Results 921-940 of 9,393 for speaker:Alex White

Seanad: Order of Business (23 Apr 2009)

Alex White: I would certainly give a cautious welcome for that. I say "cautious" because I am not clear on how precisely it will be funded or whether the places will be there.

Seanad: Order of Business (23 Apr 2009)

Alex White: I would like the Minister of State with responsibility for children, Deputy Barry Andrews, to attend the House for a debate on how we will replace the crazy system we had for funding child care with a serious, comprehensive system of one year's free child care for all children. It appears that the Labour Party's position in the last general election will now be adopted by the Government. I...

Seanad: Order of Business (23 Apr 2009)

Alex White: Steady on.

Seanad: Order of Business (23 Apr 2009)

Alex White: We had to look forward.

Seanad: Order of Business. (28 Apr 2009)

Alex White: The hospitals co-location project that was announced with much fanfare by the Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Mary Harney, and her colleagues in Government was buried by measures taken in the recent budget. Now that this project, which involved the folly of relying on the property development sector to deal with the development of health care, is in tatters, like many of the...

Seanad: Order of Business. (28 Apr 2009)

Alex White: The PDs-----

Seanad: Order of Business (29 Apr 2009)

Alex White: I second that proposed amendment. My colleagues are absolutely right about the need for a debate on these issues. Senator O'Toole, when he was speculating about whether the problem is that the Government is trying to censor debate, may be right, but it is more likely that the Government does not know what it would say if such a debate took place. It manifestly has no plan and no basis for...

Seanad: Order of Business (20 May 2009)

Alex White: I strongly agree with what Senator Norris said about the proposed amendment to the Defamation Bill 2006 in relation to blasphemy. The House should take careful note of what has been said by a representative of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe. His comments, which are reported in today's newspapers, were referred to by Senator Norris. I ask this House and the...

Seanad: Order of Business (20 May 2009)

Alex White: Senator Regan is also a member of the all-party committee, which clearly recommended that this provision should be removed from the Constitution. That view is clearly shared across the board in these Houses. That is the correct way to proceed. My suggestion to the Minister, through the Leader, is that if the parties in the Oireachtas agree that a series of amendments to the Constitution...

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Jun 2009)

Alex White: I thank the Cathaoirleach for clarifying the position of former Senator Alan Kelly in regard to his election to the European Parliament last night. I spoke to him on the telephone ten minutes before I came into the Chamber and had the opportunity to congratulate him. We were speculating about the precise legal position but the Cathaoirleach clarified it very helpfully. Unfortunately for...

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Jun 2009)

Alex White: We can continue to work together in this forum to serve the people and to achieve the important objectives we all have.

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Jun 2009)

Alex White: It is certainly not intended as an explanation and it is a pity that it should be taken up in that way. It is meant absolutely genuinely. There has been a political shift in the past few days and I agree with Senator Fitzgerald that there should be a debate about this. Manifestly, there has been a change politically throughout the country and I am happy to say there has been a marked shift...

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Jun 2009)

Alex White: And Fine Gael as well.

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Jun 2009)

Alex White: In light of the matters with which I was preoccupied in recent weeks, I did not have the opportunity to note in the House the sad news regarding the recent death of former Labour Senator, Mr. Dominic Murphy, who served here with great distinction for many years in the 1950s and 1960s. I would like to have it noted that I wanted to extend my deepest sympathy to Mr. Murphy's wife and his four...

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Jun 2009)

Alex White: I support the calls for us to return to the implications of the Ryan commission report. There is a need to debate this in greater depth and at some length. Many argued that it is time to revisit the deal done with the congregations and the wider question of the ownership by the congregations of a considerable amount of property, including most of our national schools. It seems this is a...

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Jun 2009)

Alex White: Only.

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Jun 2009)

Alex White: The Senator should check the facts himself. He misquoted someone.

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Jun 2009)

Alex White: Clearly, they must be revisited.

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Jun 2009)

Alex White: And the Government's.

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Jun 2009)

Alex White: Senator Cassidy will have to contribute first in the debate.