Results 3,681-3,700 of 4,168 for speaker:Susan O'Keeffe

Seanad: Fodder Crisis: Statements (9 May 2013)

Susan O'Keeffe: I welcome the Minister to the House. Unlike Senator O’Donovan, I am delighted in a way that the Minister has been elsewhere. Between the Common Agricultural Policy, CAP, the Common Fisheries Policy, CFP, the horsemeat crisis, the Presidency and a million other issues, I suspect the Minister has been quite busy. I was disappointed that he was unable to attend the Seanad in the middle...

Seanad: Fodder Crisis: Statements (9 May 2013)

Susan O'Keeffe: That is the point.

Seanad: Fodder Crisis: Statements (9 May 2013)

Susan O'Keeffe: The Minister stated that he was looking to the future. He is probably trying to determine how to go about this. Perhaps the net should be thrown wider to include people who might not normally be consulted by his Department or associated with its work. Could the environmental pillar groups be included so that they might share their concerns about climate change, how fertiliser is used and...

Seanad: Fodder Crisis: Statements (9 May 2013)

Susan O'Keeffe: If that is the case-----

Seanad: Fodder Crisis: Statements (9 May 2013)

Susan O'Keeffe: That is good news. When we receive calls, we try to ask people whether they have made mistakes. It is always difficult to know where the error occurs. People are desperate. I thank the Minister for the clarification. The Minister has quite a number of challenges on his plate, but the language used to date has restricted the issue to a fodder crisis. The problem is wider than that. If we...

Seanad: Order of Business (9 May 2013)

Susan O'Keeffe: I ask that the Seanad take up the clear invitation of the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Ruairí Quinn, to have a debate on the provision of early childhood care and how it should be funded. The Minister has made it clear he wants such a debate and we should take him up on his offer and invite him to the Chamber for a specific debate on the funding of early childhood care and...

Seanad: Domestic Violence: Motion (8 May 2013)

Susan O'Keeffe: I call on Senator Kathryn Reilly to second the amendment put by Senator Trevor Ó Clochartaigh. I should have done so before calling the Minister of State - I apologise.

Seanad: Domestic Violence: Motion (8 May 2013)

Susan O'Keeffe: The Senator's time has expired.

Seanad: Domestic Violence: Motion (8 May 2013)

Susan O'Keeffe: Senator, please.

Seanad: Domestic Violence: Motion (8 May 2013)

Susan O'Keeffe: I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I commend my colleague, Senator Moloney, for tabling the motion and I am pleased to second it. It is an issue with which I have been much involved in terms of support and raising it. As Senator Moloney stated, it is an issue which does not get raised often enough. We are making a contribution today, not only through raising the issue again,...

Seanad: Address to Seanad Éireann by Commissioner Máire Geoghegan-Quinn (8 May 2013)

Susan O'Keeffe: I welcome the Commissioner to the House. She outlined the importance of Horizon 2020 but is there a chasm between those who are trying to make it work and the wider world? There is still a gap of knowledge and understanding which we can see for parents and young people who have not quite caught on to the STEM subjects mentioned earlier by the Commissioner. I recently ran an event for...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Sale of Coillte's Harvesting Rights: Discussion with Society of Irish Foresters (7 May 2013)

Susan O'Keeffe: Would Mr. Magner mind answering the questions asked by Senators as we must go and vote.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Sale of Coillte's Harvesting Rights: Discussion with Society of Irish Foresters (7 May 2013)

Susan O'Keeffe: I must leave but I will be back. Perhaps the witness will respond to other members' questions.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Sale of Coillte's Harvesting Rights: Discussion with Society of Irish Foresters (7 May 2013)

Susan O'Keeffe: The delegation is welcome. I have a couple of queries that may sound as if I am thoroughly in favour of selling off every tree but that is not the case. Perhaps the delegation will clarify the following matters for me. Mr. Magner listed some of the standards that he worries will be compromised if harvesting rights are sold. To me, they look like standards that anybody involved in a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Sale of Coillte's Harvesting Rights: Discussion with Society of Irish Foresters (7 May 2013)

Susan O'Keeffe: The Chairman wishes us to bank all of the questions and then the delegation will have an opportunity to respond.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Update on CAP and CFP: Discussion with Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (7 May 2013)

Susan O'Keeffe: I thank the Minister and, in particular, his officials for the enormous effort to which he referred. I am sure they have been working extremely hard. Is one part of the trialogues batting more than the others for smaller farmers? It is a difficult question. The idea of supporting young farmers coming through the system almost becomes irrelevant if small farming is in danger, because farms...

Seanad: Order of Business (2 May 2013)

Susan O'Keeffe: The Senator knows very well that it is a complete fabrication to state the Government has no plan to try to rectify the problem with the domestic economy.

Seanad: Order of Business (2 May 2013)

Susan O'Keeffe: While foreign direct investment does not have a direct impact on Mary in County Donegal or Mary in County Kerry, it is a very important part of the strategy which will, in time, build a stronger economy. The plan is to stimulate the domestic economy in the next year once we have exited the troika arrangement. We will then be able to begin to invest and stimulate the economy. The Senator...

Seanad: Order of Business (2 May 2013)

Susan O'Keeffe: I do. I join other Senators in welcoming the heads of the proposed Bill on the protection of life. As others have done, I ask the Leader whether we can have a debate on the matter when it is timely and appropriate to do so. Yesterday a Senator criticised the process because he did not like the outcome. Reference was made to the Joint Committee on Health and Children and the Seanad not...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Scrutiny of EU Legislative Proposals (2 May 2013)

Susan O'Keeffe: To clarify, does Deputy Ó Cuív propose the joint committee should oppose this measure?