Results 3,681-3,700 of 6,030 for speaker:Brendan Ryan

Seanad: Risk Equalisation: Motion (26 Apr 2007)

Brendan Ryan: Senator Norris is re-electioneering.

Seanad: Risk Equalisation: Motion (26 Apr 2007)

Brendan Ryan: I will be a good deal less colourful. I agree with the core of what Senator Norris said. I am at a loss to understand how a blinkered economic commentariat in this country and other countries can talk about competition as an inherently good thing in the provision of health care. I have written to newspapers and I have said it in the House on many occasions that if market efficiencies make...

Seanad: Risk Equalisation: Motion (26 Apr 2007)

Brendan Ryan: That is not true.

Seanad: Risk Equalisation: Motion (26 Apr 2007)

Brendan Ryan: No cheques arrive in my house for anything private associated with psychiatric services.

Seanad: Risk Equalisation: Motion (26 Apr 2007)

Brendan Ryan: The Minister forgot to mention that.

Seanad: Offences Against the State (Amendment) Act 1998: Motion (26 Apr 2007)

Brendan Ryan: Nine years ago I opposed this legislation when it came before the House. I will not give the Minister of State or the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform an opportunity to take a cheap shot at the Labour Party in the period leading up to an election by calling a vote. I will put on record my scepticism about this type of legislation. Terrorism is dreadful but looking back over the...

Seanad: Offences Against the State (Amendment) Act 1998: Motion (26 Apr 2007)

Brendan Ryan: This Government striking poses about spin is a bit much.

Seanad: Offences Against the State (Amendment) Act 1998: Motion (26 Apr 2007)

Brendan Ryan: I cannot speak for the Independent benches.

Seanad: Criminal Justice Bill 2007: Second Stage (26 Apr 2007)

Brendan Ryan: I never thought in my political career that I would have to stand up and defend the Judiciary. My political view of the world has been about trying to look from the position of the underdog at their noble lords. They are not quite noble lords but sometimes they act like they were. However, our judges have done wonderful things over the years. One of them has been a vigorous defence of the...

Seanad: Order of Business (1 May 2007)

Brendan Ryan: One would never notice.

Seanad: Order of Business (1 May 2007)

Brendan Ryan: It is a pity we did not get around to discussing the ethics Bill, as it would have been a very appropriate debate this week. However, the world has moved on. I have a technical question. When the Leader read the Order of Business she said that all Stages of No. 4 were to be taken. Then she said that the Minister was to be called ten minutes before the end of Second Stage. However, if...

Seanad: Order of Business (1 May 2007)

Brendan Ryan: That is all Stages, as I understood the Leader to say.

Seanad: Order of Business (1 May 2007)

Brendan Ryan: That is all right and it is only a technical question in any event. It is almost 30 years since I contested my first Seanad election, and I should have more sense by now——

Seanad: Order of Business (1 May 2007)

Brendan Ryan: One enjoys it but also one realises that one can have an influence on events. It is only those who ignore this House who do not notice the degree to which legislation changes. They do not recognise the degree to which sensible Ministers of all parties — no party has a monopoly in this regard — are prepared to listen to an argument, change their minds and have their thinking influenced....

Seanad: Order of Business (1 May 2007)

Brendan Ryan: Indeed they are. The Twenty-First and Twenty-Second Seanad have seen the Government introduce more legislation through them than before, for which the Government deserves to be complimented. The Seanad responded to that and showed its capacity and efficiency in dealing with legislation, despite the very rare occasions on which we had a few rows on debates being curtailed. I wish all my...

Seanad: Order of Business (1 May 2007)

Brendan Ryan: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Protection of Employment (Exceptional Collective Redundancies and Related Matters) Bill 2007 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil]: Report and Final Stages. (1 May 2007)

Brendan Ryan: I do not wish to be obstreperous and I have no real issue with this, however, I thought we were dealing with group 2, amendments Nos. 2, 3, and 5.

Seanad: Protection of Employment (Exceptional Collective Redundancies and Related Matters) Bill 2007 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil]: Report and Final Stages. (1 May 2007)

Brendan Ryan: The country probably needs more of this sort of legislation. I am very glad we have dealt with this Bill because it arose from some unsavoury performances that did not do much for the image of Irish business. I welcome that it is the product of consensus. The Minister of State obviously consulted widely and established such consensus. I compliment him thereon. I know him a long time and,...

Seanad: Water Services Bill 2003 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil]: Report and Final Stages (1 May 2007)

Brendan Ryan: I am intrigued concerning amendment No. 135, although I am not in confrontational humour. I am curious to know whether prior to the insertion of amendment No. 135 there was no clear power to prohibit all these things. That is the only question I have. One always assumed that in a time of water scarcity, local authorities started by appealing to the public but could then instruct. One of...

Seanad: Water Services Bill 2003 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil]: Report and Final Stages (1 May 2007)

Brendan Ryan: I fully support these long overdue amendments. I have a holiday home in a very beautiful part of the country and there are many others around it. It has been suggested that if someone ever excavated some of the fields in the vicinity, pipes — some going to livestock but many to holiday and other homes — might surface which were never approved by anybody. Water is inherently a scarce...