Results 1,061-1,080 of 1,338 for speaker:Kathleen O'Meara

Seanad: Adjournment Matter. - Mining Leases. (9 Apr 2003)

Kathleen O'Meara: I thank the Minister of State. The Seanad adjourned at 8 p.m. until 10.30 a.m. on Thursday, 10 April 2003.

Seanad: Order of Business. (1 Apr 2003)

Kathleen O'Meara: I support the call for an urgent debate on the war in Iraq. One of the most worrying aspects is whether we really know what is going on and whether we can trust the information coming back to us. In that regard the work of the journalists from RTE and The Irish Times in particular should be commended.

Seanad: Order of Business. (1 Apr 2003)

Kathleen O'Meara: I support the call by Senator Brian Hayes for a debate on why so many schools' boards of management, parents and children were lied to, misled and told untruths in the days before the election.

Seanad: Order of Business. (1 Apr 2003)

Kathleen O'Meara: I have written evidence relating to a particular school in my constituency where that happened.

Seanad: Order of Business. (1 Apr 2003)

Kathleen O'Meara: I would be very happy to read that into the record and will probably do so in the very near future. It is a scandal of huge proportions and will certainly come back to haunt the Government because people are rightly quite angry. They were used, abused, misused and lied to.

Seanad: Motor Vehicle (Duties and Licences) Bill 2003: Second Stage (Resumed). (1 Apr 2003)

Kathleen O'Meara: I can assure Senator Brady that potholes are back with a vengeance, which is clearly a reflection of under investment, particularly in non-national roads. Senator Brady spoke about the supposed level of improvement in roads, but for a country as wealthy as ours – despite what we have recently been told – that should be reflected in the state of our roads. It is not. Instead billions of...

Seanad: Motor Vehicle (Duties and Licences) Bill 2003: Second Stage (Resumed). (1 Apr 2003)

Kathleen O'Meara: I will show the Senator what it means to live on a tertiary road and find it impossible, however badly it is needed, to obtain funding from a local authority to repair it. The fact that using such roads regularly reduces the life of a car adds to the costs incurred by motorists. In that context, the legislation is unwelcome because it is yet another attempt by the Government to con people....

Seanad: Protection of the Environment Bill 2003: Report and Final Stages. (1 Apr 2003)

Kathleen O'Meara: I apologise for being late.

Seanad: Protection of the Environment Bill 2003: Report and Final Stages. (1 Apr 2003)

Kathleen O'Meara: I move amendment No. 1: In page 7, line 34, after "2000" to insert ", provided that an environmental impact statement for the purposes of this Act shall be carried out by a person who does not benefit financially from the approval of the project to which it relates".

Seanad: Protection of the Environment Bill 2003: Report and Final Stages. (1 Apr 2003)

Kathleen O'Meara: I move amendment No. 2: In page 15, line 4, after "section" to insert "3B or". Amendments Nos. 2 and 3 would have a similar effect. As it stands, section 3B would allow the Minister to amend the Act in certain circumstances. The language used in the section confers considerable power on the Minister. The amendment proposes that the approval of the Oireachtas be required before he or she...

Seanad: Protection of the Environment Bill 2003: Report and Final Stages. (1 Apr 2003)

Kathleen O'Meara: I move amendment No. 4: In page 34, lines 42 and 43, to delete "shall have an absolute discretion to" and substitute "may". This amendment is self-explanatory. The section confers considerable powers on the Minister. It is not suitable to use the words "absolute discretion" in that regard, nor is it suitable in terms of the Environmental Protection Agency. Putting the concept of absolute...

Seanad: Protection of the Environment Bill 2003: Report and Final Stages. (1 Apr 2003)

Kathleen O'Meara: Without reference to the Oxford English Dictionary, I would have thought there is considerable difference between "shall" and "may", particularly in the context of legislation. On more than one occasion in this House I have heard long discussions on Committee and Report Stages about the difference between "shall" and "may". I accept the Minister has the Attorney General's advice in that...

Seanad: Protection of the Environment Bill 2003: Report and Final Stages. (1 Apr 2003)

Kathleen O'Meara: I thank the Minister for his positive response on this issue. Those who are familiar with Labour Party amendments to legislation will be aware that this issue comes up frequently. It is almost a standard amendment on our part and I cannot think of any Minister who has not accepted the principle of it. I ask the Minister to say to his colleagues that this principle should be adopted on a broad...

Seanad: Protection of the Environment Bill 2003: Report and Final Stages. (1 Apr 2003)

Kathleen O'Meara: I thank the Minister for his response to what he called genuine concerns raised on Committee Stage. The object of our amendments was to keep legal costs down by giving the Circuit Court a jurisdiction in cases of unlicensed activity. From the point of view of groups which would take it upon themselves to go to court in the event of unlicensed activity or in the event of concerns they might...

Seanad: Protection of the Environment Bill 2003: Report and Final Stages. (1 Apr 2003)

Kathleen O'Meara: I move amendment No. 15: In page 62, to delete lines 29 to 33. This amendment returns to the thorny issue of bin charges and the refusal by councils to collect refuse from people whose charges are overdue. The response to that problem in the Bill borders on the draconian. The council should be limited. We are not saying it should not have power to take action against someone who refuses to...

Seanad: Protection of the Environment Bill 2003: Report and Final Stages. (1 Apr 2003)

Kathleen O'Meara: If the position was the same throughout the State the Minister's argument would hold up, but there are differences between local authority areas where waste collection has been tendered to private companies and those that are still collecting waste. The principle remains the same but different circumstances are involved. In some parts of Dublin there have been non-payment campaigns.

Seanad: Protection of the Environment Bill 2003: Report and Final Stages. (1 Apr 2003)

Kathleen O'Meara: I move amendment No. 16: In page 73, line 14, to delete "may" and substitute "shall".

Seanad: Protection of the Environment Bill 2003: Report and Final Stages. (1 Apr 2003)

Kathleen O'Meara: I was referring to people telling me they were returning their wheeled bins because they could not afford them. At the same time, many people are genuinely attempting to reduce the amount of household waste generated, not only because of the costs involved, but also for environmental reasons. I prefer to see a positive incentive towards reducing household waste and one which does not...

Seanad: Protection of the Environment Bill 2003: Report and Final Stages. (1 Apr 2003)

Kathleen O'Meara: I second the amendment.

Seanad: Protection of the Environment Bill 2003: Report and Final Stages. (1 Apr 2003)

Kathleen O'Meara: I support Senator Bannon's amendment. It may seem innocuous but it is also a useful one.