Results 6,901-6,920 of 11,695 for speaker:Ivana Bacik

Seanad: Gender Recognition Bill 2014: Committee Stage (3 Feb 2015)

Ivana Bacik: I thank the Minister for his willingness to accept the principle. We are all delighted to hear it, and it augurs very well for the future, given that it is the first amendment. Let us hope there is more of that. It shows the Seanad working at its best and in a constructive and collegiate fashion.

Seanad: Gender Recognition Bill 2014: Committee Stage (3 Feb 2015)

Ivana Bacik: I welcome the Minister to the House. I welcome also the groups represented in the Gallery who I know have worked very hard on progressing this legislation. I refer to TENI and LGBT Noise, among others. Senators Zappone and Norris, with customary eloquence, have put the case for a review very strongly, and I agree. The idea of a review is a sensible one and would address some of the...

Seanad: Order of Business (3 Feb 2015)

Ivana Bacik: I refer to the discussions about the potential sale of Aer Lingus. Of course, matters are at a very early stage and there is no offer, but I have already put on the record my opposition to the sale of the Government's 25% stake in Aer Lingus. Indeed, I opposed the sale of the rest of what was the Government's much larger stake in 2006. I welcome the good news today of the Accenture jobs...

Seanad: Order of Business (29 Jan 2015)

Ivana Bacik: Senator Wilson is making the request.

Seanad: Order of Business (29 Jan 2015)

Ivana Bacik: I ask the Leader for a debate on the Action Plan for Jobs 2015. I welcome today's publication of the action plan, which Chambers Ireland has welcomed. It has been widely welcomed and it is undisputed that the plan is working. Since the first launch of An Action Plan for Jobs at the initiation of the Government's programme, approximately 1,000 actions have been implemented across Government...

Seanad: Universities (Development and Innovation) (Amendment) Bill 2015: Second Stage (28 Jan 2015)

Ivana Bacik: Tomorrow at 10.30 a.m.

Seanad: Universities (Development and Innovation) (Amendment) Bill 2015: Second Stage (28 Jan 2015)

Ivana Bacik: I welcome the Minister, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan, to the House. I commend Senator Barrett on introducing this Private Members' Bill which gives us the opportunity to debate third level education generally. Senator Quinn referred to a very apposite quote from Senator Barrett as to the core purpose of a university, which I fully endorse and commend. That is very welcome and sets a nice context...

Seanad: Order of Business (28 Jan 2015)

Ivana Bacik: I concur with Senator O'Brien in his condemnation of the nature of the protests against President Michael D. Higgins. Any democrat should join in condemning those protests, which are clearly unacceptable. As Uachtarán na hÉireann, the President represents all of the people of Ireland, at both national and international level, and should be above politics. Most fair-minded people...

Seanad: Order of Business (27 Jan 2015)

Ivana Bacik: I want to mark today's date, the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz concentration camp. It is being marked in different ways across Europe today, but I thought it was worth marking it in this House, particularly at a time when we see anti-EU sentiment coming to the fore in many countries. It is important to remember the impetus that brought what are now the European Union...

Seanad: Order of Business (27 Jan 2015)

Ivana Bacik: We must be mindful of the historical context for this, but I support the idea of a debate on the matter in advance of any decision being made. I also ask the Leader for a debate on developments in the EU, in light of the Syriza victory in Greece and the quantitative easing package that was announced last week and which I welcomed in this House on Thursday. The victory of Syriza may point to...

Seanad: Direct Provision: Statements (22 Jan 2015)

Ivana Bacik: I welcome the Minister of State and welcome the fact that we are debating this issue again. We debated it in September and again on 23 October in light of the Private Members' Bill. It is very helpful to have regular updates from the Minister of State on the issue of direct provision because it is matter of great concern to many of us on both sides of the House. We have always worked very...

Seanad: Order of Business (22 Jan 2015)

Ivana Bacik: I am happy to work with other Senators on the motion. I congratulate Patricia King on her appointment as head of ICTU to replace David Begg in March. I welcome the decision, as she will make an excellent leader of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions. As other Members did yesterday, I commend the appointment of Kevin Vickers as the new Canadian Ambassador to Ireland. He received his...

Seanad: Order of Business (22 Jan 2015)

Ivana Bacik: I strongly welcome the publication yesterday of the referendum wording for the marriage equality referendum by the Government. It was an historic day to see the straightforward clear and concise wording put forward. It received an almost universal welcome, certainly from across the political spectrum, and also in a joint press release from the Gay and Lesbian Equality Network, the Irish...

Seanad: Gender Recognition Bill 2014: Second Stage (21 Jan 2015)

Ivana Bacik: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Kevin Humphreys, and welcome that the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Burton, was here to introduce the Bill. I also welcome all in the Gallery and thank them for all their work on this issue over many years. The Tánaiste has already spoken about the progressive nature of the Bill. I very much welcome it, as, indeed, I...

Seanad: Order of Business (21 Jan 2015)

Ivana Bacik: Other colleagues yesterday raised the issue of the Central Bank's proposed new rules for mortgage applications. As many people said yesterday, these have been widely criticised, particularly the requirement for a 20% deposit. I ask the Leader to arrange a debate in the near future on this. I note that criticism has been made of the proposal by, among others, Mr. Jack O'Connor of SIPTU, and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Firearms Licences: (Resumed) Discussion (21 Jan 2015)

Ivana Bacik: I thank the Chairman and the witnesses for their submissions. My background as a criminal lawyer means that I would disagree with the issue on perception and functionality of firearms. In terms of perception, it is very important when firearms are being used for illegal purposes. That is why we ban imitation handguns. Colleagues will be glad to hear I have only two questions. I return...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Firearms Licences: (Resumed) Discussion (21 Jan 2015)

Ivana Bacik: My second question is totally unrelated but it is something that struck me when reading through the submissions made by those interested in the topic. It is the issue of gender. I believe I am correct in saying this is a very male-dominated sport. Mr. Keogh was the only one to refer to having women and men as members. What percentage of women are involved in the sport? What efforts are...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Firearms Licences: (Resumed) Discussion (21 Jan 2015)

Ivana Bacik: I did not want to be the one to say it.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Firearms Licences: (Resumed) Discussion (21 Jan 2015)

Ivana Bacik: Yes, I am.

Seanad: Order of Business (20 Jan 2015)

Ivana Bacik: I also join Senator Darragh O'Brien in wishing everyone a happy new year and welcoming everyone back. In particular, I welcome the new schedule, the new timings for Seanad sittings and our new procedures, especially the matters on the Commencement, as they are now to be known rather than matters on the Adjournment. I was delighted to have the opportunity to raise one of those matters...