Results 2,641-2,660 of 20,831 for speaker:David Norris

Seanad: Health (Repayment Scheme) Bill 2006: Second Stage. (7 Jun 2006)

David Norris: I thank Senator Quinn for allowing me to share time with him. I welcome the Minister of State to the House and welcome this legislation. I was surprised that the Minister of State's speech contained no expression of regret because, as Senator Quinn noted, this was an illegal action on the part of the State that, in his words, amounted to theft by the State from the most vulnerable. Despite...

Seanad: Health (Repayment Scheme) Bill 2006: Second Stage. (7 Jun 2006)

David Norris: I will finish my point. These measures were taken due to financial constraints. The Ombudsman states that the Department was well aware of the situation and lists a series of doubtful practices, including the use of regulation without recourse to the Oireachtas. The Minister of State will be aware of these criticisms and the doubtful practices, which are serious. The attitude of the...

Seanad: Housing Policy: Motion. (7 Jun 2006)

David Norris: I am grateful to Senator Ross for sharing time. I, and probably all Members of the House, share the Labour Party's concerns about the enormous increase in house prices. The house my father bought in Ballsbridge in 1946 and where I was reared was recently on the market. It was withdrawn at €3.5 million and the sale was negotiated for a substantially higher figure. It probably was sold for...

Seanad: Health (Repayment Scheme) Bill 2006: Second Stage (Resumed). (7 Jun 2006)

David Norris: I welcome the Minister of State back to the House, refreshed after our short break. In 1990 the Health (Nursing Home) Act was passed by the Oireachtas, coming into force in September 1993. This was intended and proclaimed to be a radical improvement on the old system. The Ombudsman's report contradicts this, however, claiming that the Department and the health boards operated the new system...

Seanad: Order of Business. (8 Jun 2006)

David Norris: I welcome what the Leader said about the adjournment of the Dáil last Friday which rendered our debate on an important matter less significant than it would otherwise have been. I pointed out at the time that by allowing the Dáil to adjourn, the constitutional position of this House was fundamentally undercut and eroded because we were established principally as a revising Chamber to...

Seanad: Order of Business. (8 Jun 2006)

David Norris: It happened yesterday and today also. We are constantly being chided by the media for the fact that these benches are not always full, even though they know we are in our offices, yet where are they when we want them? This is a very important matter and it did not receive the wide public dissemination it should have. I agree with Senator Brian Hayes about the Mater Hospital site for the new...

Seanad: Order of Business. (8 Jun 2006)

David Norris: The news has been announced today of the death of al-Zarqawi in Iraq. Due to the fact that I criticise rendition flights, I am sometimes seen as being an enemy of the United States and of democracy but I do not gloat over the death of anyone. However, al-Zarqawi was a person who lived by the sword and now he has died by the sword. His intervention in Iraq was not welcomed by the Iraqi people...

Seanad: Order of Business. (8 Jun 2006)

David Norris: He does not accept what the report says. It says quite clearly that our involvement in the process of extraordinary rendition has been confirmed.

Seanad: Order of Business. (8 Jun 2006)

David Norris: Nobody says there is proof that people were taken through Shannon Airport on their way to torture.

Seanad: Order of Business. (8 Jun 2006)

David Norris: We know they were taken to be tortured.

Seanad: Order of Business. (8 Jun 2006)

David Norris: It is now absolutely confirmed that those aeroplanes were refuelled at Shannon Airport. Senator Marty also stated that the attitudes and behaviour of the United States in seeking to redefine torture is utterly alien to the European tradition and sensibility, and clearly contrary to the European Convention on Human Rights and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. He stated that 14 states,...

Seanad: Order of Business. (8 Jun 2006)

David Norris: Yes, I am, because a group in this House yesterday tried to dismiss the report and discredit Mr. Marty.

Seanad: Order of Business. (8 Jun 2006)

David Norris: The editorial in The Irish Times states it "is a valuable addition to our knowledge of this whole affair and his advice on future policy is sound". That has been echoed by the Human Rights Commission.

Seanad: Order of Business. (8 Jun 2006)

David Norris: When will we wake up and realise a fundamental breach of human rights is taking place? I ask the Leader to secure copies of the Marty report, make them available to all Members of the House and have a full debate on the matter.

Seanad: Order of Business. (8 Jun 2006)

David Norris: What a pity he did not tell the truth.

Seanad: Road Traffic Bill 2006: Second Stage. (8 Jun 2006)

David Norris: I welcome the Minister and this important legislation. When I was young, owning a car was a luxury and there were not many around. Now we must face the problem caused by a great increase in road traffic, which is not exclusively an Irish problem. Neither are road fatalities just an Irish problem, as evidenced by a report published today highlighting the problem on an international scale. It...

Seanad: Order of Business. (13 Jun 2006)

David Norris: I wish to refer to something I said about RTE last week. I stated, with the support of other Members, that it had not covered debates in this House. Since then, I have been informed that while it had done so, it had changed the broadcasting time, which did not appear in the newspapers. It is important to withdraw that criticism. However, I wish to replace it with a different criticism, which...

Seanad: Order of Business. (13 Jun 2006)

David Norris: Members want a real national broadcaster and ought to support RTE in its provision of its traditional kind of distinguished coverage of the arts and other interests. I also wish to raise the issue of Guantanamo Bay, especially in the light of the suicides of three inmates. They were astonishingly described by an official — whose own title, namely, the person with responsibility for...

Seanad: Order of Business. (13 Jun 2006)

David Norris: If the Cathaoirleach had wished me to continue, I would have been happy to oblige.

Seanad: International Criminal Court Bill 2003: Second Stage. (13 Jun 2006)

David Norris: I wish to share time with Senator Henry.