Results 701-720 of 4,168 for speaker:Susan O'Keeffe

Seanad: Science Week: Statements (12 Nov 2013)

Susan O'Keeffe: Indeed. As previous speakers indicated, the purpose of Science Week is to try to make science exciting. The question which then arises relates to how to export that excitement back to the classroom. Senators White and Clune referred to the very real challenge which exists in this regard. We can have a week of terrific excitement, as should be the case, and we can celebrate that the fact...

Seanad: Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (13 Nov 2013)

Susan O'Keeffe: Senator Crown is having a moment of naivety which is rare for him. He has suggested that there is no cost to the running of a political system. There is, of course, like anything else and the idea that at any point a Government would choose not to pay any money to keep the political system running is absolutely absurd. The point I raised on Second Stage is that if one were to go down that...

Seanad: Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (13 Nov 2013)

Susan O'Keeffe: Excuse me.

Seanad: Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (13 Nov 2013)

Susan O'Keeffe: The truth, as Senator Norris knows well enough and Senator Crown equally well knows, is that one does need to fund political parties. One does need to fund a political system.

Seanad: Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (13 Nov 2013)

Susan O'Keeffe: Otherwise, as I have said, we are back to the Galway tent. Could I please finish my point? Senator Crown chose to put the biggest amount of money in the headline in order to make the point that we should not fund politics as we know it. If Senator Crown wants the privatisation of politics he is in the wrong place.

Seanad: Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (13 Nov 2013)

Susan O'Keeffe: I do not have a problem with the figures but with the way they were put on the record.

Seanad: Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (13 Nov 2013)

Susan O'Keeffe: Does Senator Norris know there is no issue with-----

Seanad: Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (13 Nov 2013)

Susan O'Keeffe: That is absolute nonsense.

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Driving Licence Issues (13 Nov 2013)

Susan O'Keeffe: Like everybody else, I am keen to ensure that national documents such as driving licences and passports are fraud-proof, and I am aware that Interpol has often discussed this, particularly with regard to passport fraud. The 34 national driver licence services centres have, at least in theory, been put there in order to counter fraud with regard to driving licences. I could not find the...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Driving Licence Issues (13 Nov 2013)

Susan O'Keeffe: I appreciate some of the clarification provided. Perhaps it was unfair of me to ask about the cost of the service when it was not in the original question. Should I redirect my queries to the RSA? In terms of the fraud concerning driving licences, I imagine that is something on which the Department has figures. I appreciate entirely that the RSA was the contracting authority and therefore...

Seanad: Order of Business (20 Nov 2013)

Susan O'Keeffe: I agree with Senator Conway regarding the proposals for packaging of cigarettes. We are aware of the difficulties with the tobacco lobby, and Senator Barrett has raised this on many occasions. I am delighted there are strong moves afoot to introduce that type of packaging. Sometimes practical actions are what is required and the sooner this legislation is brought forward, the better. We...

Seanad: Report on Grocery Goods Sector: Motion (20 Nov 2013)

Susan O'Keeffe: He likes chocolates.

Seanad: Report on Grocery Goods Sector: Motion (20 Nov 2013)

Susan O'Keeffe: I welcome the Minister of State. While we are awaiting some figures, research that has already been conducted, particularly from the University of Sheffield's alcohol research group, clearly showed that a policy of minimum pricing or price controls led to fewer deaths and hospital admissions. There is a price tag on both. We all agree that we need to tackle prices. We just have to work...

Seanad: Report on Grocery Goods Sector: Motion (20 Nov 2013)

Susan O'Keeffe: No. We must take into account the fact that the price paid to farmers is not great. The committee's report refers to the own brand problem. I say "problem" because problems have arisen from the widespread use of own brands. I am old enough to remember when there were no own brand products. When they began to be introduced, people were circumspect about them until they embraced them...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission Special Report and Annual Report 2012: Discussion with Garda Commissioner (20 Nov 2013)

Susan O'Keeffe: Obviously, as other members have noted, the original report and the meeting the joint committee had on this issue were fairly shocking. The language used was carefully chosen and when one sees carefully chosen language. one always knows it speaks volumes about what is not being said. I am quite shocked today by the Commissioner's initial presentation. I have been sitting here thinking of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission Special Report and Annual Report 2012: Discussion with Garda Commissioner (20 Nov 2013)

Susan O'Keeffe: The words I wrote down were "constant stream of complaint" and the record will show I took them directly from what the Commissioner said. I would have thought the Commissioner would want people to be able to complain and would welcome that ability. I am absolutely astounded by the idea that the Commissioner would even begin to consider that it was using time and energy which ought to be...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission Special Report and Annual Report 2012: Discussion with Garda Commissioner (20 Nov 2013)

Susan O'Keeffe: I thank the Commissioner. I was not suggesting at all that he would have been criticising another State body. I was thinking that the observations made by the Garda ombudsman were so serious, it did not appear they were echoed in Mr. Callinan's remarks. With regard to oversight, the Garda ombudsman, when dealing with the off-the-book elements, stated: "The oversight systems in Ireland do...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission Special Report and Annual Report 2012: Discussion with Garda Commissioner (20 Nov 2013)

Susan O'Keeffe: Perhaps the Garda ombudsman might throw some light on that. The two paragraphs in question are very specific. Forgive me but I do not understand it and there is a suggestion.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Live Exports: Discussion (21 Nov 2013)

Susan O'Keeffe: The IFA has stated it knows of up to 30 marts that are owed millions of euro. How many marts will go down this road? With regard to the ICOS, it was stated there would be danger without rationalisation or consolidation in some form. Is this an aspiration or is it becoming a reality? How much work has been done in this regard?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Live Exports: Discussion (21 Nov 2013)

Susan O'Keeffe: I asked Mr. Bryan a question but he has not answered it.