Results 581-600 of 11,579 for speaker:Colm Burke

Seanad: Seanad Electoral Reform Bill 2013: Second Stage (6 Mar 2013)

Colm Burke: Absolutely not.

Seanad: Seanad Electoral Reform Bill 2013: Second Stage (6 Mar 2013)

Colm Burke: I have already set out clearly in the past two years my view on reform. Having come here from Brussels where I worked, there is a better way of doing business. Part of what I learned there in the brief time I was there is that while one does not get 100% of what one seeks, one gets 80% or 90% through the system in place there, where everyone sits around the table to work out the way...

Seanad: Seanad Electoral Reform Bill 2013: Second Stage (6 Mar 2013)

Colm Burke: We are prepared to implement reforms and are working to implement them. I also set out clearly that this House was ideally placed to look at EU legislation, directives and regulations, as they were brought forward. This could be done not when they are approved by the 27 member states but at the initial stages. The European Commission sets out in November its programme for the following 12...

Seanad: Order of Business (7 Mar 2013)

Colm Burke: I raise the concern about developments in the past 24 hours involving the Irish Examiner Group. I am sure all Members will join with me in hoping that it can trade out of its current difficulties. While we might be critical of the media and they might be critical of us, they play an important part in the democratic process. As the main national newspaper in the Munster region, it is...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Health Service Executive Service Plan 2013: Discussion with HSE (7 Mar 2013)

Colm Burke: No.

Seanad: Order of Business (12 Mar 2013)

Colm Burke: I remind Senator MacSharry that-----

Seanad: Order of Business (12 Mar 2013)

Colm Burke: Is Senator MacSharry afraid of the truth?

Seanad: Order of Business (12 Mar 2013)

Colm Burke: I was just trying to remind Senator MacSharry that he did not seem to have difficulty in trusting the banks a number of years ago when we gave all the guarantees.

Seanad: Order of Business (12 Mar 2013)

Colm Burke: We have no difficulty whatsoever in dealing with the banking crisis and the Minister has set out quite clear criteria to the banks on how to deal with mortgages in distress. Senator Rónán Mullen raised the surrogacy issue. There is now a High Court judgment. In fairness, the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Shatter, set out in a memorandum guidelines on dealing with some...

Seanad: Order of Business (12 Mar 2013)

Colm Burke: On the matter raised by Senator Colm Burke, as I indicated, the Minister for Justice and Equality will publish a family relationships and children's Bill later this year. Senator Norris spoke of calm, serious and respectful debate. It is a pity we do not often have that type of debate in the House, especially on the Order of Business.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: Tackling Childhood Poverty: Discussion (12 Mar 2013)

Colm Burke: I thank all of the witnesses for the presentations today. This is an important issue. I wish to touch briefly on a few matters. In the past ten to 15 years an amount of money has been spent on the improvement of services. Do the witnesses believe we could have achieved a lot more given what we invested? That is something we must examine because I do not wish to see the same mistakes made...

Seanad: Order of Business (13 Mar 2013)

Colm Burke: Following on from what Senator Marc MacSharry said in regard to the banks, it is important that a structure be put in place for dealing with the issues faced by many borrowers. I am concerned at the lack of joined-up thinking by all banks in regard to how they approach those who are in serious difficulty. I understand that different rules operate if the borrower employs a solicitor to speak...

Seanad: Employment Equality (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2013: Second Stage (13 Mar 2013)

Colm Burke: I welcome the Minister and this Bill. I thank Senators Bacik and Power for the work they have done in this area. Some people get frustrated at times with how long it takes to get legislation passed. I remember starting the campaign to abolish the status of illegitimacy back in 1980, which is before many of the people here this evening were born and even the Minister, Deputy Kathleen Lynch,...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Health Service Staffing (13 Mar 2013)

Colm Burke: The matter I wish to raise is a new agreement I discovered by accident which has been reached between the HSE and the universities in Pakistan. There is a need to bring the information into the public domain as we got no indication that this was happening. I raise the issue given that more than 200 people were brought in here in 2011 from India and Pakistan under the supervised division...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Health Service Staffing (13 Mar 2013)

Colm Burke: I very much appreciate the reply. It is specifically the Minister, Deputy Reilly's, area. I am still at a loss as to how we can offer two-year contracts to persons outside this country and we cannot get information about what two-year contracts are in existence with Irish graduates. I am at a loss as to how we can offer two-year contracts in this way when we cannot do the same with junior...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Health Service Staffing (13 Mar 2013)

Colm Burke: I thank the Minister of State.

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Mar 2013)

Colm Burke: I also welcome the election of the new Pope and wish him well in his future years. As someone who has visited many developing countries, I have seen the incredible work the church is doing on the ground. A member of my family is working in a school with a pupil teacher ratio of one to 70 but still that school can provide a full meal to each pupil every day. There are four schools feeding...

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Mar 2013)

Colm Burke: There is plenty of positive news, on which we must focus. Let us stop being alarmist. Yes, we have to deal with the mortgage arrears crisis and----- (Interruptions).

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Mar 2013)

Colm Burke: -----we are dealing with it in a balanced and focused way.

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Mar 2013)

Colm Burke: I ask the Leader to invite the Minister for Finance to the House so we can discuss all the issues and show that we are approaching it in a balanced and focused way, to ensure that by the time the Government finishes its term three years hence we will have the issue resolved.