Results 2,661-2,680 of 2,735 for speaker:Marie Louise O'Donnell

Seanad: Report of Tribunal of Inquiry into Certain Planning Matters and Payments: Statements (24 Apr 2012)

Marie Louise O'Donnell: Is this a case of "one in, one out" where a Senator leaves the Chamber every time another joins us?

Seanad: Report of Tribunal of Inquiry into Certain Planning Matters and Payments: Statements (24 Apr 2012)

Marie Louise O'Donnell: I did not want to interrupt Senator Susan O'Keeffe's speech since it was one of the best contributions to this debate. The House should be full for debates of this nature, given the seriousness of the matter under discussion.

Seanad: Report of Tribunal of Inquiry into Certain Planning Matters and Payments: Statements (24 Apr 2012)

Marie Louise O'Donnell: The Acting Chairman may use whatever title she wishes to describe my point.

Seanad: Report of Tribunal of Inquiry into Certain Planning Matters and Payments: Statements (24 Apr 2012)

Marie Louise O'Donnell: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Report of Tribunal of Inquiry into Certain Planning Matters and Payments: Statements (24 Apr 2012)

Marie Louise O'Donnell: It is a disgrace.

Seanad: Report of Tribunal of Inquiry into Certain Planning Matters and Payments: Statements (24 Apr 2012)

Marie Louise O'Donnell: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Sale of State Assets: Statements, Questions and Answers (19 Apr 2012)

Marie Louise O'Donnell: The Minister has rightly said there are no soft and easy options when selling off State assets. The soft and easy and runaway options were given to the banks. The reason we are discussing selling off State assets is because of the incompetence, greed and uselessness of the banks. The most important State asset after water - the Minister is right - is forestry. We cannot live without...

Seanad: Sale of State Assets: Statements, Questions and Answers (19 Apr 2012)

Marie Louise O'Donnell: The Senator is giving him ideas on how to save money.

Seanad: Order of Business (18 Apr 2012)

Marie Louise O'Donnell: I ask the Leader to invite the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Howlin, to attend the House to explain why he intends to sell the national lottery. It is a bad decision. The sale of the national lottery is a high price to pay for a front-loading of €500 million. The national lottery supports arts and sports projects which are very much a part of Irish society. Some of...

Seanad: Order of Business (7 Mar 2012)

Marie Louise O'Donnell: I draw the Seanad's attention to an article by Eilish O'Regan, the health correspondent of the Irish Independent, written on Tuesday, 6 March entitled "Probe into top-ups for €150,000 charity chiefs". I mention it because I call on the Leader to hold a debate on the charities sector, which gets €1.5 billion in State funding. There is an urgent need for the Government to outline plans to...

Seanad: Order of Business (1 Mar 2012)

Marie Louise O'Donnell: Why did the Government led by the Deputy's party not take suitable action in 2008?

Seanad: Order of Business (1 Mar 2012)

Marie Louise O'Donnell: On a point of order, the Senator will not secure much consensus using that type of language.

Seanad: Order of Business (1 Mar 2012)

Marie Louise O'Donnell: What is the Senator talking about?

Seanad: Child Abuse: Motion (29 Feb 2012)

Marie Louise O'Donnell: I second the motion. I thank the Minister for coming to the House. Images of children on the web being abused or in the act of abuse are real, plentiful and profoundly evil. They harm and destroy the children concerned for life. According to Interpol, 4% of these children are under two years, 20% are between three and six years, 45% are between seven and ten, and 30% are between 11 and 15...

Seanad: Priorities in Foreign Affairs: Statements (2 Feb 2012)

Marie Louise O'Donnell: I welcome the Tánaiste to the House. I am privileged to address the House in his presence. My comments might be a little difficult. I have recently returned from Taiwan, which is an island of democracy in a sea of dictatorship. Taiwan, which has a population of 23 million, is one of the four tigers of east Asia, the others being Singapore, South Korea and Shanghai. However, we do not...

Seanad: Services for People with Disabilities: Motion (25 Jan 2012)

Marie Louise O'Donnell: I am very pleased to second the motion proposed by my colleague, Senator O'Brien. The motion recognises the need to protect and maintain disability services. We need to do this in order to enhance the participation and inclusion of people with disabilities in Ireland. I will speak in particular on two elements of the motion, the first being the Lunacy Regulation Act 1871. It is astounding...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2011: Second Stage (13 Dec 2011)

Marie Louise O'Donnell: Exactly, centralise the means test.

Seanad: Order of Business (8 Dec 2011)

Marie Louise O'Donnell: I congratulate Senator Thomas Byrne. I think he is extraordinary. The members of the Fianna Fáil Party have become psychotherapists, turning around everything the Government got wrong. They did not turn anything. Backbenchers and outsiders turned things.

Seanad: Order of Business (8 Dec 2011)

Marie Louise O'Donnell: On the question of the Seanad, it is entirely pointless for Members to be talking in the conditional tense, what could or should have been. We should be talking in the present and future tenses. When I was appointed to the Seanad I said initially that we could be an epilogue or a prologue. It is not up to anybody else to tell us whether we are going to be an epilogue or a prologue. It is...

Seanad: Order of Business (6 Dec 2011)

Marie Louise O'Donnell: I would point out to Senator Daly that it ill-behoves him to be talking to me about democracy. I can tell you, with respect and affection, that I will not listen to it. Our democratic structures were levelled in 2008 when your leader was in a room signing our lives away.