Results 9,861-9,880 of 24,635 for speaker:Mary Harney

Order of Business (29 May 2008)

Mary Harney: I share the Deputy's view about the convention agreed in Dublin. It is a major step forward and everybody involved needs to be congratulated. It is a landmark decision. The Government is preparing legislation but I cannot say precisely when we will have it. It is being prepared as a matter of urgency. The matters outlined in the Fine Gael Bill will be taken into account in that legislation.

Order of Business (29 May 2008)

Mary Harney: The second Bill will appear later this year. Perhaps the Deputy will raise the specific inquiry with the line Minister, the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. The first Bill is expected this session.

Order of Business (29 May 2008)

Mary Harney: I will certainly ask the Government Chief Whip to advance that with his colleagues from the Deputy's party and Fine Gael and the line Minister.

Order of Business (29 May 2008)

Mary Harney: I do not have an answer to that. Again, it is secondary legislation. However, I will ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government to communicate with Deputy Higgins.

Order of Business (29 May 2008)

Mary Harney: We are in the summer, although I accept we do not have the kind of weather we would expect for the summer all the time.

Order of Business (29 May 2008)

Mary Harney: I will get the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government to contact Deputy Higgins.

Order of Business (29 May 2008)

Mary Harney: As the Deputy is aware, we have an all-party committee, on which her party is represented by Deputy Howlin. The Minister of State with responsibility for children, Deputy Barry Andrews, and the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform are working actively to bring back, hopefully, an agreement to this House in respect of that matter.

Order of Business (29 May 2008)

Mary Harney: I do not have a date for that at the moment.

Order of Business (29 May 2008)

Mary Harney: In respect of the animal health and welfare Bill, I understand a consultation process with various stakeholders has been initiated. The health information Bill will be published next year. For the record, the meeting that took place yesterday was a regular one of the Cabinet sub-committee on health.

Cancer Screening Programme: Statements (29 May 2008)

Mary Harney: I am very happy to have an opportunity to talk about the Government's cervical cancer screening programme. This debate was requested last week by the Opposition. I was delighted to agree to the facilitation of the debate. This debate is about women and women who get cervical cancer in Ireland. On average, 75 women per year die in Ireland from cervical cancer. We know that from screening...

Order of Business (29 May 2008)

Mary Harney: It is proposed to take No.16e, motion re referral to joint committee of proposed approval by Dáil Éireann of a Council decision on the improvement of co-operation between the special intervention units of the member states of the European Union, Council framework decision on taking account of convictions in the member states of the European Union, draft Council decision on the stepping up...

Order of Business (29 May 2008)

Mary Harney: As Deputies are aware, the purpose of these motions is to strengthen Ireland's hand and that of its EU partners in the area of cross-border crime. Countries that have parliamentary reservations have been urged to deal with the issues as a matter of urgency, which the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform and the Government are anxious to do. I can agree to the suggestion of Deputy...

Order of Business (29 May 2008)

Mary Harney: The issue of a debate on crime is a matter to be discussed with the Whips. The Government is always happy to facilitate debates on important matters. The legislative programme has been published by the Government and I will not go through the 49 Bills to which the Deputy referred. The Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform is a major law-making Department and we have enacted several...

Order of Business (29 May 2008)

Mary Harney: I do not accept that.

Order of Business (29 May 2008)

Mary Harney: The matter of a debate should be discussed with the Whips.

Order of Business (29 May 2008)

Mary Harney: On the second matter, it was the Government's intention to wait to have a debate until publication of all of the reports which we expect by the middle of June. Deputy Gilmore makes a reasonable request. Even if we did not have these reports, I believe the Government would facilitate a debate prior to the summer recess. The employment agency regulations Bill is due to be published this...

Order of Business (29 May 2008)

Mary Harney: I already stated the employment regulations legislation will be published this session. Ireland must make its own decisions on these matters. We have a unique system of social partnership which is different from the social partnership model which exists in many other countries. The Deputy's question is more relevant to the line Minister than it is to me this morning.

Order of Business (29 May 2008)

Mary Harney: I cannot tell the Deputy the exact day of publication but I am optimistic it will be published shortly. We had a good meeting with the Attorney General and his team approximately three weeks ago and we finalised this complex legislation. I expect to bring the final draft of the legislation to Government shortly. Fast-tracking it through the Oireachtas might be too ambitious. This would be...

Order of Business (29 May 2008)

Mary Harney: Nobody is more conscious than I am of the hardship endured by families. The purpose of the legislation is to bring greater equity and fairness to the funding of long-term care for older people and their families. However, it has proved to be extremely complex from a legal point of view.

Order of Business (29 May 2008)

Mary Harney: It is not just because of that aspect.