Results 4,981-5,000 of 26,864 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Seanad: Workplace Relations Bill 2015: Second Stage (4 Feb 2015)

Darragh O'Brien: I formally congratulate the Minister of State on his appointment and I wish him well in his job. I thank him for a most comprehensive outline of the purpose of this Bill. It needs to be comprehensive because the Bill is very important and substantial legislation. For many years Ireland has been to the fore in workplace relations and in protecting workers' rights. This means that Ireland...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Mental Health Services Provision (10 Feb 2015)

Darragh O'Brien: I thank the Minister of State at the Department of Health, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, for taking my Commencement Matter on the proposed national forensics mental health services hospital in Portrane, County Dublin, for which a planning application has been lodged. I am sure she has had an opportunity to visit the St. Ita's campus. The people in Portrane, Donabate and elsewhere on that peninsula...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Mental Health Services Provision (10 Feb 2015)

Darragh O'Brien: Briefly, I thank the Minister of State for the comprehensive response and for taking on board the issues I have raised about construction. It is important to get community buy-in for all health facilities nationwide. St. Ita's always has been linked inextricably to, and has been part of, the community and everyone wants that to continue. The HSE can help with this by way of what I have...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Mental Health Services Provision (10 Feb 2015)

Darragh O'Brien: No, I do not want her to do that.

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Feb 2015)

Darragh O'Brien: We agree to No. 1, without debate, which is to facilitate the banking inquiry. People worked together on that. I wish to bring two matters to the attention of the Deputy Leader. Can we arrange a debate on pension provision in this country? I listened with great interest to her party leader, the Tánaiste, Deputy Joan Burton, announce another report into how to improve pension...

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Feb 2015)

Darragh O'Brien: I am sorry. It really infuriates me because while they are perfectly entitled to protest, and Sinn Féin members of Fingal County Council said it was a peaceful protest, they did not allow people to leave the car park for two hours to get back to doing what they had to do. Socialist Party guys tried to seek out the Labour Party councillors so that abuse could be hurled at them, as was...

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Feb 2015)

Darragh O'Brien: I bring this to the attention of the House because it is obviously going to be a trend across the country. If a councillor or a public representative tables a motion at a meeting with which this bunch of people does not agree, they will stop him or her going about his or her business, protest and do the devil and all. People are entitled to their own opinions but I would say to the...

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Feb 2015)

Darragh O'Brien: The Senator does not understand.

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Feb 2015)

Darragh O'Brien: Maybe the Senator could talk about farming or something.

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Feb 2015)

Darragh O'Brien: Good.

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Feb 2015)

Darragh O'Brien: Absolutely.

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Feb 2015)

Darragh O'Brien: Come on. Who is being dramatic now?

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Feb 2015)

Darragh O'Brien: One does not often hear, "even the Green Party."

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: daa: Chairman Designate (10 Feb 2015)

Darragh O'Brien: I thank Mr. Ó Ríordáin for his comprehensive statement. I have a few questions, which I will ask together. In Mr. Ó Ríordáin's statement, he said he would be seeking the committee's support for his argument that remuneration policy should reflect the equivalent post in the private sector. He said that he makes that argument even more strongly now, both in...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: daa: Chairman Designate (10 Feb 2015)

Darragh O'Brien: We cannot debate that issue now.

Seanad: Betting (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (11 Feb 2015)

Darragh O'Brien: I support Senator Craughwell's amendment. I will table a couple of amendments on Report Stage, in particular around the review, which I want to flag. Given the scheduling of this Bill, amendments had to be tabled by Monday, so the deadline was missed. Senator Cummins and I, in particular, and others have been asking for this legislation for a number of years, so I am pleased it is before...

Seanad: Betting (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (11 Feb 2015)

Darragh O'Brien: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Betting (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (11 Feb 2015)

Darragh O'Brien: I understand what the Minister of State is saying but I back up Senator Craughwell on this point. The Minister of State mentioned that the Bill is due to be drafted so it is not yet at drafting stage. None of us can predict when the next election will take place but if the Bill is scheduled for the end of the year and we are getting into election territory, we can be pretty sure it will not...

Seanad: Betting (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (11 Feb 2015)

Darragh O'Brien: I do not wish to labour the point but section 5 deals with false representation. I support the section and support the proposal that if somebody other than a bookmaker represents him or herself as a bookmaker, this should be liable as an offence. However, I wish to make a point, on the basis of what we have discussed already, that while we are regulating one part of this sector strongly, we...

Seanad: Betting (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (11 Feb 2015)

Darragh O'Brien: It was a pretty drastic measure by the Government to ensure that Senator Cummins backed this piece of legislation. It took this section out and put it in the Finance Bill because the Government knew he would not oppose a Finance Bill. Senator Cummins was vociferous in his argument on this particular item when we discussed it on Second Stage. I am not as concerned as he would be and just...