Results 2,761-2,780 of 4,810 for speaker:Liam Twomey

Seanad: Ministerial Pensions: Motion (5 May 2010)

Liam Twomey: I thank all Senators who contributed to the debate, including those who said they will vote against the motion. I suggest that those Government Senators who feel that former Ministers are entitled to draw certain pensions when they have retired as Ministers and returned to the backbenches should use their own Private Members' time, the next time it arises, to make a case to that effect. I...

Seanad: Order of Business (6 May 2010)

Liam Twomey: Against the odds, the people are doing their best to get themselves out of the recession. The first public sector unions to vote have voted in favour of the Croke Park deal. I hope today IMPACT will stop its industrial action in the HSE. I ask the Leader for a debate soon on the Croke Park deal in order that we can express our views on the issue. I also ask that we continue to hold...

Seanad: Order of Business (11 May 2010)

Liam Twomey: Nobody should be surprised by Archbishop Diarmuid Martin's statement last night. In this House I previously pointed out that the majority of child abuse occurs within the home by perpetrators known to the victim. When that happens, as I have seen myself, families can be split, with some supporting the victim and others supporting the perpetrator of the crime. We should not be surprised...

Seanad: Order of Business (11 May 2010)

Liam Twomey: Bring back the Irish Press.

Seanad: Accident and Emergency Services (11 May 2010)

Liam Twomey: I thank the Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport for coming into the House to take this matter. It has been reported that the HSE has made a decision to close accident and emergency departments in hospitals throughout the country. I specifically refer to the services provided at Wexford General Hospital in this regard. A transformation programme has been discussed with public...

Seanad: Accident and Emergency Services (11 May 2010)

Liam Twomey: I have been made aware from my contacts that there is a crisis in terms of the budget and the lack of availability of junior doctors, but that was not addressed in the Minister's reply. She should have been informed of that before she delivered her reply. Clearly, that crisis has been covered up in that it has not been admitted nor addressed. It was not dealt with in the Minister's reply....

Seanad: Code of Conduct for Civil Servants: Motion (12 May 2010)

Liam Twomey: No one can object to this harmless motion, although the Green Party may take some self-satisfaction and a warm glow from its decision to address the issue of ethics in public office. One does not need to refer to Gazprom or former European commissioners to discover what is wrong with corporate governance in this country. One needs only look at the boards of CIE and some of the banks to see...

Seanad: Code of Conduct for Civil Servants: Motion (12 May 2010)

Liam Twomey: The Senator is fairly certain of those happening.

Seanad: Order of Business. (13 May 2010)

Liam Twomey: At a meeting held on Tuesday evening, attended by Oireachtas Members from County Wexford, the Minister for Health and Children and members of the HSE, Dr. Colm Quigley, who is responsible for the transformation of health services in the south east, stated he would not be able to keep open accident and emergency departments or maternity units unless he breaks the European working time...

Seanad: Order of Business. (13 May 2010)

Liam Twomey: There are too many hills in Cork.

Seanad: Public Service Agreement 2010-2014: Statements (13 May 2010)

Liam Twomey: This report contains words such as "procedures", "protocols", "productivity", "performance" and "policy", which I am sure are familiar to seasoned negotiators, as pointed out by Senator O'Toole. We are also seeing words like "restructuring", "flexibility", "reconfiguration" and "consultation". Unfortunately and like the report to some degree, these are sterile. They fail to convey the...

Seanad: Order of Business (18 May 2010)

Liam Twomey: The institutions of this State protected its citizens in times gone by when it was under far more serious threat as compared to what happened outside the gates of Leinster House last Tuesday night. What gives individuals such as that legitimacy, however, and an acceptance for a wider audience is the perception that we, as Members of the Oireachtas, are doing nothing. To follow up on what...

Seanad: Role of Broadcasting Authority of Ireland: Statements (18 May 2010)

Liam Twomey: One interesting aspect to a debate on the BAI is it shows the way broadcasting works in Ireland at this time. We have broadcasting at a local level and at a multimedia macro level and in effect we are trying to make both types fit into the same space. That is not really possible, however. I do not believe local radio stations need to be as over-regulated as they are. They are not purely...

Seanad: Role of Broadcasting Authority of Ireland: Statements (18 May 2010)

Liam Twomey: There is a clear need for the Minister to outline his reasons for taking this decision, because it may be seen as merely populist. The only real beneficiary of this decision has been RTE, which is funded by the Minister. There is a need to open the issue a little more. The ethos of the BAI will develop over time and we will see what it becomes. I hope its ethos is that of an open-minded...

Seanad: Ombudsman for Children Report on Children First Guidelines: Statements (19 May 2010)

Liam Twomey: Some of the comments made to me with regard to the problems in this area suggest that some problems are surmountable and should be examined. We need to examine, for example, how services are organised. There is, for instance, an ongoing industrial dispute in the old eastern health board region which contributes to some of the problems raised with regard to how social workers deal with...

Seanad: Construction Contracts Bill 2010: Second Stage (19 May 2010)

Liam Twomey: It is interesting to ask ourselves why this Bill is an issue now and why it has not cropped up in the past. Subcontractors have been telling me horror stories for years. I refer to the case of a subcontractor who informed me he walked off the site of a development where he was working because he was not being paid properly. This was several years ago when things were still relatively good....

Seanad: Order of Business (20 May 2010)

Liam Twomey: I seek a full-day debate on issues related to crime. It is amazing to read how a serial rapist can get an apartment, paid for by the HSE, in a complex where several young women are living, yet they have no indication that this individual is living among them. We should examine how we have ended up in a situation where a 21 year old gets convicted for involvement in a very serious crime,...

Seanad: Order of Business (20 May 2010)

Liam Twomey: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Order of Business (20 May 2010)

Liam Twomey: Yes.

Seanad: Euro Area Loan Facility Bill 2010: Second Stage (20 May 2010)

Liam Twomey: Everyone understands Ireland's role within the European Union and within the eurozone. That said, we are also very much responsible for our future. The money markets have little trust in the euro currently because it is a currency that is under significant pressure. The story of what has happened in Ireland in recent years indicates what has gone wrong and what should have been prevented....