Results 261-280 of 468 for speaker:Liam Fitzgerald

Seanad: Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Bill 2003: Second Stage. (23 Jun 2004)

Liam Fitzgerald: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Brian Lenihan. This significant Bill is very welcome. Following its publication, the Bill was debated at length among various organisations, at the Joint Committee on Education and Science and during its passage in the Dáil. One of the greatest challenges to our education system down through the years and in recent times is the inability to respond to...

Seanad: Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Bill 2003: Second Stage. (23 Jun 2004)

Liam Fitzgerald: There is a determination, and this is very evident in the past number of years, to bring this service to the centre and to the heart of the education service in general. It was very much on the periphery. It was the case of a nod and a wink and a sometimes best forgotten service. Now it is being brought rapidly to the centre of the education service and that is to be greatly welcomed. In...

Seanad: Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Bill 2003: Second Stage. (23 Jun 2004)

Liam Fitzgerald: There are individual disparities, difficulties and imbalances within that service but overall that has been the thrust of this development. I pay tribute to two groups which made a significant contribution to promoting awareness of children with special needs and disabilities, to asserting their right to equal treatment and to realising their potential. Enabling children with special needs to...

Seanad: Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Bill 2003: Second Stage. (23 Jun 2004)

Liam Fitzgerald: People may be irritated by the term "revolutionary".

Seanad: Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Bill 2003: Second Stage. (23 Jun 2004)

Liam Fitzgerald: People will have plenty of time to articulate their irritation as will Senator O'Toole following my very humble contribution.

Seanad: Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Bill 2003: Second Stage. (23 Jun 2004)

Liam Fitzgerald: I am sure Senator O'Toole will find it——

Seanad: Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Bill 2003: Second Stage. (23 Jun 2004)

Liam Fitzgerald: ——more than satisfactory to articulate that irritation.

Seanad: Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Bill 2003: Second Stage. (23 Jun 2004)

Liam Fitzgerald: Since I first witnessed or commented on legislation in this House in 1981, I have not seen such a fundamental shift with regard to commitment to resources to fund the services proposed in a Bill——

Seanad: Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Bill 2003: Second Stage. (23 Jun 2004)

Liam Fitzgerald: ——as defined in section 13 of this Bill. The new section 13 in the amended Bill imposes a statutory onus on the Minister for Education and Science, the Minister for Health and Children and the Minister for Finance——

Seanad: Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Bill 2003: Second Stage. (23 Jun 2004)

Liam Fitzgerald: The truth sometimes hurts.

Seanad: Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Bill 2003: Second Stage. (23 Jun 2004)

Liam Fitzgerald: Some irritation or hurt is causing this disturbance and unrest among the Opposition. I beg the Leas-Chathaoirleach for protection to make my humble contribution and disabuse the Opposition of some misguided notions on this.

Seanad: Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Bill 2003: Second Stage. (23 Jun 2004)

Liam Fitzgerald: This legislation imposes a statutory onus on the Minister for Education and Science, the Minister for Health and Children and the Minister for Finance to have regard to the constitutional imperative. This has always existed under Article 42 of the Constitution. There is now a statutory onus on these Ministers to have regard to that and to provide for the educational needs of all children....

Seanad: Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Bill 2003: Second Stage. (23 Jun 2004)

Liam Fitzgerald: The range of services for which the Bill provides is no longer aspirational. Most Bills, except those from the Department of Finance, contain a list of aspirations, which is good because they are the principles espoused by the Bill but the services are defined or set down within the Bill in a committed but aspirational form. That aspirational dimension is set aside here.

Seanad: Order of Business. (27 May 2004)

Liam Fitzgerald: Regarding the issue raised by Senator Brian Hayes, my understanding is that the CAO refused information to the newspapers because of a concern that it would be in breach of the Data Protection Act. Such information has been used in the past for the type of crude league tables we are trying to guard against. I am surprised that Senator Brian Hayes appears to be enthusiastically supporting the...

Seanad: Order of Business. (27 May 2004)

Liam Fitzgerald: Notwithstanding the fact that this dispute does not involve the Minister for Education and Science, we would all welcome him to the House as soon as possible to outline his proposals for the release of more holistic information to parents and students.

Seanad: Order of Business. (26 May 2004)

Liam Fitzgerald: I support calls for a debate on whole school assessment for a number of reasons, mainly the ongoing media publication of selective information about the performance of schools which is the most damaging development in this area. A recent court decision, to which previous speakers referred, is a further reason to have a debate. I understand 19 pilot projects are under way in this area, mainly...

Seanad: Public Finances: Motion. (12 May 2004)

Liam Fitzgerald: I second the motion and am delighted to do so, despite what Senator Brian Hayes said this morning about Fianna Fáil having a brass neck. While we would love to hear an alternative set of economic policies, the amendment indicates Fine Gael members are living in a fairyland. The dustbin would be the best place for it as it contains very little, if any, economic logic. There is no serious...

Seanad: Public Finances: Motion. (12 May 2004)

Liam Fitzgerald: We have been out all year.

Seanad: Twenty-seventh Amendment of the Constitution Bill 2004: Second Stage (Resumed). (30 Apr 2004)

Liam Fitzgerald: I wish to share my time with Senator Leyden. I welcome the Minister to the House. I do not have the great problems with the Minister's timing of this referendum that others seem to have. I believe the core issue is extremely simple: there is an abuse of our Constitution and our citizenship laws. The people either decide to hand that matter back to the Oireachtas or they decide not to. That is...

Seanad: Twenty-seventh Amendment of the Constitution Bill 2004: Second Stage (Resumed). (30 Apr 2004)

Liam Fitzgerald: If there was ever a case for holding a referendum alongside other elections, this is it. The issue is simple but important and by holding the referendum alongside local and European elections, we will maximise turnout. After all, increasing participation in the democratic process is the reason the local elections are being held alongside the European elections. A low turnout, following a...