ten days and not 30 days, which is what is in the Bill. The wording of the Bill states that in implementing climate change measures the Government needs to "have regard to" - which is a phrase often placed in legislation by...

Seanad: Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2015: Second Stage (4 Nov 2015)

David Cullinane: I welcome the Minister back to the House. It was only a few weeks ago that he was here with another Bill that also received widespread support from this House. I am pleased to give my party's support to the Bill before us today. It has enjoyed support even though there are some aspects of it which we will seek to improve on Committee Stage. The Bill is very welcome. In the past, I, as a...

Seanad: Order of Business (3 Nov 2015)

David Cullinane: On almost every day on which the Seanad has sat during the past year or so, there have been consistent calls for debates on housing and homelessness. It is more than that - people have been calling for the Government to get its act together, to put in place policies to deal with issues in respect of homelessness and the private rented sector, the supply of housing by the State and the...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: School Staffing (21 Oct 2015)

David Cullinane: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy English, and thank him for taking this Commencement matter. The issue relates to a school which was told in September that it had a temporary English as an additional language, EAL, post, but then in October the school received an e-mail to say that was not the case. EAL posts are for children who need extra support for learning English. The best...