Results 9,361-9,380 of 11,864 for speaker:Ivana Bacik

Seanad: Order of Business (21 Feb 2012)

Ivana Bacik: Like Senator O'Brien, I commend the Leader on the plan for a full debate on 14 March on the EU fiscal compact treaty. I agree with the Senator that it would be useful for us, as group leaders, to ascertain in advance the number of speakers who wish to contribute and, if necessary, the timing can be tweaked. It will be a useful debate. On the mortgage arrears issue, the Joint Committee on...

Seanad: Order of Business (16 Feb 2012)

Ivana Bacik: Senator Darragh O'Brien referred to the financial institutions. I am requesting the Leader to consider how this House can best liaise with the committees of both Houses. Yesterday the Joint Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality had a three hour discussion on the heads of the insolvency Bill which was attended by a wide range of interested parties, including the Irish Bankers...

Seanad: Order of Business (16 Feb 2012)

Ivana Bacik: We look forward to that reaction.

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment)(Political Funding) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (15 Feb 2012)

Ivana Bacik: The Senator has conceded the point.

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment)(Political Funding) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (15 Feb 2012)

Ivana Bacik: They are marginalised in politics.

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment)(Political Funding) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (15 Feb 2012)

Ivana Bacik: How is this relevant to this Bill?

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment)(Political Funding) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (15 Feb 2012)

Ivana Bacik: Can we stick to the amendment please?

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment)(Political Funding) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (15 Feb 2012)

Ivana Bacik: That is not what EMILY's List does.

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment)(Political Funding) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (15 Feb 2012)

Ivana Bacik: I originally wanted to speak but I did not wish to interrupt my good friend, Senator Norris, in mid flow, during his rant. Since then there have been a number of other rants. I respond to one particular comment he made and remind him and Senator Mullen to try to use gender neutral language when speaking about the nerve people have to enter politics. We heard about a gander from Senator...

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment)(Political Funding) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (15 Feb 2012)

Ivana Bacik: I cannot recall but in any case I think she used-----

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment)(Political Funding) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (15 Feb 2012)

Ivana Bacik: Senator Norris's language was, perhaps, rather different but I suggest gender neutral language would be preferable to the term "bald".

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment)(Political Funding) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (15 Feb 2012)

Ivana Bacik: On a more serious level, it is important to have a debate about corporate donations but it is always a case of trying to balance the freedom of expression of individuals and organisations to make contributions to causes in which they believe, as Senator Hayden has pointed out. It is a complex issue but while corporate donations per se are viewed as being bad for politics, and clearly a...

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment)(Political Funding) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (15 Feb 2012)

Ivana Bacik: I do not think there is any issue with that. I do not join in the rants that many others have had against Sinn Féin, much as I might feel the need to do so but that is going off the point. When debating issues about the incomes of Senators and Deputies, we must be careful not to descend to a lowest common denominator. There is a point at which people can no longer afford to go into...

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment)(Political Funding) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (15 Feb 2012)

Ivana Bacik: The Senator should mind his metaphors.

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment)(Political Funding) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (15 Feb 2012)

Ivana Bacik: I do not want to prolong the discussion unnecessarily. It is a debate that has already taken place. With respect to Senator Mullen, it is my understanding - obviously, I am not privy to the Attorney General's advice - that we have not been able to enact an outright ban on corporate donations because of certain provisions of the Constitution. This was explored by parties in opposition...

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment)(Political Funding) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (15 Feb 2012)

Ivana Bacik: With respect, we are all in favour of restricting corporate donations as far as possible and practicable. There has been no dissent from any side of the House on that principle. However, there is clearly a substantive difference between an outright ban and a restriction.

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Feb 2012)

Ivana Bacik: Most countries have their own sovereignty.

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Feb 2012)

Ivana Bacik: It was a Cabinet decision.

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Feb 2012)

Ivana Bacik: Senator Thomas Byrne accuses the Government of being obsessed with the issue of having an embassy to the Holy See and then proceeds to propose an amendment to the Order of Business at a time when we should, of course, be focusing on job creation. I agree with him that we should have a debate on the jobs plan, for which many of us called yesterday and I think we will be able to facilitate it.

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Feb 2012)

Ivana Bacik: The Senator has called for a debate on the closure of the embassy to the Holy See even though we have already dealt with the issue in the House with the Tánaiste who gave a very clear response. It was a decision taken by the Government. Three missions were closed - the embassies in Iran, East Timor and the Vatican. All of the closures are regrettable, but as the Tánaiste made clear, if...