Results 1,881-1,900 of 4,787 for speaker:Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

Seanad: Intoxicating Liquor (Amendment) Bill 2017: Second Stage (12 Apr 2017)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: The Labour Party and I support the Bill, but before our friends in the Gallery from the vintners association get too excited I wish to state on the record I am not a fan of it or what it does. Its influence over Irish politics is far too powerful, and its opposition to the injecting centre proposal is at best misguided and at worst miserable. We have an obsession with alcohol in this...

Seanad: Intoxicating Liquor (Amendment) Bill 2017: Second Stage (12 Apr 2017)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: People in my family feel very strongly about what they consume with regard to food on Good Friday and Ash Wednesday. It is something they do because of their strong religious beliefs. I will not belittle anybody. In fact, I was very impressed by Senator Joe O'Reilly's speech. Despite the fact he was interrupted by number of people in the Chamber, I am quite impressed that somebody would...

Seanad: Intoxicating Liquor (Amendment) Bill 2017: Second Stage (12 Apr 2017)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: I do not in any way diminish the issues we have with alcohol in this country, which are killing us. On the republican basis of separation of church and state, this is something we must support.

Seanad: Intoxicating Liquor (Amendment) Bill 2017: Second Stage (12 Apr 2017)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: Hear hear.

Seanad: Intoxicating Liquor (Amendment) Bill 2017: Second Stage (12 Apr 2017)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: It is about choice on Good Friday.

Seanad: Heritage Bill 2016: Report and Final Stages (13 Apr 2017)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: I second that.

Seanad: Misuse of Drugs (Supervised Injecting Facilities) Bill 2016: Committee and Remaining Stages (10 May 2017)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: I want to put on record what a wonderful moment it is in our Oireachtas to finally pass this Bill. I acknowledge the members of the Ana Liffey Drug Project who are in the Visitors Gallery. They have been working over a number of years to make this day a reality. I thank the Minister of State for taking this on and for bringing it to today's point at which it will finally pass and become...

Seanad: Gender Recognition (Amendment) Bill 2017: Second Stage (10 May 2017)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: I welcome the Minister to the House. It is great to have him here in his current capacity. Given what his next capacity might be, it is good to have an opportunity to air our opinions with him. I acknowledge the presence of various campaigners, including representatives of Transgender Equality Network Ireland, in the Gallery. It was interesting to listen to the comments of Senator Butler...

Seanad: Gender Recognition (Amendment) Bill 2017: Second Stage (10 May 2017)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: I am quite sure he was on the receiving end of some very tough talk. The point is that we always assume we are getting more progressive, things will always get better, we will always be more progressive and enlightened and that legislation will always become more liberal. That is not always the case. We have to be very mindful of that. I again congratulate Senator Humphreys and Deputy...

Seanad: Gender Recognition (Amendment) Bill 2017: Second Stage (10 May 2017)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: I congratulate the members of the committee who were willing to have their perspectives on this changed and go with the Bill as it was. I thank Members of the House who were open-minded enough to meet the representatives and organisations and support the Bill. None of us can in any way be complacent about this agenda - I know Senator Warfield is not. While we congratulate ourselves on how...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Fire Safety Regulations (16 May 2017)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Eoghan Murphy, to the House to discuss an important concern which he shares with me. Many public representatives are concerned we are living in a city full of what are in effect tinder boxes and that fire regulations need to be strengthened or reflected upon. The fire safety of buildings constructed in the past 20 years is raising much concern for...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Fire Safety Regulations (16 May 2017)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: I have with me a response to a parliamentary question tabled by Deputy Clare Daly on 22 June 2016. It is disappointing that the Minister of State's response is effectively a cut-and-paste job from that. In fact, I was flicking through it and I could read, word for word and sentence for sentence, the reply given by the Department to the Minister of State to be read in the Seanad today. It...

Seanad: Order of Business (16 May 2017)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: Go raibh maith agat. I seek leave to amend the Order of Business to table the Order for Second Stage for the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (Gender Pay Gap Information) Bill 2017. I raise with the Leader the issue of the ongoing Garda controversy and question marks over the tenure of the Garda Commissioner, senior Garda management and the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice...

Seanad: Order of Business (16 May 2017)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: Yes.

Seanad: Order of Business (16 May 2017)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: They love bombing.

Seanad: Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (Gender Pay Gap Information) Bill 2017: First Stage (16 May 2017)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: I move:That leave be granted to introduce a Bill entitled an Act to require certain employers to publish information relating to the pay of employees for the purpose of showing whether there are differences in the pay of male and female employees and, if so, the nature and scale of such differences; for that purpose to amend the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission Act 2014; and to...

Seanad: Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (Gender Pay Gap Information) Bill 2017: First Stage (16 May 2017)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: Next Tuesday.

Seanad: Migrant Integration Strategy: Statements (16 May 2017)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: I welcome the Minister of State. The Immigrant Council of Ireland has welcomed the strategy but the Migrant Rights Centre Ireland has effectively rejected it on the basis that it does not involve enough time-sensitive elements and needs to be more concrete in the context of what is trying to be achieved. I agree with what many other Senators said on integration and immigration issues....

Seanad: Order of Business (23 May 2017)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: I had intended to raise a separate issue but most Members of the House would agree that everything is overshadowed by the events in Manchester. Like other Members I ask you, a Chathaoirligh, to express the Seanad's condolences with the people of Britain, the Prime Minister, Ms Theresa May, and the newly-elected Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham. It is difficult to come to terms with...

Seanad: Order of Business (23 May 2017)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: Who is the new Minister for Justice?