Results 4,281-4,300 of 5,294 for speaker:Michael McCarthy

Seanad: Order of Business (5 Dec 2007)

Michael McCarthy: I agree with Senators O'Toole and Coghlan regarding Valentia Island and Malin Head. Anyone living on the south-west seaboard is well aware of the tradition and legacy of the marine rescue station. In economic terms, 17 jobs on Valentia Island will be as sorely felt there as the 500 job losses in Galway or any heavily urbanised centre.

Seanad: Order of Business (4 Dec 2007)

Michael McCarthy: The Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy John Gormley, is travelling to Bali to negotiate the successor to the Kyoto Protocol, so I will raise the issue of climate change. This is very important and not just to Ireland. Sometimes we lose sight of the fact we are an island nation and climate change will affect us in different ways. My party has called for an...

Seanad: Order of Business (4 Dec 2007)

Michael McCarthy: Absolutely. It was a splendid example of public service. It is tragic for the Kennedy family to have lost a father and son at Inver after they were rescued in a very high-risk operation. It was a tragic conclusion and our sympathies should go to the family and the community. Our sympathy should also go out to those linked to the two non-nationals, also fishermen, who lost their lives in...

Seanad: Seafood Industry: Statements (21 Nov 2007)

Michael McCarthy: Hear, hear. He did.

Seanad: Seafood Industry: Statements (21 Nov 2007)

Michael McCarthy: I wish to share time with Senator Bacik.

Seanad: Seafood Industry: Statements (21 Nov 2007)

Michael McCarthy: I put on record my appreciation to the Leader for arranging this debate so swiftly after Senator O'Donovan's call for such a discussion in the House last week. For too long our fishing industry has been sidelined in order to benefit other sectors of the economy. Fishermen have paid a very high price for that and it is to their credit that we have a fishing industry at all. Dr. Noel Cawley...

Seanad: Order of Business (21 Nov 2007)

Michael McCarthy: I congratulate Senator Twomey on a good chest clearing exercise. I hope the Leader will have enough time in this session to deal with all his questions. I thank the Leader and put on the record my appreciation of his swift organisation of a debate on the Cawley report. I will be reiterating these sentiments this afternoon. What is the Government's policy on incineration? We have a...

Seanad: Order of Business (13 Nov 2007)

Michael McCarthy: It is wholly inappropriate that the fact that managers of city and county councils are writing to Members of the Oireachtas around this time to invite us to Christmas briefings is being used as a pathetic excuse for the lack of regular meetings with those of us who were disenfranchised by the abolition of the dual mandate under which we could serve on local authorities. I reiterate the call...

Seanad: Order of Business (13 Nov 2007)

Michael McCarthy: It is as simple as that.

Seanad: Order of Business (13 Nov 2007)

Michael McCarthy: Nobody disagrees in principle with the establishment of centres of excellence, but it is unacceptable to begin to slash the existing services before those centres are brought into existence.

Seanad: Order of Business. (7 Nov 2007)

Michael McCarthy: I support the comments of other Senators on the situation in Portlaoise, where a number of people who were told last year that they did not have cancer have now been told they have the disease. While I agree the issue should not be made a political football, there are important lessons to be learned from this disaster. One can only imagine the torment, upset and misery brought about by...

Seanad: Order of Business. (7 Nov 2007)

Michael McCarthy: Two members of the current Cabinet have said they would be agreeable to revisiting the pay increase issue. It is not right or proper to compare the Taoiseach's salary with that of the CEO of a bank, as the Taoiseach runs a country, not a bank. In the context of the pay increase, we need to consider other comparable situations, namely, the situation of leaders of other countries within the...

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed) (1 Nov 2007)

Michael McCarthy: Speech.

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed) (1 Nov 2007)

Michael McCarthy: I support Senator Norris regarding No. 6 on the Order Paper. In the previous century, a Fianna Fáil Minister decriminalised homosexuality. We live in a pluralist society in the 21st century and it is about time this issue was taken to its logical conclusion. I urge all Members to give calm and reasonable consideration to this debate because it is absolutely essential. Representatives of...

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed) (1 Nov 2007)

Michael McCarthy: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed) (1 Nov 2007)

Michael McCarthy: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Order of Business (1 Nov 2007)

Michael McCarthy: On a point of order, the Senator is addressing another Senator directly rather than commenting through the Chair.

Seanad: Death of Former Member: Expressions of Sympathy (31 Oct 2007)

Michael McCarthy: I rise to pay tribute to the late Joe Sherlock, former Deputy, Senator and councillor. I had the experience and privilege of serving on Cork County Council with the late Deputy Sherlock, as did Senators Callanan and Bradford. I quickly became very much aware of his true devotion and vocation in life, which was to be in politics to represent those who are less well-off than others. Joe...

Seanad: Witness Protection Programme Bill 2007: Second Stage (31 Oct 2007)

Michael McCarthy: Senator Alex White without interruption.

Seanad: Order of Business (31 Oct 2007)

Michael McCarthy: I wish to raise the issue of road safety and the manner in which the Minister for Transport botched the announcement and made a pig's ear of the matter. He reduced a significant issue to a swirl of confusion. This is the Minister who is responsible for the Shannon-Heathrow slots, who introduced electronic voting and has now made a mess of the road safety strategy. He has panicked and...