Results 521-540 of 764 for speaker:Kathryn Reilly

Seanad: Order of Business (17 Jul 2014)

Kathryn Reilly: Like Senators Bacik and Mullins, I wish to refer to the Gaza issue and move an amendment to the Order of Business, that either today or tomorrow we invite either the Taoiseach, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade or the Minister of State with responsibility for European affairs to the House to discuss the issue. There was a special meeting of the European Council yesterday and it...

Seanad: Order of Business (17 Jul 2014)

Kathryn Reilly: I realise Garth Brooks's heart might be breaking currently, but it is not a life-or-death situation. Given that Gaza was so important that it had to be discussed at the European Council yesterday, we should discuss it here. As has been mentioned, there is a five-hour ceasefire from 10 a.m. today during which Gazans will be racing to markets, shops and banks in an effort to rescue some...

Seanad: Order of Business (17 Jul 2014)

Kathryn Reilly: To put matters into context, 227 Gazans have been killed since the military operation was launched by Israel and the UN has stated that the majority have been civilians. The blanket attacks that have been carried out in recent days have not been in any way proportionate. Gaza is a fenced-in prison with no escape from the firing and bombing. All attacks on human life are to be deplored. It...

Seanad: Order of Business (17 Jul 2014)

Kathryn Reilly: The Leader has given his commitment to endeavour to bring the Minister to the House, so I will not press the amendment.

Seanad: Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland Bill 2014: Committee Stage (17 Jul 2014)

Kathryn Reilly: I move amendment No. 1: In page 6, line 1, after "on-lending" to insert "and directly".The purpose of this amendment is to allow for the possibility of the strategic banking corporation of Ireland, SBCI, lending directly into the real economy. I see no reason that provision should not be made for this in the legislation. If one of the aims of these provisions is to promote competition, we...

Seanad: Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland Bill 2014: Committee Stage (17 Jul 2014)

Kathryn Reilly: I move amendment No. 3: In page 7, between lines 21 and 22, to insert the following:“(7) The SBCI shall apply for a banking licence.”.I discussed this issue on Second Stage and that is the reason I tabled amendments on Committee Stage. In the programme for Government a commitment was made to establish a strategic investment bank. There is a dire need in society for a lender to...

Seanad: Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland Bill 2014: Committee Stage (17 Jul 2014)

Kathryn Reilly: I take on board what the Minister said in terms of the objectives and the future. However, in the short term we should include this in the legislation.

Seanad: Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland Bill 2014: Committee Stage (17 Jul 2014)

Kathryn Reilly: I move amendment No. 9: In page 10, to delete lines 38 and 39 and substitute the following:“(4) The Minister may not dispose of any shares in the SBCI without the approval of the Houses of the Oireachtas.”.My amendment is straightforward. It aims to strengthen the role of the Oireachtas in holding the Minister to account and means the relevant Minister would have to get the...

Seanad: National Treasury Management Agency (Amendment) Bill 2014: Committee and Remaining Stages (17 Jul 2014)

Kathryn Reilly: I move amendment No. 6: In page 26, to delete lines 21 to 26.I will be brief in my comments. This amendment deals with some of the main concerns we have with the legislation. The NTMA should not be used as an adviser on how to get rid of State assets. It is doing a good job at what it currently does. The paragraph that we propose to delete has the potential to turn it into a facilitator...

Seanad: National Treasury Management Agency (Amendment) Bill 2014: Committee and Remaining Stages (17 Jul 2014)

Kathryn Reilly: No.

Seanad: National Treasury Management Agency (Amendment) Bill 2014: Committee and Remaining Stages (17 Jul 2014)

Kathryn Reilly: I move amendment No. 14: In page 40, between lines 32 and 33, to insert the following:"(c) the social and environmental benefits.".This amendment involves an issue I raised on Second Stage. It is about the type of stimulus we believe there should be. One of the problems with the Bill, apart from NewERA issues, is the narrow focus under which ISIF will be able to act. This amendment seeks...

Seanad: National Treasury Management Agency (Amendment) Bill 2014: Committee and Remaining Stages (17 Jul 2014)

Kathryn Reilly: The section allows the Minister to bail out banks. The National Pensions Reserve Fund, NPRF, should not be liable to be raided any time a bank gets into trouble, regardless of the circumstances. The Minister of State referred to the public interest but this is not an appropriate fund for such money to come from. We should not have a section that has the potential to drain money from the...

Seanad: Situation in Gaza and Ukraine: Statements (31 Jul 2014)

Kathryn Reilly: I welcome the Minister and thank the Leader for facilitating this debate. We are lucky that we have been on holiday and had a spate of good weather; some of us might have been on the beach and had a “99”. Two images have stood out for me in the past couple of weeks which highlight the disparity in power. One was the murder of the children on the beach in Palestine, while the...

Seanad: Situation in Gaza and Ukraine: Statements (31 Jul 2014)

Kathryn Reilly: There is no reason the Government should not send a clear and unequivocal message to Israel that it is not going to buy and sell military equipment with a country that is massacring civilians and enforcing an illegal and brutal occupation on millions of Palestinians. We should encourage other countries to follow suit. The President of the State of Palestine has called on the United Nations...

Seanad: Freedom of Information Bill 2013: Second Stage (18 Sep 2014)

Kathryn Reilly: While I welcome this legislation and note it has been well debated in the other House, Sinn Féin has some issues with the new fees regime it will introduce. Sinn Féin is committed to giving citizens a real say in how politics works. We welcome the opening up of Government, which is needed to strengthen democracy and empower citizens as well as giving them ownership of the...

Seanad: Education (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (Resumed) (23 Sep 2014)

Kathryn Reilly: I move amendment No. 4: In page 3, between lines 19 and 20, to insert the following:" "voluntary contributions” means a standard charge requested by a non-fee-paying school to parents or guardians of each student attending;".The purpose of amendments Nos. 4, 5, 17 and 20 is to amend the current legislation in order that schools be required to make information available to parents about...

Seanad: Betting (Amendment) Bill 2013: Second Stage (24 Sep 2014)

Kathryn Reilly: I welcome the Minister. In the ballroom of romance that is the Oireachtas it is nice to see him do a dance with us in the Seanad, even with the untouchables like me in Sinn Féin.

Seanad: Betting (Amendment) Bill 2013: Second Stage (24 Sep 2014)

Kathryn Reilly: We are happy to see the Bill reach the Seanad and my party supports it. Most people will be surprised to learn that the State does not receive money from online gambling and the Bill rightly corrects this. We, therefore, support the move. The debate in the Dáil on the Bill opened up a debate on the wider issues of taxation and gambling. For example, even though the legislation is...

Seanad: Access to Educational and Other Opportunities for People with Disabilities: Motion (24 Sep 2014)

Kathryn Reilly: May I move the Sinn Féin amendment?

Seanad: Access to Educational and Other Opportunities for People with Disabilities: Motion (24 Sep 2014)

Kathryn Reilly: Okay. Our amendment, like that of Fianna Fáil, was tabled because we felt that more substance was needed in the original motion moved by the Labour Party Senators. The education system should be designed in a way that ensures that all children can reach their full potential. Children with special needs and disabilities should be given the extra assistance they may require to enable...