Results 4,341-4,360 of 4,708 for speaker:Neale Richmond

Seanad: Order of Business (22 Nov 2018)

Neale Richmond: It is to conclude at 4 p.m.

Seanad: Order of Business (22 Nov 2018)

Neale Richmond: I thank the 18 Senators for raising a range of important issues. I shall commence by responding to the second issue raised by the Leader of the Opposition. I refer to the disgraceful vandalism last night of the Haunting Soldier statue on St. Stephen's Green. I am delighted to report that Office of Public Works, OPW, staff were out first thing this morning and the paint has been removed.

Seanad: Order of Business (22 Nov 2018)

Neale Richmond: The statue has been returned to its sombre self. I appreciate the comments made by the seven Senators who raised the issue. I take into account what Senator Ó Donnghaile said about the great Harry Leslie Smith, of whom I am a massive fan. The latter's politics are not necessarily my own but I admire his spirit and ability to fight, particularly for the rights of refugees. I fully...

Seanad: Order of Business (22 Nov 2018)

Neale Richmond: I say that as a Government representative here this afternoon. It is something that I task the Minister and the junior Minister in the Department with every day. We need to learn from this, particularly as we are an emigrant nation because 150 years ago, many thousands of Irish people were refugees in America, Australia and beyond. Senator Conway raised the review will be carried out on...

Seanad: Order of Business (22 Nov 2018)

Neale Richmond: We commemorated the armistice because there is nothing to celebrate about a conflict where millions of men, who were really boys, went to war and met their end, including two of my granduncles. The body of one of my granduncles is lying somewhere in a damp field in Belgium and will never be returned to his wife, children or his sister, who is my granny. Regarding Senator Ardagh's comments,...

Seanad: Order of Business (22 Nov 2018)

Neale Richmond: Senator Humphreys raised the issue of housing. Every single vehicle available to the Government to alleviate the problem is being taken. It is not just about the response to social housing needs, affordable housing needs or the role of the private sector. Everything has to be taken into account to address the issue. Every issue is being taken on by the Minister for Housing, Planning and...

Seanad: Brexit: Motion (22 Nov 2018)

Neale Richmond: I move:That Seanad Éireann supports the Draft Agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community (the draft Withdrawal Agreement), as published on 14th November, 2018, including the draft Protocol on Ireland and Northern Ireland which forms an integral part of the Draft Agreement.

Seanad: Brexit: Motion (22 Nov 2018)

Neale Richmond: I welcome the Minister of State to the House and thank her for providing us with an update. As Senator Craughwell stated, the Minister of State has been very generous with her time, as has been the Tánaiste. I join the Acting Chairman, Senator Wilson, in expressing good wishes to Senator Ned O'Sullivan on his elevation to the position of Fianna Fáil spokesperson on foreign...

Seanad: Brexit: Motion (22 Nov 2018)

Neale Richmond: Next Tuesday, 27 November, at 2.30 p.m.

Seanad: Order of Business (21 Nov 2018)

Neale Richmond: Withdraw the remark.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs: Committee of the Regions: Discussion. (14 Nov 2018)

Neale Richmond: I am delighted to welcome the delegation back to Leinster House. I appreciate the three councillors' contributions on a series of key areas. Given the day it is, I wish to pick up on a topic Councillor McCarthy raised. Almost all of the delegates are members of the Brexit interregional group in the Committee of the Regions, which doubtless has a vital role to play. I appreciate from...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Schools Building Projects Status (6 Nov 2018)

Neale Richmond: I apologise for having to slip outside for a moment. I am out of breath after sprinting down to the Chamber. First and foremost, I congratulate the Minister on his appointment. I am genuinely thrilled for him. It is much deserved. As a former teacher, he has a long history in this sector so I am excited about what he will bring to the role. This might be the first time the Minister is...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Schools Building Projects Status (6 Nov 2018)

Neale Richmond: I thank the Minister for his response and for his interest in Ballinteer Educate Together national school. I cannot over-emphasise that this was the third application to be made in respect of this project. This has been going on for eight years. There are children who will go through their entire primary school cycle without ever seeing the inside of the proposed permanent building. There...

Seanad: Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union: Statements (6 Nov 2018)

Neale Richmond: I am delighted to welcome the Tánaiste and his officials to the House once again. I join everyone who has spoken in this evening's debate in rightly commending the Tánaiste and the team in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade on their sterling efforts over a difficult number of years. I believe the first Brexit preparedness meeting in the Department of Foreign Affairs and...

Seanad: Order of Business (24 Oct 2018)

Neale Richmond: I echo the words of Senator Boyhan and pay tribute to the late Seymour Crawford who was a family friend, particularly on my mother's side of the family in the Cavan/Monaghan area. I know that there was a huge crowd yesterday in Newbliss to mark his passing. My sympathy goes to his surviving nephews and niece. Yesterday I had the opportunity to welcome students from Gaelscoil Inse Chór...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Work Permits Applications (11 Oct 2018)

Neale Richmond: I welcome the Minister of State at the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation, Deputy Pat Breen, and thank him for taking this Commencement matter. I also thank the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, Deputy Heather Humphreys, for the reply to the letter I sent her in September about this issue. I will address three key areas related to work permits, an issue that...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Work Permits Applications (11 Oct 2018)

Neale Richmond: I thank the Minister of State for his comprehensive reply and the heartening statistics he outlined. I acknowledge the efforts of his Department and appreciate its ongoing engagement in this area. It is open and recognises there is an issue which needs to be addressed. However, as we face into a chaotic global economic scene with Brexit approaching and the regressive trade policies of Trump...

Seanad: Order of Business (4 Oct 2018)

Neale Richmond: The Order of Business is No. 1, motion regarding arrangements for the sitting of the House on Tuesday, 9 October 2018, to be taken on the conclusion of the Order of Business, without debate; and No. 2, Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017 – Committee Stage (Resumed), to be taken at 12.45 p.m. and to be adjourned no later than 2.45 p.m., if not previously concluded.

Seanad: Order of Business (4 Oct 2018)

Neale Richmond: I thank the 17 Senators who raised a plethora of issues, particularly those who have stayed behind to receive a response. I will begin with the issue of housing, which was raised in various guises by Senators Ardagh, Ó Ríordáin, Paul Daly, O'Mahony and Humphreys. I take on board what Senator Ardagh said about the two sites in the constituency of Dublin South-Central - the...

Seanad: Order of Business (4 Oct 2018)

Neale Richmond: There you go - possibly. The suggestion about a housing emergency committee is a valid one. We are all keenly aware of the issue within housing. The Government is on record as saying this is the number one issue but I will bring that suggestion to the Minister's attention. In response to Deputy Paul Daly's remarks about one-off housing, he might be shocked to hear that it is also a...