Results 821-840 of 1,338 for speaker:Kathleen O'Meara

Seanad: Health Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (14 Dec 2004)

Kathleen O'Meara: It was a shambles.

Seanad: Health Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (14 Dec 2004)

Kathleen O'Meara: What the Minister of State said is still unclear. Can Deputies in the other House put down a parliamentary question and get an answer about specific matters related to the executive or will an NRA-style situation pertain?

Seanad: Health Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (14 Dec 2004)

Kathleen O'Meara: It is allowed to provide information to Members of the Oireachtas.

Seanad: Health Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (14 Dec 2004)

Kathleen O'Meara: I am not sure.

Seanad: Health Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (14 Dec 2004)

Kathleen O'Meara: That is a good example.

Seanad: Health Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (14 Dec 2004)

Kathleen O'Meara: I move amendment No. 9: In page 15, subsection (1)(a), line 21, after "appointed" to insert "or elected in accordance with regulations made". Section 11 refers to the membership and role of the board. This group of amendments refers to several issues in that connection which I will set out. Amendment No. 9 concerns elections, amendment No. 10 proposes that the chief executive officer should...

Seanad: Health Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (14 Dec 2004)

Kathleen O'Meara: I thank the Minister of State for setting out in so far as he could what the future board will look like. We have a fair idea of that. He said there will be continuity and the new board will consist of quite a number of the current membership of the interim board. The new board will be a management rather than a representational board. Is the view of the Minister of State and his Department...

Seanad: Health Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (14 Dec 2004)

Kathleen O'Meara: Would it not make sense that the board would sit as a board and that the CEO would report to it, if the board is to carry out that supervisory function to the best possible extent? If, however, the CEO is part of the board, that could dilute or even undermine that possibility. If a function of the board is to supervise the CEO and that is the way it should be, how best does one carry that...

Seanad: Health Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (14 Dec 2004)

Kathleen O'Meara: Will the board be able to meet without the CEO?

Seanad: Health Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (14 Dec 2004)

Kathleen O'Meara: I will not pursue my amendments, given that Report Stage will be taken on Thursday and I wish to facilitate the debate.

Seanad: Health Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (14 Dec 2004)

Kathleen O'Meara: I move amendment No. 14: In page 15, lines 39 to 41, to delete subsection (4) and substitute the following new subsection: "(4) Not less than 40 per cent of members of the Board shall be men and not less than 40 per cent shall be women." Question, "That the words proposed to be deleted stand", put and declared carried.

Seanad: Health Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (14 Dec 2004)

Kathleen O'Meara: I move amendment No. 22: In page 21, line 6, after "1998" to insert "and provision shall be made to ensure that a detailed breakdown of the estimates of expenditure are available for scrutiny by the Committee of Public Accounts of Dáil Éireann". This amendment relates to the chief executive being the Accounting Officer. The Minister referred to this in the context of an earlier amendment....

Seanad: Health Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (14 Dec 2004)

Kathleen O'Meara: I move amendment No. 23: In page 21, lines 41 to 44, to delete subsection (9). The section is extraordinary and unprecedented. Subsection (9) states: "In carrying out duties under this section, the chief executive officer shall not question or express an opinion on the merits of any policy of the Government or a Minister of the Government or on the merits of the objectives of such a policy."...

Seanad: Health Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (14 Dec 2004)

Kathleen O'Meara: Not while the Minister of State is present.

Seanad: Health Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (14 Dec 2004)

Kathleen O'Meara: I thank the Minister for his reply. I understand that the Government of the day would want the kind of relationship with a chief executive officer that meant he or she would not give out or openly disagree with Government policy at an Oireachtas committee. I assume a chief executive officer would not take a job of this nature unless he or she was happy to be in broad agreement with Government...

Seanad: Health Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (14 Dec 2004)

Kathleen O'Meara: I do not understand why it is necessary to include this draconian subsection. It amounts to censorship.

Seanad: Health Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (14 Dec 2004)

Kathleen O'Meara: Perhaps it is why Professor Halligan did not want the job.

Seanad: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2004: Second Stage. (14 Dec 2004)

Kathleen O'Meara: The Minister of State will have an opportunity to reply at the end of the debate.

Seanad: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2004: Second Stage. (14 Dec 2004)

Kathleen O'Meara: When is it proposed to take Committee Stage?

Seanad: Northern Ireland Peace Process: Motion. (15 Dec 2004)

Kathleen O'Meara: I wish to share time with Senators Coghlan and Cummins, by agreement.