Results 861-880 of 20,459 for speaker:Frances Fitzgerald
- Seanad: Order of Business (17 Feb 2009)
Frances Fitzgerald: Absolutely.
- Seanad: Order of Business (17 Feb 2009)
Frances Fitzgerald: Bring in the fraud squad.
- Seanad: Order of Business (17 Feb 2009)
Frances Fitzgerald: Yes.
- Seanad: Adoption Bill 2009: Second Stage (17 Feb 2009)
Frances Fitzgerald: I welcome the Minister and the publication of the Adoption Bill 2009. Our current adoption law is outdated and has allowed confusion, insecurity and inconsistency to develop within the adoption system. I welcome the new legislation but it is difficult to praise the Government for introducing it when it is so long overdue. This Bill incorporates into Irish law the Hague Convention on the...
- Seanad: Adoption Bill 2009: Second Stage (17 Feb 2009)
Frances Fitzgerald: There are a couple of points I want to make about bilateral adoption. More than 4,000 foreign adoptions have been registered in the Republic since 1991. Some 400 of those children are adopted from Russia, China and Vietnam. I do not have time to go into all of the details but the Minister of State will be familiar with them. There is a problem that Ireland does not have bilateral...
- Seanad: Order of Business (18 Feb 2009)
Frances Fitzgerald: I extend the sympathy of the Fine Gael Party to the family of the late Senator Michael Howard. We will have an opportunity to speak in detail about him and pay tribute to him at a later date. I wish to repeat a question I asked yesterday about the current banking crisis. Who in the Government knew what about the series of events that unfolded in Anglo Irish Bank and when did they know it?...
- Seanad: Order of Business (18 Feb 2009)
Frances Fitzgerald: If he does not know, he should know. Perhaps he does know but will not come clean. It is a worrying scenario, especially as the taxpayer has to pick up a tab of â¬300 million as a consequence of the nationalisation of the bank. Information about this deal was not given to the Stock Exchange. The markets did not know about the deal. It cannot be anything other than damaging. I appeal to...
- Seanad: Order of Business (18 Feb 2009)
Frances Fitzgerald: This is a terrible blow for thoseââ
- Seanad: Order of Business (18 Feb 2009)
Frances Fitzgerald: It is shocking that 300 families are to be confronted with unemployment. There needs to be a renewed focus on training that links in with the opportunities that will arise in the market. This is really important. The other day, I met a constituent who used to be an electrician. He told me he has done two training courses with FÃS, but the courses did not include any link with potential...
- Seanad: Order of Business (18 Feb 2009)
Frances Fitzgerald: It is not mud-slinging but asking questions.
- Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (18 Feb 2009)
Frances Fitzgerald: It is a disgrace.
- Seanad: Schools Building Projects (18 Feb 2009)
Frances Fitzgerald: I welcome the Minister of State. I welcome the opportunity to raise the need for the Minister for Education and Science to outline his response to requests for school extensions, development and refurbishments in a number of schools in the Lucan area. These include St. Thomas's national school, Scoil Mhuire national school and Lucan Community College. On 12 February the Minister for...
- Seanad: Order of Business (24 Feb 2009)
Frances Fitzgerald: Every Senator in this House is conscious of the very serious situation facing our country. As we visit our areas and speak to people, we find the public are deeply concerned, upset, frightened and looking for action, asking, "What is the solution?" They want to know who will come forward with a package of measures that will save our country, whether economically, politically or in banking....
- Seanad: Order of Business (24 Feb 2009)
Frances Fitzgerald: Hear, hear.
- Seanad: Order of Business (24 Feb 2009)
Frances Fitzgerald: Yes.
- Seanad: Order of Business (25 Feb 2009)
Frances Fitzgerald: Yesterday the Garda searched the offices of Anglo Irish Bank. While most people welcome this development, I want to raise some questions on the Government's role in this regard. It is very clear the Government knew about the existence of the so-called golden circle for almost a year, yet the matter is only now being investigated. I am obviously aware there are legal constraints but there...
- Seanad: Order of Business (25 Feb 2009)
Frances Fitzgerald: It was a minority Government.
- Seanad: Order of Business (25 Feb 2009)
Frances Fitzgerald: When the Government responds to our suggestions, we will know it is serious.
- Seanad: Order of Business (25 Feb 2009)
Frances Fitzgerald: We have good initiatives.
- Seanad: Order of Business (25 Feb 2009)
Frances Fitzgerald: It is in our motion.