Results 1,101-1,120 of 2,438 for speaker:Caít Keane

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: County and City Managers Association (7 Nov 2013)

Caít Keane: Safety legislation has upped the cost of providing services, particularly on roads. I know there has been a dramatic increase in the cost of cutting the grass on the central median of the N81. What do the managers think of safety legislation?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: County and City Managers Association (7 Nov 2013)

Caít Keane: No, I do not wish to know the cost, but I wonder whether bureaucracy has gone mad. Some local authorities have implemented the safety legislation in a different manner. Can something be done to reduce costs? Today, all of the talk has been about a certain matter. Therefore, I cannot let the opportunity pass without saying that vacant houses in local authorities should be used. Can...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Reform of Local Government: Discussion
Association of County and City Councils (7 Nov 2013)

Caít Keane: I thank the witnesses for their contributions. Getting views from the bottom up is very important. Having spent most of my political life as a member of a local authority, I know the importance of the role of local government. I was delighted to hear references to reform being the "logical conclusion". There is a great deal of learning to do in the reform process, and today's meeting is...

Seanad: Order of Business (6 Nov 2013)

Caít Keane: Ba mhaith liom míle buíochas a ghabháil le Tom McGrath and all the ushers for their service over the years. They look after us in the House and bring pride and joy to their work. I thank Tom for his 37 years of service. I have known him for just a couple of years. Is mian liom comhghairdeas a dhéanamh le muintir Breathnach as Conamara tar éis do Máirtín...

Seanad: Order of Business (6 Nov 2013)

Caít Keane: Tá mé cinnte go bhfuil gach éinne thiar i gConamara, an ceantar as a dtagaim féin, an-bhródúil tar éis a thofa. Labhróidh mé amárach mar gheall ar an digital divide agus an ábhar a d'ardaigh an Seanadóir Clune.

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Flood Relief Schemes Funding (5 Nov 2013)

Caít Keane: I welcome the Minister of State to the House.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2013: Second Stage (Resumed) (5 Nov 2013)

Caít Keane: I welcome the Minister to the House. She genuinely has her heart in the right place. As the previous speaker said, it is difficult to be in a position where one does not have money to spend to solve a problem. Money does not always solve a problem but it can put a sticking plaster on it, so to speak. This Minister is about looking at the grass roots and what will solve problems. The...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2013: Second Stage (Resumed) (5 Nov 2013)

Caít Keane: It was.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2013: Second Stage (Resumed) (5 Nov 2013)

Caít Keane: I am sure there is something in between. We have come up with an alternative. If we could find the money, I would be the first to say I am sure there is something in between. Let us look on the positive side. A total of €30 million in savings will be made through additional fraud and control measures. Some €34 million will be saved through increased efficiencies. These are...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2013: Second Stage (Resumed) (5 Nov 2013)

Caít Keane: There have been reductions and it has been hard on some, but the Minister has managed to make payments and to maintain the State pension, the carer's allowance, the disability allowance and the core weekly payments on which people depend. Crucially, supplementary supports for pensioners, including the fuel allowance for gas and electricity, free travel, the half-rate carer's allowance and...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2013: Second Stage (Resumed) (5 Nov 2013)

Caít Keane: Another issue I want to take up with the Minister is meals on wheels. It is protected and the budget for it is ring-fenced. Tús workers - formerly FÁS workers - provide meals on wheels. I have been working on a scheme since last April and it is proving difficult to get Tús workers to become involved with meals on wheels. If people are not kept in their houses, they go into...

Seanad: Order of Business (5 Nov 2013)

Caít Keane: We need to introduce regulations and legislation to give effect to water harvesting.

Seanad: Order of Business (5 Nov 2013)

Caít Keane: I also welcome Senator Norris back to the Chamber and wish him the best. While recognising the independence of the Revenue Commissioners and noting that Members do not wish to be seen to be interfering-----

Seanad: Order of Business (5 Nov 2013)

Caít Keane: ---- they have questions to ask of their computer developer because it should have been possible to tick the box and outline how one intended to pay. The reason the letters were sent out was to ascertain how people intended to pay and not when they intended to pay. The computer developer obviously linked the box on the credit cards to automatically deduct the amount. This should not have...

Seanad: Order of Business (24 Oct 2013)

Caít Keane: I agree with Senator Darragh O'Brien's views on the appropriateness of commenting on the Minister for Justice, Deputy Alan Shatter. As Senator Ivana Bacik has outlined, I was in the House last evening when he had to make the sad announcement concerning the two children and the families involved. On the other hand we want to ensure the Garda and the HSE act appropriately for children. I...

Seanad: Seanad Reform: Statements (23 Oct 2013)

Caít Keane: We should scrap the Order of Business.

Seanad: Seanad Reform: Statements (23 Oct 2013)

Caít Keane: I wish to share two minutes of my time with Senator Pat O'Neill. Ba mhaith liom míle buíochas a ghabháil leis an Taoiseach agus é i láthair sa Teach seo inniu. Nil mórán le rá agam chun cur leis an moladh atá curtha chun cinn ag an Seanadóir MacSharry. Ní fhéadfainn é a rá níos fearr ná mar a dúirt an...

Seanad: Order of Business (17 Oct 2013)

Caít Keane: The Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Phil Hogan, is set to publish the local government reform Bill today. The proposed reforms of our local government system are an issue about which many colleagues have called for a discussion in recent times. I hope the Bill will come before the House as soon as possible. The Valuation (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2012 was...

Seanad: Irish Sign Language: Motion (9 Oct 2013)

Caít Keane: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Irish Sign Language: Motion (9 Oct 2013)

Caít Keane: I second the motion and I am delighted to welcome representatives from the Irish Deaf Society to the Chamber. As Senator Conway stated, my involvement on this issue with Brian Crean, Dr. John Bosco Conama and the Irish Deaf Society goes back a long way. It was important to me that I used my maiden Adjournment motion in the Seanad two years ago to raise the issue. I am afraid not much has...