Results 121-140 of 468 for speaker:Liam Fitzgerald

Seanad: Order of Business: Motion. - Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse: Statements. (7 Oct 2003)

Liam Fitzgerald: The Opposition should make positive, definitive and categorical suggestions and proposals to that effect. When Opposition Members oppose, one expects them to propose something different and better, because there is no point in doing something different if it is not better, or one expects that, having done something worthwhile in the past which they now see being dismantled before their eyes,...

Seanad: Order of Business: Motion. - Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse: Statements. (7 Oct 2003)

Liam Fitzgerald: It is notable that the Ministers in the rainbow Government who were approached at that time have stayed well clear of this debate. Is this a case of "is binn béal ina thost"? By their silence shall we know them. This Government is the first in the history of the State to listen to victims of abuse, apologise to them on behalf of the State and take positive action to redress the wrongs...

Seanad: Order of Business: Motion. - Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse: Statements. (7 Oct 2003)

Liam Fitzgerald: The purpose seems to be to confuse everybody and ignore the consequences

Seanad: Order of Business: Motion. - Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse: Statements. (7 Oct 2003)

Liam Fitzgerald: The leader of the Labour Party commented that the resignation of Ms Justice Laffoy from the commission would cause more people to take their cases to the High Court rather than the redress board. That there is no connection between the work of the commission and the redress board seems to have escaped his notice, or did it? Perhaps it has not escaped his notice but he is doing his best to...

Seanad: Order of Business: Motion. - Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse: Statements. (7 Oct 2003)

Liam Fitzgerald: This is real reason why the review of the investigation committee is taking place.

Seanad: Order of Business: Motion. - Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse: Statements. (7 Oct 2003)

Liam Fitzgerald: It became clear that the lack of a redress scheme was seriously impeding the work of the commission and therefore the Government moved to establish one. The necessary legislation was enacted last year, as we know. On CORI and the question of what the Government did, would have done or should have done, very few positive proposals are being made by the Opposition. It is suggesting that the...

Seanad: Order of Business: Motion. - Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse: Statements. (7 Oct 2003)

Liam Fitzgerald: The Government is delivering for the survivors of institutional abuse and it deserves the support of everyone in the House.

Seanad: Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse: Statements (Resumed). (8 Oct 2003)

Liam Fitzgerald: I have read better than that.

Seanad: Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse: Statements (Resumed). (8 Oct 2003)

Liam Fitzgerald: Our leaders were practising Catholics.

Seanad: Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse: Statements (Resumed). (8 Oct 2003)

Liam Fitzgerald: I thank the Chair for the control of free speech.

Seanad: Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse: Statements (Resumed). (8 Oct 2003)

Liam Fitzgerald: Not at all.

Seanad: Order of Business. - OECD Education Report: Statements. (16 Oct 2003)

Liam Fitzgerald: I welcome the Minister of State to the House and the many things he said about education. He made projections about a number of areas which were identified as ones where we could perform better in terms of international comparative analysis. I welcome reports, such as the OECD report, because international comparative analysis is important in terms of telling us where we stand and how we...

Seanad: Order of Business. - OECD Education Report: Statements. (16 Oct 2003)

Liam Fitzgerald: Perhaps there are two different reports. Perhaps the one the Leader gave me was an alternative version which was souped-up for my viewing only. We seem to be at odds over how to read this report on the education system in Ireland. I acknowledge that for more than 40 years the OECD has played an extremely important role as a catalyst for change in Irish education. Its review of the Irish...

Seanad: Order of Business. - OECD Education Report: Statements. (16 Oct 2003)

Liam Fitzgerald: I will come to that in a moment: the Senator has carried out a pre-emptive strike. I will have a word with my colleagues across the way about this. Much of this success is due to the dedication and commitment of our great teaching force, many of whom, it must be acknowledged, have helped their students to achieve outstanding results. However, we should not be complacent. We cannot sit back on...

Seanad: Order of Business. - OECD Education Report: Statements. (16 Oct 2003)

Liam Fitzgerald: We all accept that knowledge and its successful application are essential to economic and social progress. In recent years we have increasingly come to acknowledge this in the way in which we manage education. However, time waits for no man. We cannot become complacent. Such is the pace of change in our world today that any education system, no matter how successful – I know Senator O'Toole...

Seanad: Order of Business. - OECD Education Report: Statements. (16 Oct 2003)

Liam Fitzgerald: I am confident our teachers, as they have in the past, will continue to embrace change with equal enthusiasm and commitment in the future.

Seanad: Order of Business. - OECD Education Report: Statements. (16 Oct 2003)

Liam Fitzgerald: All is not well. We know that more must be done and the Minister had no difficulty acknowledging that today, in terms of pupil-teacher ratios and investment in all levels of education, particularly primary and second levels. We have read about the percentage of GDP invested in education. Like the Minister, I am not happy with the idea of this being expressed in terms of GDP. The gross...

Seanad: Order of Business. - OECD Education Report: Statements. (16 Oct 2003)

Liam Fitzgerald: I found it extraordinary that the teaching profession was one of the most difficult professions to get into in Finland. One has to have a postgraduate qualification. For every vacancy for a teaching job there are ten or more applicants. It is among the top two professions most aspired to by all opinion polls, yet it is not about salaries. Every teacher with whom I spoke at third, second and...

Seanad: Order of Business. - OECD Education Report: Statements. (16 Oct 2003)

Liam Fitzgerald: I am an economist of the 1970s school.

Seanad: Order of Business. - OECD Education Report: Statements. (16 Oct 2003)

Liam Fitzgerald: At 10.30 a.m. on Wednesday, 22 October 2003.