Results 5,161-5,180 of 6,030 for speaker:Brendan Ryan

Seanad: Death of Former Members: Expressions of Sympathy. (7 Oct 2003)

Brendan Ryan: Is trua nach raibh aon cheangal pearsanta idir mé féin agus Lady Valerie Goulding riamh. However, despite not meeting her as she had left the House before I joined and despite the fact that I lived in Cork, I, like half the country, felt I knew her, which is a commentary on the woman's calibre. She represented a progressive voice in terms of how our country would be built for people who at...

Seanad: Death of Former Members: Expressions of Sympathy. (7 Oct 2003)

Brendan Ryan: I was in the House for a period when Bernard Markey was a Senator. To be described as a liberal in the times he served as a Senator and a Deputy was not a great political asset and required courage and conviction. I recall the phrase, "the forces of evil", being used to describe us collectively at one stage, and it took considerable courage to be of that mind in any political party at that...

Seanad: Death of Former Members: Expressions of Sympathy. (7 Oct 2003)

Brendan Ryan: It is a reminder to us all of how quickly life passes that we are paying tribute to somebody nominated to this House by Éamon de Valera. The fact that somebody had a long and, I hope, fruitful life after his political career in this House does not detract from what we have been told, that Senator Walsh was an active and prominent Member of the House and a serious and thoughtful contributor....

Seanad: Order of Business. (7 Oct 2003)

Brendan Ryan: It is a pity we did not have the debate that is now taking place between the various factions of Fianna Fáil about smoking—

Seanad: Order of Business. (7 Oct 2003)

Brendan Ryan: Our party tends not to have Ministers in a Government feeling free to express an opinion and then taking off to Spain on holidays to duck the subsequent publicity, like the Minister of State, Deputy Fahey. He is in Spain on holiday, a convenient place from which to issue edicts about smoking.

Seanad: Order of Business. (7 Oct 2003)

Brendan Ryan: I will raise another issue to put this in perspective. There were ten road deaths over the weekend and approximately 100 road deaths over the three months since this House last met. There were 1,500 deaths from smoking related illnesses over the same period. When we recommence the debate about smoking, we should remember that it will kill, on average, 15 times more people than the appalling...

Seanad: Order of Business. (7 Oct 2003)

Brendan Ryan: That will result in more Garda deaths, not fewer. The evidence—

Seanad: Order of Business. (7 Oct 2003)

Brendan Ryan: We should have a debate on it. To float the issue and then say one is not expressing an opinion on it is not helping the matter. I do not believe arming uniformed gardaí would achieve anything. It would result in more deaths and tragedies.

Seanad: Order of Business. (7 Oct 2003)

Brendan Ryan: The mind boggles.

Seanad: Order of Business. (3 Jul 2003)

Brendan Ryan: A Chathaoirligh, the Senator will have to withdraw that remark.

Seanad: Order of Business. (3 Jul 2003)

Brendan Ryan: When one listens to the reaction opposite one knows Senator Hayes has made a valid point.

Seanad: Order of Business. (3 Jul 2003)

Brendan Ryan: The howls from those who do not believe in freedom of information and the realisation— (Interruptions).

Seanad: Order of Business. (3 Jul 2003)

Brendan Ryan: Fianna Fáil has always been the great pragmatist and it had a view—

Seanad: Order of Business. (3 Jul 2003)

Brendan Ryan: On the Order of Business, I am simply responding to some of what was said opposite.

Seanad: Order of Business. (3 Jul 2003)

Brendan Ryan: I really wish Fianna Fáil would realise that after 20 years it will not shout me down.

Seanad: Order of Business. (3 Jul 2003)

Brendan Ryan: If Members opposite will refrain from interrupting me I will do my best to be as brief as possible. I fully support what Senator Hayes has said. There is no logic of any kind which can justify the scale of fees for appeals to the Information Commissioner. The only logic is that it is a deterrent, as the commissioner said. What we have is a deliberate attempt to deter people from pursuing...

Seanad: Order of Business. (3 Jul 2003)

Brendan Ryan: The Dáil is perfectly entitled to amend legislation and nobody is disputing that, but many of these amendments were barely discussed in the Dáil because of the guillotine. We cannot discuss intelligently 62 amendments if we can speak only once on them and it reduces spectacularly Government accountability. In the meantime I ask the Leader to look at a motion to suspend or to amend...

Seanad: Order of Business. (2 Jul 2003)

Brendan Ryan: When I escaped into true democracy and joined the Labour Party, I realised the checks and balances of democracy. The great thing about being an Independent was that there were no checks and balances.

Seanad: Order of Business. (2 Jul 2003)

Brendan Ryan: First, I would like to ask the Leader about the first two matters. While I have no great objection to them, I do not know enough about them, which is the point I wish to make. Motions are introduced, referred to a committee and brought back having been discussed by it. However, there is no mechanism of which I am aware whereby I or any other Member of this House can find out what the...

Seanad: Order of Business. (2 Jul 2003)

Brendan Ryan: I love being interrupted.