Results 1,101-1,120 of 4,931 for speaker:Mary White

Seanad: Budget Statement 2005: Motion. (7 Dec 2005)

Mary White: Opposition Members stick together like glue. I wish to draw Senator O'Meara's attention to page——

Seanad: Budget Statement 2005: Motion. (7 Dec 2005)

Mary White: I cannot. It is difficult to look into the Leas-Chathaoirleach's eyes. He is distracting me.

Seanad: Budget Statement 2005: Motion. (7 Dec 2005)

Mary White: The Leas-Chathaoirleach knows what I am talking about. He is a flirt. I refer the House to page A.15, which states: "Between now and 2010, some 65,000 additional places will be funded, including early childhood, pre-school and school-age places."

Seanad: Budget Statement 2005: Motion. (7 Dec 2005)

Mary White: After last year's budget, I needed to open this book and correct Senator O'Meara.

Seanad: Budget Statement 2005: Motion. (7 Dec 2005)

Mary White: Last year I corrected Senator O'Meara's inaccuracy. There will be 65,000 new places by 2010 in these categories.

Seanad: Budget Statement 2005: Motion. (7 Dec 2005)

Mary White: Why did the Senator not sit in the Gallery in the Dáil and listen to the Minister?

Seanad: Budget Statement 2005: Motion. (7 Dec 2005)

Mary White: The Senator missed the section on pre-schools.

Seanad: Budget Statement 2005: Motion. (7 Dec 2005)

Mary White: I must put on record that Senator O'Meara put her heart and soul into trying to place the issue of child care on the agenda. I am only teasing her.

Seanad: Budget Statement 2005: Motion. (7 Dec 2005)

Mary White: She put in considerable effort. Approximately one and a half years ago I began engaging in the issue of child care and produced a document entitled, A New Approach to Childcare? I held a public meeting——

Seanad: Budget Statement 2005: Motion. (7 Dec 2005)

Mary White: I held many public meetings, visited community and private crèches during mornings, met their owners and interviewed hundreds of parents. The Budget Statement tracks my document on the proposals as it includes a mixed group of propositions to tackle the whole issue of child care. One cannot pick out a single proposition and say "That is very small". The budget has a five year strategy, as I...

Seanad: Budget Statement 2005: Motion. (7 Dec 2005)

Mary White: On the issue of supply——

Seanad: Budget Statement 2005: Motion. (7 Dec 2005)

Mary White: I am grand. The statement reads: "As part of the overall child care strategy I am today announcing a major new five year strategy." If one wishes to run a business or Government policy efficiently, one needs a strategy, including short-term, medium-term and long-term plans. It is the ideal way to deliver the goods at the end of the day. In five years we will have 50,000 more places. The...

Seanad: Budget Statement 2005: Motion. (7 Dec 2005)

Mary White: We will supply 65,000 new places by 2010. One method of dealing with the complex issue of child care is through the supply side. The law of economics is supply and demand. If one increases supply, price decreases.

Seanad: Budget Statement 2005: Motion. (7 Dec 2005)

Mary White: In my document I also drew attention to disadvantaged children. I encouraged the Government in this area. A total of 312 schools are designated disadvantaged by the Department of Education of Science. I called for the roll-out of the Early Start programme for those schools.

Seanad: Budget Statement 2005: Motion. (7 Dec 2005)

Mary White: Today, the Minister said, "we will continue to support the Department of Education and Science in targeting early childhood education in disadvantaged areas".

Seanad: Budget Statement 2005: Motion. (7 Dec 2005)

Mary White: He said we will do it and we can keep at it him until he does so.

Seanad: Budget Statement 2005: Motion. (7 Dec 2005)

Mary White: I do but I will not read a speech written by someone else. I write my own speeches.

Seanad: Budget Statement 2005: Motion. (7 Dec 2005)

Mary White: One of the six propositions of my document was quality assurance of provided child care facilities. The roll-out of places "will be complemented by an intensification of training arrangements to support quality child care delivery. It is expected that 17,000 child care workers will be trained in the period". The following is the crunch: In order to help further to improve the supply side, I...

Seanad: Budget Statement 2005: Motion. (7 Dec 2005)

Mary White: The Taoiseach congratulated me last Friday and said I could take the credit for this provision today. Children's allowance will increase to €150 for the first child and to €185 for subsequent children and there will be a direct payment of €1,000 per child under the early child care supplement. Rather than giving tax reliefs to parents who pay for child care, this cuts out bureaucracy...

Seanad: Budget Statement 2005: Motion. (7 Dec 2005)

Mary White: The statement does not say.