Results 141-160 of 468 for speaker:Liam Fitzgerald

Seanad: Book of Estimates 2004: Statements. (26 Nov 2003)

Liam Fitzgerald: Senator White is banishing him from the political map because he already means trouble.

Seanad: Book of Estimates 2004: Statements. (26 Nov 2003)

Liam Fitzgerald: We will overlook it.

Seanad: Book of Estimates 2004: Statements. (26 Nov 2003)

Liam Fitzgerald: I thank Senator Dooley for sharing his time. I welcome the publication of the Book of Estimates. One can see from the actions of the Minister, Deputy McCreevy, that much has been learned from previous decades with regard to peaks and troughs in economic performance, both domestically and internationally. If the Minister were to respond positively to some of the loudest calls from the...

Seanad: Book of Estimates 2004: Statements. (26 Nov 2003)

Liam Fitzgerald: We have learned a great deal. The balance, insights and good judgment calls of the Minister, Deputy McCreevy, and how he has indicated future expenditure is proof of that learning process. I welcome his decisions and the publication of the Estimates. I welcome the Minister's decision not to try to spend our way out of a temporary difficulty. I want to refer to the public service pay policy,...

Seanad: Book of Estimates 2004: Statements. (26 Nov 2003)

Liam Fitzgerald: Benchmarking is an integral part of the national public pay policy which is enshrined in the Sustaining Progress partnership agreement. This process was started by Fianna Fáil in the late 1980s and has underpinned phenomenal economic progress and growth. The mechanism has created industrial relations harmony and is continuing to progress that harmony throughout not just the public service...

Seanad: Order of Business. (2 Dec 2003)

Liam Fitzgerald: I support the call for a debate on education. Perhaps we might include in that debate the problem of dropping out from school and its links with juvenile crime. Many of the barriers to social inclusion and educational attainment lie outside the school gates. Schools are desperately trying to deal with social issues that are profoundly ingrained. It is naïve in the extreme to regard the...

Seanad: Order of Business. - Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs (Powers and Functions) Bill 2003: Second Stage. (3 Dec 2003)

Liam Fitzgerald: Is mian liom fáilte a chur roimh an Aire. Tá áthas orm tacaíocht a thabhairt do Bhille an Aire Gnothaí Pobail, Tuaithe agus Gaeltachta (Cumhachtaí agus Feidhmeanna) 2003.

Seanad: Order of Business. - Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs (Powers and Functions) Bill 2003: Second Stage. (3 Dec 2003)

Liam Fitzgerald: An bhfuil rang scoile ar siúl againn anseo?

Seanad: Order of Business. - Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs (Powers and Functions) Bill 2003: Second Stage. (3 Dec 2003)

Liam Fitzgerald: An bhfuil cead agam dul amach go dtí an leithreas?

Seanad: Address by Mr. Seán Ó Neachtáin, MEP. (11 Dec 2003)

Liam Fitzgerald: Is mian liom freisin fiorchaoin fáilte a chur roimh an Fheisire inár measc. Is mian liom comhghairdeas a ghabháil leis as ucht bheith ina Bhall de Phairlimint na hEorpa le bliain go leith anois freisin. Chun an fhírinne a rá, tá clú agus cáil bainte amach aige. Dár leis na tuairiscí, bíonn sé an-ghnóthach sa Pharlaimint ar son na tíre agus ar son mhuintir Chonnachta agus Uladh....

Seanad: Order of Business. (28 Jan 2004)

Liam Fitzgerald: I regret that Senator Ross chose to introduce the issue of travel allowances for prison visiting committees when addressing the terrible tragedy that occurred in Mountjoy Prison yesterday. There is a deep problem in social engineering that has now surfaced in the prisons. There are also problems in prison management that need to be addressed. I regret that Senator Ross sought to drag in the...

Seanad: Order of Business. (28 Jan 2004)

Liam Fitzgerald: He is also deeply committed to the provision of services and back-up facilities. I invite Members to read the programme he launched for Ireland's term of the EU Presidency with its emphasis on teachers' professionalism and welfare.

Seanad: Order of Business. (28 Jan 2004)

Liam Fitzgerald: The Senator is not averse to throwing red herrings himself.

Seanad: Third Interim Report of the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse: Statements. (4 Feb 2004)

Liam Fitzgerald: I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I am delighted to have an opportunity to contribute to the debate on the third interim report of the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse. I am disappointed, having listened to the debate on this matter in the other House last night, to hear the Opposition here trump up various allegations, accusations and insinuations against the Minister for...

Seanad: Third Interim Report of the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse: Statements. (4 Feb 2004)

Liam Fitzgerald: It is an assertion, nothing more. Not one scintilla of genuine, logical evidence has been put forward to support that argument other than that a Department whose files are being investigated by the commission should not be the sponsoring Department. That is the only logic being put forward to support the arguments made. It is a desperate attempt to once again make political capital from the...

Seanad: Third Interim Report of the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse: Statements. (4 Feb 2004)

Liam Fitzgerald: The Opposition is in constant denial and in a permanent state of nausea at that fact. The Taoiseach publicly acknowledged the abuse and apologised for it on behalf of the State. Allegations that there has been no progress, that there has been only denial by the Minister for Education and Science, that there have been a litany of complaints from the various workings of the commission, that the...

Seanad: Revenue Commissioners: Motion. (18 Feb 2004)

Liam Fitzgerald: I second the Government amendment to the motion. The motion measures success and effectiveness in the enforcement of the tax laws solely in terms of the number of criminal convictions secured on the basis of those laws and the 1993 tax amnesty. To be fair to Senator McDowell, in the course of his contribution he covered a much wider area. However, I must interpret the motion on the basis of...

Seanad: Public Service Superannuation (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2004: Second Stage. (24 Feb 2004)

Liam Fitzgerald: Over the coming decades most industrialised countries will face the problem of an ageing population, despite the doubts and reservations about the projections being made and the available statistics. By 2050, for example, on the basis of the information we have, the overall population in Europe will decline by more than 3% and the number of people aged 65 and over in proportion to the working...

Seanad: Order of Business. (25 Feb 2004)

Liam Fitzgerald: Senator Brendan Ryan has called for a debate on third level education. I assure the Leader that we on this side of the House are happy to debate third level education at any time and look closely at our record vis-À-vis that of others. Senator Ryan reminded us that the OECD is conducting an in-depth analysis of third level education commissioned by the Minister. However, as Senator Minihan...

Seanad: Order of Business. (26 Feb 2004)

Liam Fitzgerald: I support Senator Quinn's call for a debate on the issue of random drug testing in schools. Drug abuse in schools is quite a serious issue according to all reliable sources. I am aware, as others are, that both at primary and secondary level teaching staff have had ongoing discussions on formulating policy to deal with this issue and they are reporting back to the Minister. I understand that...