Results 11,361-11,380 of 11,469 for speaker:Ivana Bacik

Seanad: Order of Business (5 Jun 2008)

Ivana Bacik: ——it has been proven this week to be the wrong course, so perhaps I shall not be putting any bets. On a more serious note I want to ask the Leader for a debate on No. 21 on the Order Paper, a motion which I have table dealing with the issue of genital mutilation. A report has been published by the Women's Health Council of Ireland calling for legislation. It is a literature review...

Seanad: Order of Business (4 Jun 2008)

Ivana Bacik: Last night's "Prime Time Investigates" programme investigated the so-called war on drugs and examined alternatives to the prohibitionist approach to drug misuse. The Leader previously facilitated a debate on this and I was one of the Senators who participated in formulating the motion. However, the debate lapsed into platitudes on what to do about drugs and we did not sufficiently address...

Seanad: Prison Building Programme: Motion. (29 May 2008)

Ivana Bacik: I welcome the Minister of State and the opportunity to speak on this issue. I have had a long-standing interest in prison reform and have long been a member of the Irish Penal Reform Trust. I am very familiar with the inside of many of the State's prisons, happily not as a prisoner but as a defence lawyer and criminologist. I spent time touring the inside of Mountjoy Prison, the Dóchas...

Seanad: Prison Building Programme: Motion. (29 May 2008)

Ivana Bacik: I am very much obliged to the Minister of State for clarifying that. I believed that might be the case. I am particularly concerned, therefore, that we are allowing for a potentially enormous increase in prisoner numbers to 2,200. The unfortunate truism is that if prison places are built, they will be filled. We should all be concerned about the direction this would take our penal policy....

Seanad: Prison Building Programme: Motion. (29 May 2008)

Ivana Bacik: In respect of my second concern, I have been working with a colleague from the other House who is not unknown to the Minister of State, namely, Deputy Mary O'Rourke. She and I hosted a meeting last week with Baroness Jean Corston from the House of Lords, who has produced a comprehensive and thought-provoking report, "The Corston Report", on female prisoners in the United Kingdom, the...

Seanad: Order of Business (29 May 2008)

Ivana Bacik: I wish to ask the Leader for a debate on the level of integration of migrants in Ireland as this is an important issue. In the past week we celebrated Africa day and I understand it was a huge success that saw great events held, especially in Dublin's city centre. Last week, in light of Africa day, I had the pleasure to launch a report produced by AkiDwA, a network of African and other...

Seanad: Order of Business (27 May 2008)

Ivana Bacik: There was a definite proposal to publish it by September.

Seanad: HSE Child Welfare and Protection Services: Statements (21 May 2008)

Ivana Bacik: With the permission of the House, I wish to share time with my colleague, Senator Norris. I will speak for seven minutes, while Senator Norris will speak for three minutes if that is agreeable.

Seanad: HSE Child Welfare and Protection Services: Statements (21 May 2008)

Ivana Bacik: I also echo the words of the others in welcoming the Minister of State to the House and congratulating him on his new appointment. I very much welcome the words in his speech to the effect that he would make it a priority to provide services to some of the most vulnerable young members of our society. We all agree that the protection of vulnerable children should be a key priority of the...

Seanad: Order of Business (20 May 2008)

Ivana Bacik: I ask the Leader for a debate on imprisonment, specifically the imprisonment of women. In a week when Thornton Hall is in the news, it is time for us to take a critical review of the need for imprisonment and, in particular, the need for this super prison initially proposed by the former Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Michael McDowell.

Seanad: Order of Business (20 May 2008)

Ivana Bacik: This prison seems to be forging ahead without anyone questioning whether we need these places. I was going to use the "L" word but I hesitate to use it, other Members of the House having fallen into problems, so I will say that misinformation rather than lies have been told about the need for more prison places in this country. The reality elsewhere shows us that if one builds bigger...

Seanad: Order of Business (20 May 2008)

Ivana Bacik: I would be happy to meet them to discuss the issues at another time. The Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice will also host a seminar on Thursday evening on the future of women's imprisonment. This is an issue which we could very usefully debate in this House and could lead the way in calling for a critical review of women's imprisonment, as Baroness Corston has done in Great Britain.

Seanad: Order of Business. (30 Apr 2008)

Ivana Bacik: I ask the Deputy Leader for a debate on maternity services. Speakers have called for debates on other aspects of the health services but it is important for us to focus on the state of maternity services in our hospitals. I met last week with an organisation called the Association for Improvements in the Maternity Services — Ireland, a group formed last year by mothers dissatisfied with...

Seanad: Order of Business (22 Apr 2008)

Ivana Bacik: I support Senator Alex White's call for a debate with the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform on the issue of Internet and e-mail data retention which is being reported on in today's edition of The Irish Times. I am delighted that Senator de Búrca also has called for this and I ask her to use her influence within Government to ensure this statutory instrument does not see the...

Seanad: Order of Business (17 Apr 2008)

Ivana Bacik: When will that be?

Seanad: Kidnapping and Detention of Ms Ingrid Betancourt: Motion (10 Apr 2008)

Ivana Bacik: I thank Senator Norris for sharing time. I also welcome the motion and I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I am delighted to have played a role in bringing about the unanimous motion that was passed in December calling for the release of Ingrid Betancourt and the other hostages being held in equally appalling and cruel conditions by FARC in Colombia. When I raised this matter in...

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Apr 2008)

Ivana Bacik: Those of us who have been calling for a debate on the Olympic Games have been calling for a debate on whether there should be a political boycott of the opening ceremony, not a boycott of the games or a boycott by athletes. I renew my request to the Leader to ask the Minister for the Health and Children to come to the House for a debate on alcohol advertising, the issue of the football...

Seanad: Order of Business (8 Apr 2008)

Ivana Bacik: I am delighted Senator Glynn is supporting Senator Feeney on the issue of eating disorders and it is no longer only female Members who are supporting this call.

Seanad: Order of Business (8 Apr 2008)

Ivana Bacik: At the risk of making another gendered call, I support Senator Corrigan's call for a debate on MMR because I share her concern about the low level of take-up of the vaccination. That is an important issue as we face into the disturbing prospect of a measles epidemic. I also support Senator Norris's amendment to the Order of Business in order that we can briefly debate No. 19, motion 36....

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Mar 2008)

Ivana Bacik: I thank my colleagues for inviting me to be the first to speak. With regard to Senator Fitzgerald's remarks about what happened at the weekend, we are all deeply concerned about the terrible incidents we have seen and the clear abuse of alcohol that has been going on. It requires us to question our relationship with alcohol and it also requires a good deal of political leadership. In that...