Results 6,981-7,000 of 7,652 for speaker:Joanna Tuffy

Seanad: Adoptive Leave Bill 2004: Report and Final Stages. (15 Jun 2004)

Joanna Tuffy: I move amendment No. 5: In page 7, to delete line 47 and in page 8 to delete lines 1 to 3, and substitute "employee owing to sickness.'.". We have discussed this already. If someone is on sick leave, it should not interfere with his or her entitlement to adoptive leave. We have a similar approach to maternity leave.

Seanad: Adoptive Leave Bill 2004: Report and Final Stages. (15 Jun 2004)

Joanna Tuffy: I move amendment No. 6: In page 9, line 2, after "hospital" to insert "or such other date as may be agreed between the employer and the employee". We tabled this amendment previously because both sides should be able to agree a date rather than the postponed leave being taken seven days after the child leaves hospital. What if the employer wanted to change that? Why not leave it up to the...

Seanad: Adoptive Leave Bill 2004: Committee Stage (Resumed). (2 Jun 2004)

Joanna Tuffy: I move amendment No. 8: In page 7, to delete lines 43 to 46 and substitute "employee owing to sickness.'.". I do not seem to be able to find my notes on this amendment so I would like to hear the Minister of State's response first.

Seanad: Adoptive Leave Bill 2004: Committee Stage (Resumed). (2 Jun 2004)

Joanna Tuffy: I move amendment No. 9: In page 8, line 48, after "hospital" to insert "or such other date as may be agreed between the employer and the employee". The purpose of the amendment is to remove unnecessary rigidity in the Bill which requires that where adoptive leave is postponed following the hospitalisation of a child, it must be taken as a continuous period beginning not later than seven days...

Seanad: Adoptive Leave Bill 2004: Committee Stage (Resumed). (2 Jun 2004)

Joanna Tuffy: I move amendment No. 10: In page 9, line 24, to delete "his/her" and substitute "his or her". This is a drafting amendment. We feel it would be more appropriate in legislation to have "his or her" spelt out rather than an abbreviated symbol. I would like to hear the Minister of State's response.

Seanad: Adoptive Leave Bill 2004: Committee Stage (Resumed). (2 Jun 2004)

Joanna Tuffy: I move amendment No. 11: In page 12, to delete lines 27 and 28 and substitute "accordance with that section.'.". We tabled this amendment because there appears to be a strange anomaly in the section which prohibits dismissal of an employee on adoptive leave in circumstances where the purported notice of dismissal expires after the employee's absence. However, it does not expressly deal with...

Seanad: Adoptive Leave Bill 2004: Committee Stage (Resumed). (2 Jun 2004)

Joanna Tuffy: I move amendment No. 12: In page 15, lines 17 and 18, to delete all words from and including "the said section 2(2)" in line 17 down to and including "1997):" in line 18 and substitute "section 2(2) of the Act of 1977, as inserted by the said section 23:". These are drafting amendments. Amendment No. 12 deals with the point that the wording of the section does not make sense. For example, the...

Seanad: Adoptive Leave Bill 2004: Committee Stage (Resumed). (2 Jun 2004)

Joanna Tuffy: I move amendment No. 13: In page 15, lines 33 and 34, to delete all words from and including "the said section 6(2)" in line 33 down to and including "1997):" in line 34 and substitute "section 6(2) of the Act of 1977, as inserted by the said section 24:".

Seanad: Adoptive Leave Bill 2004: Committee Stage (Resumed). (2 Jun 2004)

Joanna Tuffy: I move amendment No. 14: In page 16, line 35, to delete "44A." and substitute "45.". This also relates to a drafting problem. The Adoptive Leave Act 1995 has only 44 sections and if a section is to be inserted after section 44 it should be numbered 45 and not "44A". That is the issue the amendment seeks to address.

Seanad: Adoptive Leave Bill 2004: Committee Stage (Resumed). (2 Jun 2004)

Joanna Tuffy: I move amendment No. 15: In page 3, lines 5 and 6, to delete "AND TO PROVIDE FOR CONNECTED MATTERS". We believe that the sole purpose of the Bill is to amend the Adoptive Leave Act 1995 and that the reference "and to provide for connected matters" is not necessary.

Seanad: Order of Business. (2 Jun 2004)

Joanna Tuffy: I ask the Leader to invite the appropriate Minister to the House to discuss the issue raised by Senator Brian Hayes, namely, the three investigations into AIB. I would like to hear, in particular, what is being done by the Government to ensure a speedy conclusion of those inquiries, co-ordination between the three investigating authorities and public disclosure of the findings. It is...

Seanad: Child Trafficking and Pornography (Amendment) Bill 2004: Second Stage. (27 May 2004)

Joanna Tuffy: The Labour Party does not have a difficulty with this legislation. If it is necessary to put the legislation in place that should be done. I hope the provision has been thought through and is secure. A drip-feed of legislative measures dealing with issues as they arose would not be desirable. We should consider all possible future situations and put all necessary legislation, regulations and...

Seanad: Housing Provisions: Motion. (26 May 2004)

Joanna Tuffy: The Minister of State said that one month ago, the Taoiseach turned a sod on a site on the Finglas Road. How many times will that sod be turned and in how many election campaigns?

Seanad: Housing Provisions: Motion. (26 May 2004)

Joanna Tuffy: How many times will that site be used in the future? I am reminded of the time the Minister for Education and Science came to my constituency at the beginning of an election campaign and opened an entrance to a secondary school.

Seanad: Housing Provisions: Motion. (26 May 2004)

Joanna Tuffy: Many projects in my constituency are being opened or launched for the second election in a row. This practice should be banned. One should only open or launch something once. I do not think someone who has been on a housing list for eight years or is falling further and further from the possibility of buying a house will be relieved to hear that the Taoiseach has turned that sod. The...

Seanad: Housing Provisions: Motion. (26 May 2004)

Joanna Tuffy: This is, of course, the correct interpretation. It is no wonder the Government is so reluctant to take on the developers. The housing market is going along nicely and the rate of building is up, but this is little consolation to the many people who cannot afford to buy the houses that are being built. The amendment refers to the Government's "continuing to develop measures to address...

Seanad: Housing Provisions: Motion. (26 May 2004)

Joanna Tuffy: I move: That Seanad Éireann recognises, in the light of the fact that: —in the last seven years house prices have trebled from the average price of a new house at €97,000 in 1997 to over €300,000 in 2004; —according to local authority housing strategies, almost half of all new families cannot afford to buy a house; —numbers on council housing lists have doubled from 26,000 in 1996...

Seanad: Housing Provisions: Motion. (26 May 2004)

Joanna Tuffy: That is a question which Government must answer. South Dublin County Council is controlled by Fianna Fáil. The majority of members are Fianna Fáil councillors.

Seanad: Housing Provisions: Motion. (26 May 2004)

Joanna Tuffy: Fianna Fáil is in the majority on most councils. The Government needs to do more than provide county councils with money to deliver council housing. Much more needs to be done. Councils must also receive back-up in terms of resources to deliver such houses. One of the Government's most promising provisions was the Planning and Development Act which required developers to provide a certain...

Seanad: Housing Provisions: Motion. (26 May 2004)

Joanna Tuffy: I call on the Government to act upon the All-Party Committee on the Constitution report and to take whatever action is necessary in that regard, including the introduction of a cap on the price of land, the building of the promised 10,000 affordable houses so people do not have to wait ten years for a house as was the case for many people in the past and the introduction of measures to ensure...