Results 541-560 of 1,637 for speaker:Labhrás Ó Murchú

Seanad: Order of Business (12 Jan 2012)

Labhrás Ó Murchú: Serious illness can be a traumatic time for a family and it can be exacerbated in the current economic climate by other pressures. We are all aware of this when we are out in the community but it is an emotional experience for a family when a loved one has to move into a nursing home. Many Members have had this experience over the years and that is the reason, when this issue was discussed...

Seanad: Order of Business (11 Jan 2012)

Labhrás Ó Murchú: Ireland, no more than any other country, is not immune from the fallout from unrest in other parts of the world. This perhaps is one of the reasons we in this House have on a constant basis supported the Palestinian call for full nationhood, and also for it to be accepted by the international community. It is worth recording, therefore, that at the UNESCO General Conference, by 107 votes to...

Seanad: Order of Business (7 Dec 2011)

Labhrás Ó Murchú: Yes.

Seanad: Order of Business (7 Dec 2011)

Labhrás Ó Murchú: The issue regarding the disabled as represented in the budget has been well ventilated in this House and the media. The fact that the Minister has indicated a possible rethink on this should not be seen as a U-turn by the Government. It should be seen as a response to a robust and comprehensive debate on the budget and all its terms. If we do that we may all make a contribution to...

Seanad: Order of Business (7 Dec 2011)

Labhrás Ó Murchú: That we invite the Minister for Justice and Equality to the House to give us an opportunity to debate the proposed closure of rural Garda stations.

Seanad: Order of Business (7 Dec 2011)

Labhrás Ó Murchú: Yes.

Seanad: Order of Business (6 Dec 2011)

Labhrás Ó Murchú: A current RTE series that deals with the drugs trade is a realistic re-enactment of what is happening on the ground in the capital. It depicts a criminal underworld which is absolutely ruthless, powerful and brutal. It results in the ruination of thousands of young lives and the commission of murders with impunity. The criminal underworld in rural and provincial Ireland is equally brutal,...

Seanad: Irish Film Board (Amendment) Bill 2011: Second Stage (1 Dec 2011)

Labhrás Ó Murchú: I welcome the Minister and assure him that everyone on this side of the House will support the Bill. Everyone is conscious of the importance of the film industry to Ireland and of the role of the Irish Film Board. That role is about more than promoting the commercial and creative elements of film making, in that the board also ensures training for up and coming participants in the industry....

Seanad: Order of Business (1 Dec 2011)

Labhrás Ó Murchú: I urge the Leader to provide time for a debate on insurance, which impacts on every aspect of life. There are people who have no moral constraints when it comes to making claims, their perception being that there is a bottomless purse and that this money comes from an anonymous source. Companies have had to put out advertisements reminding people that at the end of the day that money comes...

Seanad: Road Transport Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (30 Nov 2011)

Labhrás Ó Murchú: I do not believe the Minister has a personal agenda in regard to this. When the Bill was being drafted, the Minister could not have foreseen that we would be discussing the Good Friday Agreement and republican prisoners and so on and that is where the issue has arisen, because once the Bill is drafted, there is difficulty in changing it. I was at a meeting last Saturday in the North and...

Seanad: National Tourism Development Authority (Amendment) Bill 2011: Second Stage (30 Nov 2011)

Labhrás Ó Murchú: I wish to share time with Senator Marc MacSharry.

Seanad: National Tourism Development Authority (Amendment) Bill 2011: Second Stage (30 Nov 2011)

Labhrás Ó Murchú: I wish to share time with Senator Marc MacSharry.

Seanad: National Tourism Development Authority (Amendment) Bill 2011: Second Stage (30 Nov 2011)

Labhrás Ó Murchú: I welcome the Minister of State. We agree with the terms of the Bill. From experience we have all seen Fáilte Ireland and its predecessor, Bord Fáilte, make an exceptional contribution to the development of tourism here. Likewise, Tourism Ireland, covering the whole island, is doing exactly the same. Many would say tourism is the jewel in our crown because it has been so good to...

Seanad: National Tourism Development Authority (Amendment) Bill 2011: Second Stage (30 Nov 2011)

Labhrás Ó Murchú: Bed and breakfast establishments were excellent as part of the tourism product because they provided a different experience. Now, they are finding the market difficult because hotel prices have come down. Could we not look after the bureaucracy by which bed and breakfast establishment owners must pay all of the increased charges to keep their establishments open? Some 40% of bed and...

Seanad: National Tourism Development Authority (Amendment) Bill 2011: Second Stage (30 Nov 2011)

Labhrás Ó Murchú: Did I not say I wished to share my time with Senator Marc MacSharry?

Seanad: National Tourism Development Authority (Amendment) Bill 2011: Second Stage (30 Nov 2011)

Labhrás Ó Murchú: You did not tell me when it was time to share.

Seanad: Order of Business (30 Nov 2011)

Labhrás Ó Murchú: I concur with the main outline of Senator Norris's contribution and support his request for a debate on the economic situation. However, that debate should take a different form than usual. I recall a discussion with a young Argentinian some years ago. He told me about the morning that his people woke up and realised that their bank savings had evaporated overnight. I believed it was...

Seanad: Order of Business (30 Nov 2011)

Labhrás Ó Murchú: -----never gets out properly. If someone communicated directly via the State broadcasting service, we could help to deal with the pertinent issues.

Seanad: Order of Business (24 Nov 2011)

Labhrás Ó Murchú: First, I commend Senator Landy on bringing up this issue, which he referred to as being a micro issue. As Members discuss, as they must, bigger policies and as they look at the bigger picture, they often miss out on the individual suffering that exists on the ground. It is in the same context that I ask the Deputy Leader to lay aside some time fairly soon to discuss the issue of national...

Seanad: Water Services (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (Resumed) (23 Nov 2011)

Labhrás Ó Murchú: The job of the Government at the end of the day is to balance the books and that is not an easy task. Hard choices will have to be made and people have many questions and concerns. Even though the Opposition is small in number, it is vital that we use the opportunity we have in this debate to tease out every issue. I would not like too much grandstanding but there are issues and they are...