Results 781-800 of 1,760 for speaker:Aideen Hayden

Seanad: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Report and Final Stages (16 Jul 2014)

Aideen Hayden: With regard to one aspect of the Minister's response on approved housing bodies, it is the scenario that tenants of local authorities have the option to purchase properties under various tenant purchase schemes and now under the incremental tenant purchase scheme. Tenants of approved housing bodies do not have that option. There are legal issues relating to schemes to allow approved housing...

Seanad: Order of Business (16 Jul 2014)

Aideen Hayden: It has again fallen on the Labour Party to ensure the presence of women in Cabinet. I welcome the appointment of Deputy Ann Phelan to her Minister of State role. I note that five reports into the deaths of children who were in the care of the State will be published by the Child and Family Agency later today. The reports relate to children who died either while they were in care or were...

Seanad: Civil Registration (Amendment) Bill 2014: Order for Second Stage (15 Jul 2014)

Aideen Hayden: I move: "That Second Stage be taken now."

Seanad: National Treasury Management Agency Bill 2014: Second Stage (15 Jul 2014)

Aideen Hayden: I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I agree with my colleague, Senator Byrne, that we are pleased indeed to have him in the House on his first appearance in his current official function. I welcome the legislation before the House. If I was to be absolutely honest about it, it is a little overdue. It has been on the cards since the beginning of the Government's term in office....

Seanad: Competition and Consumer Protection Bill 2014: Report and Final Stages (15 Jul 2014)

Aideen Hayden: I am personally very pleased that the Minister has retained his important portfolio which is a critical one for the country. He has great expertise in this vital area. On Second Stage I made a number of comments about the Bill and today I would like to comment on the new body. It is important that the new body is properly resourced and given every facility it needs to do its job. We should...

Seanad: Competition and Consumer Protection Bill 2014: Report and Final Stages (15 Jul 2014)

Aideen Hayden: I support the spirit of this amendment, which deals with an important matter, one that is a huge source of irritation to people living in this country. I understand what the Minister says, but it would be helpful if he could revisit this issue in the future. There is no justification for some of the price differentials in this country. I have lived in both jurisdictions. The level of price...

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Jul 2014)

Aideen Hayden: I support the comments made by Senator Feargal Quinn on the Insolvency Service of Ireland and ask the Leader to arrange a debate in early course when we return after the summer break. The Insolvency Service of Ireland will have been in operation and accepting applications for one year in September and a review is urgently called for. There is no doubt that the numbers achieving positive...

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Jul 2014)

Aideen Hayden: The Garth Brooks affair is like the Cabinet reshuffle in that it goes on and on. I realise there is a considerable number of disappointed people and a huge cost to the Irish economy but it is going from the sublime to the ridiculous when we get to the point of asking the President of the United States to intervene in five Garth Brooks concerts in Ireland. If he has got that amount of free...

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Jul 2014)

Aideen Hayden: I ask the Leader to invite the Minister for Finance to attend the House as a matter of urgency to discuss the report published yesterday afternoon by the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform on the mortgage arrears crisis and the measures that are contained in the report to resolve it. The report contains some 47 recommendations aimed at levelling the playing...

Seanad: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (Resumed) (8 Jul 2014)

Aideen Hayden: Domestic violence is a subject close to my heart and one which I have raised here on a number of occasions. I welcome what the Minister of State has said about the progress she is making in this legislation regarding this difficult issue. Unfortunately, it is true that many women who are subjected to domestic violence are unable to access anything other than emergency accommodation because...

Seanad: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (Resumed) (8 Jul 2014)

Aideen Hayden: I have a brief comment regarding Senator Reilly's amendment on periods of review of rent levels. I take on board the Minister of State's comments about Senator Reilly's amendment but the current system, whereby rents are reviewed annually under the Residential Tenancies Act and rent supplement is reviewed over 18 months, is entirely unsatisfactory. The Minister of State neglected to mention...

Seanad: Competition and Consumer Protection Bill 2014: Second Stage (8 Jul 2014)

Aideen Hayden: I welcome the Minister to the House. I also welcome the Bill which, as the Minister pointed out, has three aspects, the merger of the National Consumer Agency and the Competition Authority; the regulation of the grocery goods sector and the media mergers and acquisitions section, which retains the basic model of the current legislation but is designed to ensure diversity of content and...

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed) (8 Jul 2014)

Aideen Hayden: I would like to remind our colleague on the other side of the House that all of the measures that were taken in last year's budget would not have been necessary if it had not been for the mismanagement of the economy by his party.

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed) (8 Jul 2014)

Aideen Hayden: All of that having been said, I would like to ask the Leader to arrange a discussion in advance of the budget on the basis of some of the pre-budget submissions all of us have received from groups like Age Action Ireland. This House could usefully contribute to such a debate. On behalf of the Labour Party group, I would like to wish my colleague a very happy birthday.

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed) (8 Jul 2014)

Aideen Hayden: I would also like to congratulate the Minister, Deputy Burton, on her election as leader of the Labour Party. She is the first woman in the history of the Labour Party to be elected into that position. Indeed, she is the first woman to be elected to lead any significant political party in this State.

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed) (8 Jul 2014)

Aideen Hayden: I welcome the comments she has made since her election, particularly about improving the plight of those on low incomes. I was personally impressed by what she said about prioritising social and affordable housing. At present, six people are presenting to the services of Threshold every day because they are at risk of becoming homeless. There is a huge and crushing need for additional...

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed) (8 Jul 2014)

Aideen Hayden: I can understand why Senator O'Brien is reluctant to disclose his age.

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed) (8 Jul 2014)

Aideen Hayden: During the Labour Party leadership elections, I heard some very worrying comments from the media to the effect that older people have to make way for the youth. Such comments are very worrying in a society with an ageing population. At a time when we are consistently pushing out the retirement age, it is a very negative attitude to be giving.

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed) (8 Jul 2014)

Aideen Hayden: I am very happy that the Tánaiste, apart from being clearly the most suitable candidate in the minds of the electorate, was also the oldest candidate presenting for election. This is a matter of record.

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed) (8 Jul 2014)

Aideen Hayden: We need to be very aware of any comments that are allowed to go forward, in the media or elsewhere, on the issue of age in Irish society. We should be cautious and concerned about this very worrying development. I ask the Leader to invite the new Tánaiste into this House at an early opportunity to discuss her views on the development of this country and her priorities as Tánaiste.