Results 841-860 of 1,597 for speaker:Cecilia Keaveney

Seanad: Voluntary Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (15 Nov 2007)

Cecilia Keaveney: As amendment No. 30 is an alternative to amendment No. 29, both amendments may be discussed together by agreement.

Seanad: Voluntary Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (15 Nov 2007)

Cecilia Keaveney: This is my first time to chair a session of the Seanad. It was my great honour to have been the first female Acting Chairman to stand over a vote in the Dáil during the passage of the Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2007. Coincidentally, my first occasion as Acting Chairman in the Seanad has been the debate on this Bill.

Seanad: Voluntary Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (15 Nov 2007)

Cecilia Keaveney: Amendments Nos. 1 to 3, inclusive, are related and they will be discussed together by agreement.

Seanad: Voluntary Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (15 Nov 2007)

Cecilia Keaveney: Amendments Nos. 6, 7 and 11 are related and may be discussed together, by agreement. Is that agreed? Agreed.

Seanad: Voluntary Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (15 Nov 2007)

Cecilia Keaveney: I remind Members that we are on Committee Stage and that they should confine their remarks to the amendments before us because Second Stage gave us the opportunity to raise all these issues. I do not wish to stifle comment but there is a procedure to be followed.

Seanad: Voluntary Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (15 Nov 2007)

Cecilia Keaveney: The Senator has the right to move amendments.

Seanad: Voluntary Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (15 Nov 2007)

Cecilia Keaveney: It has not stopped other people from moving those types of amendments before.

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Nov 2007)

Cecilia Keaveney: I previously raised the issue of the North-South Ministerial Council meetings in the context of a different Department. One such meeting took place recently on education. Does a facility exist whereby we can make a contribution before the meetings are held or at least hear from the relevant Minister directly afterwards? After the most recent meeting, officials were asked to bring forward...

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Nov 2007)

Cecilia Keaveney: I am speaking about education and the relevance of the North-South Ministerial Council to this House. A meeting was held last week to deal with agriculture and different areas will be addressed in the future. We should be allowed an input into the issues that are of interest to us, preferably before meetings but at least afterwards. The next meeting on education will not be until spring,...

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Nov 2007)

Cecilia Keaveney: The Senator opened them personally.

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Nov 2007)

Cecilia Keaveney: That is boring. Is it not?

Seanad: Musical Education (14 Nov 2007)

Cecilia Keaveney: I thank the Cathaoirleach for giving me the opportunity to raise this important and evolving issue. Recently there have been a number of reports on parents spending money on sending their children for mathematics grinds. However, the success of this action has not been very positive. I wish to extol the virtues of considering another approach which is not as effective if attempted from the...

Seanad: Musical Education (14 Nov 2007)

Cecilia Keaveney: I thank the Minister of State for his comprehensive response. Will he continue to monitor this issue? It is fundamental not to the creation of the musicians of the future but to the overall development of our young people. Given that the Minister mentioned the funding by the Department of Education and Science of the two pilot programmes in Donegal and Dublin, will he examine both...

Seanad: Community Child Care Subvention Scheme 2008-2010: Statements (Resumed) (14 Nov 2007)

Cecilia Keaveney: Where is Senator Feeney now?

Seanad: Community Child Care Subvention Scheme 2008-2010: Statements (Resumed) (14 Nov 2007)

Cecilia Keaveney: I listened carefully to the Minister of State's contributions on the scheme in this House, the Dáil, at a Fianna Fáil parliamentary party meeting and at other meetings. I am under the impression the scheme will be fluid and the reason he is seeking information is he wants to amend it. I am glad he is present for the debate because it is a live issue in Donegal. A number of people there...

Seanad: Community Child Care Subvention Scheme 2008-2010: Statements (Resumed) (14 Nov 2007)

Cecilia Keaveney: If tomorrow will not dawn with free preschool education, it is incorrect that a person on a low income should be prevented from securing an affordable preschool place for his or her child. Therefore, resources need to be targeted so that families can avail of the advantages of child care for the sake of the parents and the child. I was accused on Monday night of only being interested in...

Seanad: Community Child Care Subvention Scheme 2008-2010: Statements (Resumed) (14 Nov 2007)

Cecilia Keaveney: ——as to whether they are prepared to pay for the future generations through their taxes and give children aged up to six years of age the best possible start in life. That is what I want. If it came down to me — I will be speaking in detail on the Adjournment tonight on the increasing evidence of the correlation of the role of music on the development of the brain — I would invest...

Seanad: Community Child Care Subvention Scheme 2008-2010: Statements (Resumed) (14 Nov 2007)

Cecilia Keaveney: ——by various economic statisticians should make us eligible under the new scheme. I would like to think that we will be able to draw down a significant amount of the extra €11 million that is in fund. I would like that to be used to provide further assistance.

Seanad: Road Safety: Statements (Resumed) (14 Nov 2007)

Cecilia Keaveney: I am disappointed at having to speak about road safety. County Donegal has had more than its fair share of young lives lost. It is cold comfort to bereaved families for me to say that we do not want people under the age of 25, who have not yet had a chance to start their lives, to be cut down so prematurely. I welcome, therefore, the concept of the strategy and hope it achieves the...

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Nov 2007)

Cecilia Keaveney: Is the Senator calling for the referendum to be delayed?