Results 11,061-11,080 of 11,503 for speaker:Ivana Bacik

Seanad: Adoption Bill 2009: Second Stage (17 Feb 2009)

Ivana Bacik: I thank Senator Norris for sharing his time. I welcome the Minister of State to the House and join other Senators in commending him on the introduction of this long overdue Bill which provides for a positive overhaul of adoption legislation previously set out in the 1952 Act, as amended. I should declare an interest in that as a practising barrister I have acted in cases concerning...

Seanad: Order of Business (17 Feb 2009)

Ivana Bacik: Like Senator Walsh, I was very impressed by David Begg on "Questions & Answers" last night. Sitting in the studio, I was particularly impressed by how much the Minister of State, Deputy Conor Lenihan, appeared to agree with David Begg. The strength of what he had to say lay in the fact that the Irish Congress of Trade Unions has put forward a ten-point economic plan for economic recovery...

Seanad: Order of Business (17 Feb 2009)

Ivana Bacik: I echo calls from other Senators for a debate on banking. I stated that the country is crying out for a national recovery plan, but it is also crying out for accountability from the top bankers. There have been calls across both sides of this House for better regulation, but we have a regulation system and recent legislation to deal with all this. For example, we created the Office of...

Seanad: Order of Business (17 Feb 2009)

Ivana Bacik: I thank the Leader.

Seanad: Recapitalisation of Allied Irish Banks and Bank of Ireland: Statements (12 Feb 2009)

Ivana Bacik: As Senator Quinn said, apparently we are all bankers. I welcome the opportunity to put on record two fundamental concerns about the proposed recapitalisation plan. It is essential we have a cap on remuneration. It is simply not enough to talk about percentage cuts and so on when the base amounts are so enormous. In terms of the public having confidence in what is being done, it is...

Seanad: Recapitalisation of Allied Irish Banks and Bank of Ireland: Statements (12 Feb 2009)

Ivana Bacik: ——which exceeded liabilities. Many of us had real doubts about what the Minister said. What we know, having heard about the back to back loan and fraudulent presentation of loan money being presented as a customer deposit and therefore part of the assets of the bank is that the cushion is exposed to have been a fiction. What we do not know is how many other fictions we were legislating...

Seanad: Child Poverty: Motion (11 Feb 2009)

Ivana Bacik: I welcome the opportunity to speak on this motion which tackles the very important issue of child poverty. I agree with Senator Boyle entirely that one should measure a Government by its commitment to social justice and by its ability to do the most with the least resources. However, I am disturbed to hear him speak about the need for readjustment. Given that the Minister for Education and...

Seanad: Order of Business (11 Feb 2009)

Ivana Bacik: Other Senators have rightly expressed shock and dismay at the news of the appalling practices between Anglo Irish Bank and Irish Life & Permanent. Who knows, as Senator Ross said, what other banks are engaged in the practice of propping up each other? It begs the question, if the banks are busy bailing each other out, why on earth are we, as taxpayers, bailing them out? Could it be that...

Seanad: Order of Business (11 Feb 2009)

Ivana Bacik: I am reminded of the phrase which got a British governmental adviser into such trouble some years ago. It seems like today is a good day to bury bad news, given the major headlines on the loans between Irish Life & Permanent and Anglo Irish Bank. Clearly other bad news might well be buried on a day like today and this is why we need the Minister to come to the House and tell Members why he...

Seanad: Order of Business (11 Feb 2009)

Ivana Bacik: We can put to him the reasons he should reverse this appalling decision.

Seanad: Order of Business (11 Feb 2009)

Ivana Bacik: That is a cutback by any other name.

Seanad: Order of Business (11 Feb 2009)

Ivana Bacik: It is.

Seanad: Education Matters: Statements (10 Feb 2009)

Ivana Bacik: I welcome the Minister of State and the opportunity to speak on education, a subject on which I have very strong views and in which I have a strong interest. I should declare my interest as a lecturer in the law school in Trinity College and as somebody who is, therefore, very centrally involved in educating law students. I will begin by saying something about the third level sector. I wish...

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Feb 2009)

Ivana Bacik: That is what we say.

Seanad: Stabilisation of the Public Finances: Statements (5 Feb 2009)

Ivana Bacik: That is what we agreed. I am happy with two minutes.

Seanad: Stabilisation of the Public Finances: Statements (5 Feb 2009)

Ivana Bacik: I thank Senator O'Toole for sharing time with me. I echo his words about the need for equity, about the problem with the burden of blame being heaped on the public sector and the unfair scapegoating of public service workers. In the public service, we all accept the need to pay our share. I support the principle of the pension levy, but I disagree with the inequitable way in which it is...

Seanad: Order of Business (4 Feb 2009)

Ivana Bacik: Of course it has.

Seanad: Order of Business (4 Feb 2009)

Ivana Bacik: I echo the calls by Senator O'Toole and others for a debate today on the Government's economic package. I take issue with those on the other side of the House who suggest we are not being constructive. We need to take issue constructively with the elements of the package that has been proposed by the Government. We have heard the mantra from Senator Boyle, the Minister, Deputy Harney, and...

Seanad: Order of Business (4 Feb 2009)

Ivana Bacik: We had this debate last year when the Government proposed a 1% levy, which they were to impose equally on all up to a certain level, and it had to revise that. It saw it was profoundly inequitable to charge the same percentage levy on the lowest paid. It must do the same U-turn on the pension levy. It would be most unfair to charge people on €15,000 and €20,000 a 3% levy to pay for...

Seanad: Order of Business (4 Feb 2009)

Ivana Bacik: That would make it appear more equitable and would make it easier to bear the pain of these unpopular measures. We need to engage constructively and we need to do so today. I also ask that the Leader would take on board the wording I proposed to him last week of a cross-party motion from this House calling on the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform to grant Pamela Izevbekhai and...