Results 3,401-3,420 of 3,623 for speaker:Ulick Burke

Seanad: Order of Business. (4 Mar 2003)

Ulick Burke: Will the Leader of the House request her successor, the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, to come into the House and assure us that Eircom will guarantee equal access for all to affordable line provision? That Eircom has broken the conditions of its licence means that many in certain parts of the country will not have affordable access to line provision. Given that it...

Seanad: Order of Business. (4 Mar 2003)

Ulick Burke: Is this a Fianna Fáil parliamentary party meeting?

Seanad: Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill 2003: Second Stage (Resumed). (4 Mar 2003)

Ulick Burke: Did he achieve that?

Seanad: Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill 2003: Second Stage (Resumed). (4 Mar 2003)

Ulick Burke: Spare us tonight.

Seanad: Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill 2003: Second Stage (Resumed). (4 Mar 2003)

Ulick Burke: I wonder what it will take to elicit a further response from the Government side of the House? We have had three Fianna Fáil contributions and two from the Progressive Democrats. Senator Mansergh for Fianna Fáil expressed many reservations about the Bill. He commented that this proposal will increase the secrecy period from five to ten years and that the next Fianna Fáil Government would...

Seanad: Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill 2003: Second Stage (Resumed). (4 Mar 2003)

Ulick Burke: The Minister of State who is present will clearly understand what I have to say.

Seanad: Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill 2003: Second Stage (Resumed). (4 Mar 2003)

Ulick Burke: The Senator was also a Minister—

Seanad: Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill 2003: Second Stage (Resumed). (4 Mar 2003)

Ulick Burke: —and he was also sparing with the truth at that time.

Seanad: Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill 2003: Second Stage (Resumed). (4 Mar 2003)

Ulick Burke: The dogs in the street know that one cannot get—

Seanad: Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill 2003: Second Stage (Resumed). (4 Mar 2003)

Ulick Burke: —an answer from any Minister that will contain the full truth.

Seanad: Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill 2003: Second Stage (Resumed). (4 Mar 2003)

Ulick Burke: It was a truthful statement. I can provide the House with documentation in respect of it. Perhaps Senator Daly will awake from his slumber.

Seanad: Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill 2003: Second Stage (Resumed). (4 Mar 2003)

Ulick Burke: I wish to refer to an incident of a kind with which the Minister of State, Deputy Parlon, will be familiar. I made representations on a REPS application to the Minister for Agriculture and Food during the previous Government's term. I asked about 20 questions in various ways in order to extract a certain amount of information, but I failed in that regard. I had to resort to the Freedom of...

Seanad: Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill 2003: Second Stage (Resumed). (4 Mar 2003)

Ulick Burke: The Bill is designed to conceal and muffle in whatever way possible information that would embarrass the Minister of State who said that transparency and accountability were the most important traits he would bring to his party and the Government. I refer him to the statement made tonight on the plinth by the Tánaiste – I will not repeat it – which indicates where the sincerity lies. He...

Seanad: Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill 2003: Second Stage (Resumed). (4 Mar 2003)

Ulick Burke: We should add to that the Sheedy affair, the Bertie bowl – the Tánaiste's office and the Department of Finance were involved, including the two people representing them on this select secretive review group – and many others. All of these instances would indicate to the public that the Government is discredited, and will be further discredited in time. However, in order to cover up for...

Seanad: Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill 2003: Second Stage (Resumed). (4 Mar 2003)

Ulick Burke: I am pleased the Leader and others who are silent will be here. Perhaps the Leader will be goaded into a response.

Seanad: Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill 2003: Second Stage (Resumed). (4 Mar 2003)

Ulick Burke: That would be unusual for the Leader who must always have the last word.

Seanad: Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill 2003: Second Stage (Resumed). (4 Mar 2003)

Ulick Burke: The Acting Chairman should ask the other side, even at this late hour, to allow the debate to go on because they are not contributing to it. Why are they all missing? I accept that the Leader contributed. I gather from the contributions of others that they are not satisfied with the legislation. The legislation has sent reeling every group with an interest in freedom of and access to...

Seanad: Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill 2003: Second Stage (Resumed). (4 Mar 2003)

Ulick Burke: Freedom of information showed otherwise.

Seanad: Order of Business. (26 Feb 2003)

Ulick Burke: Will the Leader ask the Minister for the Environment and Local Government if it is his intention to withdraw the power of local councillors to rezone land at local authority level? I pose this question in view of the outrageous decision by Fianna Fáil county councillors in Galway last Monday to rezone land on the route of a bypass, thereby jeopardising the power and goodwill of the NRA to...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters. - Services for People with Disabilities. (26 Feb 2003)

Ulick Burke: I thank the Cathaoirleach for allowing me to raise this issue. I ask the Minister to give an early indication of the provision of deficit funding to provide for the replacement of the Orchard Centre, Gort, County Galway. This centre was established approximately 20 years ago. At the time of the disastrous fire, there were 50 people placed there. Of these, 30 were residential patients while...