Results 1,501-1,520 of 3,623 for speaker:Ulick Burke

Seanad: Order of Business (6 Feb 2007)

Ulick Burke: In 2002 the Government in its programme for Government declared that no child under nine years of age would be in a class of more than 20 pupils yet, tragically, 25% of children are in classes of 30 plus. Some 50% of children are in classes of 20 to 29 children and 85% of children in national schools are in classes with pupil numbers greater than they were in 2002. The Minister declared...

Seanad: Order of Business (6 Feb 2007)

Ulick Burke: He did not get the single payment yet.

Seanad: Schools Building Projects (31 Jan 2007)

Ulick Burke: I thank Senator Kitt for sharing time. Nobody can emphasise sufficiently well the conditions at this school. On the issue of health and safety and the requirement for a standard school size, the school is one-third of the size of the school required. Senator Kitt referred to special needs children. When we were shown a slide of a special needs student in a small classroom with 28 other...

Seanad: Order of Business. (31 Jan 2007)

Ulick Burke: The proposal by the Department of Education and Science to transfer responsibility for dealing with under-performance by teachers at primary and secondary level from school inspectors to boards of management is a mistake. Boards of management at primary, vocational educational committee and voluntary secondary school level have different responsibilities. School inspectors' involvement in...

Seanad: Houses of the Oireachtas Commission (Amendment) Bill 2006: Second Stage (14 Dec 2006)

Ulick Burke: Senator White was overlooked the last time.

Seanad: Houses of the Oireachtas Commission (Amendment) Bill 2006: Second Stage (14 Dec 2006)

Ulick Burke: The Senator is in the wrong place altogether.

Seanad: Houses of the Oireachtas Commission (Amendment) Bill 2006: Second Stage (14 Dec 2006)

Ulick Burke: It is too near Christmas for this.

Seanad: Houses of the Oireachtas Commission (Amendment) Bill 2006: Second Stage (14 Dec 2006)

Ulick Burke: The Cathaoirleach should protect us.

Seanad: Houses of the Oireachtas Commission (Amendment) Bill 2006: Second Stage (14 Dec 2006)

Ulick Burke: When will that be released?

Seanad: Houses of the Oireachtas Commission (Amendment) Bill 2006:Committee and Remaining Stages (14 Dec 2006)

Ulick Burke: I thank the Minister of State and his staff for their work in bringing this Bill forward. I hope it will contribute to ongoing improvements in facilities and work the commission must do in future. I have no doubt this Bill will be amended in due course in future in terms of the provision of additional facilities as are required in the years ahead. I thank the Cathaoirleach and the other...

Seanad: Houses of the Oireachtas Commission (Amendment) Bill 2006: Second Stage (14 Dec 2006)

Ulick Burke: Can the Minister be more precise?

Seanad: Houses of the Oireachtas Commission (Amendment) Bill 2006: Second Stage (14 Dec 2006)

Ulick Burke: We will facilitate the passing of this Bill. The amendments dealt with in the other House clarified any area of difficulty that may have arisen since the publication of the Bill. There was particular concern that the core duties of the commission should not have contained the function of providing a translation service. I welcome the fact that this has been removed from the commission's...

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Dec 2006)

Ulick Burke: In respect of what Senator Brady, a Member on the Government side, calls a crisis in regard to crime it was revealed yesterday that a skeleton staff of only three were in the Garda drug squad because most of the squad's members were in court waiting to give evidence. The Minister has said that the sentences handed down by judges are a joke. This is more than a crisis, it is a lack of...

Seanad: Water and Sewerage Schemes. (6 Dec 2006)

Ulick Burke: I welcome the Minister of State to the House. Senator Kitt will agree the Gort regional water scheme has been discussed for at least 30 years. However, it seems there has been little or no progress in that time as to how a proper water supply for Gort should be provided or augmented. The latest response from Galway County Council stated that work is ongoing on the environmental impact...

Seanad: Water and Sewerage Schemes. (6 Dec 2006)

Ulick Burke: The Minister of State stated the Department is not requiring a full EIS report. This has been bandied about for at least ten years. If somebody could make a decision as to whether we are looking for a full EIS report and get on with it, the sooner the Minister could approve it.

Seanad: Water and Sewerage Schemes. (6 Dec 2006)

Ulick Burke: I thank the Minister of State.

Seanad: Budget Statement 2006: Motion (6 Dec 2006)

Ulick Burke: That is the Senator's excuse for the lack of action on stamp duty.

Seanad: Budget Statement 2006: Motion (6 Dec 2006)

Ulick Burke: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Seán Power, to the House. Ten years' ago in this House, a Minister of State was forced to resign following the disclosure, prior to the announcement by the Minister for Finance in the House, of the details of the budget. Many people have said that details of the budget were hinted at by commentators in the media, and in that regard I refer to today's...

Seanad: Budget Statement 2006: Motion (6 Dec 2006)

Ulick Burke: That is for somebody within the Department of Finance or somebody who knew the detail to take up. There was outrage when it happened ten years ago, yet it has happened again. The detail would indicate it was not only presumption on the part of the scriptwriter.

Seanad: Budget Statement 2006: Motion (6 Dec 2006)

Ulick Burke: I do not know if he was in Government Buildings early enough this morning to have transmitted it. This coincides with an article in today's The Irish Times by Vincent Browne. He described the bogus drama of budget day. The article summaries very well all the hype surrounding the budget and what could be done in a more positive way and collectively by the Houses of the Oireachtas in regard...