Results 181-200 of 429 for long speaker:Martin Conway

Seanad: Post Office Network: Motion (26 Apr 2021)

Martin Conway: ...good when compared with international standards. The future of the post office has been debated in the Houses of the Oireachtas and within communities or the media in this country for a long time. Many post offices that had been open and served their communities with distinction are no longer open and were probably not viable. My goal today is to secure what remains of post office...

Seanad: Water Quality: Motion (19 Apr 2021)

Martin Conway: ...I commend my county colleague and friend, Senator Garvey, on tabling one of the most substantial Private Members' motions I have seen. It is very important. I recall when investment was planned a long number of years ago when I started in the House, and the Irish Water model was proposed. People protested in the streets. Paying for water is appropriate if people can afford it because...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Operation of the Medical Card Scheme: Discussion (30 Mar 2021)

Martin Conway: That is fine; I would appreciate if Mr. Flanagan could make it available. I have had a concern for a long time that a percentage of people have medical cards in their possession simply because they are used as a criterion for accessing other services such as school bus transport. I have been concerned that the number of medical cards is inflated to some degree because of that requirement. I...

Seanad: Reports on Department of Health Policy in RTÉ Investigates Programme: Statements (29 Mar 2021)

Martin Conway: ...of the Department of Health to ring the director general of RTÉ to intervene in a programme to be aired that night. I will not say it was inappropriate because he had good reasons for doing so and is a long-standing civil servant. I do not question his motivation. However, it is rather unusual that it would happen. I would like to know why it happened and what was the information...

Seanad: Covid-19 Vaccination Programme: Statements (29 Mar 2021)

Martin Conway: ..., as the Minister knows. Regarding tomorrow's announcement, I will probably go against what has been said by many. I want NPHET and the Government to be conservative in what they reopen. We have gone a long way in tackling this disease. People are being vaccinated and a great job will be done in that regard over the next three months. For the sake of another six to eight weeks, why...

Seanad: Matters Arising from the Withdrawal of the UK from the EU: Statements (29 Mar 2021)

Martin Conway: ...is commendable. He has done this country and Europe enormous service in his calm, sure-footed approach to dealing with a tricky, complex and difficult issue that will, if not done right, have long-term implications for the country. At least we can minimise those implications. I listened to Senator Byrne and others talking about flour.There is a case to be made. It will be an issue...

Seanad: Quality in Public Procurement (Contract Preparation and Award Criteria) Bill 2021: Second Stage (26 Mar 2021)

Martin Conway: The Minister of State is very welcome to the House. I commend Senator Alice Mary Higgins on what is very prudent legislation. For too long procurement has been price driven. The rule of thumb is 15% in terms of quality and 85% in terms of price but that is not reflective of a modern world where we want and deserve quality. I refer to one of the well known examples that is in the public...

Seanad: Covid-19 (Tourism): Statements (22 Mar 2021)

Martin Conway: ...potential benefit there is to the surrounding communities. Whatever happens at the Cliffs of Moher has to complement the other towns and villages in north Clare, not compete with them. For too long, the Cliffs of Moher experience has not lived up to the hope and expectation in terms of driving economic development and visitor numbers in the surrounding towns and villages. That needs to...

Seanad: Local Government (Use of CCTV in Prosecution of Offences) Bill 2021: Second Stage (5 Mar 2021)

Martin Conway: ...the House. I salute his commitment to local government and to reforming this particular area. I also thank the Labour Party and Senator Wall for bringing this very important Bill before the House. For a long time I have said that GDPR is extremely important. The GDPR legislation was brought in for very good reasons but there are times when it has unintended consequences and, in my...

Seanad: Student Nurses (Pay) Bill 2021: Second Stage (19 Feb 2021)

Martin Conway: ...have also gone above and beyond the call of duty in providing essential services. The people who clean the hospitals have an absolutely critical role to play, a role they have been playing for a long time and particularly during this pandemic. The porters have also played a very important role. The whole healthcare community has been elevated significantly in the public's admiration....

