Results 521-540 of 2,017 for speaker:Paul Bradford

Seanad: Services for People with Disabilities (19 Mar 2008)

Paul Bradford: The Minister again.

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Apr 2008)

Paul Bradford: I support Senator Hanafin's remarks on the WTO round of talks, which matter was raised yesterday by Senator O'Reilly. It is very important that we debate this at the earliest date possible. The end is almost nigh in respect of the negotiations and, if we are to proceed as planned by Commissioner Mandelson, Irish agriculture will be wiped out over night. The proposed measures are that...

Seanad: Patient Safety: Statements (22 Apr 2008)

Paul Bradford: I welcome the Minister to the House. We hear from her regularly and we are thankful for her attendance. Unfortunately the problems which she has come to address seem as if they are almost beyond repair and this is not politically acceptable. It is quite extraordinary that notwithstanding the huge economic boom and the significant investment across the length and breadth of the health...

Seanad: Order of Business (24 Apr 2008)

Paul Bradford: I apologise in advance for my inability to be present later for the Taoiseach's visit. I wish him well in his retirement. I recognise his service to the country and he can be proud of his legacy on economic, social and political developments and Northern Ireland issues. I support the call by Senators Fitzgerald, Donohoe and O'Toole regarding the economic climate facing the country. When...

Seanad: Order of Business. (30 Apr 2008)

Paul Bradford: The Deputy Leader and his party leader often make a political point, agreed by many, that climate change is the biggest political issue facing the country and the globe The real crisis the world faces relates to a shortage of food and the possibility of major famines and general hunger. This is happening at the same time agriculture is experiencing major difficulties as a result of the...

Seanad: Order of Business. (30 Apr 2008)

Paul Bradford: Is the Senator ready to vote?

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed) (7 May 2008)

Paul Bradford: I wish to be associated with the tributes paid to the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism, Deputy Séamus Brennan, who will retire today. The Minister played a positive and constructive role in politics and was always amenable to accepting suggestions made by the Opposition. Several years ago, for example, he accepted my proposal to change the term "old age pension" to "State pension"....

Seanad: Twenty-eighth Amendment of the Constitution Bill 2008: Report and Final Stages. (7 May 2008)

Paul Bradford: Unfortunately, I did not have the opportunity to speak on the Bill but I put on record my strong support for the Minister of State's proposals. I congratulate him on his efforts and his personal commitment to Europe which we have seen down through the years. The Minister of State knows as well as I do that he, his Government colleagues and the rest of us face a difficult task ensuring the...

Seanad: Order of Business (8 May 2008)

Paul Bradford: I concur with the invitation extended to the new Taoiseach by Senator O'Toole and Senator Alex White. I made that suggestion yesterday to the Leader and I hope it can be considered and acted upon. One of the issues debated here on a daily basis is the health service. We frantically debated the proposed Hanly report two to three years ago, which would have resulted in the death knell for...

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed) (13 May 2008)

Paul Bradford: The housing issue has been raised by Senators John Paul Phelan and Lisa McDonald. I would not shed any tears over the lack of direct investment in local authority housing programmes because I have been around in politics long enough to see Ministers open huge housing estates amid a fanfare of trumpets. Yet, if we examine the social problems generated by our response to the housing problem...

Seanad: Order of Business (20 May 2008)

Paul Bradford: I support the call by my colleague, Senator Fitzgerald, for a debate on the emerging housing crisis. It is difficult to accept that as we reach the end of the Celtic tiger era, one of the issues which remains as significant a problem as it was when that era began in the mid-1990s is the housing crisis and the fact that tens of thousands of people are still looking for social housing. A...

Seanad: Tragedy in Burma: Statements (20 May 2008)

Paul Bradford: I thank Senator Hannigan for sharing time. I welcome the Minister of State to the House and I congratulate him on his new appointment. I wish him well in this responsible job. A little ray of hope arising from the tragedy that has befallen the Burmese people is the international community giving serious attention, political and otherwise, to the situation in the country. The light is...

Seanad: Order of Business (21 May 2008)

Paul Bradford: I support the calls by Senator Coffey and others for a debate on the future of the Waterford Crystal plant in Waterford. Although I come from an adjoining county I must recognise that this plant produces an iconic Irish brand and I hope we will have time to debate the matter and insist the Government uses whatever mechanisms are available to aid this industry. It is important for Waterford,...

Seanad: WTO Negotiations: Statements (21 May 2008)

Paul Bradford: I propose to share four minutes of my time with Senator Regan. I welcome to the House the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Deputy Smith, congratulate him on his appointment and recognise that he has had a baptism of fire with the question of WTO talks and their profound impact on Irish and European agriculture. The Minister concluded his remarks by referring to a recent meeting...

Seanad: WTO Negotiations: Statements (21 May 2008)

Paul Bradford: I do not exaggerate. I hope my colleagues share that analysis. I want to hear the Minister state loud and clear that there is a point beyond which he will not allow these negotiations to go and that, if necessary, he will use the veto.

Seanad: WTO Negotiations: Statements (Resumed) (21 May 2008)

Paul Bradford: I want to make a brief comment on the confusion being once again created regarding the veto issue and then ask a specific question on the Minister's proposal on the veto. Senator Doherty outlined the Sinn Féin perspective on the veto. I welcome Sinn Féin's conversion to the view that Europe is good for Ireland and I welcome its willingness to support Ireland's membership of the broader...

Seanad: WTO Negotiations: Statements (Resumed) (21 May 2008)

Paul Bradford: Is that not the factual position rather than the fantasy position outlined by Senator Doherty and other interest groups? I am disappointed that the Lisbon treaty and the WTO negotiations——

Seanad: WTO Negotiations: Statements (Resumed) (21 May 2008)

Paul Bradford: ——are being simultaneously debated. It is a bit like the phrase "Sinn Féin-IRA". Some people say they are connected while others say they are not. The WTO negotiations are separate from the Lisbon treaty. Can the Minister of State clarify the points on the veto?

Seanad: Transport 21: Motion (21 May 2008)

Paul Bradford: I wish to share my time with Senator John Paul Phelan.

Seanad: Transport 21: Motion (21 May 2008)

Paul Bradford: I welcome this opportunity to contribute on the broader transport issue. The motion is rather bland, hence the need for the Fine Gael amendment to it. This a topic to which we should return and devote a day to debating. Whether it be a town or country setting or an urban or rural setting, serious transport issues facing the country need to be resolved. I listened to the contributions of...