Results 1,641-1,660 of 4,810 for speaker:Liam Twomey

Seanad: Health Services: Motion (28 May 2008)

Liam Twomey: We are keeping a close eye on her carbon footprint.

Seanad: Health Services: Motion (28 May 2008)

Liam Twomey: I propose to share time with Senator Buttimer.

Seanad: Health Services: Motion (28 May 2008)

Liam Twomey: The problem with these types of debates is that Government Members have to support the Minister no matter what happens and regardless of the chaos in our health services. The road to ruin is paved with good intentions. That adage is appropriate when one considers some of the developments arising from the establishment of the Health Service Executive. I do not blame the Minister, Deputy...

Seanad: Order of Business (29 May 2008)

Liam Twomey: There is news we are hearing today that there will be a budget deficit of up to €8 billion this year. Given that growth rates are falling faster than a barometer reading before a storm, this is an issue of major concern. The Taoiseach is stating the national development plan is being prioritised but this is another way of stating cutbacks are due. To date, the collateral damage of the...

Seanad: Order of Business (29 May 2008)

Liam Twomey: Members should wake up to what is happening. The House should have regular debates on the economy. I ask the Leader to consider the possibility of using his party's Private Members' motion next week to discuss the issue of the Lisbon treaty. For many ordinary people, one of its most important features will be the Charter of Fundamental Rights. I have been surprised that many of those who...

Seanad: Matter Raised Under Standing Order 31 (29 May 2008)

Liam Twomey: It is possible for schools to register themselves as charities to benefit from tax concessions. The Minister responsible should address two issues in this regard. A two-year gap exists between registration as a charity and fully benefiting from the effects of the tax concessions pertaining to charitable status. The Minister should consider shortening that period to three months in order...

Seanad: Order of Business (4 Jun 2008)

Liam Twomey: I extend the best wishes of Senators to the 50,000 young adults who are starting their leaving certificate examinations today.

Seanad: Order of Business (4 Jun 2008)

Liam Twomey: We have all done many examinations in our time, but I am sure we will agree that the leaving certificate remains the hardest examination of all. We should send the best wishes of the House to those young people who are sitting examinations today. I ask the Leader to change the wording of Fianna Fáil's Private Members' business so that Senators can vote on a motion relating to the Charter of...

Seanad: Order of Business (4 Jun 2008)

Liam Twomey: The Senator should look at the report.

Seanad: Charter of Fundamental Rights: Statements (4 Jun 2008)

Liam Twomey: I welcome this debate on a section of the reform treaty which has not yet been discussed in great depth. Most of the European treaties on which we have held referendums have focused on economic issues. Greater emphasis should be placed on the importance of the Charter of Fundamental Rights, the most important part of the Lisbon treaty. Although the text is primarily focused on economic...

Seanad: OECD Report on Integrated Public Service Reform: Statements (2 Jul 2008)

Liam Twomey: We have an excellent Civil Service and public service. We may at times criticise senior management in the public service, for example in the HSE, as well as other aspects of the public service and Civil Service. However, the greatest problem has been the particularly bad political leadership in the past decade. It is regrettable that there have been so many lost opportunities as pointed...

Seanad: Cancer Services: Motion (2 Jul 2008)

Liam Twomey: I also know doctors who work in British Columbia. Some of them came back to work in Ireland. They tell me that the regional hospitals in Ireland are not a patch on the smaller hospitals in Canada. That is the reality. There is neither the number of consultants nor the equipment in the hospitals in this country to do what the Minister has described. No matter what high notions the...

Seanad: Order of Business (3 Jul 2008)

Liam Twomey: That is not defending it. That is just acknowledging that one can run the country whichever way one can.

Seanad: Order of Business (3 Jul 2008)

Liam Twomey: Senator Mary White always votes in favour of it and always criticises it.

Seanad: Order of Business (3 Jul 2008)

Liam Twomey: Yesterday, when the banks appeared before the Joint Committee on Finance and the Public Service, they indicated that people suffering from negative equity and with cash flow problems are collateral damage of an economic bubble which has burst. A cash flow problem can close a business. Has the Minister for Finance any plans to increase the amount of credit available in Irish markets? The...

Seanad: Order of Business (3 Jul 2008)

Liam Twomey: It is time we had a proper debate on what happening in the HSE because it is costing patient's lives. The Leader should organise this immediately. I extend my welcome for Ingrid Betancourt's release. We should extend an invitation to her to address this House. Democracy is fragile and she has experience of what can happen when one stands up for democracy and how human rights can be so...

Seanad: Order of Business (3 Jul 2008)

Liam Twomey: You changed what we voted for.

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Jul 2008)

Liam Twomey: It should be the other way around.

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Jul 2008)

Liam Twomey: Yesterday's announcement shows that the decentralisation programme is in disarray. Will the Leader allow a debate on this issue, which is of importance to so many parts of the country? We should not wait for reports from the decentralisation implementation group. It is important that people working in the public service and Civil Service learn what is to happen with regard to...

Seanad: Economic Policy: Statements (9 Jul 2008)

Liam Twomey: The people feel they were sold a pup before the general election 12 months ago. We should ask why this happened. Since 1994, Ireland has had a developing economy and, upon entry to the eurozone, cheap interest drove us further forward. In respect of the construction industry, banks offered 100% mortgages with 30-year contracts. They claimed they did so to make it easier to repay loans but...