Results 1,421-1,440 of 20,459 for speaker:Frances Fitzgerald

Seanad: Order of Business (22 Oct 2009)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Senator should read our proposals.

Seanad: Order of Business (22 Oct 2009)

Frances Fitzgerald: On a point of order, will the Leader clarify whether the House is meeting next week?

Seanad: Death of Former Member: Expressions of Sympathy (22 Oct 2009)

Frances Fitzgerald: I rise to pay tribute to the late Senator Tony Kett on behalf of the Fine Gael Seanad group and the wider Fine Gael Party. Tony served in public life with distinction, first on Dublin City Council for 15 years and then, from 1997 until his premature death, in the Seanad where he worked among us as a colleague. Tony always seemed to be a quiet, committed, unassuming, hard working and...

Seanad: Order of Business (28 Oct 2009)

Frances Fitzgerald: This morning The Irish Times reporting the Taoiseach's approach to budgetary reform stated the Taoiseach said he would go ahead with the €4 billion budget cuts with or without partners. Earlier in the week he spoke about reform. The Minister of State, Deputy Conor Lenihan, spoke about trying to save money through reform mechanisms. It is very clear there is uncertainty about the...

Seanad: Order of Business (3 Nov 2009)

Frances Fitzgerald: Will the Leader to outline to the House the timetable for the various Stages of the National Asset Management Agency Bill which will be taken next week? I ask him for a guarantee that there will not be a guillotine or time restriction on the legislation and that adequate time will be provided to debate the amendments tabled during the course of the debate. The Bill has critical implications...

Seanad: Order of Business (3 Nov 2009)

Frances Fitzgerald: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Order of Business (4 Nov 2009)

Frances Fitzgerald: Yesterday morning another family, the Ronan family in Kilkenny, experienced the terror and trauma of a so-called tiger kidnapping. Last week it was a family in Lucan. Now young children are being used as pawns in this horrific crime, which must be unbelievably disturbing and upsetting for the families involved. Why have the Government, the Garda and the banks not put in place the sort of...

Seanad: Order of Business (5 Nov 2009)

Frances Fitzgerald: Today marks the 25th anniversary of the radio programme, "Morning Ireland". It was great to hear David Hanly on the airwaves again on this morning's celebration programme. I pay tribute to "Morning Ireland" and the work it has done in public service broadcasting, keeping political debate alive and informing the public over 25 years. It is appropriate to pay tribute to a programme which has...

Seanad: Order of Business (5 Nov 2009)

Frances Fitzgerald: It has been sleepwalking.

Seanad: Order of Business (5 Nov 2009)

Frances Fitzgerald: Yes.

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Nov 2009)

Frances Fitzgerald: As I watched the Taoiseach speak yesterday about public sector reform, I was reminded of St. Augustine's comment, "Please God, make me good, but not just yet". It seems the Taoiseach is extending that quotation to public sector reform, "Please God, give me public sector reform, but not just yet". On hearing his comments yesterday and over the weekend on public sector reform one would have...

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Nov 2009)

Frances Fitzgerald: Longer.

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Nov 2009)

Frances Fitzgerald: Her Fianna Fáil colleagues agreed it in the joint committee.

Seanad: National Asset Management Agency Bill 2009: Second Stage (9 Nov 2009)

Frances Fitzgerald: I welcome the opportunity to speak on the National Asset Management Agency Bill. It is an historic debate with significant implications for every man, woman and child in this country. No doubt it will have a huge impact on our children and our children's children. Whether they can stay in this country, are forced to emigrate or whether there will be jobs for them depends on getting this...

Seanad: National Asset Management Agency Bill 2009: Second Stage (9 Nov 2009)

Frances Fitzgerald: I was discussing the changes in valuations and referred to the Irish Glass Bottle Company site in Ringsend as an example. It is widely acknowledged that careless, inflated valuations contributed to the banking crisis. In the context of NAMA, many questions are left unanswered in this regard. I ask that the Minister expand on the issue. International precedent and experience clearly show...

Seanad: National Asset Management Agency Bill 2009: Second Stage (9 Nov 2009)

Frances Fitzgerald: Who got us into that state?

Seanad: National Asset Management Agency Bill 2009: Second Stage (9 Nov 2009)

Frances Fitzgerald: Yes.

Seanad: National Asset Management Agency Bill 2009: Second Stage (9 Nov 2009)

Frances Fitzgerald: I want to clarify that the Order of Business will be taken at 10.30 a.m. tomorrow for one hour.

Seanad: National Asset Management Agency Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (10 Nov 2009)

Frances Fitzgerald: We spoke about an Oireachtas oversight committee for NAMA on Second Stage yesterday. There is a sense that what has gone wrong with the banking system is due to a lack of regulation and governance. Subsequently, with NAMA we want to ensure oversight, transparency and accountability in its workings. Bypassing the Houses of the Oireachtas on matters such as social partnership talks happens...

Seanad: Order of Business (11 Nov 2009)

Frances Fitzgerald: Yesterday we had somewhat of a rarity in this House when we had a flock of Ministers or, as Senator Norris described it, a whirligig of Ministers, coming in and out to debate the NAMA legislation. Despite the presence of all these Ministers, however, they failed to convince the majority of Members on this side of the House on the merits of setting up the National Asset Management Agency. We...