Results 2,781-2,800 of 4,931 for speaker:Mary White

Seanad: Order of Business (8 Jun 2011)

Mary White: It was not the Seanad.

Seanad: Order of Business (8 Jun 2011)

Mary White: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Order of Business (8 Jun 2011)

Mary White: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Order of Business (8 Jun 2011)

Mary White: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Order of Business (8 Jun 2011)

Mary White: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Order of Business (8 Jun 2011)

Mary White: Yesterday in the Dáil another light was cast on the dark issue of suicide. I thank Deputy John Lyons of Dublin North-West, who asked the Minister for Justice and Equality about suicide among asylum seekers. A total of 49 asylum seekers died here in the past ten years while they were under the jurisdiction of the Reception and Integration Agency which is responsible for their care. Those...

Seanad: Jobs Initiative and Competitiveness: Statements (8 Jun 2011)

Mary White: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy John Perry, to the Seanad and congratulate him on his appointment as Minister of State with responsibility for small business. He is well qualified for the position, given his first-hand experience of running a number of enterprises in Sligo and Ballymote. He is a politician who is not just given to rhetoric. Like me and a small number of other...

Seanad: Jobs Initiative and Competitiveness: Statements (8 Jun 2011)

Mary White: I hope the Leas-Chathaoirleach will bear with me because I wish to speak about finance for small businesses, which is most important. As bank credit has plummeted from an annual expansion of 30% in the boom years to zero in recent times, cash and liquidity have dried up. Businesses, particularly larger firms, are increasingly stretching out the days' credit they expect from suppliers,...

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Jun 2011)

Mary White: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Jun 2011)

Mary White: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Special Educational Needs: Statements (14 Jun 2011)

Mary White: I told the previous Acting Chairman that Senator Reilly may speak ahead of me.

Seanad: Special Educational Needs: Statements (14 Jun 2011)

Mary White: I am here to facilitate other Members this afternoon but I will take the opportunity to draw the attention of Members to the inoperable circular from the Department of Education and Skills with regard to language support resource teachers and full-time and part-time resource teacher posts. Our Lady's boys' national school in Ballinteer has 23 extra resource hours for children with special...

Seanad: Seanad Reform: Motion (15 Jun 2011)

Mary White: Why did the Senator not------

Seanad: Seanad Reform: Motion (15 Jun 2011)

Mary White: I thank the Independents for tabling this motion. When I was first elected to the House in 2002, I was frustrated by people entering the Chamber, making speeches and then leaving. That is impossible to understand. If a person makes a statement, other people can respond when they speak. It is nonsense that we call these "debates". They are not debates.

Seanad: Seanad Reform: Motion (15 Jun 2011)

Mary White: It is not our fault that more is not known about the Seanad. There have been 11 reports on Seanad Éireann, but no Government has made any attempt to implement their recommendations.

Seanad: Seanad Reform: Motion (15 Jun 2011)

Mary White: I will make the criticism I tried to voice to Senator Quinn. The 1979 referendum was to allow the university vote to be extended to other third level colleges in the country. Many of the most articulate Senators in this House were from the university panels. Although there were six such Members in each Seanad, not of one of them drove that change, as voted for by the people. All political...

Seanad: Seanad Reform: Motion (15 Jun 2011)

Mary White: Some of the greatest critics are those who do not remain in the House to hear colleagues speak. Second, why has the provision in the 1937 Constitution, which allows for two Members of this House to be appointed Ministers, not been utilised? Third, why did the university Senators not drive the change voted for in the 1979 referendum? Perhaps it is because they did not want to put themselves...

Seanad: Seanad Reform: Motion (15 Jun 2011)

Mary White: I would like to respond to a point made by Senator Landy. It is difficult to get elected to the Seanad. Do Members think I would have been elected had I sat on my hands for the past eight years? Neither I nor my colleagues would have been elected had we not worked morning, noon and night during the years we were previously Members of this House.

Seanad: Seanad Reform: Motion (15 Jun 2011)

Mary White: I am sure that many of the new Members, in particular the Independent Members, are not aware that county councillors are the closest to democracy. Senators should study what they do. Our bureaucratic system is hopeless, inefficient and incompetent. County councillors look after the people. They live in the community and look after the interests of the people. No more than us, they are...

Seanad: Seanad Reform: Motion (15 Jun 2011)

Mary White: Hear, hear.