Results 261-280 of 891 for speaker:John Minihan

Seanad: Order of Business. (16 Feb 2006)

John Minihan: Senator Bannon might bring some ideas with him to the debate.

Seanad: Order of Business. (16 Feb 2006)

John Minihan: Senator Bannon has lost his way again.

Seanad: Order of Business. (16 Feb 2006)

John Minihan: Senator Finucane was quick enough to blame me for defending the Tánaiste and the Government. He was quick to throw it in that way and misrepresent what I was defending.

Seanad: Order of Business. (16 Feb 2006)

John Minihan: Senator Finucane misrepresented what I intended. He introduced the issue.

Seanad: Order of Business. (16 Feb 2006)

John Minihan: Senator Finucane could not take the point when he was at the receiving end.

Seanad: Order of Business. (16 Feb 2006)

John Minihan: I would welcome a debate on nursing home charges for one reason, namely, to clarify the position and to rebut some of the wild allegations made by the Opposition this morning and in recent days. Compensation should be paid to people who are entitled to it. There is no question about that, as the Government has acknowledged. However, the State should equally defend cases seeking additional...

Seanad: Order of Business. (16 Feb 2006)

John Minihan: ——the Government and taxpayers. If Fine Gael wants to peddle a "compo" culture, let it do so, but it is peddling somebody with a vested interest.

Seanad: Order of Business. (16 Feb 2006)

John Minihan: I make no apology for saying that.

Seanad: Educational Services: Motion. (15 Feb 2006)

John Minihan: I welcome the Minister for Education and Science to the House and I am grateful for the opportunity to speak on this motion. Along with health care, care of the elderly and child care, education is one of the key policy areas that define a society. Decisions made in the area of education have far-reaching and long-lasting affects not only on our economy but on our society. The influence of...

Seanad: Educational Services: Motion. (15 Feb 2006)

John Minihan: We know that well. Perhaps I am being somewhat hard on the Senators. I should thank them for giving me this opportunity to set before the House the record of the Government in a manner that even the most numerically challenged of us will understand.

Seanad: Educational Services: Motion. (15 Feb 2006)

John Minihan: Since 1997, the pupil-teacher ratio has been slashed from 22:1 to 17:1. To achieve this figure, the Government has placed 5,000 extra primary teachers in our schools. Many of these extra teachers have been targeted at pupils with special needs and those from disadvantaged areas to ensure they are getting the extra help they need to reach their potential. The average class size has been...

Seanad: Educational Services: Motion. (15 Feb 2006)

John Minihan: Senator O'Toole should have done his homework before setting down the motion. Then he should have accepted the Government's amendment. There are 1,500 learning support teachers, 1,000 teachers in special schools and more than 600 teachers in special classes——

Seanad: Educational Services: Motion. (15 Feb 2006)

John Minihan: Perhaps the INTO was better off getting rid of Senator O'Toole; it has done so well since he left. There are nearly 6,000 special needs assistants in schools, compared to just 300 in 1998. This progress must be acknowledged, commended and welcomed. Nevertheless, despite this progress, the Government is not resting on its laurels. In the coming years, as the Education for Persons with Special...

Seanad: Mental Health Services: Statements. (9 Feb 2006)

John Minihan: I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I appreciate having these few moments to speak on a topic that is as important to debate as it is complex and difficult. The information provided by the Minister of State and the Department on the prevalence and economic cost of mental illness is quite staggering and truly places today's statements in context. One in four people will have a mental...

Seanad: Order of Business. (9 Feb 2006)

John Minihan: I support Senator Brian Hayes's comments on road safety and hope legislation will be introduced to address the use of mobile phones while driving. When talking about road safety, we must be conscious that the penalty must be of such an extent that it inhibits people from taking the risk. When penalty points were introduced, there was initial nervousness but people quickly decided the risk was...

Seanad: Third Level Education: Statements. (8 Feb 2006)

John Minihan: I welcome the Minister to the House and thank her for her statement. The last time I spoke on this topic, the context was the position of the Irish education system in the top rank of the OECD in terms of both quality and level of participation. The motion before the House on that occasion expressed the view of the House that we were anxious to maintain quality, responsiveness and...

Seanad: Death of Former Member: Expressions of Sympathy. (8 Feb 2006)

John Minihan: On behalf of the Progressive Democrats I join with previous speakers in extending our sympathies to the family of the late Ruairí Brugha. It is difficult to speak of an historical icon whom one did not know but having listened to previous speakers, particularly Senator O'Toole's history lesson on the great contribution of the Brugha family to Irish politics, it is clear Ruairí and his...

Seanad: Order of Business. (8 Feb 2006)

John Minihan: Funding has increased by 17%. As usual, Senator Bannon does not know what he is talking about.

Seanad: Defence Forces Property. (7 Feb 2006)

John Minihan: I would be happy to answer the question for Senator Norris.

Seanad: Airport Development Projects. (7 Feb 2006)

John Minihan: I appreciate the Cathaoirleach's acceptance of this matter on the Adjournment and the attendance of the Minister of State, Deputy Killeen, on behalf of the Minister for Transport, Deputy Cullen, hopefully to clarify the issue. The question tabled is clear as regards whether the Minister intends to honour the previous commitment to leave the Cork Airport Authority debt free, or whether he has...