Results 1,101-1,120 of 1,214 for speaker:Ann Ormonde

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed). (24 Mar 2010)

Ann Ormonde: All skills training and courses should be part of the education sector. I have always believed that. I would welcome a debate on that issue. The Leader should also arrange debates on the future of society and the future of politics in this country. We have a new Cabinet and it is to be hoped it will steer the country in the right direction.

Seanad: Finance Bill 2010 (Certified Money Bill): Second Stage. (24 Mar 2010)

Ann Ormonde: No, that did not happen.

Seanad: Finance Bill 2010 (Certified Money Bill): Second Stage. (24 Mar 2010)

Ann Ormonde: I would like to share time. I will take five minutes and leave the remainder to my colleague, Senator Mooney.

Seanad: Finance Bill 2010 (Certified Money Bill): Second Stage. (24 Mar 2010)

Ann Ormonde: I welcome the Minister of State. I am glad of the opportunity to say a few words on the Finance Bill. I congratulate the Minister for Finance, Deputy Brian Lenihan, on his grasp of this serious position and the tight measures he has introduced, which must be welcomed. That is reflected internationally. I would like to focus on an area of the Bill that relates to promoting Ireland as a good...

Seanad: Order of Business. (20 Apr 2010)

Ann Ormonde: I agree with all the points raised about the banking issue. I agree we should have a debate, particularly when one reads about the behaviour of the senior bankers and about the Fingleton million. There is significant public anger, given the loss of jobs. I support the call for an urgent debate. I am not sure if the debate could be held today so I will not be supporting the amendment to...

Seanad: Order of Business. (20 Apr 2010)

Ann Ormonde: I have given my reason. I wish to raise another issue which is to do with the courses run by FÁS. It seems the marking criteria for some of these courses has not been followed and a review of those courses has taken place. I ask for a debate about the kind of courses being run by FÁS, their content and cost and how applicants are being assessed. It was the case that people were used as...

Seanad: Order of Business. (27 Apr 2010)

Ann Ormonde: I, too, support the call for a debate on the issue of pensions. The question of whether pension payments should be made to sitting Members of the Oireachtas has arisen time and again over the past 12 months. The issue was highlighted in the media at the weekend. I never saw anything like it. The media were like vultures after a kill in their pursuit of the Commissioner who was in the...

Seanad: Women's Participation in Politics: Statements. (27 Apr 2010)

Ann Ormonde: I welcome the Minister of State and wish her well in her new role. I acknowledge her personal interest in this issue. I also compliment Senators Bacik, Fitzgerald and McDonald on their contributions and Senator Bacik, in particular, on driving the report and bringing it to this point. Members have debated this issue many times. I have been a Member of the Seanad since 1993 and in every...

Seanad: Women's Participation in Politics: Statements. (27 Apr 2010)

Ann Ormonde: I have only just begun.

Seanad: Women's Participation in Politics: Statements. (27 Apr 2010)

Ann Ormonde: I had hope to raise many points. I refer to the five Cs, one of which is cash. This can be overcome through legislation. However, confidence is a major issue. As for culture, this is changing because women are entering all fields of life. They are attending universities, acquiring engineering and science degrees and reaching the top. Unquestionably, there is no barrier in respect of...

Seanad: Women's Participation in Politics: Statements. (27 Apr 2010)

Ann Ormonde: Although women will be on the ground, my point is that they are doing beautifully this way. While their numbers still are low, they should keep trying. I am glad a new Minister of State is in place who will drive this issue all the way up the agenda.

Seanad: Order of Business. (28 Apr 2010)

Ann Ormonde: I endorse all the points made on the role of politics, an issue on which I have requested a debate on many occasions. Yesterday we engaged in a long debate on the role of women in politics. Having heard about what went on at the GRA conference and become familiar with the contents of the speech the president of that organisation proposed to deliver, I am obliged to ask whether anyone would...

Seanad: Order of Business. (5 May 2010)

Ann Ormonde: Today I listened to the chairman of NAMA comment on the agency's dealings with the first phase of developers. He talked about the many ill-conceived and ill-designed structures such as office blocks and hotels that were surplus to requirements. I seek a debate on the role of Irish culture in revitalising the country. I am talking about the physical fabric of the country, not our writers or...

Seanad: Order of Business (11 May 2010)

Ann Ormonde: I commend the Senators who congratulated the Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Harney, on her decision to ban certain legal substances. I go along with that and I hope that ultimately the premises selling them will be closed down because that is the wish of the majority of people in the country. Some time ago, I raised the issue of private cosmetic clinics. I am not calling for a...

Seanad: Order of Business (12 May 2010)

Ann Ormonde: The report of the Ombudsman for Children has now been published. I scanned it this morning and it represents a golden opportunity for this Chamber to discuss the lack of auditing of child protection services. There is no connection between the various agencies. Local offices do not have proper procedures. There is lack of co-operation between the HSE and the Garda. There is no uniformity...

Seanad: Order of Business (12 May 2010)

Ann Ormonde: The report presents an opportunity to discuss the matter on all levels. This issue has come up several times in all its different forms. We should have ongoing debate and not just one next week in order to establish how the agencies are not working and how we can get the services. It is not an enormous task. The report should be implemented and the issues should be aired in this Chamber

Seanad: Order of Business (1 Jun 2010)

Ann Ormonde: I welcome the fact there will be a debate tomorrow night on the assault by the Israeli military on an aid convoy on its way to Gaza. There is no doubt about it — it was an act of war. It will be interesting, therefore, to have that debate tomorrow. Will the Leader ask the Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs, Deputy Peter Power, to come to the House before we break up...

Seanad: Adult Education: Motion (2 Jun 2010)

Ann Ormonde: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Seán Haughey, and am pleased that he is taking this debate. He has taken this subject into his own ambit and has become very knowledgeable in the area. I appreciate that he is in the Chamber to hear what we have to say. Lifelong learning begins in pre-school and continues to the post-retirement stage. It is a continuous process. Education is a...

Seanad: Interception of Gaza-bound Humanitarian Flotilla: Statements (2 Jun 2010)

Ann Ormonde: No.

Seanad: Interception of Gaza-bound Humanitarian Flotilla: Statements (2 Jun 2010)

Ann Ormonde: I welcome the Minister for Foreign Affairs. I thank him for coming to the Seanad to give Members an update on recent events in Gaza. I start by offering my condolences to the Turkish Government and people as well as to the families of those killed during the Israeli commando raid on the humanitarian flotilla off the coast of Gaza. Like everyone else, I was shocked as the events unfolded on...