Results 681-700 of 4,168 for speaker:Susan O'Keeffe

Seanad: Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Amendment) Bill 2013: Second Stage (Resumed) (6 Nov 2013)

Susan O'Keeffe: I welcome the Minister to the House to debate reforming legislation, something she is bringing before us on a regular basis. I hesitate to disagree with the newly bearded Senator Norris that this is a PR exercise, but I must do so. It is easy to say that it is part of a PR exercise, but the Government has a responsibility to try to restore the destroyed political fabric and trust in...

Seanad: Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Amendment) Bill 2013: Second Stage (Resumed) (6 Nov 2013)

Susan O'Keeffe: I am sure the Senator would not.

Seanad: Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Amendment) Bill 2013: Second Stage (Resumed) (6 Nov 2013)

Susan O'Keeffe: I am just pointing out the fact that sometimes we do not get the results we think we will get if we do things we think are better.

Seanad: Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Amendment) Bill 2013: Second Stage (Resumed) (6 Nov 2013)

Susan O'Keeffe: I am saying that we should have a debate about that, but I am pointing it out as a point of information. We are changing the way in which we govern and the way in which political life is being run. There was a near destruction of public confidence in politics, politicians and in the democratic system. It is a very difficult thing to try to reform. Where do we start? What do we prioritise?...

Seanad: Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Amendment) Bill 2013: Second Stage (Resumed) (6 Nov 2013)

Susan O'Keeffe: I am pointing out that the new Ombudsman was put through his paces before the appropriate committee.

Seanad: Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Amendment) Bill 2013: Second Stage (Resumed) (6 Nov 2013)

Susan O'Keeffe: I was not sure if the Senator was aware of that. The Minister mentioned an open government forum. These things often have a habit of becoming almost weighed down as vehicles themselves. They have great aspirations and then they become weighed down with their own importance. I wonder if the Minister could come back to us because I would welcome a debate on how Ireland partakes in the open...

Seanad: Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Amendment) Bill 2013: Second Stage (Resumed) (6 Nov 2013)

Susan O'Keeffe: I never said that the Senator was.

Seanad: Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Amendment) Bill 2013: Second Stage (Resumed) (6 Nov 2013)

Susan O'Keeffe: If only it were a load of rubbish.

Seanad: Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Amendment) Bill 2013: Second Stage (Resumed) (6 Nov 2013)

Susan O'Keeffe: I did not tar the Senator with any brush.

Seanad: Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Amendment) Bill 2013: Second Stage (Resumed) (6 Nov 2013)

Susan O'Keeffe: I did not mention Fianna Fáil. I referred to the Galway tent.

Seanad: Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Amendment) Bill 2013: Second Stage (Resumed) (6 Nov 2013)

Susan O'Keeffe: Out of the mouths of babes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Public Petitions: Discussion (6 Nov 2013)

Susan O'Keeffe: If I may make a point about petitions, the petitions committee is not in a position, per se, to lend support to something. While I am the only person to have ever made a documentary about the historic mills of Ireland, I would have a particular interest in Kilmainham Mill as something that ought to be saved. Unfortunately, the purpose of this committee is not to lend support to endeavours...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Public Petitions: Discussion (6 Nov 2013)

Susan O'Keeffe: I suggest that we send the petitioner information on the OECD observations about Ireland's freedom of information legislation and citing it as one of the most robust examples of legislation. This might afford Mr. Ó Dálaigh some further comfort and advice as to policy in the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and that the matter is being taken very seriously, to the extent...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Public Petitions: Discussion (6 Nov 2013)

Susan O'Keeffe: Mr. Jackman raises a very interesting but obscure point. The professional secrecy provisions in the Central Bank Act 1942 do not comprise a subject one with which would be familiar. That said, this petition is a prime example of the work of this committee. It transpires that Mr. Jackman's observations are that if the Financial Regulator is investigating a matter, he or she cannot provide...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Public Petitions: Discussion (6 Nov 2013)

Susan O'Keeffe: It would be appropriate to invite the Department of Finance to observe when the petitioner is here, if it deems so fit.

Seanad: Order of Business (7 Nov 2013)

Susan O'Keeffe: I welcome the restoration of the summer works and minor works schemes announced today by the Department of Education and Skills. The money that will be spent by schools will be well spent and, what is important, it will be spent in the local economy of the area of each school. It will buy local labour and local goods. The money will cycle through the economy and have a double contribution...

Seanad: Order of Business (7 Nov 2013)

Susan O'Keeffe: It was not needed.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2013: Fifth Stage (7 Nov 2013)

Susan O'Keeffe: We have to cope with what Fianna Fáil did.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2013: Fifth Stage (7 Nov 2013)

Susan O'Keeffe: What is it to the Senator what we remember?

Seanad: Science Week: Statements (12 Nov 2013)

Susan O'Keeffe: I welcome the Minister of State. It only seems like five minutes ago but a full 12 months have passed since we last discussed Science week. It has been a busy year. It is good to hear about all the many projects that were progressed and the advances that were made during those short 12 months. Dublin City University, DCU, has referred to a significant swing in the direction of STEM-based...