Results 621-640 of 866 for speaker:Catherine Ardagh

Seanad: Order of Business (28 Nov 2017)

Catherine Ardagh: On behalf of the Fianna Fáil group, we are very sorry to hear that Senator Denis Landy has resigned. He served as a public representative since 1988 and served as a Mayor of Carrick-on-Suir Town Council on two occasions. He was elected to Seanad Éireann in 2011. I would like to thank him, on behalf of the Fianna Fáil group, for his many years of public service and wish him...

Seanad: Order of Business (23 Nov 2017)

Catherine Ardagh: Yesterday, the Tánaiste's presence in this House raised more questions than it answered, especially on the revelation that "the email" was found in the Department on 9 November, after Deputy Kelly raised a parliamentary question. It is curious and extraordinary that it was withheld from the Taoiseach until 16 November, one week later. Furthermore we still do not have the full contents...

Seanad: Order of Business (21 Nov 2017)

Catherine Ardagh: I rise today to raise the Taoiseach's misleading of the Dáil last week on two occasions, albeit not deliberately, in regard to the Tánaiste's knowledge of the Garda Commissioner's legal strategy at the O'Higgins inquiry.The utterances by the Taoiseach were at the very least contradictory. I call on the Tánaiste to explain to the House why she misled the Taoiseach and to...

Seanad: Order of Business (21 Nov 2017)

Catherine Ardagh: My apologies. I withdraw that statement.

Seanad: Order of Business (21 Nov 2017)

Catherine Ardagh: My apologies. However, I would like the Tánaiste to come to this House and explain why she continually expressed her confidence in the Garda Commissioner since 2015 in the knowledge that the Commissioner had instructed her legal team to discredit Sergeant Maurice McCabe at the O'Higgins commission. It is incumbent on her to come to the Seanad, to show us the same respect she showed...

Seanad: Order of Business (21 Nov 2017)

Catherine Ardagh: I would like to raise the issue of the "RTÉ Investigates" programme last week which showed that certain hospitals and the HSE were not implementing the consultant contracts from 2008. It showed that one consultant had worked 13 hours in a public hospital over eight weeks. There are 2,700 consultants working in 47 acute hospitals around the country. They are meant to work an 80:20...

Seanad: Order of Business (16 Nov 2017)

Catherine Ardagh: I congratulate the gardaí in Ashbourne on two successful raids. We learned from the assistant commissioner this morning that these drugs raids were worth not less €5 million. This seizure is a major disruption to the drug gangs and organised crime gangs in our country. It was a joint effort on the part of the national drugs and organised crime bureau and the special crime task...

Seanad: Order of Business (16 Nov 2017)

Catherine Ardagh: He is a good Fianna Fáil man.

Seanad: JobPath: Motion (15 Nov 2017)

Catherine Ardagh: I would like to speak to Fianna Fáil's amendment to this motion. Fianna Fáil will table an amendment to the Sinn Féin motion on JobPath. Our party is, of course, in favour of measures that support people in getting back into employment, and we recognise that employment support schemes have in many respects made positive contributions to thousands of people, assisting them in...

Seanad: JobPath: Motion (15 Nov 2017)

Catherine Ardagh: I move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after “That Seanad Éireann:” and substitute:“ recognises: -that full employment, where possible, is the aim of all parties in this House; -the importance of and need for activation measures which assist people moving from welfare into employment; -that employment support schemes have assisted thousands of people into...

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Nov 2017)

Catherine Ardagh: I wish to convey my sympathies and those of the Fianna Fáil group to the families of the 400 killed and the thousands injured on the border between Iraq and Iran, especially in the western provinces. It was one of the largest earthquakes to hit the region in the recent years measuring 7.3 on the Richter scale. It is a major humanitarian crisis for the area and it will leave many...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Community Employment Programme (9 Nov 2017)

Catherine Ardagh: Can I use my telephone to look at documents?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Community Employment Programme (9 Nov 2017)

Catherine Ardagh: Unfortunately, I will not be able to able to stay for the responses to my questions. I thank the officials for coming in to discuss this interesting topic. We all know how successful the community employment schemes have been in our constituencies and nationally. I am glad to hear about the amnesty or disregard that will allow more people who have previously participated in community...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Community Employment Programme (9 Nov 2017)

Catherine Ardagh: Yes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Community Employment Programme (9 Nov 2017)

Catherine Ardagh: Okay.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Community Employment Programme (9 Nov 2017)

Catherine Ardagh: People get very upset when they have to sign on for a year.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Community Employment Programme (9 Nov 2017)

Catherine Ardagh: Okay. Thanks.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Community Employment Programme (9 Nov 2017)

Catherine Ardagh: Yes. They only have a year to play with.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Community Employment Programme (9 Nov 2017)

Catherine Ardagh: It is also a question of community cohesiveness. Most of these schemes are really in the community. We have a great deal of interaction with people on community employment schemes because they are involved in projects we are working with. This could be a good idea in terms of greater value for the community.

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Nov 2017)

Catherine Ardagh: I wish to register my disgust that waiting lists for hospital treatments are up to almost 685,000 patients. Some lists have reduced due to Fianna Fáil's insistence that the National Treatment Purchase Fund be reactivated but this decrease is negligible. One also hears anecdotally that waiting lists for cancer testing, monitoring and treatment also have lengthened. This flies in the...