Results 14,901-14,920 of 16,057 for speaker:Mary Coughlan

Seanad: Veterinary Practice Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (22 Mar 2005)

Mary Coughlan: Molaim an rún. D'ardaigh muid an méid daoine atá ar an chomhairle ó seacht go dtí naoi. Ag éisteacht leis na Seanadóirí, i mo thuairimse, rinne mé gach iarracht go mbeidh mé ábalta tacaíocht a thabhairt dóibh. I mo thuairimse, when the Senator talks about compromise, perhaps we reach one on this issue.

Seanad: Veterinary Practice Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (22 Mar 2005)

Mary Coughlan: I thank Senators, who seem relatively happy with the amendment. I am sorry that I did not refer to APHA. I did not wish to include it in the legislation but it can be included under section 16 (1)(b).

Seanad: Veterinary Practice Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (22 Mar 2005)

Mary Coughlan: It must do its job like everyone else.

Seanad: Veterinary Practice Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (22 Mar 2005)

Mary Coughlan: This is purely a textual change at the suggestion of the Attorney General.

Seanad: Veterinary Practice Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (22 Mar 2005)

Mary Coughlan: I propose to make four textual amendments to sections 18(1) and (2) on the advice of the Attorney General. They involve transferring the three-month deadline for making rules for elections from subsection (2) to subsection (1) and making the consequential textual amendments. There is no substantive change involved.

Seanad: Veterinary Practice Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (22 Mar 2005)

Mary Coughlan: I propose to provide for the points covered by amendment No. 19 from the Senators under the new subsection (3). I am also in a position to accept the substance of amendment No. 21 tabled by Senator Henry. I propose that a mechanism be inserted in section 19 to provide for the election, every two years, of alternatively four and five of the nine elected places for veterinary practitioners to...

Seanad: Veterinary Practice Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (22 Mar 2005)

Mary Coughlan: I wish to draw Senators' attention to an error in section 22, subsection (4), in line 40. It is a reference to "Houses", whereas the precedent indicates this should be in the singular.

Seanad: Veterinary Practice Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (22 Mar 2005)

Mary Coughlan: Amendment No. 23 would make it mandatory for the Veterinary Council of Ireland to appoint an acting registrar in the circumstances described in subsection (9)(a). I fully recognise the importance of ensuring the office of the registrar of the council operates effectively at all times and that the affairs of the council are dealt with expeditiously. That said, the council must be afforded an...

Seanad: Veterinary Practice Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (22 Mar 2005)

Mary Coughlan: Since time immemorial, "may" and "shall" have been discussed. Some day we may bring it to finality.

Seanad: Veterinary Practice Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (22 Mar 2005)

Mary Coughlan: We might because, as Senator McCarthy knows, I could be on the other side and table these types of amendments. I am trying not to be too prescriptive in the day-to-day running of the council. I agree there may be issues. We have a new registrar, who is a fine young lady, and hopefully things will go well. Under the legislation, it is not permissible for someone to hold an acting position for...

Seanad: Veterinary Practice Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (22 Mar 2005)

Mary Coughlan: I have no difficulty in principle with the essence of amendment No. 24, which proposes to make the confidentiality clause provided for in section 26(1) subject to the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act. The amendment will not have any effect until the Freedom of Information Act is extended to embrace the Veterinary Council and, as Senators may be aware, the Minister for Finance...

Seanad: Veterinary Practice Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (22 Mar 2005)

Mary Coughlan: I have carefully considered amendment No. 26 which proposes making public all disclosures of interests made by either members or staff of the council. We must be very careful to keep a balance between the legitimate rights to privacy of private citizens and the right of the public to know of issues which might affect the impartiality of a person on the council or a person employed by it. The...

Seanad: Veterinary Practice Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (22 Mar 2005)

Mary Coughlan: Arising from comments, particularly from Senator O'Toole, on Second Stage, my Department has reviewed recent statutes in respect of Members of the Oireachtas or the European Parliament or local authority representatives being members of statutory bodies. While it is true that there has not been a rigid approach to this area in general, Members of the Oireachtas and the European Parliament...

Seanad: Veterinary Practice Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (22 Mar 2005)

Mary Coughlan: I am catering for Senator McCarthy's voters.

Seanad: Veterinary Practice Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (22 Mar 2005)

Mary Coughlan: Yes and, as that is the case, subsection (6) must be deleted.

Seanad: Veterinary Practice Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (22 Mar 2005)

Mary Coughlan: This amendment corrects a grammatical error.

Seanad: Veterinary Practice Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (22 Mar 2005)

Mary Coughlan: This is a minor textual amendment.

Seanad: Veterinary Practice Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (22 Mar 2005)

Mary Coughlan: I draw the attention of Senators to two technical amendments that are necessary to be made to section 45.

Seanad: Veterinary Practice Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (22 Mar 2005)

Mary Coughlan: This amendment is also consequential on decisions that have been made previously.

Seanad: Veterinary Practice Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (22 Mar 2005)

Mary Coughlan: I had the opportunity to meet the representatives and we had a robust conversation on this issue. There are concerns that this provision could be used as a backdoor to register unqualified persons. This would undermine the veterinary profession. That is not my intention. While the foot and mouth disease outbreak in 2001 was limited in geographical scope, it showed the pressure a large...