Results 6,701-6,720 of 7,123 for speaker:Mary O'Rourke

Financial Resolution No. 15: (General) (Resumed) (23 Oct 2008)

Mary O'Rourke: It kept me out too.

Financial Resolution No. 15: (General) (Resumed) (23 Oct 2008)

Mary O'Rourke: I wish to share time with Deputy Bobby Aylward.

Financial Resolution No. 15: (General) (Resumed) (23 Oct 2008)

Mary O'Rourke: Perhaps Deputy Sheehan will give me the name of the taxi driver concerned. I would certainly book him. It would be good if we all knew his name.

Financial Resolution No. 15: (General) (Resumed) (23 Oct 2008)

Mary O'Rourke: I bet he would.

Financial Resolution No. 15: (General) (Resumed) (23 Oct 2008)

Mary O'Rourke: I have no notion of doing so. That would be the day.

Financial Resolution No. 15: (General) (Resumed) (23 Oct 2008)

Mary O'Rourke: I am delighted to have an opportunity to speak today on the budget. Before I do, however, I wish to speak briefly about the medical card issue on which, it appears to me, there was a great deal of play acting. I regret that confusion arose between last week and early this week until the matter was cleared up. However, two characteristics of the main Opposition parties were absent in terms...

Financial Resolution No. 15: (General) (Resumed) (23 Oct 2008)

Mary O'Rourke: Second, a quality of the Fine Gael Party that I have always admired is that of self-reliance, that one should provide for oneself where possible and should not rely on Government to do so. It is perhaps this which prevented Deputy Richard Bruton attending the debate on the medical card issue on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. I am a little perplexed about this. As far as I am aware, having...

Financial Resolution No. 15: (General) (Resumed) (23 Oct 2008)

Mary O'Rourke: Deputy Ulick Burke and I soldiered together in our exile in Seanad Éireann and always got on well. Deputy Sheehan stated the reason he was not re-elected to the House. I, too, know why I was not re-elected. However, I am here now and happy to be here, as I am sure is Deputy Ulick Burke. I was struck by the absence from the debate of these two salient characteristics, namely, Labour Party...

Financial Resolution No. 15: (General) (Resumed) (23 Oct 2008)

Mary O'Rourke: Deputy Burke can wave all the flags he likes and can parade up and down the plinth——

Financial Resolution No. 15: (General) (Resumed) (23 Oct 2008)

Mary O'Rourke: I met several people. They are fearful the Labour Party and the Fine Gael Party, parties so strangely in alliance now as they were on previous occasions, would perchance get into government, which would not benefit the country. This was never going to be a pretty budget, nobody ever said it would be. How could it be? It is a budget in which very practical and austere decisions had to be...

Financial Resolution No. 15: (General) (Resumed) (23 Oct 2008)

Mary O'Rourke: I said "permanent".

Financial Resolution No. 15: (General) (Resumed) (23 Oct 2008)

Mary O'Rourke: A permanent teacher is not allowed to lose his or her job. The idea that teachers will suddenly lose their permanent teaching post is incorrect. I regret any diminution in the standard of teaching care in our schools. The teachers we have at both primary and post-primary level are of the highest calibre. I lived to tell the tale in this regard. The Acting Chairman and Deputy Burke may not...

Financial Resolution No. 15: (General) (Resumed) (23 Oct 2008)

Mary O'Rourke: The hotels, restaurants and shops greatly benefited. I still have the letter because I thought it was such a sign of entrepreneurship that the businesses were willing to seize the day of delight which came to the town. It was not a day of delight for me. I lived through all that and came out the other end. I did not lose my seat in the following election, despite all the furore. It was a...

Financial Resolution No. 15: (General) (Resumed) (23 Oct 2008)

Mary O'Rourke: The 12.5% corporation tax is a positive, and the Government stated very clearly this would remain. It will not go up and I hope it may decrease if we overcome this recessionary period. There are many other matters in which the productive elements of this country were helped and will continue to be helped so we will be able to avail of employment opportunities if and when they come. We will...

Financial Resolution No. 15: (General) (Resumed) (23 Oct 2008)

Mary O'Rourke: There is no point in saying we brought all this on ourselves, which I have heard. What about the major advances in pension entitlements and special needs assistants, SNAs? Special needs assistants were not heard of ten years ago but now there are SNAs in schools and parents with a child with a particular difficulty can have the assistance of an SNA to help him or her through the school...

Financial Resolution No. 15: (General) (Resumed) (23 Oct 2008)

Mary O'Rourke: I know my time is nearly up.

Financial Resolution No. 15: (General) (Resumed) (23 Oct 2008)

Mary O'Rourke: I have much more to say before I give way to my distinguished colleague from Carlow-Kilkenny, Deputy Aylward. The agricultural community is gearing up for difficult times and public meetings are being called. I hear from Athlone that there were five meetings on one night, with three for teachers and two for farmers. We will need helicopters to get around to all the meetings but we will go.

Financial Resolution No. 15: (General) (Resumed) (23 Oct 2008)

Mary O'Rourke: I always faced up to people wherever there were difficulties. It does not cause me joy to do so but neither does it cause me unrest or disquiet. I am convinced the country is worth backing up now in order that we can come through the difficulties and emerge at the other end. I thank the Acting Chairman for listening and giving me the time. I will give way to my colleague, Deputy Aylward,...

Written Answers — Health Services: Health Services (29 Oct 2008)

Mary O'Rourke: Question 243: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if she will review the case of a person (details supplied) in County Westmeath. [37289/08]

Training Programmes: Motion (Resumed) (5 Nov 2008)

Mary O'Rourke: What a good boy.