Results 26,621-26,640 of 26,792 for speaker:David Cullinane

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (21 Jul 2011)

David Cullinane: There is no glass ceiling in here.

Seanad: Electoral Amendment Bill 2011: Committee Stage (Resumed) (21 Jul 2011)

David Cullinane: I concur with everything Senator Barrett said. As I noted on Second Stage, when one reflects for a moment on what took place in this State over the past five years one finds that the failure of the political and regulatory systems to rein in the banks and properly scrutinise developments in the economy resulted in the collapse of the public finances and the bail out of the State by the...

Seanad: Electoral Amendment Bill 2011: Committee Stage (Resumed) (21 Jul 2011)

David Cullinane: I intended to speak on amendment No. 13 when discussing the section but it has been mentioned-----

Seanad: Electoral Amendment Bill 2011: Committee Stage (Resumed) (21 Jul 2011)

David Cullinane: I make no apology to Senator Mooney for not being straitjacketed by the very narrow confines of this Bill. There is a need to ensure that the Government is not let off the hook in terms of the bigger political reform issues that must be discussed. For many years I watched the operation of the political system from the outside as a local councillor and saw the Senator's party talk a great...

Seanad: Electoral Amendment Bill 2011: Committee Stage (21 Jul 2011)

David Cullinane: I move amendment No. 1: In page 3, before section 2, to insert the following new section: "2.—In this Act "Act of 2002" means the Electoral (Amendment) Act 2002.". I welcome the Minister of State to the House. This is a technical amendment but I would like to raise a number of issues. I referred on Second Stage to the need for genuine political reform and said that my party would support...

Seanad: Order of Business (21 Jul 2011)

David Cullinane: I commend the Leader on the new question-and-answer format introduced yesterday for the debate on agriculture and fisheries. Although it could benefit from some tweaking, it was a worthwhile exercise both for Members and for the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Deputy Simon Coveney. My party is supportive of the new format and I hope it will be incorporated into future debates....

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2011: Second Stage (20 Jul 2011)

David Cullinane: I wish to call a quorum. Notice taken that 12 were not present; House counted and 12 Members being present,

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2011: Second Stage (20 Jul 2011)

David Cullinane: I welcome the Minister to the House and I acknowledge that the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government attended the Chamber on a number of occasions when issues concerning his portfolio were being debated. That is important and should be welcomed. I look forward to the support of the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government for the Waterford...

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2011: Second Stage (20 Jul 2011)

David Cullinane: We must ask ourselves whether the reforms we intend to implement are designed to make institutions more democratic and inclusive, to make sure we have better representation, to ensure we have more women in elected positions and in power and to make sure we have effective governance. Effective governance is the most important point. Considering the economic crisis that has been building up...

Seanad: Order of Business (20 Jul 2011)

David Cullinane: I congratulate Senator Ó Clochartaigh and his wife on their new arrival. I concur with previous speakers in respect of the calls that gave been made consistently for both the Minister for Health and the Minister for Finance to come into this Chamber. We will be shortly going into recess but I hope the Leader of the House would reflect on the demands that have been made by Members from...

Seanad: Residential Institutions (Redress) Bill 2011: Second Stage (19 Jul 2011)

David Cullinane: I welcome the Minister to the House. I supported most of the legislation that has come before the House from the Government. I would have had concerns about some aspects of those Bills, the Medical Practitioners Bill being one example, but I saw it as a means to an end and supported it. I cannot support this Bill, however, on the grounds that there are many people in this State who are...

Seanad: Residential Institutions Redress (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (19 Jul 2011)

David Cullinane: I move amendment No. 1: In page 3, line 15, to delete "17 September 2011" and substitute "17 September 2013". I oppose the deadline of 17 September. It should in no way be seen as my view or that of my party that the Minister and the Government are trying to sweep this issue under the carpet. They have been forthright in ensuring that child abuse issues are properly dealt with. We do not...

Seanad: Residential Institutions Redress (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (19 Jul 2011)

David Cullinane: I move amendment No. 2: In page 3, line 19, to delete "17 September 2011" and substitute "17 September 2013".

Seanad: Residential Institutions Redress (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (19 Jul 2011)

David Cullinane: Votáil.

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Jul 2011)

David Cullinane: I second the amendment proposed by Senator Norris. I wish to record the opposition of the Sinn Féin Party to any motion from the CPP as long as Sinn Féin is prevented from having group status. We are not against the substance of the two motions but as a matter of protest, we will stand against them. Does the Leader agree that the comments from the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy...

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Jul 2011)

David Cullinane: Does the Leader agree with me that this was a spineless attack on some of the most vulnerable people in this State and that people do not make those lifestyle choices? Does he, or anybody else in this Chamber, believe that people in their own counties make those lifestyle choices? I do not believe that is the case. The issue of long-term unemployment is complex and should not be trivialised...

Seanad: A Vision for Change: Statements (Resumed) (14 Jul 2011)

David Cullinane: Like previous speakers I welcome the Minister of State to the House. Like Senator Darragh O'Brien, who said that the Fianna Fáil Party would give the Minister of State its full support, Sinn Féin will also give her its full support on this issue. We all need to unite on issues such as this to ensure they are not used as political footballs and that we work together instead to ensure the...

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Jul 2011)

David Cullinane: I support the call for this House to have a debate on the Cloyne report and its implications. I agree with Senator Norris that such a debate should be conducted in a calm and forensic way. He is absolutely correct in this regard. Many issues are at play because this report brings one up to 2009, which constitutes a shocking indictment of the Catholic Church. Given what has gone before and...

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Jul 2011)

David Cullinane: I will conclude on this point as I have a question for the Leader. The Minister for Finance conceded that the total profit that will be made by the European Central Bank and the IMF will be €14 billion. This illustrates the extent of the problem with which we must now grapple and the cuts for this year alone may exceed the original forecast of €4 billion. Senator Darragh O'Brien spoke...

Seanad: Hospital Services (13 Jul 2011)

David Cullinane: I welcome the Minister of State at the Department of Health, Deputy Kathleen Lynch. The previous Government made an explicit commitment to provide an oncology unit on the grounds of Waterford Regional Hospital. In 2007, the former Taoiseach, Mr. Bertie Ahern, and former Minister from Waterford, Mr. Martin Cullen, made an unequivocal statement to this effect to the people of Waterford. The...