Results 1,841-1,860 of 11,444 for speaker:Ivana Bacik

Seanad: Order of Business (8 Jun 2011)

Ivana Bacik: I do not think it is appropriate to make a joke about it, Senator Mullen.

Seanad: Biological Weapons Bill 2010: Second Stage (8 Jun 2011)

Ivana Bacik: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy O'Sullivan, on her first visit to the House as Minister and congratulate her on her portfolio of trade development at which I know she will be excellent. I am very pleased she has that portfolio. I welcome the opportunity to debate this Bill which started life as a Bill introduced by the previous Government but which, when it came before the Dáil in...

Seanad: Biological Weapons Bill 2010: Second Stage (8 Jun 2011)

Ivana Bacik: Precisely, Hiroshima and Nagasaki. We are more familiar with that because that was on such a bigger scale. That is not something that has been entirely left behind. The Minister pointed out that no state admits to having or developing biological weapons. No state acknowledges it posses such weapons or that it has a programme to develop them. There is no doubt that the international...

Seanad: Water Charges: Motion (8 Jun 2011)

Ivana Bacik: I wish to share my time Senator Michael Mullins.

Seanad: Water Charges: Motion (8 Jun 2011)

Ivana Bacik: I welcome the Minister of State. This is his first time here. I am glad to have an opportunity to speak to the motion and to follow my colleague, Senator Diarmuid Whelan, who led for the Labour Party. He gave a very clear account of the need for a metered system of water charging. As the Minister, Deputy Hogan, said, it is somewhat ironic to be lectured by Fianna Fáil about water charges....

Seanad: Water Charges: Motion (8 Jun 2011)

Ivana Bacik: The programme for Government states: To achieve better quality water and environment we will introduce a fair funding model to deliver clean and reliable water. [We are all agreed on that need, certainly with the difficulties we have had.] We will first establish a new State owned water utility company [The Minister spoke about that.] to take over responsibility from the separate local...

Seanad: Water Charges: Motion (8 Jun 2011)

Ivana Bacik: Metered water charges.

Seanad: Water Charges: Motion (8 Jun 2011)

Ivana Bacik: It is. I have a copy of it here.

Seanad: Water Charges: Motion (8 Jun 2011)

Ivana Bacik: Re-read the small print.

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Jun 2011)

Ivana Bacik: The Minister for Social Protection will be in the House in two weeks time to discuss a major Bill. I join Senator O'Brien in expressing sympathy to the family of the man shot dead in Clondalkin. It is sad to see in one week two such murders being committed in Dublin. I welcome very much the all party motion, initiated by Senator John Crown, on Bahrain. It is most appropriate that the...

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Jun 2011)

Ivana Bacik: I am not, I am simply giving an answer. I look forward to Senator Mullen's support for any other measures that might be taken to ensure that we do not subscribe to views that are offensive to members of any other religion. For example, the fact that we have a Christian prayer at the start of business in the Seanad and in the Dáil could be seen as problematic for Members of other religions...

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Jun 2011)

Ivana Bacik: That would not take a constitutional amendment, but I would certainly agree with a constitutional amendment on the offence of blasphemy, which is another matter that we have debated at length in the House.

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Jun 2011)

Ivana Bacik: I add my voice to that of Senator Darragh O'Brien in offering condolences to the family of the late Deputy Brian Lenihan. We were all immensely shocked by his untimely death on Friday. Every Member of the House will wish to offer condolences to his family - his wife, Patricia, and his children, Claire and Tom. Those of us who were Members of the previous Seanad will recall the night of the...

Seanad: Offences against the State (Amendment) Act 1998: Motion (14 Jun 2011)

Ivana Bacik: I welcome the Minister to the House and offer the support of the Labour Party for this motion. I should declare, as I have in previous years when we debated this issue, my own interest as a practitioner who has worked in the Special Criminal Court and used some of these provisions there. I spoke in the past as a Member who, while not on the Government side, supported the motion, although...

Seanad: Death of Former Minister: Expressions of Sympathy (15 Jun 2011)

Ivana Bacik: I am glad also to have the opportunity to join in the tributes to the late Deputy Brian Lenihan, on behalf of the Labour Party and on my own behalf because I knew him personally. He will be sorely missed in a number of capacities. We focus here, I suppose, on his life as a politician, but he had a very successful and eminent career otherwise, and that should not be forgotten. He was a...

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Jun 2011)

Ivana Bacik: I, too, welcome the allocation of three hours for the Second Stage debate on the Finance (No. 2) Bill 2011 and the Leader's indication that we will have an opportunity to raise several issues with the Minister. One of the issues we must discuss is how to fund the jobs initiative. I welcome Senator Darragh O'Brien's indication that the Opposition supports the initiative.

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Jun 2011)

Ivana Bacik: The Senator indicated he supported the concept behind it.

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Jun 2011)

Ivana Bacik: He also referred to the changes to the rate of VAT and the travel tax. We must all bear in mind that the Government is between a rock and a hard place in terms of the IMF-EU deal. It is a real difficulty. We need to debate the basis upon which we will fund an initiative, but it is clear that such an initiative is needed and that it is very difficult to identify a source of funding, given...

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Jun 2011)

Ivana Bacik: I will speak with the Senator. However, the issue deserves a fuller debate. The Minister has pointed out that the IMF-EU deal requires a reduction in the numbers of gardaí. We must examine how best that can be achieved. I welcome the announcement today that an investigation will be held into the treatment of women and girls in Magdalene laundries. The establishment of an...

Seanad: Criminal Justice (Female Genital Mutilation) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (15 Jun 2011)

Ivana Bacik: I reiterate my thanks to Amnesty International and Ms Maria McDonald for supplying us with the opinion. I believe the requirement in section 4(1)(c), that an offence would constitute an offence in the place in which it is done, would benefit re-examination before going to the Dáil. As stated by Senator Colm Burke, this is not the case in British or Scottish legislation. I have also raised...