Results 9,561-9,580 of 11,441 for speaker:Ivana Bacik

Seanad: Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (29 Jun 2011)

Ivana Bacik: To respond to Senator Darragh O'Brien, as I said on the Order of Business and Second Stage, I agree with him and his colleagues that it is less than ideal to have all Stages of a Bill go through the House in one day. I have raised this issue at meetings of my parliamentary party with a view to ensuring it does not recur. As the Minister said earlier, he, too, regrets that this is happening....

Seanad: Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (29 Jun 2011)

Ivana Bacik: I, too, should have welcomed the Minister of State, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan, and apologise to her for not doing so. I do not wish to prolong the debate on this issue which Members rehearsed fully on the Order of Business and Second Stage. The Minister for public expenditure and reform, Deputy Brendan Howlin, expressed his regret on Second Stage in this regard. The debate was originally...

Seanad: Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (29 Jun 2011)

Ivana Bacik: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Order of Business (28 Jun 2011)

Ivana Bacik: I support calls by Senators Kelly and Harte for a debate on the reconfiguration of local hospitals and for the Minister for Health to appear before the House. It is an important debate Members should be having on the balance that must be struck between the creation of centres of excellence and the need to ensure access to local services in different areas. I am struck by what Senator...

Seanad: Order of Business (28 Jun 2011)

Ivana Bacik: On a point of order, I will not stand for Senator Leyden, whose Government brought this country into the hands of the IMF, accusing the Labour Party of this. It is an outrageous accusation.

Seanad: Order of Business (23 Jun 2011)

Ivana Bacik: In response to Senator Keane, last night's debate initiated by Senator Hayden and Labour Party Senators on the topic of distressed homeowners was an example of the Seanad at its best. Constructive alternatives were explored and the Opposition engaged constructively in a genuinely non-partisan debate on potential solutions to assist distressed homeowners in mortgage difficulties. It was an...

Seanad: Housing Market: Motion (22 Jun 2011)

Ivana Bacik: I join colleagues in welcoming the Minister of State to the House. I thank him both for his commitment to the House and for his thoughtful and considered response to the issues raised in the motion. The Labour Party is delighted that he responded to the content of the motion and to the broader issues it raises of how we deal with the huge social and economic problem of mortgage holders in...

Seanad: Housing Market: Motion (22 Jun 2011)

Ivana Bacik: As many Senators have stated, it is a question of trying to find a variety of different schemes that will address the different needs. Senator Crown put forward an idea, that again would only apply to certain distressed home owners, about the use of pension funds. Senator Hayden pointed out that many of those in difficulty and with negative equity may not have access to the type of...

Seanad: European Affairs: Statements (22 Jun 2011)

Ivana Bacik: I welcome the Minister of State and congratulate her on her new role - I may have already done so in person, but I now do so formally. I am delighted to have the opportunity to speak on the topic of the EU's role in enterprise, innovation and job creation. It is a timely topic, particularly for somebody with a connection to Trinity College - the Minister of State also has a connection....

Seanad: European Affairs: Statements (22 Jun 2011)

Ivana Bacik: That is not really the case.

Seanad: Order of Business (22 Jun 2011)

Ivana Bacik: Yesterday, Senator Norris raised the case of the Magdalene laundries. Perhaps we can have a debate in this House on the initial report, which is to be made to Cabinet by the interdepartmental committee announced by the Government. Senator Norris and others have raised ongoing issues that have come to light in respect of the Magdalene laundries. I refer to the article by Mary Raftery in The...

Seanad: Order of Business (22 Jun 2011)

Ivana Bacik: In fairness, we need a debate on this to ensure all children who require special needs assistants receive the service. The context of this must be understood. If we call on the Minister for Education and Skills to attend the Chamber for a debate on special needs assistants, we should also have him discuss the severe cuts to the visiting teacher service for Travellers and the resource...

Seanad: Order of Business (21 Jun 2011)

Ivana Bacik: Like Senator O'Brien I ask that the Minister, Deputy Howlin, come into the House although it is almost as important that he be brought in to speak to us on the topic of political and constitutional reform. We are all delighted that the Private Members' business will resume today on the subject of Seanad procedures but there is an urgency about debating in this Chamber the bigger issue of...

Seanad: Order of Business (16 Jun 2011)

Ivana Bacik: The Senator is delusional.

Seanad: Order of Business (16 Jun 2011)

Ivana Bacik: Senator Leyden's party wrecked the economy.

Seanad: Order of Business (16 Jun 2011)

Ivana Bacik: Senator Mullins will continue to be amused.

Seanad: Order of Business (16 Jun 2011)

Ivana Bacik: All of us join Senator O'Brien in expressing sympathy in regard to that latest appalling shooting. Last night there was a debate in this House on the Criminal Justice (Amendment) Act 2009 with the Minister for Justice and Equality, and Members aired their concerns about the effectiveness of current legislative measures. The Minister helpfully indicated that he would conduct a review of the...

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Jun 2011)

Ivana Bacik: I, too, welcome the allocation of three hours for the Second Stage debate on the Finance (No. 2) Bill 2011 and the Leader's indication that we will have an opportunity to raise several issues with the Minister. One of the issues we must discuss is how to fund the jobs initiative. I welcome Senator Darragh O'Brien's indication that the Opposition supports the initiative.

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Jun 2011)

Ivana Bacik: The Senator indicated he supported the concept behind it.

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Jun 2011)

Ivana Bacik: He also referred to the changes to the rate of VAT and the travel tax. We must all bear in mind that the Government is between a rock and a hard place in terms of the IMF-EU deal. It is a real difficulty. We need to debate the basis upon which we will fund an initiative, but it is clear that such an initiative is needed and that it is very difficult to identify a source of funding, given...