Results 81-100 of 228 for speaker:Déirdre de Búrca

Seanad: Order of Business (27 Feb 2008)

Déirdre de Búrca: Yesterday I asked the Leader to invite the Minister for Health and Children to discuss with the House the new nursing home regulations. I would also like her to address the future role of pharmacies in the delivery of health care services.

Seanad: Order of Business (27 Feb 2008)

Déirdre de Búrca: I see in this morning's newspapers that the regulator for the pharmacy sector is considering ways of expanding the services provided by the pharmacy sector to include important primary care services such as screening for diabetes and other common disorders, managing long-term stable conditions and dealing with minor ailments in order that people do not have to attend their GPs.

Seanad: Order of Business (27 Feb 2008)

Déirdre de Búrca: The Green Party has always believed that the pharmacy sector——

Seanad: Order of Business (27 Feb 2008)

Déirdre de Búrca: The pharmacy sector has an important role to play in health promotion and prevention. The current stand-off between the pharmacy sector and the HSE is unfortunate because it is in all our interests that the sector takes on a new and expanded role in terms of providing various health services. When the Minister comes to the House, I will ask her to address this issue and her vision of the...

Seanad: Civil Marriage: Motion (27 Feb 2008)

Déirdre de Búrca: I welcome the Minister to the House. I also welcome this opportunity to speak on this Private Members' motion tabled by the Independent Senators not only because this issue deserves a good airing and debate but for the purposes of clarification. The Green Party supports the principle of equality through giving legal recognition to same sex unions. Our party's policy is that same sex couples...

Seanad: Order of Business. (4 Mar 2008)

Déirdre de Búrca: I echo Senator Alex White's call for the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform to come to the Chamber to discuss the reports in the newspapers today that certain senior members of the Refugee Appeals Authority have taken a divergent position from the chairman of the tribunal. It is a serious issue that requires clarification. Under the new Immigration, Residence and Protection Bill...

Seanad: Fairtrade: Statements (4 Mar 2008)

Déirdre de Búrca: I wish to share my time with Senator Mary White. I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Kitt, to the House and thank him for his statement on fair trade. I also welcome the opportunity to participate in this debate during Fairtrade fortnight. I acknowledge the long record of support by Irish Aid of the Fairtrade movement and the hard work of the Irish Fair Trade Network, which is supported...

Seanad: Order of Business (5 Mar 2008)

Déirdre de Búrca: I welcome the proposed publication of the referendum Bill on the Lisbon treaty tomorrow. It is anticipated that the legislation will come before the House for adoption in the next two weeks. I ask the Leader to invite the Minister for Foreign Affairs to address the House while the debate on the Bill is taking place. I would welcome clarification from the Minister on a number of issues, for...

Seanad: Electoral Commission: Motion (5 Mar 2008)

Déirdre de Búrca: I welcome the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy John Gormley, to the House. I also welcome this opportunity to discuss the establishment of an independent electoral commission which, as Senator Boyle stated, forms part of the programme for Government. The Green Party was active in negotiating its place in the programme for Government. It is important to...

Seanad: Order of Business (12 Mar 2008)

Déirdre de Búrca: I wish to express my concern that Dublin Port Tunnel was closed again yesterday for several hours owing to problems which arose, causing major traffic congestion in the city centre. This is not the first time it has happened. There have been a number of incidents in the past couple of months which have caused the closure of the tunnel. Yesterday the tyre of a heavy goods vehicle travelling...

Seanad: Protection of Employees (Agency Workers) (12 Mar 2008)

Déirdre de Búrca: I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I am pleased to have an opportunity to discuss this Labour Party Bill which attempts to highlight an important issue that requires Government attention. Temporary agency work has been the most rapidly growing form of atypical work in the EU over the past 20 years. The use of temporary agency workers has increased fivefold in Denmark, Italy,...

Seanad: Protection of Employees (Agency Workers) (12 Mar 2008)

Déirdre de Búrca: ——to progress the negotiations at EU level and to support an EU-wide directive to protect these workers.

Seanad: Order of Business (13 Mar 2008)

Déirdre de Búrca: The Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform has been in the House to debate the Immigration Residence and Protection Bill and is determined to produce legislation that reflects best international practice in the area. The Bill integrates our ad hoc refugee and immigration legislation, which is a worthwhile exercise. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees,...

Seanad: Order of Business (13 Mar 2008)

Déirdre de Búrca: It also makes useful recommendations to the effect that there should be no deportations while judicial reviews are under way and about separated children. We want to make sure this legislation reflects best possible practice. Will the Leader raise these issues with the Minister so that when he is next before the House we can discuss them directly with him?

Seanad: Home Births (13 Mar 2008)

Déirdre de Búrca: I welcome the Minister of State to the House. The matter I am raising on the Adjournment concerns the future of the domiciliary birth service, which is more commonly known as the home birth service, in this country and, in particular, the immediate threat that indemnity cover will be removed for independent midwives who really provide the home birth service to women who choose to birth their...

Seanad: Home Births (13 Mar 2008)

Déirdre de Búrca: While I thank the Minister of State for the response, only the question regarding indemnity cover for domiciliary births was answered. I also asked the Minister to outline her vision for the future development of the service and I am afraid nothing in the response gave me any hope for the future of the service other than the hope that a system will be put in place to extend indemnity cover....

Seanad: Sustainable Residential Development: Motion (19 Mar 2008)

Déirdre de Búrca: I welcome the Minister, Deputy Gormley, to the House. I also welcome the publication of the draft planning guidelines on sustainable residential development in urban area and the accompanying best practice urban design manual. It is fortunate that every time the Minister comes into the House it is with a good news story. I congratulate him for grasping the challenges that faced him in his...

Seanad: Lisbon Reform Treaty: Statements (Resumed). (8 Apr 2008)

Déirdre de Búrca: I welcome the Minister of State to the Seanad and thank him for his very interesting presentation on the Lisbon treaty. He came to the House on the same day as the President of the European Parliament who addressed us here and touched on the Lisbon treaty in his presentation, which we were fortunate to hear. I welcome that the President of the European Parliament addressed the Upper House...

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Apr 2008)

Déirdre de Búrca: I congratulate Deputy Brian Cowen on his election as leader designate of the Fianna Fáil Party and wish him luck in his new role. By taking up this new role, it will mean he will appoint a new Minister for Finance. When the new Minister for Finance is appointed, will the Leader invite that person to the House? The Department of my colleague, the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and...

Seanad: Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2006: Second Stage (9 Apr 2008)

Déirdre de Búrca: I welcome the Minister of State and the opportunity to comment on the Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2006. As Senator Alex White said, the Bill contains amendments to 30 pieces of legislation. The changes are mostly to non-criminal areas of law. There are many small but important changes and I will refer to some. I refer to the creation of the office of the legal ombudsman....