Results 1,601-1,620 of 20,831 for speaker:David Norris

Seanad: Human Rights Abuses. (8 Feb 2005)

David Norris: His grandfather was Irish.

Seanad: Human Rights Abuses. (8 Feb 2005)

David Norris: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Order of Business. (9 Feb 2005)

David Norris: Name and shame.

Seanad: Order of Business. (9 Feb 2005)

David Norris: I find myself in the happy position of wanting to agree with two of my colleagues on the Fianna Fáil benches. First, I agree with Senator Ó Murchú, although normally I deprecate the idea of apologies. We have had apologies for the famine and the flood, which are completely irrelevant tripe. However, on this occasion people, some of whom are still alive, suffered a massive injustice so the...

Seanad: Order of Business. (9 Feb 2005)

David Norris: Can I raise one final point? I heard the Leader of the House on the radio this morning. She performed extremely well. She called for clear and explicit sex education. We should have a debate on that. I was in Waterford a week ago and three wonderful and courageous women from Cork spoke on the issue of sexuality. All three of them had lesbian daughters. One in particular said that her child...

Seanad: Order of Business. (9 Feb 2005)

David Norris: Yes, there are tickets for sale.

Seanad: Order of Business. (9 Feb 2005)

David Norris: And the other committees.

Seanad: Privacy and Defamation: Statements. (9 Feb 2005)

David Norris: It would ensure the bankruptcy of the newspaper.

Seanad: Privacy and Defamation: Statements. (9 Feb 2005)

David Norris: I welcome the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform who, as usual, has been a refreshing presence in the House. He made a remarkably interesting and professional contribution in which he cited a number of case precedents and legal arguments of a refined and, to some, almost arcane nature. Certainly, he addressed the principal features of the subject under discussion. I will comment...

Seanad: Parental Leave (Amendment) Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (9 Feb 2005)

David Norris: I am happy to support this important amendment. I am intrigued by Senator White's version of full support for the Minister. It was very interesting that while her argument supported comments on this side of the House, she intends to vote in support of the Minister of State. I hope attention is paid to her words as she made the very effective point that we will in fact disbar people from...

Seanad: Parental Leave (Amendment) Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (9 Feb 2005)

David Norris: It is an important point of principle that the very people who most require parental leave will be disbarred from availing of it. I do not believe the saving to the Exchequer will be enormous considering the level of wastage in the public service. An obvious example is the €50 million it will cost to store electronic voting machines, which are mere junk. Can the Minister of State enlighten...

Seanad: Overseas Development Aid: Motion. (9 Feb 2005)

David Norris: I welcome the Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs, Deputy Conor Lenihan, to the House. He has already made his case on overseas development aid to the Committee on Foreign Affairs. I did not realise he had been pilloried and savaged over the Christmas, which I greatly regret. I deprecate that because I know he is a decent man and has real concerns in this area. However, I...

Seanad: Overseas Development Aid: Motion. (9 Feb 2005)

David Norris: In those circumstances, it is regrettable that the objective of achieving the 0.7% figure has stalled. For a while it even went backwards. The comparatively small amounts of money involved make it shameful. I respect that good northside Dublin Taoiseach, Deputy Bertie Ahern. Like the Minister of State, he has the capacity to make one feel as one walks out of his office that one has the sun,...

Seanad: Overseas Development Aid: Motion. (9 Feb 2005)

David Norris: That is a reason for giving it. We have so much more money. The figure involved is minuscule. As there are numerals in it such as five and four and seven, we think it is a lot of money. If an individual budget were involved it would be. The figure however is 0.7%. The Bible refers to tithes, stating that if one has not fed and clothed the least of these people, out one goes. We need to look...

Seanad: Overseas Development Aid: Motion. (9 Feb 2005)

David Norris: The biblical quotation?

Seanad: Overseas Development Aid: Motion. (9 Feb 2005)

David Norris: I am always available to be instructed from the Minister of State's vast religious repository. The report at this stage is wrong because a tithe is 10%. Dóchas, among others, has made useful recommendations. The current situation is that we will be reneging on our commitment, which is a pity. The figures represent a major shift in policy as the projected growth falls well short of what was...

Seanad: Overseas Development Aid: Motion. (9 Feb 2005)

David Norris: It would be well worth trying. To me, the real experts are the people on the ground. If the Minister of State has any difficulty in finding absorption I can produce God's quantity of good projects where one will get a bounce for one's buck for any spare capacity. The Minister of State can tell that to Mr. Sachs of whom I have never heard. Is he part of Goldman Sachs?

Seanad: Overseas Development Aid: Motion. (9 Feb 2005)

David Norris: Good for him. I am delighted for him.

Seanad: Order of Business. (10 Feb 2005)

David Norris: Hear, hear. Absolutely.

Seanad: Order of Business. (10 Feb 2005)

David Norris: Rubbish. That is absolute rubbish. The Senator should take the beam out of his own eye.