Results 5,061-5,080 of 5,327 for speaker:Joe O'Reilly
- Seanad: School Accommodation (2 Dec 2008)
Joe O'Reilly: I wish to share time with Senator Wilson. I welcome the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs to the House and thank him for dealing with this matter. Laragh national school is a five-teacher school with 130 children on its roll book. Four out of five of the classrooms are prefabricated buildings, with 80% of the children being educated in these rooms, which is an...
- Seanad: School Accommodation (2 Dec 2008)
Joe O'Reilly: I thank the Minister for his reply. It is disappointing that in the six months since Senator Wilson spoke on this issue, the school's band rating of 2.1 has not changed. Could the Minister clarify what exactly a band rating of 2.1 means? There is great concern among parents, pupils and the teaching staff at the school as well as among local public representatives. Senator Wilson correctly...
- Seanad: School Accommodation (2 Dec 2008)
Joe O'Reilly: Could we have any kind of time frame?
- Seanad: School Accommodation (2 Dec 2008)
Joe O'Reilly: I thank the Minister for his reply. I would be very grateful if he could send me in writing the explanation from the Department of what the band rating of 2.1 means because the people in my area will want to know. I again appeal to the Minister to convey to the relevant Minister, Deputy Batt O'Keeffe in this instance, that I cannot imagine a greater priority. We are talking Dickensian...
- Seanad: Order of Business (2 Dec 2008)
Joe O'Reilly: The news relating to the private pension schemes is extraordinarily serious. Many people have worked hard, put in a lifetime of effort and they are looking forward to their pensions. It is their pride and joy and their future. Many people boast about their pension schemes, which are important. If there is a threat to their pensions, this is a very serious matter. I call on the Leader to...
- Seanad: Order of Business (26 Nov 2008)
Joe O'Reilly: As others have mentioned, people travelling to the North to shop pose a significant problem along the Border. There are tailbacks into Newry and we have heard stories of people leaving overcrowded shops in Enniskillen for health and safety reasons. This serious matter has been worsened by the reduction in the UK rate of VAT and the corresponding increase in our VAT rate. It has...
- Seanad: Order of Business (20 Nov 2008)
Joe O'Reilly: I join the call for an urgent and comprehensive debate on the economy. A meeting is planned today between the Taoiseach and the heads of the financial institutions. I appeal to the Leader to ensure the following issues of concern to the public are put on the agenda. The public needs to know that future interest rate reductions will be passed to the consumer immediately, that is, on the...
- Seanad: Order of Business (19 Nov 2008)
Joe O'Reilly: I have visited a couple of secondary schools in the past few days. I was disturbed to note that morale among the teaching profession is quite low. Teachers are concerned about the implications of the cuts which will affect secondary schools. I am aware of a number of schools that have sent notices to parents indicating they intend to withdraw extra-curricular activities like football,...
- Seanad: Order of Business (19 Nov 2008)
Joe O'Reilly: It is not realistic either, with respect.
- Seanad: Irish Agriculture: Motion (12 Nov 2008)
Joe O'Reilly: That is deflecting from reality.
- Seanad: Irish Agriculture: Motion (12 Nov 2008)
Joe O'Reilly: I respectfully suggest to my good friend Senator Boyle that he spend some time with farmers.
- Seanad: Irish Agriculture: Motion (12 Nov 2008)
Joe O'Reilly: The backdrop to any discussion of the farming cuts must be a recognition that in addition to farmers, the entire rural economy is affected. I refer to the towns and villages of rural Ireland which are essentially dependent on agriculture. We are not just discussing cuts to farmers; we are discussing cuts in the viability of towns of 5,000, 10,000 and 15,000 people. The savage cuts that...
- Seanad: Irish Agriculture: Motion (12 Nov 2008)
Joe O'Reilly: Populist politics would not have supported it but we did produce an alternative budget and we have produced alternative ways of accumulating the same money. We say the cuts are misdirected and misplaced. They are a mistake in that the extent of the income reduction will make it unviable to continue to farm in many instances, thus affecting the numbers. It is a also a mistake not to allow...
- Seanad: Irish Agriculture: Motion (12 Nov 2008)
Joe O'Reilly: It is the use of the figures.
- Seanad: Irish Agriculture: Motion (12 Nov 2008)
Joe O'Reilly: That is in the archives.
- Seanad: Order of Business (11 Nov 2008)
Joe O'Reilly: I join the expressions of sympathy to the Geoghegan family on the shocking tragedy that has befallen them. For many parents, such a tragedy is their worst nightmare. They stay awake at night fearing such a tragedy might befall their youngster on his or her way home. While Shane Geoghegan's death is a shocking and dreadful incident, tragically there is a level of anarchy on our streets...
- Seanad: Order of Business (11 Nov 2008)
Joe O'Reilly: ââand he or she would report back on that area and get to know intimately the residents of that street, and they would get to know the garda. I advise the Leader that we need dramatic immediate responses. CAB, which was established as a responseââ
- Seanad: Order of Business (11 Nov 2008)
Joe O'Reilly: ââto the dreadful murder of Veronica Guerin, was effective. We need similar responses on this occasion and we need them immediately.
- Seanad: Order of Business (5 Nov 2008)
Joe O'Reilly: I join the almost unanimous congratulations to the President-elect, Senator Obama. He is the epitome of the American dream and he merits our congratulations and good wishes. We all have a stake in his success, and hope it is a question of "cometh the hour, cometh the man". It also presents us with a challenge and opportunity to pursue vigorously with him and his new administration the fate...
- Seanad: Broadcasting Standards: Statements (4 Nov 2008)
Joe O'Reilly: I welcome the Minister to the House and thank him for his interesting thoughts on the issue, which were made ad lib as he is not relying on a script. It is interesting to hear his thoughts and philosophical positions and attitudes. Discussion of broadcasting standards will obviously include an element of subjectivity and it is difficult to agree on objective standards. However, we must take...