Results 321-340 of 16,057 for speaker:Mary Coughlan

Seanad: Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2004: Second Stage. (23 Mar 2004)

Mary Coughlan: We had no grass.

Seanad: Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2004: Second Stage. (23 Mar 2004)

Mary Coughlan: It is incorrect.

Seanad: Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2004: Second Stage. (23 Mar 2004)

Mary Coughlan: The Senator should not push me either.

Seanad: Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2004: Second Stage. (23 Mar 2004)

Mary Coughlan: What is the Senator talking about?

Seanad: Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2004: Second Stage. (23 Mar 2004)

Mary Coughlan: That is not in this legislation.

Seanad: Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2004: Second Stage. (23 Mar 2004)

Mary Coughlan: There are no cuts in this legislation.

Seanad: Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2004: Second Stage. (23 Mar 2004)

Mary Coughlan: Ba mhaith liom mo bhuíochas a ghabháil leis na Seanadóirí a ghlac páirt sa díospóireacht. Is mór an trua nár léigh cúpla duine an Bille a bhí os ár gcomhair mar ní faoin dtaobh den Bhille a bhí siad ag caint ar chor ar bith. É sin ráite, is polaiteoir mé féin agus gach aon duine atá anseo agus sin an saol atá os ár gcomhair. Sin an fáth go raibh díospóireacht againn a...

Seanad: Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2004: Committee and Remaining Stages. (24 Mar 2004)

Mary Coughlan: Is the Senator licensed to do so?

Seanad: Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2004: Committee and Remaining Stages. (24 Mar 2004)

Mary Coughlan: The Senator should use a better analogy.

Seanad: Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2004: Committee and Remaining Stages. (24 Mar 2004)

Mary Coughlan: I have listened as a number of issues have been discussed. There has been an attempt to claim moral superiority. I have been compared to other Ministers.

Seanad: Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2004: Committee and Remaining Stages. (24 Mar 2004)

Mary Coughlan: No, I did not say that. Senators have said that I do not have my eye on the ball. References have been made to the Lower House, to my personality and to the way in which I deal with things. I was not a stone the last time I looked. I have indicated that I do not hold a certain opinion of this House, as I have discovered at long last that perhaps the Upper House is sometimes more human than...

Seanad: Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2004: Committee and Remaining Stages. (24 Mar 2004)

Mary Coughlan: I do not know about anything else in life, but that is a natural prerogative of all of us.

Seanad: Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2004: Committee and Remaining Stages. (24 Mar 2004)

Mary Coughlan: Senator Ryan spoke about the German social welfare system. If one does a little comparative social policy analysis of our system and that of the Germans one will notice that ours is a more caring society. It is a more caring society than that of France and most other European countries. In most European countries there is no such thing as a one-parent family allowance — it does not exist....

Seanad: Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2004: Committee and Remaining Stages. (24 Mar 2004)

Mary Coughlan: That is a reflection of the €630 million additional funding which is being provided this year. This ensures that everyone is treated equally. Everyone received €10. In normal circumstances, certain groups receive more than others. Widows are treated particularly well, although the professor of English down the back will probably kill me for saying this. This reflects our support for them....

Seanad: Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2004: Committee and Remaining Stages. (24 Mar 2004)

Mary Coughlan: ——because the issue in question was contained in a previous Bill that was passed by this House and the other House and signed by the President in December last year. We could get into a discussion of whether we are even supposed to be speaking of it now. Everyone in his heart and soul knows I cannot accept this amendment. Everyone knows that if we call a vote the Government will support...

Seanad: Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2004: Committee and Remaining Stages. (24 Mar 2004)

Mary Coughlan: There was a slight mistake, but it was sorted out the next day.

Seanad: Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2004: Committee and Remaining Stages. (24 Mar 2004)

Mary Coughlan: Everyone knows one can try to persuade a Minister to change a decision. One can bark at the Minister, or bite if one feels like it.

Seanad: Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2004: Committee and Remaining Stages. (24 Mar 2004)

Mary Coughlan: The reality of politics is often totally different from what we talk about on the floor of the House. Mention was made of the politics of envy and the targeting of widows. People's sincerity was cast into doubt. Senators talked about league tables of where people are investing. We could go back and consider where others have had the opportunity to make changes. Other Governments had major...

Seanad: Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2004: Committee and Remaining Stages. (24 Mar 2004)

Mary Coughlan: That was changed by us. The Senator's party had an opportunity to change that years ago, but it did not.

Seanad: Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2004: Committee and Remaining Stages. (24 Mar 2004)

Mary Coughlan: What else did this Government do? We introduced a major increase in the widow's and widower's contributory pension and non-contributory pension. The first time widowers were recognised was 1997. I do not know, but I think we were in Government that day.