Results 9,301-9,320 of 11,469 for speaker:Ivana Bacik

Seanad: Order of Business (26 Oct 2011)

Ivana Bacik: I hope it will be passed. Then we can debate how best to implement the referendum in this House in November and how to ensure we hold Ministers to account through our parliamentary committees. I offer my congratulations to Claire Loftus on her appointment as Director of Public Prosecutions. This means for the first time the three senior legal offices in the land, the DPP, the Attorney...

Seanad: Order of Business (26 Oct 2011)

Ivana Bacik: On a point of order, that is an outrageous allegation.

Seanad: Order of Business (26 Oct 2011)

Ivana Bacik: The Senator made an allegation about the Minister, Deputy Shatter, yesterday which he had to withdraw today. Now he is making a similar allegation about the Minister, Deputy Rabbitte.

Seanad: Order of Business (26 Oct 2011)

Ivana Bacik: I presume he will withdraw that tomorrow when it is proven to be incorrect.

Seanad: Order of Business (26 Oct 2011)

Ivana Bacik: That is absolute rubbish.

Seanad: Gender-Based Violence: Motion (26 Oct 2011)

Ivana Bacik: There is no amendment proposed to the Order of Business. We have not used up all the time that was provided for the debate on this motion in Private Members' time. It is open to any Senator to put forward a motion for cross-party agreement and a number of us have done so on many issues in the past. That is always an option open to Senator Mullin or any other Senator to put forward a motion...

Seanad: Gender-Based Violence: Motion (26 Oct 2011)

Ivana Bacik: Yes.

Seanad: Order of Business (25 Oct 2011)

Ivana Bacik: I am delighted Senator Darragh O'Brien raised the issue of the referendum on Oireachtas inquiries, one which I also want to raise. It is interesting because he does not sound like he was speaking about the same referendum we debated in the House for a full-----

Seanad: Order of Business (25 Oct 2011)

Ivana Bacik: As Senator Darragh O'Brien said, we had a four-hour debate on the Bill. All parties supported the referendum.

Seanad: Order of Business (25 Oct 2011)

Ivana Bacik: During the debate on the referendum, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Howlin, answered comprehensively the questions we raised. I am one of the few people who have read all the heads of the Bill that accompanied it and the fifth report of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on the Constitution.

Seanad: Order of Business (25 Oct 2011)

Ivana Bacik: I remind Members opposite-----

Seanad: Order of Business (25 Oct 2011)

Ivana Bacik: -----that 12 months ago the Oireachtas Joint Committee on the Constitution invited submissions from members of the public on how to address the precise issue of the Abbeylara judgment.

Seanad: Order of Business (25 Oct 2011)

Ivana Bacik: Will the Leader organise a proper debate on political reform and accountability of the Executive, following what I very much hope will be the successful passing of the referendum on Thursday? Despite being a member of the legal profession, I am fully supportive of this referendum precisely because-----

Seanad: Order of Business (25 Oct 2011)

Ivana Bacik: I respected Senator Darragh O'Brien's contribution earlier. I am fully supportive of this referendum precisely because I believe this referendum will involve a rebalancing of power away from the Judiciary and towards the elected representatives of the people. As we said during the full debate on the referendum, which all Members present then supported, this is about placing trust back in...

Seanad: Order of Business (25 Oct 2011)

Ivana Bacik: We already have, under 1997 legislation-----

Seanad: Order of Business (25 Oct 2011)

Ivana Bacik: May I finish?

Seanad: Order of Business (25 Oct 2011)

Ivana Bacik: Under 1997 legislation, the Oireachtas committees already have power to compel witnesses to attend. There is immense scaremongering by my learned friends in the legal profession-----

Seanad: Order of Business (25 Oct 2011)

Ivana Bacik: I certainly do not agree-----

Seanad: Order of Business (25 Oct 2011)

Ivana Bacik: I call for a debate in which we can fully discuss the issues of political reform and how we implement the referendum. In response to Senator Darragh O'Brien's question on the Attorneys General, I do not share their interpretation of the Constitution-----

Seanad: Order of Business (25 Oct 2011)

Ivana Bacik: I will not use the same language that the Minister, Deputy Shatter, used but I will state this----