Seanad: Special Education Provision: Statements (8 Feb 2021)

Martin Conway: ...has been fantastic. On occasion, I have asked her to meet groups and she has readily and willingly met them. The engagement has been proactive and substantial and very productive. We have come a long way in terms of special education in this country. It has been very regrettable that children who require the supports have not been able to access them for significant chunks of the last...

Seanad: Free Provision of Period Products Bill 2021: Second Stage (8 Feb 2021)

Martin Conway: I welcome the Bill to the House and commend Senator Clifford-Lee on tabling it. As a matter of fact, it was not long after the Senator was elected to the House in 2017 that she spoke on this issue and highlighted it. It is good to see that Bills are finally coming to the House on such an important issue. The motions that came before the Seanad and the Dáil in 2019 set the agenda. In...

Seanad: Covid-19 Vaccination Programme: Statements (26 Jan 2021)

Martin Conway: ...journey for everyone. Families that have lost loved ones are grieving, but they have not been able to grieve in the traditional and appropriate way. People who have got sick with Covid, some with long-term Covid, have had an horrendous time. People who have lost their jobs and are now in receipt of the pandemic unemployment payment, PUP, because of the disease have also been through an...

Seanad: Report of the Mother and Baby Homes Commission of Investigation: Statements (Resumed) (26 Jan 2021)

Martin Conway: ...not responsible for what future politicians might do, but they are responsible for what is done now. This situation must be dealt with now. It needs to be dealt with, not in the medium-term future or in the long-term future, but in the short-term future. There are 22 recommendations in the report which the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, discussed with the survivors on the webinar. Those 22...

Seanad: Commencement of Irish Sign Language Act 2017: Statements (15 Dec 2020)

Martin Conway: ...President signed the legislation into law. As far as I am concerned, it was probably one of the most important pieces of legislation we ever put through this House. One might say three years is a long time to commence it but, when one looks at many pieces of legislation that we have had in this country and the length of time it has taken to commence legislation, 36 months is not bad....

Seanad: Access to Contraception: Motion (15 Dec 2020)

Martin Conway: ...and human nature. Therefore, this is where the State, which is supposed to be there to protect people, should intervene and should be there to facilitate what is extremely important. We have come a long way and the referendum on the eighth amendment reflects this. It was an amazing step forward in how people treat other people and how society treats women who find themselves in a...

Seanad: Central Mental Hospital (Relocation) Bill 2020: Second Stage (14 Dec 2020)

Martin Conway: ...transferring the Central Mental Hospital into the national forensic mental health campus, which one hopes is a centre of excellence, where people will receive the type of supports they need.For too long, we have heard about the negatives in the health services in this country, although more recently, there has been a more balanced discourse in that regard. This development has been...

Seanad: Technological Universities Agenda: Statements (2 Dec 2020)

Martin Conway: I listened with great interest, as I always do, to our long-established and learned colleague, Senator Burke. I often think about what would happen if I lost my seat. The Houses of the Oireachtas have a duty of care to people who have given good service but through no fault of their own are not re-elected. There should be a significant retraining and education programme to assist those...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Water and Sewerage Schemes (26 Nov 2020)

Martin Conway: ...of Doolin deserve an upgraded sewerage system. Cooraclare is a village just off the Wild Atlantic Way. Thousands of people travel through it and people live there. Again, they have waited long enough for a sewerage system and an upgraded wastewater facility. They deserve it. Similarly, Carrigaholt is part of our tourism offering in County Clare. It is a super facility and area and...

Seanad: Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2020: Second Stage (24 Nov 2020)

Martin Conway: ...insurance. We in this country can stand over our health insurance system in a way in which those in the United States of America and other countries cannot. We ensure that vulnerable people with long-term illnesses, challenging conditions and lifelong disabilities are not ripped off when they purchase health insurance and have access to the same quality healthcare as everybody else. I...