Results 2,141-2,160 of 4,787 for speaker:Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (3 Jul 2018)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: I will be as quick as possible. I have a level of sympathy for the Minister in trying to defend the process in which he clearly does not believe. He has been compared to Archbishop McQuaid but he reminds me of the Maroon 5 band in that insufferable World Cup advertisement, which sings "Don't worry about a thing. Every little thing is going to be all right". If the Minister was part of the...

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (3 Jul 2018)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: This is a circus and it is really embarrassing. I am glad the journalists have all gone home. A reputable European body has issued a report stinging in its critique of this legislation. It is only in front of us because the Fr. Ted alliance feels strongly about it. There are bits of this report in Sunday newspapers and in front of me. The Minister has said he has not seen it but again he...

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (3 Jul 2018)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: We could then have a much more informed debate. The Minister will be able to go back to the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, who clearly feels very strongly about this and who I half-expected to be sitting in that chair instead of Deputy Flanagan when I came in this evening-----

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (3 Jul 2018)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: Let us do this properly. If the Minister was part of the Opposition, along with the Fine Gael representatives, it is just the kind of exercise that they would rail against. This is important legislation being railroaded through despite eminent European bodies raising serious questions about it. Fine Gael is meant to be the party of law and order so let us do this properly.

Seanad: Education (Admission to Schools) Bill 2016: Report and Final Stages (4 Jul 2018)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: I move amendment No. 19:In page 26, lines 30 to 37, to delete all words from and including "of—" in line 30 down to and including line 37 and substitute the following:"of a sibling of the student concerned attending or having attended the school.". This section of the Bill has been dubbed "the Clongowes section", which is probably accurate. It states: "...a parent or grandparent of...

Seanad: Education (Admission to Schools) Bill 2016: Report and Final Stages (4 Jul 2018)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: Yes.

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Medicinal Products Availability (27 Sep 2018)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: I thank the Minister of State for being here. I very much appreciate it and I know she will feel strongly about the issue I am about to raise. I also appreciate that her Department is working as best it can to find a resolution to the issues I raise. I welcome in the Gallery Ms Fiona Bailey, the mother of Sam Bailey. I met the family of Grace O'Malley from Mayo last week. Last week there...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Medicinal Products Availability (27 Sep 2018)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: I appreciate the answer and the fact that the Minister of State has outlined the process involved, but what the families really need to know is when it will happen. I know that the Minister of State may not be in a position to give me that answer now, but I ask her to impress on the Minister the importance of this matter. I understand the HSE has yet to make the final decision, but I think...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Special Educational Needs (3 Oct 2018)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I want to raise the inaction of the Department of Education and Skills vis-à-visunregulated seclusion and restraint of children with disabilities. With the greatest respect to her, I am disappointed that none of the Minister for Education and Skills, the Minister of State at the Department of Health with responsibility for disability or the...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Special Educational Needs (3 Oct 2018)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: I thank the Minister of State for her reply but this sort of reply drives me round the twist. The first paragraph of the reply is a classic case of the Department saying it is somebody else's problem: "The board of management of each school is responsible for the care and safety of all of the pupils in their schools...Schools are not required to report such interventions to the Department."...

Seanad: Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (Gender Pay Gap) Information Bill 2017: Report and Final Stages (3 Oct 2018)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: I thank the Minister of State and his officials for being here and for working with this House in trying to get this legislation to the next Stage.

Seanad: Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (Gender Pay Gap) Information Bill 2017: Report and Final Stages (3 Oct 2018)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: I also congratulate my colleague, Senator Bacik, on her hard work in this regard. We all know in this House that Private Members' time is fairly precious. When one gets it, one wants to make sure one has a topic or legislation which is very important. This is why we have chosen this one. We feel that we have an opportunity to have cross-party support on this measure to take it to the next...

Seanad: Order of Business (4 Oct 2018)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: It is important that everybody in this Chamber would realise that without taxpayers next week's budget would be impossible. Compliant taxpayers are the unsung heroes of this country. They pay for our nurses, gardaí, teachers and social welfare system, including pensions for older people. I would like to object to some of the rhetoric from Government sources in the past while regarding...

Seanad: Order of Business (4 Oct 2018)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: The Senator could boycott it.

Seanad: Order of Business (4 Oct 2018)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: Self-praise is no praise.

Seanad: Order of Business (4 Oct 2018)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: Or the Pope's visit which got blanket coverage.

Seanad: Order of Business (4 Oct 2018)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: President Higgins had an involvement there.

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Oct 2018)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: I wish to express the sympathies of the Labour Senators to the family of Emma Mhic Mhathúna and I join colleagues in commending her courage, bravery and humanity. We will stand with all survivors in order to try to obtain justice and to ensure that this never happens again. I call for a debate with the Minister for Education and Skills on the relationship between church and State. The...

Seanad: Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) (Amendment) Bill 2018: Second Stage (10 Oct 2018)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: I welcome the Minister of State to the House. Much of what I was going to contribute to the conversation has been raised by my colleagues, Senators Mac Lochlainn and Ruane. I will make my contribution relatively short. As Senator Ruane has said, there is no huge rush to get this done if we are not going to get it done correctly and properly. The Unite trade union, with which I hope the...

Seanad: Order of Business (16 Oct 2018)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: It is a matter of grave concern that this Government is now dependent, in a formal way, on the support of Deputy Lowry. Having said that, I also find it disturbing that the Minister of State at the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation, Deputy Breen, has not explained himself to either House of this Oireachtas in respect of his engagement with Mr. McCourt and the former Minister,...