Results 3,061-3,080 of 6,030 for speaker:Brendan Ryan

Seanad: Order of Business (29 Nov 2006)

Brendan Ryan: Ask the Human Rights Commission.

Seanad: Order of Business (29 Nov 2006)

Brendan Ryan: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Order of Business (29 Nov 2006)

Brendan Ryan: The people are never foolish, although they might be wrong.

Seanad: Order of Business (29 Nov 2006)

Brendan Ryan: This is hero worship of the Tánaiste.

Seanad: Order of Business (29 Nov 2006)

Brendan Ryan: He is very good and attends often.

Seanad: British-Irish Agreement (Amendment) Bill 2006: Second Stage (29 Nov 2006)

Brendan Ryan: Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. Bíonn an-áthas orm é a fheiceáil i gcónaí. Is fear é a bhíonn dáiríre sa Tigh seo, agus is cuimhin liom na blianta ó shin go raibh sé ar fhear de na hAirí Stáit ba luaithe a thosnaigh a ghlacadh le leasuithe do Bhillí sa Tigh seo agus é ag déileáil le Bille faoi leanaí. Bíonn argóintí eadrainn ó am go ham, ach de ghnáth bíonn se...

Seanad: British-Irish Agreement (Amendment) Bill 2006: Second Stage (29 Nov 2006)

Brendan Ryan: It is a delightful city, full of life and things to see. As I had a few hours to spare on the Tuesday afternoon, I did what Baroness Blood described as "the terror tour", which is quite legitimate business now. There are taxis for hire to show one what used to be and what happened where, and one is told the story on both sides of the divide in an interesting and educational way. It is...

Seanad: British-Irish Agreement (Amendment) Bill 2006: Second Stage (29 Nov 2006)

Brendan Ryan: No, it was a taxi tour. It is organised through the tourist office. One is taken to all the places where dreadful things happened on both sides and where positive things are happening. There are nice things to see. I recommend it to any of our colleagues whenever in Belfast with a few hours to spare. I welcome the Bill. I wish to raise a few queries on Committee Stage but I support the...

Seanad: British-Irish Agreement (Amendment) Bill 2006: Second Stage (29 Nov 2006)

Brendan Ryan: I have no objection to the Minister being allowed to finish.

Seanad: British-Irish Agreement (Amendment) Bill 2006: Committee and Remaining Stages (29 Nov 2006)

Brendan Ryan: The Minister of State said — I have no doubt he was being truthful — the fund about which this section is concerned "is widely seen as one of the most competent managing authorities in Europe." Is there a report somewhere to that effect? If it is one of the best managed funds, it would be interesting to know where that is written down. I am not trying to be smart but I would like to...

Seanad: British-Irish Agreement (Amendment) Bill 2006: Committee and Remaining Stages (29 Nov 2006)

Brendan Ryan: I had hoped for more than an invitation to search the impenetrable website of the European Commission but, given that we are in the anomalous situation whereby the Minister for Foreign Affairs must deal with matters properly pertaining to the Department of Finance, I cannot expect the Minister of State to provide a full explanation. I am surprised at the praise awarded by the Commission,...

Seanad: British-Irish Agreement (Amendment) Bill 2006: Committee and Remaining Stages (29 Nov 2006)

Brendan Ryan: They are facts rather than allegations.

Seanad: British-Irish Agreement (Amendment) Bill 2006: Committee and Remaining Stages (29 Nov 2006)

Brendan Ryan: I will resist the temptation to follow the Minister of State into the tangents he has described. However, I take it that he cannot provide me with a report which would support his claims. I am disappointed with that because this country lacks positive models of agencies which encourage local involvement while also achieving value for money for the public funds they spend. It would have...

Seanad: British-Irish Agreement (Amendment) Bill 2006: Committee and Remaining Stages (29 Nov 2006)

Brendan Ryan: I raised a question about section 4 on Second Stage and received a reply from the Minister of State. However, after investigating the matter in the Library, I continue to find it peculiar. The British-Irish Agreement Act 1999 was commenced in the name of the Taoiseach, whereas the commencement of the British-Irish Agreement (Amendment) Act 1999 was a matter for the Minister for Finance. If...

Seanad: British-Irish Agreement (Amendment) Bill 2006: Committee and Remaining Stages (29 Nov 2006)

Brendan Ryan: What possible reason was there for not saying that the Bill would commence once enacted?

Seanad: British-Irish Agreement (Amendment) Bill 2006: Committee and Remaining Stages (29 Nov 2006)

Brendan Ryan: My response to that is "Come on".

Seanad: British-Irish Agreement (Amendment) Bill 2006: Committee and Remaining Stages (29 Nov 2006)

Brendan Ryan: The Opposition must find a few questions to ask regarding Bills, and I tried to do so. I am glad that the Minister of State is present and that the Bill was introduced in this House. It is good that we have legislation here first, since there is a definite degree of freshness to the debate. As I said in my introductory remarks, the Minister of State was one of the first to accept...

Seanad: British-Irish Agreement (Amendment) Bill 2006: Committee and Remaining Stages (29 Nov 2006)

Brendan Ryan: I remember it, and I would not deny the Minister of State credit for accepting amendments, although not from me in particular. For any of us who have been around for a while, this Bill is part of a progression unimaginable 25 years ago. Things have happened and been said that were unimaginable, and change is under way on all sides in Northern Ireland. On this issue, I wish the Government...

Seanad: Leas Cross Nursing Home Report: Statements (29 Nov 2006)

Brendan Ryan: Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. Mar is gnáth nuair a phléimid an cheist seo, I must say something. My mother is in a public old people's hospital in my home town of Athy. Would that all our old people were in receipt of the quality of care provided at St. Vincent's in Athy. If the HSE wants a model of good practice, it does not have to get involved in complicated, complex,...

Seanad: Leas Cross Nursing Home Report: Statements (29 Nov 2006)

Brendan Ryan: My view is of a monumentally incompetent Department run by monumentally incompetent Ministers and a monumentally incompetent HSE which blames systems failures for everything. Systems failures mean that the managers cannot or will not manage. They mean that the people in charge did not devise proper systems, ignored problems until they blew up in their faces and then blamed everybody else...