Results 9,981-10,000 of 11,444 for speaker:Ivana Bacik

Seanad: Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Bill 2009: Committee Stage (7 Jul 2010)

Ivana Bacik: I wish to make three brief points in response to the Minister. First, we are disappointed that he is not going to accept any of these four amendments or indeed any of the others on children. If that is not going to happen, the promise of a composite response with regard to the rights of children is welcome. Can the Minister give some indication of when that is likely to happen? He says...

Seanad: Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Bill 2009: Committee Stage (7 Jul 2010)

Ivana Bacik: They could not be greater than the status of married people but they could be equivalent. Legal recognition could be given to a cohabiting couple, including a same-sex couple, to a level equivalent with marriage. I do not see how our amendments go anywhere beyond that. They are not even equivalent to marriage. I do not see how there could be a constitutional difficulty with those.

Seanad: Business of Seanad (7 Jul 2010)

Ivana Bacik: For reasons of clarity, at what time is Second Stage of the Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Bill 2009 due to conclude?

Seanad: Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Bill 2009: Second Stage (7 Jul 2010)

Ivana Bacik: It gives me great pleasure to be here on behalf of the Labour Party to welcome the introduction of this ground-breaking Bill. I am proud to be here to represent the party with a proud tradition on gay rights and the first political party to bring before either House legislation recognising the status of gay couples in law. In 2004, my dear friend and colleague, Senator Norris, a pioneer on...

Seanad: Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Bill 2009: Second Stage (7 Jul 2010)

Ivana Bacik: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Calleary. Before the suspension, I was speaking of the major problem that we in the Labour Party see with this Bill, namely, that it does not go far enough. It does not provide for full equality for gay couples because it does not recognise within it the right to marry. I want to emphasise that arguing for a more inclusive definition of marriage is...

Seanad: Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Bill 2009: Second Stage (7 Jul 2010)

Ivana Bacik: The majority of us on both sides of this and the Lower House look forward greatly to seeing civil partnership ceremonies conducted here. This is a Bill that is long overdue as it has had a long genesis. It does not go far enough for us but we recognise the historic nature of this day. We will support the Bill and we will also support the protection for cohabitees which has been provided....

Seanad: Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Bill 2009: Second Stage (7 Jul 2010)

Ivana Bacik: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Bill 2009: Second Stage (7 Jul 2010)

Ivana Bacik: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Criminal Justice (Psychoactive Substances) Bill 2010 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil]: Report and Final Stages (7 Jul 2010)

Ivana Bacik: I echo Senator Regan's comments and I thank the Minister for expressing his appreciation to us. We all did out best to try to approach the Bill in a constructive way to ensure its swift passage through the Houses.

Seanad: Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Bill 2009: Second Stage (7 Jul 2010)

Ivana Bacik: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (7 Jul 2010)

Ivana Bacik: On a point of order, how is this relevant to the amendments we are dealing with?

Seanad: Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (7 Jul 2010)

Ivana Bacik: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Order of Business (7 Jul 2010)

Ivana Bacik: We all support Senator Mooney's call for a cross-party motion condemning that decision in Iran. It is an appalling indictment of the Iranian regime to hear that anyone would be liable to that sort of grotesque and barbaric punishment in 2010. I join with others in welcoming this historic day when we see civil partnership law coming before the House and likely to be voted in today or...

Seanad: Order of Business (7 Jul 2010)

Ivana Bacik: -----as to how the individual votes on any motion or legislation. It is not a matter for the Seanad and this motion is utterly inappropriate.

Seanad: Order of Business (7 Jul 2010)

Ivana Bacik: I second what Senator Alex White said about it. It is not a motion that should be put to this House. The opportunity is there for anybody to vote against the party Whip. They can take it up with their party or they can join Senator Ross and others on the Independent benches if they feel very strongly. I would like to ask the Leader for a debate on credit unions. A Bill was passed last...

Seanad: Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2010: Committee and Remaining Stages (6 Jul 2010)

Ivana Bacik: I regret that the Labour Party and Fine Gael amendments have not been accepted by the Minister who made sympathetic noises in the other House, such that there was some hope there might have been a reprieve in the Bill. It is a real shame the Minister cannot accept the amendments, in particular having heard the genuine words of sympathy from the other side of the House. They would have...

Seanad: Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2010: Committee and Remaining Stages (6 Jul 2010)

Ivana Bacik: I support both amendments which were tabled by the Labour Party and Fine Gael and which clearly address the major problem with the Bill. We are of the view that amendment No. 2 is critical and we will not be supporting the Bill if it is not accepted. Amendment No. 2 provides, as Deputy Ruairí Quinn stated in the Dáil, that St. Luke's should be retained as a centre of excellence and should...

Seanad: Order of Business (6 Jul 2010)

Ivana Bacik: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Order of Business (6 Jul 2010)

Ivana Bacik: I support what previous speakers stated in respect of the ordering of Seanad business. I request that the Leader arrange a debate on how we order our business. In the brief time during which I have been a Member, each summer it appears we are affected by a chronic condition I term "Julyitis", which results in a large number of Bills being rushed through the House. A number of important...

Seanad: Order of Business (6 Jul 2010)

Ivana Bacik: I always have lights on my bicycle.