Results 4,421-4,440 of 25,799 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Seanad: Order of Business (17 Sep 2014)

Darragh O'Brien: Steady now. The Senator should not lose the run of himself.

Seanad: Order of Business (23 Sep 2014)

Darragh O'Brien: I await with interest the answer to the Adjournment debate involving Senator Conway. Was it on Joe Duffy's radio show yesterday? On a number of occasions, Senators on both sides of the House, including Senator Gilroy in particular, have raised the issue of early intervention for children with special needs who need speech and language therapy. I assume most Members saw the Inclusion Ireland...

Seanad: Order of Business (23 Sep 2014)

Darragh O'Brien: Well said.

Seanad: Order of Business (23 Sep 2014)

Darragh O'Brien: They obviously knew the Senator very well.

Seanad: Order of Business (23 Sep 2014)

Darragh O'Brien: I will withdraw it.

Seanad: Order of Business - Order of Business (24 Sep 2014)

Darragh O'Brien: I welcome the tabling of the Betting (Amendment) Bill 2013. Will it be completed over the next few weeks? It is important legislation and, therefore, I am wondering whether the Leader knows the timeline for its passage. Most of us agree the appointment of Mr. John McNulty, the Government's Seanad by-election candidate, to IMMA, which was debated yesterday, is a grubby little affair. There...

Seanad: Order of Business - Order of Business (24 Sep 2014)

Darragh O'Brien: It is because appointments to State boards was the subject of a firm commitment by Fine Gael prior to the 2011 general election. The party stated it would do things differently. It rightly criticised previous Governments in respect of how appointments were made. Since 2011, Fine Gael has used State boards as personal fiefdoms or waiting rooms for party hacks and supporters in every area....

Seanad: Order of Business - Order of Business (24 Sep 2014)

Darragh O'Brien: Fine Gael may treat State boards like it owns them. This board, in particular, is important. IMMA's mission statement says: "The members of the board and the chairperson are artists and other people with an active interest and expertise in modern and contemporary art. They are appointed in their capacity as individuals."

Seanad: Order of Business - Order of Business (24 Sep 2014)

Darragh O'Brien: I can read the entire statement into the record if the Leader gives me time.

Seanad: Order of Business - Order of Business (24 Sep 2014)

Darragh O'Brien: I will get to that.

Seanad: Order of Business - Order of Business (24 Sep 2014)

Darragh O'Brien: Who gave the direction to appoint the Government's Seanad by-election candidate to the board? I commend Senator Bacik on having the guts yesterday to stand up and say this is effectively wrong. The Seanad by-election is coming up shortly and my Labour Party colleagues in the Oireachtas can make a decision as to whether this is wrong by not voting for this individual. I am sure the...

Seanad: Order of Business - Order of Business (24 Sep 2014)

Darragh O'Brien: I have asked many questions. This appointment and many others prove that the manner in which individuals have been appointed to State boards by this and previous Governments has been wrong and we still have not got a handle on this. The Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht did not answer any specific questions yesterday evening. She did not answer how this individual got on the...

Seanad: Order of Business - Order of Business (24 Sep 2014)

Darragh O'Brien: The guy has been appointed for three weeks in order that he get elected to the House with all the Government Members voting for him. Because the Minister did not answer questions directly, I propose amendment to the Order of Business: "That the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht come to the House and answer the specific questions she was asked yesterday, which she did not answer"....

Seanad: Order of Business - Order of Business (24 Sep 2014)

Darragh O'Brien: I will. Perhaps if the Leader has answers to these questions, we will not have to drag the Minister in here again today. This is serious. I formally propose an amendment to the Order of Business that the Minister come to the House to address these questions once and for all and give the answers people are seeking. She did not use the opportunity yesterday to answer any specific questions.

Seanad: Order of Business - Order of Business (24 Sep 2014)

Darragh O'Brien: He has been appointed.

Seanad: Order of Business - Order of Business (24 Sep 2014)

Darragh O'Brien: We are discussing the qualifications, rather than character, of the individual in question.

Seanad: Order of Business - Order of Business (24 Sep 2014)

Darragh O'Brien: Really?

Seanad: Order of Business - Order of Business (24 Sep 2014)

Darragh O'Brien: That is not true.

Seanad: Order of Business - Order of Business (24 Sep 2014)

Darragh O'Brien: That is not true.

Seanad: Order of Business - Order of Business (24 Sep 2014)

Darragh O'Brien: Yes.