Results 481-500 of 25,732 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Jul 2011)

Darragh O'Brien: Senator Paul Coghlan is the Minister's greatest cheerleader.

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Jul 2011)

Darragh O'Brien: The Senator should be careful or the Minister will have nothing else to say when he comes in here.

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Jul 2011)

Darragh O'Brien: The Senator does not want to comment on the cuts in social welfare seeing as she is the spokesperson on social protection.

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Jul 2011)

Darragh O'Brien: It is not long overdue because we made adjustments to the tune of €20 billion. I asked what commitment was given in the programme for Government.

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Jul 2011)

Darragh O'Brien: We will take on board any ideas he has.

Seanad: A Vision for Change: Statements (Resumed) (14 Jul 2011)

Darragh O'Brien: Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. I congratulate the Minister of State on her appointment and I have no doubt she will carry our her role with distinction. It is an important portfolio. The Minister of State will agree that a former colleague of mine and a personal friend, John Moloney, did a top notch job in this area. This is an area which has cross-party support and all of us care...

Seanad: A Vision for Change: Statements (Resumed) (14 Jul 2011)

Darragh O'Brien: Is feider leat.

Seanad: School Accommodation (14 Jul 2011)

Darragh O'Brien: The Minister of State is welcome and I thank him for attending to take what is my first Adjournment motion in the Seanad. I will declare an interest, as St. Sylvester's infant school in Malahide was my first school. I attended it when I was a kid and have had a long association with it. When I started junior infants in 1978, it was in a prefab. The former Government must take...

Seanad: School Accommodation (14 Jul 2011)

Darragh O'Brien: I thank the Minister of State for his reply. I neglected to congratulate him on his appointment but I believe I did so on radio on the day of his appointment. I advise the Minister of State, and this should be borne in mind for future school assessments, that the technical assessment carried out on this school was a joke. I have pictures, which I will give the Minister of State, that show...

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Jul 2011)

Darragh O'Brien: First, I acknowledge the work that has been done by the Leader and the leaders of the other groups in the Committee on Procedure and Privileges. I welcome the establishment of the Seanad Public Petitions Committee. In the course of the first session of this Seanad we have made progress on changing how we do our work. They are small steps but it is important that we get the foundations...

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Jul 2011)

Darragh O'Brien: It is because I want to stand up for my colleagues on this side of the House who raised some-----

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Jul 2011)

Darragh O'Brien: True. I did not think the Minister, Deputy Shatter, was as precious as he seems based on the letter sent. I thought the cut and thrust of politics in south Dublin would have enabled him to deal with colleagues in the Seanad.

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Jul 2011)

Darragh O'Brien: To get back to my original point, assuming the Minister for Health is not taking a line from the Minister, Deputy Shatter, on this, when will he attend the House for a proper debate on regional hospitals, services and psychiatric care? Last week I raised the issue of the psychiatric hospital in Portrane on the north side of Dublin with the Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch. While...

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Jul 2011)

Darragh O'Brien: Yes. The Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, was in the House last week.

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Jul 2011)

Darragh O'Brien: Absolutely.

Seanad: Order of Business (20 Jul 2011)

Darragh O'Brien: I congratulate Senator Ó Clochartaigh and his wife on the arrival of their new son, Ríain. Sinn Féin has been adding to its numbers in recent weeks and should keep going in that regard. The Taoiseach is due to attend tomorrow's emergency summit of EU leaders. We wish the Taoiseach and the Government well in their endeavours in respect of this important meeting. I am particularly...

Seanad: Order of Business (20 Jul 2011)

Darragh O'Brien: Senator Sheahan needs all the help he can get.

Seanad: Order of Business (20 Jul 2011)

Darragh O'Brien: It does not happen often.

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2011: Second Stage (20 Jul 2011)

Darragh O'Brien: As there is a quorum, I invite the Minister to resume.

Seanad: Order of Business (21 Jul 2011)

Darragh O'Brien: Yesterday, the Fianna Fáil spokesperson on the environment, Senator Diarmuid Wilson, said we would table amendments to the Electoral (Amendment) Bill. We will oppose the Bill in its current format. I welcome last night's agreement between Germany and France on dealing with the Greek debt crisis. Can the Leader clarify the Irish negotiating position on this issue? On 25 May, the...