Results 4,761-4,780 of 5,118 for speaker:Joe O'Reilly

Seanad: Special Educational Needs. (2 Apr 2009)

Joe O'Reilly: Cuirim fáilte roimh an tAire Stáit. This matter relates to the proposed removal of a special class from St. Anne's primary school, Bailieborough, County Cavan. Up to now, 14 children have attended two special classes for mild general learning disability. These pupils would be hugely educationally, socially and emotionally disadvantaged if one of the classes was suppressed, as is...

Seanad: Special Educational Needs. (2 Apr 2009)

Joe O'Reilly: I thank the Minister of State for his reply. The one hopeful aspect is in the third paragraph, which states that the Department officials will look at the case in hand. Children are coming in from a number of schools in the area. They have been considered in the normal allocation and the difficulty is that it is not a runner to have children aged seven and 14 in the one class. There is a...

Seanad: Order of Business (2 Apr 2009)

Joe O'Reilly: I strongly agree with the sentiments of Senator Ó Murchú and others who condemned outright the call made by IBEC, which is absolutely reprehensible. That should steel us into moving forward. I ask that the Deputy Leader to ensure that any attempt to rectify national finances next week is predicated on the principle of equality, fairness and targeting of those who are in a position to take...

Seanad: Order of Business (2 Apr 2009)

Joe O'Reilly: People want to remain in their homes, where they are happiest. I ask the Deputy Leader to make a statement on this matter and to bring our views to the relevant Minister and the Government. It is important we support our carers, in particular at a time of huge unemployment. Where will these people go if they are not employed as carers? Where would unemployed people be better deployed than...

Seanad: Forthcoming Budget: Statements (26 Mar 2009)

Joe O'Reilly: I wish to share half my time with Senator Cannon.

Seanad: Forthcoming Budget: Statements (26 Mar 2009)

Joe O'Reilly: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Devins. I question some of the propositions of my good friend Senator Hanafin on the use of the benefits of the boom years. We doubled public expenditure without necessarily achieving good results. We were selling houses to one another, while our real exports were not faring very well. There was waste — we did not run a lean economy and tight...

Seanad: Order of Business (26 Mar 2009)

Joe O'Reilly: It is very clear that cutbacks and extra taxes must be matched by stimulation of the economy. In that context, I ask the Leader to bring the Minister for Education and Science to the House for a debate on the schools building programme. It should be obvious to anybody with the most simplistic knowledge of economics that, given the outrageous cost of prefabricated school buildings, the...

Seanad: Telecommunications Services: Motion (25 Mar 2009)

Joe O'Reilly: Is that agreed? Agreed.

Seanad: Telecommunications Services: Motion (25 Mar 2009)

Joe O'Reilly: I move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after "Seanad Éireann" and substitute the following: "—recognises the critical importance of broadband services in the development of the knowledge economy nationally and regionally; condemns the Government for its failure to deal effectively with regional disparities in the provision of broadband services; and calls on the Government to: deliver...

Seanad: Telecommunications Services: Motion (25 Mar 2009)

Joe O'Reilly: I thank you for your direction, a Leas-Chathaoirligh. I join my colleagues in welcoming the Minister. Apart from being unduly exuberant, the Government is somewhat premature in congratulating itself on its success in the area of broadband to date, which is why we tabled a sobering amendment to give some balance to the discussion. I hope Senator Carty sees fit to accept the amendment. There...

Seanad: Order of Business (12 Mar 2009)

Joe O'Reilly: I support Senator John Paul Phelan's call, which was seconded by Senator Coghlan, for a special debate today on the economy and establish the practice of having a rolling debate whereby we would allocate two hours per week to an ongoing discussion on the economy. Today, we should examine Senator Walsh's misunderstanding of Fine Gael's proposals on Oireachtas reform. It would be advantageous...

Seanad: Order of Business (12 Mar 2009)

Joe O'Reilly: Doing so is effectively a form of patronage and has created an entire industry. Amid the leaks and the conditioning process ahead of the budget, the notion of a diminution of the carer's allowance has been floated. Will the Leader assure the House that that allowance will be left in place? It saves money in terms of institutional care and nursing home subventions. It allows people to stay...

Seanad: Order of Business (12 Mar 2009)

Joe O'Reilly: Will the Leader assure the House on that matter? Will he also suggest to the Minister that another cost neutral project, a schools building programme, be put in place? If we remove prefabs and enter into the cheapest contracts available so that we can return money to the economy and save the jobseekers allowance, we can build schools and remove prefabs from playgrounds for nothing. I thank...

Seanad: Order of Business (12 Mar 2009)

Joe O'Reilly: Will the Leader answer the question I raised yesterday? He was to research the matter for me. People are anxious to know whether the Taoiseach will pursue a bilateral agreement next week in respect of our undocumented immigrants in America. Those people are suffering as fugitives and cannot return home. Will the Taoiseach pursue tax harmonisation through the Anglo-Irish agreement? Both...

Seanad: Irish Language: Statements (11 Mar 2009)

Joe O'Reilly: Ba mhaith liom fáilte an Tí a chur roimh an Aire Stáit. Tá sé íontach tábhachtach béim faoi leith a chur ar an teanga labhartha ins na scoileanna ar fud na tíre. Tá a fhios agam go bhfuil an teanga labhartha lárnach sa chúrsa scoile. Tá fhios agam go bhfuil an teanga labhartha lárnach i gcuraclam na mbunscoileanna anois agus is cóir go mbeadh sé. Molaim don Aire agus don...

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed). (11 Mar 2009)

Joe O'Reilly: Ba mhaith liom cur leis an méid a dúirt an Seanadóir O'Toole mar gheall ar an díospóireacht speisialta a bheidh againn tráthnóna inniu ar stádas na Gaeilge. Cé go gcuirim fáilte roimh an díospóireacht — is fiúí agus is maith an rud é go mbeidh sí ar siúl — sílim go raibh an ceart ag an Seanadóir nuair a dúirt sé go mbeidh an díospóireacht beagáinín ró-ghairid....

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed). (11 Mar 2009)

Joe O'Reilly: Regarding the bilateral agreement——

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed). (11 Mar 2009)

Joe O'Reilly: Can the Leader comment on the bilateral agreements?

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Mar 2009)

Joe O'Reilly: I come from a Border county and have three young boys in school in a Border town. We breathed a collective sigh of relief ten years ago when the peace process was unveiled and the events of recent days have been greatly traumatic for those of us in the Border area, as they have been for the rest of the country. It has been particularly traumatic and disturbing in our area that these...

Seanad: Order of Business (5 Mar 2009)

Joe O'Reilly: Ba mhaith liom aontú leis an méid a dúirt an Seanadóir Ó Murchú maidir le forbairt na Gaeilge. Déanann an Seanadóir sár-obair ar son chultúr na tíre. Ba chóir dúinn tacaíocht a thabhairt don Ghaeilge tríd an teanga a úsáid sa Teach go rialta. Aon uair a fhaighimid seans an Ghaeilge a úsáid, ba chóir dúinn é sin a dhéanamh. Is páirt d'oidhreacht na tíre í an...