Results 3,101-3,120 of 8,984 for speaker:Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Situation in Palestine: Discussion (10 May 2018)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: The discussion about the two-state solution was a good opportunity for us. On the basis of the Oslo Accords everyone in Europe subscribed to the two-state solution and the idea of the Palestinian people having their own state, limited as it is. I was in the occupied territories some years back. A presentation was made by an eminent professor. He demonstrated to us the nature of the...

Seanad: Report on Credit Union Sector: Statements (9 May 2018)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: Like all Oireachtas Members, I receive an invitation every year to engage with the Irish League of Credit Unions and listen to its key priorities. For a number of years, I have been perplexed as to why its eagerness and willingness to contribute to a house building programme in the State has not been addressed and facilitated. It wants to play a substantial role in that and has substantial...

Seanad: Local Government Accountability Bill 2018: Second Stage (9 May 2018)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: Councillors are one of the most crucial elements of this democracy. They have in-depth knowledge of a particular local area, its community, infrastructure and vitality as a part of wider society. The work we do in this House is largely focused on national issues, while their focus is largely local. While that is the way it should be, many issues such as housing, health, the provision of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Fodder Shortage Risk Management Measures: Discussion (8 May 2018)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: There has to be a degree of honesty in our assessment. The pillar banks that are represented before us are in the business of making a profit for their shareholders. That is what they do; it is the task staff are given by management and shareholders. The difficulty as I see it is the framework and infrastructure provided by the Government for farmers. A range of sectors have been...

Seanad: Order of Business (3 May 2018)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: As all Senators will know, my home peninsula, Inishowen, was devastated by floods last August. The village of Burnfoot was particularly devastated. Journalists from RTÉ and the rest of the national media were based in that village for two days. They told the story of the families. In one council estate, Grianan Park, which is a lovely little community, half of the residents were out...

Seanad: Order of Business (3 May 2018)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: Lord Feighan.

Seanad: Order of Business (3 May 2018)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: No, Lord Boyle.

Seanad: Address to Seanad Éireann by Commissioner Phil Hogan (26 Apr 2018)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: Last week, the Seanad debated Brexit and the North in the presence of the Tánaiste, where we had an opportunity to put across our concerns. I do not believe I need to say it to the Commissioner, but Europe must defend the Good Friday Agreement. It is an international agreement which protects our peace process and our island. One of the elements underpinning our peace process is the...

Seanad: Forestry Sector: Statements (25 Apr 2018)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: The planting of large areas of land with trees driven by grant aid and annual payments to landowners has to be examined for its overall impact on communities and long-term impact on the land and the environment. Most of the forests in Ireland are planted on marginal land in areas of the west and north west, where heavier soils and wetter climate limit profitable agricultural options. Many...

Seanad: Order of Business (24 Apr 2018)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: I apologise, as I have just become aware of the serious issue that I wish to raise. However, it is urgent. It relates to incontinence nappies for children and adults with disabilities. My office and the offices of other colleagues are being called about problems with deliveries across the State. The parents and loved ones of those affected are being promised time and again that their...

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Apr 2018)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: In recent days, the Irish Examinercarried a feature on some of the most enjoyable walks in Ireland. Second on their list was Swan Park, Buncrana, County Donegal. Eight months ago, that riverside park was destroyed by the floods in the Inishowen Peninsula. I have raised this repeatedly in this room. This is a major tourism amenity in the second largest town in Donegal. I do not know...

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Apr 2018)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: Ah, now.

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Apr 2018)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: Lies, damn lies and statistics.

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Apr 2018)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: The Leader is not comparing like with like in terms of investment in our public health system.

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Apr 2018)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: The Leader is better than that.

Seanad: Northern Ireland and 20th Anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement: Statements (18 Apr 2018)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: We will take three and a half to four minutes each.

Seanad: Northern Ireland and 20th Anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement: Statements (18 Apr 2018)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: I will pick up where Senator Richmond concluded. As somebody from Buncrana, my peninsula of Inishowen is intrinsically linked to Derry city. It is our city, and the difference between the way it was during my childhood and what it is today is absolutely incredible. Hearing Brexiteers in England, some of them senior politicians, talking about the Good Friday Agreement being dismantled is...

Seanad: Fodder Shortage: Motion (18 Apr 2018)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: Sinn Fein welcomes the motion. With regard to the analysis of how we got to this point I cannot see how anyone could argue with the wording of the motion. I also cannot see how anyone could argue with the solutions proposed. They are completely in keeping with what the farming organisations and the farmers, as representatives across rural Ireland, are telling us. We could not see anything...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Job Creation (29 Mar 2018)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: In recent years, I have had submitted to the Minister and her predecessor a number of parliamentary questions to try to understand foreign direct investment, FDI, and IDA-supported jobs in Donegal. In July 1999, County Donegal had lost more than 1,000 jobs in the textile industry. Companies such as Fruit of the Loom, which was a significant employer, was on the verge of leaving the county...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Job Creation (29 Mar 2018)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: As I anticipated, we now need to get to the core of the issue. That is the reason I had those questions tabled and why I am probing the issue. Pramerica is a fantastic story in Donegal. It employs more than 1,500 jobs and has local Donegal leadership. I was at the launch of the fantastic new building, known as the Rock. It is a great story but it is not enough. Why are we not building...