Results 3,881-3,900 of 4,168 for speaker:Susan O'Keeffe

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Decisions on Public Petitions Received: P00036/12 and P00043/12 (7 Nov 2012)

Susan O'Keeffe: I agree with Senator Ó Clochartaigh. This is a good example of many of the petitions we will receive. They are genuine concerns and are what most of us would want enforced, encouraged or supported, but the committee is not the right vehicle to pursue them, unless the person concerned can indicate that he or she has exhausted many more avenues than this person has.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Decisions on Public Petitions Received: P00036/12 and P00043/12 (7 Nov 2012)

Susan O'Keeffe: When writing to the Minister, could we ask whether there are any plans to change the requirements in the near future, and whether a person who has already applied can reapply if the rules are changed? I suggest that point be made; otherwise, from now on anyone who has previously been rejected will be rejected for good.

Seanad: Order of Business (7 Nov 2012)

Susan O'Keeffe: One of the best examples of the Seanad in practice was the Private Members' debate on the national dementia plan held just prior to half term. I wish to raise again the matter of mental health. In October, the Irish Association of Suicidology referred specifically to the lack of regulation for those people offering counselling to those with depression or in need of assistance. There is no...

Seanad: Order of Business (7 Nov 2012)

Susan O'Keeffe: I am delighted to have the opportunity to welcome the result of the election in the United States. It was a great achievement for President Obama to gain re-election in such difficult circumstances. I know we all wish him the best for the next four years. I trust that this will not be the final occasion on which the Seanad will be in a position to welcome the election or re-election of an...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Food Harvest 2020: Discussion with Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (6 Nov 2012)

Susan O'Keeffe: I will try to be brief given the time constraints. There have been various queries about the timeframe. I know the Department officials have a range of experience as many have been involved in the negotiations on CAP in previous occasions. From the briefings I have had from officials it seems that the negotiations on the CAP have been awfully slow. It seems to be slow to the point of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Food Harvest 2020: Discussion with Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (6 Nov 2012)

Susan O'Keeffe: The Chairman means Senator Michael Comiskey.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Food Harvest 2020: Discussion with Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (6 Nov 2012)

Susan O'Keeffe: The same county but a different person.

Seanad: Social Protection: Statements (Resumed) (24 Oct 2012)

Susan O'Keeffe: That concludes the statements on social protection. When it is proposed to sit again?

Seanad: National Dementia Strategy: Motion (24 Oct 2012)

Susan O'Keeffe: I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Perry, for replacing the Minister of State, Deputy Alex White. I thank my colleagues in the Labour Party for all of the work that has been done to table the motion today and I thank Senator Landy for seconding it. I also thank all of my colleagues in the Seanad. As a Senator has rightly expressed, it is political but not party political. The way...

Seanad: National Dementia Strategy: Motion (24 Oct 2012)

Susan O'Keeffe: I move: That Seanad Éireann:acknowledges the Government?s commitment to the introduction of capacity legislation in line with the UN convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the progress in relation to that legislation; reiterates the importance of the right of those people with disabilities not to have their decision-making skills interfered with or reduced; notes the...

Seanad: National Dementia Strategy: Motion (24 Oct 2012)

Susan O'Keeffe: I move: That Seanad Éireann:acknowledges the Government?s commitment to the introduction of capacity legislation in line with the UN convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the progress in relation to that legislation; reiterates the importance of the right of those people with disabilities not to have their decision-making skills interfered with or reduced; notes the...

Seanad: National Dementia Strategy: Motion (24 Oct 2012)

Susan O'Keeffe: I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Perry, for replacing the Minister of State, Deputy Alex White. I thank my colleagues in the Labour Party for all of the work that has been done to table the motion today and I thank Senator Landy for seconding it. I also thank all of my colleagues in the Seanad. As a Senator has rightly expressed, it is political but not party political. The way...

Seanad: Social Protection: Statements (Resumed) (24 Oct 2012)

Susan O'Keeffe: That concludes the statements on social protection. When it is proposed to sit again?

Seanad: Junior Certificate Reform and the Literacy and Numeracy Strategy: Statements (23 Oct 2012)

Susan O'Keeffe: The Minister is welcomed every time someone rises, but it is all true. I am sorry that Senator Reilly is not present, but I was reminded of a panel at which we both spoke during the general election. Someone tweeted about her age and suggested that she stay home and do her homework. I defended her afterwards. Regardless of her age, she was entitled to be there, etc. Perhaps I should...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Farm Management IT Systems: Discussion (23 Oct 2012)

Susan O'Keeffe: With the permission of the Chair, I wish to clarify what I meant. Given the information is available and it is such a good tool, what I am asking is not whether smaller farmers have access but whether it is the case that larger farmers can exploit it better, derive greater benefit from it and can therefore grow, and whether this inadvertently is driving the creation of large farms.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Farm Management IT Systems: Discussion (23 Oct 2012)

Susan O'Keeffe: Is the smaller farmer still more vulnerable? Given that the ICBF has achieved so much in terms of productivity and one cannot stop investment in technology, what can the federation do for the smaller farmer, notwithstanding the niche benefit of giving him or her extra information?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Farm Management IT Systems: Discussion (23 Oct 2012)

Susan O'Keeffe: I thank the witnesses for their presentations, which were interesting. We could have sat and listened for longer. Mr. Coughlan talked about genomic evaluations for farmers and his desire to ensure the continuation of the small-scale farmer and the traditional farm. Could these changes have the opposite effect? In being so organised and technologically savvy, do we run the risk of emerging...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Decisions on Public Petitions Received: P00029/12, P00033/12, P00038/12 and P00053/12 (17 Oct 2012)

Susan O'Keeffe: I also support the proposal to refer the petition to the Minister for Social Protection to ask about her intention regarding this matter. In a way it almost harks back to the idea that women were expected to be tied to the kitchen sink and, thus, credit was never given for the work done. The dates listed by the petitioner are 1980 to 1993, which is shocking, as that means we are not going...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Decisions on Public Petitions Received: P00029/12, P00033/12, P00038/12 and P00053/12 (17 Oct 2012)

Susan O'Keeffe: Perhaps the petitioner should discuss it with his own local representatives and the various bodies involved. This committee recognises the importance of the issue but our remit makes it difficult to approach it given that it affects a wide range of policy levels. Mr. Cuddihy might pursue the matter through the other avenues available to him.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Decisions on Public Petitions Received: P00029/12, P00033/12, P00038/12 and P00053/12 (17 Oct 2012)

Susan O'Keeffe: This petition is on an interesting area, the idea of open access to publicly-funded research. Perhaps in the first instance it would be useful to establish which Minister is responsible for this matter and consult him or her on the position in the European Union on the Pathways to Irish Research project mentioned by the petitioner before the committee has any role to play in it because it is...