Results 741-760 of 2,039 for speaker:Máire Devine

Seanad Public Consultation Committee: Status, Treatment and Use of the National Anthem (5 Dec 2017)

Máire Devine: This problem is not confined to the GAA. It is really cringeworthy and disrespectful.

Seanad Public Consultation Committee: Status, Treatment and Use of the National Anthem (5 Dec 2017)

Máire Devine: That is right.

Seanad Public Consultation Committee: Status, Treatment and Use of the National Anthem (5 Dec 2017)

Máire Devine: I had forgotten about that.

Seanad Public Consultation Committee: Status, Treatment and Use of the National Anthem (5 Dec 2017)

Máire Devine: It never stops.

Seanad Public Consultation Committee: Status, Treatment and Use of the National Anthem (5 Dec 2017)

Máire Devine: I think it is 24-7.

Seanad Public Consultation Committee: Status, Treatment and Use of the National Anthem (5 Dec 2017)

Máire Devine: There is a fear.

Seanad Public Consultation Committee: Status, Treatment and Use of the National Anthem (5 Dec 2017)

Máire Devine: I think he got a "congratulations".

Seanad Public Consultation Committee: Status, Treatment and Use of the National Anthem (5 Dec 2017)

Máire Devine: That is understandable.

Seanad Public Consultation Committee: Status, Treatment and Use of the National Anthem (5 Dec 2017)

Máire Devine: We have heard a great deal this morning about the history surrounding our national anthem. Does the Minister of State, Deputy D'Arcy, agree that devising guidelines and criteria would be more useful than introducing legislation? Will he confirm that this is the direction in which he is moving? I take this opportunity to point out to him that the website of the Department of the Taoiseach...

Seanad Public Consultation Committee: Status, Treatment and Use of the National Anthem (5 Dec 2017)

Máire Devine: I had two specific questions, Chairman. The first was to the Minister of State on the question of whether to proceed with legislation or guidelines and the second was to Ms Hazel Tunney in regard to WIPO.

Seanad: Order of Business (6 Dec 2017)

Máire Devine: I want to make reference to the interim report of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes which Senator Boyhan mentioned. There has been a lot of mixed reaction and disappointment to the pushing out of this report. I have submitted a Commencement matter for tomorrow through which I hope we can explore this issue further. I add my voice and that of this House to global...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Cybersecurity for Children and Young Adults: Discussion (Resumed) (6 Dec 2017)

Máire Devine: I thank the delegates for their presentation. This is the world in which we live which sometimes is unfortunate. Facebook has 1 billion users. What proportion of them are children? At what age should a child be allowed to sign his or her life away to Facebook? In addition to Facebook, Instagram and Whatsapp, what are the other social media sites? Facebook and other social media sites...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Cybersecurity for Children and Young Adults: Discussion (Resumed) (6 Dec 2017)

Máire Devine: No; I find social media boring. However, they are also necessary, which means that we need to manage them for children. I am interested in what happens when a vulnerable person posts online and refers to self-harm or ending his or her life. What is the practical response of Facebook in such cases? Does it get the Garda or families involved? How does it find family members of such...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Cybersecurity for Children and Young Adults: Discussion (Resumed) (6 Dec 2017)

Máire Devine: Facebook-free day started last year and I hope it grows.

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries (12 Dec 2017)

Máire Devine: I welcome the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Deputy Katherine Zappone, to the Chamber. She has been here on several occasions at my request for which I thank her. I would like to extend a welcome to the survivors who are seated in the Visitors' Gallery today and I believe the others are watching online. Last week, a somewhat surprise third interim report was published by the...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries (12 Dec 2017)

Máire Devine: Go raibh maith agat. I welcome the Government's invitation to the UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence, Mr. Pablo de Greiff, to guide us on the years, if not centuries, of mistreatment of our very vulnerable citizens. This is a prudent and very important step. I welcome most of what the Minister, Deputy Zappone, said but I...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2017: Report and Final Stages (12 Dec 2017)

Máire Devine: The Minister's report on a vacant home tax should be laid before both Houses of the Oireachtas and I do not see why it would not be. This morning, along with members of the Joint Committee on Children and Youth Affairs, I visited a recently established family hub in Crumlin.I cannot help but wonder how many fewer hubs we would need if a vacant home tax was implemented? While the hubs are an...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2017: Report and Final Stages (12 Dec 2017)

Máire Devine: I am disappointed that the recommendation on tax relief for trade union subscriptions has been ruled out of order. The ruling is unfortunate as trade unions are the only bodies which defend workers' rights across the globe. I support the recommendation on gender and equality proofing and recognise that significant progress has been made on this front. I note the equality budgeting campaign...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2017: Report and Final Stages (12 Dec 2017)

Máire Devine: The 2015 spill-over analysis, looking at how our affairs affect the developing world, is out of date. A new and, frankly, an improved one is needed. The recent Christian Aid report on this issue was very alarming, and it should act as a wake-up call. This is yet another issue damaging our reputation, and yet again we have a Government in denial about it. If history is any judge, the...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2017: Report and Final Stages (12 Dec 2017)

Máire Devine: Tax reliefs on pensions are quite controversial and, as Senator Higgins said, the IMF and the troika were always asking questions about them. On the one hand, they encourage the saving of a pension but, on the other, they can seem to subsidise those of us already lucky enough to be able to afford a pension. Certainly, when we consider that 80% of the relief goes to the top 20%, we would...