Results 361-380 of 866 for speaker:Catherine Ardagh

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (5 Dec 2019)

Catherine Ardagh: Mine is not community; it is commercial.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (3 Dec 2019)

Catherine Ardagh: Today is the International Day of Persons with Disabilities and, instead of celebrating diversity and inclusion, it is with regret that I speak of our failure to prioritise disability funding, particularly for those who need wheelchairs to get around and access shops and other places in their communities on a day-to-day basis. The waiting lists alone for the assessment of need by an...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (27 Nov 2019)

Catherine Ardagh: I was surprised to see farmers out protesting again today but I have much sympathy for them or all those who feel they cannot make a living after putting so much time and effort into a livelihood. We need to have a proper debate in this House on rural Ireland and putting a value on farmers, the sustainability of rural Ireland and farming and how much we value having fresh produce and good...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (27 Nov 2019)

Catherine Ardagh: I do not know if he spent a week or a day doing it.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (27 Nov 2019)

Catherine Ardagh: I commend him on doing it.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (27 Nov 2019)

Catherine Ardagh: We all endure those problems. Last night I would have liked to have been a cyclist when I was leaving Leinster House. They were able to speed past all the traffic. It is a sensible way to do business but I would be too scared to cycle. I have tried it but until cycling infrastructure improves, many people will be like me and will not be comfortable cycling the roads.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (26 Nov 2019)

Catherine Ardagh: I have an amazing sense of déjà vu. Last week, I raised the issue of gangland crime and I must do so again today. To date in 2019, there have been ten gangland-related murders in the city, which is nearly one per month. At the weekend, we heard of the horrific murder of a 22-year-old man in Coolock. Another murder took place in Lucan the previous week. People are living in fear...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (26 Nov 2019)

Catherine Ardagh: It needs to be addressed properly.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (26 Nov 2019)

Catherine Ardagh: I hope the Minister will do that. The second matter I wish to raise relates to the Irish Cancer Society's report.The report shows that many families spend up to €1,000 extra a month on expenses they are unable to claim back. My father had cancer for 15 years. He came back six or seven times. Each time he spent three to four months in hospital. Each day he was in hospital probably...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (19 Nov 2019)

Catherine Ardagh: Yesterday evening the body of a man was found in a burning car in Lucan. Subsequent reports suggest the man was shot before the car was set on fire.It seems to be yet another gangland-related murder. It should serve as a reminder to every person in this city and country of how poor our Government is and how badly it deals with increasing crime levels and out-of-control criminals. How many...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (13 Nov 2019)

Catherine Ardagh: Go raibh maith agat, a Leas-Chathaoirligh. I would like to again raise an issue in relation to Dublin City Council's budget. I would like ask formally for the Minister to plug the hole that is going to be left. There is going to be a huge deficit left in the council budget. I understand that on Monday night, the chief executive, Owen Keegan, will be asking the councillors to approve a...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (12 Nov 2019)

Catherine Ardagh: I want to raise two matters. The first relates to the drug Spinraza. Children with spinal muscular dystrophy are still waiting on the roll-out of, and treatment with, Spinraza, despite the Minister’s announcement approving this drug last June. To date we have learned only three children are receiving the treatment out of a possible 25. We all remember the Minister’s major...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (6 Nov 2019)

Catherine Ardagh: Yesterday, I rose to discuss the Government's abysmal record on housing and the unprecedented numbers of people accessing homeless accommodation. Today, I would like to discuss the Government's record and handling of the health service. Yesterday, the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation, INMO, recorded 679 patients on trolleys across the country. This is the second highest figure ever...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (5 Nov 2019)

Catherine Ardagh: First, I welcome our new colleague, Senator Hackett, to the House. I congratulate her and her family. It is great to have them in here today as it is certainly a day they will always remember. I would like to raise the passing of the late Gay Byrne and extend my condolences and those of the Fianna Fáil group in the House to his wife, Kathleen, daughters, Suzy and Crona, and his larger...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (5 Nov 2019)

Catherine Ardagh: Boyzone. We were all very sad yesterday when we heard of his passing. Ní fheicfimid a leithéid arís and ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dilis. I would also like to raise an issue I have raised regularly in the House, which is that of housing and homelessness. In 2018, we were told in the budget introduced at that time that an affordable housing scheme would be established...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (5 Nov 2019)

Catherine Ardagh: Yes. Apologies.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (10 Jul 2019)

Catherine Ardagh: I would like to raise three issues today. The first relates to the amendments passed by Members of Parliament in Westminster yesterday. They voted to extend same-sex marriage to Northern Ireland unless power-sharing is restored by 21 October. They also overwhelmingly voted in favour of an amendment to liberalise abortion law in Northern Ireland. While I very much welcome these amendments,...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (9 Jul 2019)

Catherine Ardagh: I also welcome our former colleague and friends in the Gallery and hope they have a lovely day. I refer Mr. Justice Iarfhlaith O'Neill's decision in respect of the State's interpretation of the European Court of Human Rights judgment in the case brought by Louise O'Keeffe against the State. Mr. Justice O'Neill described the State's interpretation and approach as an "inherent inversion of...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (4 Jul 2019)

Catherine Ardagh: I raise two issues today. The first relates to the Ulster Bank sale of a €900 million portfolio of mortgages. I understand that 3,600 customers will be affected by the sale who have been engaging with the bank and made various short-term arrangements with it. In January 2019, Fianna Fáil's vulture fund regulation legislation was enacted by the Oireachtas. The Consumer...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2019: Second Stage (3 Jul 2019)

Catherine Ardagh: I too join in welcome Mary Leyden and her guests to the Gallery. I hope they have a lovely day. I thank the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection for introducing this Bill in this House. As a small business owner since 2006 and as a Fianna Fáil Senator I am very happy to support this Bill, the purpose of which is to provide for the introduction of a new social...