Results 901-920 of 987 for speaker:Catherine Ardagh

Seanad: Order of Business (25 Jan 2017)

Catherine Ardagh: Yesterday's edition of the Irish Independentcontained a report by Niall O'Connor on the help-to-buy scheme announced by the Government last October. It is of great concern to me that I have been inundated with queries in my constituency office from first-time buyers who are seeking to purchase properties built by contractors who have not registered with the Revenue Commissioners. The grant...

Seanad: Order of Business (24 Jan 2017)

Catherine Ardagh: I welcome my colleagues back and I look forward to an excellent 2017 working with them all. I am disgusted and shocked by reports that staff working at Dublin Airport have been arrested and are being investigated as part of a major immigrant smuggling racket. It is believed that 100 or more people per year have been getting into the country as part of this scam. This alleged exploitation...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Issues Facing Lone Parents: Discussion (Resumed) (12 Jan 2017)

Catherine Ardagh: I thank the witnesses for coming in and for their presentations. As my colleague said, they were very enlightening, with a lot of food for thought. One of the things which jumped out at me and which was mentioned by Ms Maher and Mr. Allen was the complexity of the system in terms of lone parents knowing what services and what benefits and supports are available. There is no streamlined...

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Dec 2016)

Catherine Ardagh: I would like to address the House on the proposed new rent certainty legislation. We all know many parts of the country, and this city in particular, are in the midst of a housing and rental crisis. Many of our clinics are attended by families one rent hike away from being out on the street and homeless. Arbitrary rent increases due to a complete failure by this Government to increase the...

Seanad: Registration of Wills Bill 2016: Second Stage (14 Dec 2016)

Catherine Ardagh: I thank the Minister for coming to the House again. I congratulate Senator Leyden for bringing the Bill to the House. He has worked tirelessly on it for many years. As other Members have stated, I would like to congratulate him and commend his perseverance. It is a great idea. I am still involved in a solicitors' practice and we often receive e-mails from the Law Society or see notices...

Seanad: Order of Business (13 Dec 2016)

Catherine Ardagh: I refer to the lack of protection for private defined benefit pension schemes, particularly the Irish News and Media, INM, pension scheme dispute. Last week the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Leo Varadkar, sought legal advice from the Attorney General in an effort to intervene in the dispute. It was a very admirable move by the Minister who said: "I have asked the Attorney General...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2016: Report and Final Stages (13 Dec 2016)

Catherine Ardagh: I want to address the Bill generally and I will be very brief. I thank the Minister for coming to the House to address the House.

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2016: Report and Final Stages (13 Dec 2016)

Catherine Ardagh: With all due respect, other colleagues were allowed an opportunity to talk so-----

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2016: Report and Final Stages (13 Dec 2016)

Catherine Ardagh: I would like to be afforded the same opportunity afforded my colleagues.

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2016: Report and Final Stages (13 Dec 2016)

Catherine Ardagh: I will not speak at the end if that makes it any easier. I thank the Minister for coming to the House to address it about many points, including those on Committee Stage. I echo the sentiments expressed by Senator Higgins about pension reform. I hope that after Christmas, the Minister will really drive the bus concerning pension reform. He has made flippant comments such as there will be...

Seanad: Order of Business (8 Dec 2016)

Catherine Ardagh: I want to raise the issue of sentencing policy and the increased use of firearms in this city. On Tuesday at 4.30 p.m., in broad daylight, armed raiders entered a McDonalds in Crumlin village and terrorised both staff and customers. This is a quiet residential area where firearms would never be seen. In 2009 minimum mandatory sentences were brought in to deal with firearms and they had a...

Seanad: Order of Business (6 Dec 2016)

Catherine Ardagh: The public library service makes an enormous contribution nationally. Public libraries have been the focal point for many communities in Ireland for more than 100 years and have been used as a safe haven for schoolgoers, college students, the elderly, the homeless and active retired people. The friendly and professional staff in our libraries have formed part of the social fabric of many...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2016: Committee Stage (6 Dec 2016)

Catherine Ardagh: I commend Senator Higgins on bringing this amendment to the House. I greatly admire her erudite and deep knowledge of this topic. The pension gender equality movement is very lucky to have her as an advocate and I would like to see myself as part of that movement. There needs to be a full review of the contributory pension entitlements for women. There is a real and present inequality....

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2016: Committee Stage (6 Dec 2016)

Catherine Ardagh: I wish to make a brief observation. I agree with my colleague's sentiment that we should be narrowing the criteria for the State to be able to have access to employers' and employees' information, payslips and so forth. What plans would the Department have for such information? We should not go down the slippery slope of using it for the purpose of statistics for means testing child...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2016: Committee Stage (6 Dec 2016)

Catherine Ardagh: I move amendment No. 6:In page 14, between lines 21 and 22, to insert the following:“26. (1) The Minister shall review the operation of the Homemaker Scheme and the eligibility criteria for the State Contributory Pension and shall bring forward a report to the Joint Committee on Social Protection on same within 3 months of this Act being enacted. (2) The Minister shall review the...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2016: Committee Stage (6 Dec 2016)

Catherine Ardagh: I formally request that the Minister considers bringing both these issues to the joint committee for a serious debate, together with a report by his Department. I will withdraw the amendment.

Seanad: Order of Business (1 Dec 2016)

Catherine Ardagh: I wish to raise two issues. The first is the fear felt by residents of Inis Mór in County Galway over the loss of a ferry link to the mainland. Island Ferries, which runs the service from the south Connemara town of Rossaveal, has said it will cease sailings until 17 March 2017. The row between Island Ferries and Galway County Council arises from a by-law passed by the council in 2011...

Seanad: Address to Seanad Éireann by Ms Nicola Sturgeon (29 Nov 2016)

Catherine Ardagh: I had intended to share time with Senator Clifford-Lee, so I will speak for no longer than three minutes. I am very pleased to welcome Ms Sturgeon to the Seanad on behalf of Fianna Fáil. Her election as leader of the Scottish National Party and assuming the office of First Minister in November 2014 marks the first occasion a woman was elected to either of those posts. It was obviously...

Seanad: Order of Business (29 Nov 2016)

Catherine Ardagh: I would like to call on the Seanad to schedule a debate on the Government's funding, or lack thereof, of the cystic fibrosis drug Orkambi. It was with deep regret that I learned that the National Centre for Pharmacoeconomics said the drug does not represent value for money and should not be funded by the Government at its current cost. Professor Michael Barry of the National Centre for...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2016: Second Stage (29 Nov 2016)

Catherine Ardagh: I thank the Minister for addressing the House and am happy to be able to contribute on the provisions and changes contained in the Social Welfare Bill. This year's budget goes some way towards introducing elements of fairness to the social welfare system that have not been seen in this country after five years of harsh, punitive and regressive budgets under the previous Fine Gael-Labour...