Results 2,861-2,880 of 6,030 for speaker:Brendan Ryan

Seanad: Foreign Conflicts: Motion. (5 Jul 2006)

Brendan Ryan: So have I.

Seanad: Foreign Conflicts: Motion. (5 Jul 2006)

Brendan Ryan: The Minister of State should ask the Palestinian people about that.

Seanad: Foreign Conflicts: Motion. (5 Jul 2006)

Brendan Ryan: The Minister of State and the Senators opposite should ask the Palestinian people on the ground.

Seanad: Foreign Conflicts: Motion. (5 Jul 2006)

Brendan Ryan: How much has been given in that time?

Seanad: Foreign Conflicts: Motion. (5 Jul 2006)

Brendan Ryan: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Foreign Conflicts: Motion. (5 Jul 2006)

Brendan Ryan: I apologise if I gabble because I want to refer to a number of things. I thought there was a united view in the House on this issue, with one or two exceptions. A couple of speeches were entirely wrong about our motives, our omissions and about certain realities. I will not dignify some of the more abusive comments by even making reference to them because there are many in this House who wish...

Seanad: Foreign Conflicts: Motion. (5 Jul 2006)

Brendan Ryan: The EU will not talk to one government.

Seanad: Foreign Conflicts: Motion. (5 Jul 2006)

Brendan Ryan: I listened carefully to the speech. In one section, it refers to the kidnapped, captured and arrested members of the Hamas Government and urges Israel to either release or charge them. I say to that, "Hold on for one minute". Israel invades another country, arrests members of the Government of that country and we presume it has the right to charge them. Is that even-handed? Imagine if the...

Seanad: Foreign Conflicts: Motion. (5 Jul 2006)

Brendan Ryan: What single punitive action has the Government ever taken against the Israeli Government for any breach of international law or human rights law? The answer is "None".

Seanad: Hepatitis C Compensation Tribunal (Amendment) Bill 2006: Second Stage. (5 Jul 2006)

Brendan Ryan: Although I do not want to draw Senator Browne into one of my rows with anybody, the first issue that intrigues me is the incapacity of the Department of Health and Children to produce legislation that does not cause problems. Senator Browne and I struggled with a particular piece of legislation here less than six months ago. In its original form it was incomprehensible and when the amendments...

Seanad: Hepatitis C Compensation Tribunal (Amendment) Bill 2006: Second Stage. (5 Jul 2006)

Brendan Ryan: I am coming to the peculiar way the Department of Health and Children deals with legislation of which this Act was symptomatic. The Act had amendments to the Health Act, including eligibility for school medical examinations, tacked onto the end. The Title did not reflect its contents. Then we had the first attempt at compensating people for the nursing home debacle, which was rejected as...

Seanad: Hepatitis C Compensation Tribunal (Amendment) Bill 2006: Second Stage. (5 Jul 2006)

Brendan Ryan: Tomorrow we will have the chance to debate the Bill properly. If we had not had that awful controversy and if we did not still have the taste of it, there is much about this Bill that nobody could but unequivocally welcome. I welcome it and recognise it as an attempt to provide insurance for people who would otherwise be uninsurable. It is a welcome piece of legislation, and, as far as it...

Seanad: Death of Former Member: Expressions of Sympathy. (6 Jul 2006)

Brendan Ryan: I served in the House with former Senator Belton and was glad to know him. He was, like many of us, permanently on the backbenches but contributed significantly nonetheless. He would fit into anybody's definition of the traditional Fine Gael spectrum, which meant he was a man of strong views that would not necessarily have coincided with my own. However, he was a man who held those views...

Seanad: Business of Seanad. (6 Jul 2006)

Brendan Ryan: I begin by way of a confession. Next August it will be 25 years since I was elected to this House and this is the first time I have been here on the last day before the summer recess. That may be a comment on either my indolence or my electoral resilience but I managed to get out of here early and be re-elected over that period. I thank the Cathaoirleach. He is a difficult man with whom to...

Seanad: Business of Seanad. (6 Jul 2006)

Brendan Ryan: The House has completed a considerable amount of business and considered a substantial number of issues without any serious rows. There has rarely been a serious disagreement about time allocations or anything like that. I was not present in the House earlier this week for the debate on the Criminal Justice Bill 2004, which was a classic example of the allocation of sufficient time. As...

Seanad: Business of Seanad. (6 Jul 2006)

Brendan Ryan: No. I disagree with the Leader in that regard. He does not earn much more that we do — he gets paid much more than we do.

Seanad: Business of Seanad. (6 Jul 2006)

Brendan Ryan: There is a fundamental difference. I would like to conclude by thanking my colleagues in the Labour Party and the various members of the party's staff. I am the leader of a group in this House who lives furthest from Dublin. Perhaps I am not here as often as most of the other group leaders. I have found all my colleagues most accommodating about that.

Seanad: Business of Seanad. (6 Jul 2006)

Brendan Ryan: The Labour Party group is quite small. My colleagues in the group, more so than me, participate in debates on virtually every Bill that comes before the House. They propose constructive amendments to every Bill, which is a considerable workload for a group of five people. I pay tribute to my colleagues in the Labour Party, in particular, for their level of positive contribution to the work of...

Seanad: Business of Seanad. (6 Jul 2006)

Brendan Ryan: It will be. I have been here for a long time anyway. This summer, Senator Ross and I will celebrate the 25th anniversary of our election to this House.

Seanad: Business of Seanad. (6 Jul 2006)

Brendan Ryan: I was not here for a little bit of the last 25 years. We were temporarily separated.