Results 661-680 of 1,966 for speaker:Mary Henry

Seanad: Prisons Bill 2005: Second Stage. (27 Oct 2005)

Mary Henry: It is very important that prisoners are able to talk to their legal advisers in person before they give evidence by video link because face-to-face communication is not the same as talking to someone via video link. It is certainly not the same when one is having a medical consultation with someone. I am sure the Minister will give us further information. I have no problem, in principle, with...

Seanad: Prisons Bill 2005: Second Stage. (27 Oct 2005)

Mary Henry: The level of drug abuse in prisons is outrageous. On several occasions, prisoners or their relations have spoken to me about prisoners who did not have any involvement in drug abuse until they went to jail, which is really terrible. I have visited drug-free prisons in other countries, including Maiano Prison in Spoleto, the highest security prison in Italy. Some of the prisoners in that jail...

Seanad: Prisons Bill 2005: Second Stage. (27 Oct 2005)

Mary Henry: When is it proposed to take Committee Stage?

Seanad: Prisons Bill 2005: Second Stage. (27 Oct 2005)

Mary Henry: When is it proposed to sit again?

Seanad: Air Navigation (Eurocontrol) Bill 2005: Second Stage. (27 Oct 2005)

Mary Henry: I welcome the Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Deputy Callely, and the Bill to the House. However, an issue I wish to raise is not covered in the Bill and I do not know if it can be included in its provisions. I have had complaints from individuals, which is the reason all politicians must act, about the use of private helicopters in suburban areas. There seems to be little...

Seanad: Prisons Bill 2005: Second Stage. (27 Oct 2005)

Mary Henry: I welcome the Minister to the House. This Bill is very interesting. I, like Senator Cummins, will start by examining the use of video-link evidence, which comprises the final part of the Bill. I have witnessed the operation of video-link evidence and read the interim report of Mrs. Justice Susan Denham in respect thereof. I have not read the final report but I believe video-link evidence...

Seanad: Prisons Bill 2005: Second Stage. (27 Oct 2005)

Mary Henry: The physical presence of a legal adviser at the prison where the video-link evidence is to be given is very important. I am not happy with the scenario of the solicitor sitting in his or her office consulting via video-link with the prisoner in prison. Will it entail a considerable amount of travelling by the legal profession? Will lawyers, as opposed to prisoners, be forced to spend a...

Seanad: Prisons Bill 2005: Second Stage. (27 Oct 2005)

Mary Henry: I am sure the Minister will explain when he replies.

Seanad: Child Care Services: Motion. (26 Oct 2005)

Mary Henry: I hate this kind of fighting on the Government benches. To demonstrate the extent of our co-operation, may I share my time with Senators Quinn and Norris? I will speak for four minutes and Senators Quinn and Norris will each speak for two minutes.

Seanad: Child Care Services: Motion. (26 Oct 2005)

Mary Henry: As someone who spent all of her salary on child care at one stage of her career, I support this motion. The Minister spoke about the expense of employing a child minder to look after children in the home. This is probably the most economical form of child care today because crèches are appallingly expensive. I regret that there is still no crèche in this House despite the fact I have served...

Seanad: Suicide Prevention Strategy: Statements. (26 Oct 2005)

Mary Henry: I welcome the Minister of State to the House and recognise his commitment to the mental health services in the country. I was pleased to hear Senator Glynn speak before me, as his comments as someone who has experience working in the psychiatric services are very useful. I welcome the establishment of the National Office for Suicide Prevention, but how much more do we need to find out before...

Seanad: Suicide Prevention Strategy: Statements. (26 Oct 2005)

Mary Henry: I thank the Minister of State for correcting me. I will speak about another Minister, one who is closer to home for the Minister of State. When the Criminal Law (Insanity) Bill 2002 was before this House, the explanatory memorandum indicated that it had no financial implications. Have we ever heard of any legislation that did not have financial implications? Of course it will have financial...

Seanad: Order of Business. (26 Oct 2005)

Mary Henry: Like everyone else, I was appalled by what I read in this report. I compliment those who wrote it and those with the courage to come forward with their complaints. One of the worst aspects of the report was that some complainants thought the abuse they suffered was part of church ritual. In one case, a child who was being prepared for first holy communion, a sacrament common to all the...

Seanad: Order of Business. (26 Oct 2005)

Mary Henry: The programme is for young children. I remember when we first tried to introduce the programme some people feared that children might report their fathers. If fathers were abusing their children, they should be reported. Will the Leader take some action on this immediately? I have no list of the schools where it is not implemented as it was not provided in the replies to my questions.

Seanad: Suicide Prevention Strategy: Statements. (26 Oct 2005)

Mary Henry: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Order of Business. (25 Oct 2005)

Mary Henry: In the past, the freedom of the press meant people had the freedom to read what was true. Nowadays, the freedom of the press appears to be about putting anything into circulation which will improve the figures for a newspaper's sales. I share the concerns about what was said of Liam Lawlor. However, an apology is owed to the young Ukrainian woman involved. This point has not been made. She...

Seanad: Domestic Violence: Statements. (13 Oct 2005)

Mary Henry: I thank Senator White for providing such important statistics to the House. I congratulate the Minister of State, Deputy Fahey, on the amount of work he has done in giving additional support to Women's Aid and for bringing the issue of domestic violence into increased public view. He and I met recently at the launch of the Rape Crisis Centre report. The Rape Crisis Centre is now 25 years old...

Seanad: Nursing Qualifications. (12 Oct 2005)

Mary Henry: I thank the Minister of State for again coming before the House to discuss the issue of direct entry into midwifery courses at third level, a matter we discussed when he was here last week. A few hours before our discussion, a meeting had taken place between interested parties and officials from the Department of Health and Children. They discussed the negotiations regarding the involvement...

Seanad: Nursing Qualifications. (12 Oct 2005)

Mary Henry: This is all about costs.

Seanad: Nursing Qualifications. (12 Oct 2005)

Mary Henry: It is outrageous, when one considers the Department of Health and Children's extraordinary waste of money on many different projects, that the training of midwives to help Irish women and women of other nationalities to deliver Irish babies may be hindered by cost issues. It is a sad day when cost considerations are of more importance in this country, which has prided itself on its maternity...