Results 401-420 of 891 for speaker:John Minihan

Seanad: Order of Business. (15 Dec 2004)

John Minihan: I agree with some of the comments made in respect of the emergency legislation on nursing homes. What happened was wrong but I must inform members of the Opposition that it was equally wrong when they were in Government. At least the current Administration is intent on correcting the position. It is somewhat irresponsible, cheap and low to make a political issue out of this matter.

Seanad: Order of Business. (15 Dec 2004)

John Minihan: I look forward to the debate on the legislation on Friday. Comments were made earlier about the Judiciary, etc. In my view the House should debate family law and children's courts, which are part of the changing society in which we live. The comments about the Judiciary to which I refer were dangerous and irresponsible. The Judiciary should not be undermined by Members of the House and...

Seanad: Order of Business. (15 Dec 2004)

John Minihan: I did not dismiss it.

Seanad: Northern Ireland Peace Process: Motion. (15 Dec 2004)

John Minihan: I welcome the Taoiseach and congratulate him on the work he has done to date. All Members bring with them life experiences, on which they are expected to draw when they contribute to debate in this House. In keeping with that tradition, I speak in this most important debate as a proud Member of Seanad Éireann upholding those principles. Diversity of views shared in a House of this sort is...

Seanad: Northern Ireland Peace Process: Motion. (15 Dec 2004)

John Minihan: Now, to end that version of democracy, Sinn Féin demands the release of the criminals who killed Detective Garda McCabe. How can Sinn Féin convince me and others like me that in crossing this new line, it is sincere about ending all association with criminality? How can it condition my mind to allow me even to contemplate such a move? How can it tell me that I should once again betray the...

Seanad: Northern Ireland Peace Process: Motion. (15 Dec 2004)

John Minihan: As Archbishop Brady said, we should talk of humility, not humiliation. I fully understand and accept the decision the Taoiseach and the Government have made. I know they have reluctantly accepted the dishonest demands of Sinn Féin in the name of securing peace. I am not here to criticise or condemn. The Taoiseach carries a huge responsibility, as does his Government, on behalf of the Irish...

Seanad: Northern Ireland Peace Process: Motion. (15 Dec 2004)

John Minihan: The ultimate measure of a person is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at the times of challenge and controversy. This is where Mrs. McCabe and her family, the Government and the people of Ireland stand today when faced with the possibility of the release of the killers of Detective Garda McCabe. The only promise I can make to Mrs. McCabe and the...

Seanad: Northern Ireland Peace Process: Motion. (15 Dec 2004)

John Minihan: All I ask of Sinn Féin, on behalf of the vast majority of the Irish people, is to stop brazenly demanding the morally undeliverable and, instead, honestly and forthrightly, work with us towards making a true and lasting peace, embrace democracy and all the responsibilities that go with it in the name of Ireland so we can share our Irishness in a peaceful and democratic society.

Seanad: Northern Ireland Peace Process: Motion. (15 Dec 2004)

John Minihan: I am relieved.

Seanad: Order of Business. (17 Dec 2004)

John Minihan: I call on the Leader to schedule early in the new year the promised debate on the promotion of the Irish language. We can consider this matter and also how we can promote Irish culture in general. On that note, all Members will join with me in wishing my native city, Cork, all the best when it kicks off its European capital of culture term in January.

Seanad: Order of Business. (17 Dec 2004)

John Minihan: It is a great honour for the city and the country and I hope we will row in behind that effort in the interests of promoting Ireland.

Seanad: Health (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2004: Second Stage. (17 Dec 2004)

John Minihan: I welcome the Minister of State to the House. Accusations have been made that the Government is rushing this legislation but those accusations are unfair. Speedy action is needed. Every week we postpone this legislation will cost the Exchequer and the Department of Health and Children €2.5 million. As the Tánaiste said in the other House, it would be an expensive Christmas recess were we...

Seanad: Death of Former Member: Expressions of Sympathy. (27 Jan 2005)

John Minihan: On behalf of the Progressive Democrats, I join previous speakers in paying tribute to the late Eileen Desmond. Whereas I was not involved in political life at the same time as Eileen Desmond, as a young man growing up in Cork I knew her and her daughters quite well. As a woman who took on the challenges she did in those days in Cork, she became something of an icon for all the right reasons....

Seanad: Criminal Justice (Terrorist Offences) Bill 2002: Second Stage [Resumed]. (27 Jan 2005)

John Minihan: I welcome the Minister to the House to put through this important legislation. Events such as 11 September 2001 and the Madrid bombings left us all shocked and saddened as the full horror of a major terrorist act sank in. With the advent of global media coverage of events as they unfold, the terrorist market has widened. Not only can an atrocity now affect the terrorists' target, their...

Seanad: Criminal Justice (Terrorist Offences) Bill 2002: Second Stage [Resumed]. (27 Jan 2005)

John Minihan: He should photocopy it.

Seanad: Matter raised under Standing Order 30. (27 Jan 2005)

John Minihan: On Wednesday, 2 February 2005 at 10.30 a.m.

Seanad: Order of Business. (2 Feb 2005)

John Minihan: I join previous speakers in calling for a debate on defamation as outlined by Senators Brian Hayes and O'Toole. Yesterday, a new centre for public inquiry was announced. This will be privately funded by somebody from outside the State to investigate people in public life and institutions. I have serious reservations about the prospect of moving in that direction. The debate should be...

Seanad: Order of Business. (2 Feb 2005)

John Minihan: Who will draw up the remit of this organisation and what protections will people have? This is a serious and worrying development. I urge all those who support the institutions of the State to examine the establishment of this centre. I hope when the Leader arranges a debate on defamation that it can be extended to include such centres.

Seanad: Tsunami Disaster: Statements. (2 Feb 2005)

John Minihan: I too welcome the Minister of State to the House and welcome the opportunity to speak about the extraordinary and tragic events that unfolded in the Indian Ocean at Christmas. The tsunami affected a vast geographic region and caused such loss of life so quickly that it is difficult for those of us who did not witness it to appreciate fully the extent of the tragedy. There is no need to remind...

Seanad: Northern Ireland Issues: Motion. (2 Feb 2005)

John Minihan: I move: That Seanad Éireann: —commends the efforts of all Irish Governments since the foundation of the State to encourage those involved in paramilitarism to desist and to move into the democratic mainstream; —notes the efforts undertaken over the last decade by all Irish Governments to encourage the Provisionals away from paramilitarism and into exclusively democratic and peaceful...