Results 15,221-15,240 of 26,228 for speaker:Kieran O'Donnell

Seanad: Order of Business (23 Jun 2016)

Kieran O'Donnell: Karma.

Seanad: Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) Bill 2016: Second Stage (23 Jun 2016)

Kieran O'Donnell: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Catherine Byrne, and wish her well. She has a great personal interest in this issue, to which she brings a wealth of experience. I have never smoked a joint.

Seanad: Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) Bill 2016: Second Stage (23 Jun 2016)

Kieran O'Donnell: I thank the Senator. I do not agree with him in saying he does not have a problem with the use of cannabis. I have to say I have a major problem with it. The drug treatment centres tell us that in the past year there has been a huge increase in the numbers of students referred to them for cannabis rather than alcohol use. Cannabis use can lead to a person taking harder drugs. That is...

Seanad: Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) Bill 2016: Second Stage (23 Jun 2016)

Kieran O'Donnell: I responded to a comment made by Senator Norris.

Seanad: Mental Health: Statements (22 Jun 2016)

Kieran O'Donnell: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Helen McEntee, and wish her well in her brief. I wish to speak about the issue of suicide, particularly in the context of the position in my constituency of Limerick City. Studies have shown that, between 2011 and 2013, it had the highest suicide rate in Ireland. At more than 21 deaths per 100,000 of population, the rate was almost twice the national...

Seanad: EU-UK Relations: Statements (22 Jun 2016)

Kieran O'Donnell: I welcome the Minister and congratulate him on his reappointment. I wish him well. The European Union was set up after the Second World War where it was agreed in the spirit of Schuman and others that we would be creating a Europe where war would never happen again. However, there was also an economic context to that. We cannot ignore the advance of people such as Mr. Nigel Farage, MEP,...

Seanad: EU-UK Relations: Statements (22 Jun 2016)

Kieran O'Donnell: People will play the man rather than the ball when voting on this issue in Britain. I cannot see how it would benefit Britain, Northern Ireland or Ireland if Britain votes to leave the European Union. I hope that common sense will prevail. Jo Cox's husband, Brendan, asked the British people to vote to remain. I hope that in her memory and in the interests of Britain, their families,...

Seanad: Order of Business (21 Jun 2016)

Kieran O'Donnell: There are 32,000 home owners with mortgages that have been in arrears for more than two years. It is, I suppose, the elephant in the room in terms of people with homes. I ask the Leader to arrange for the relevant Ministers to come before the House for a wide-ranging debate on whether the current insolvency regime is fit for purpose. An appeal mechanism was introduced to allow people to...

Seanad: Death of Jo Cox, MP: Expressions of Sympathy (21 Jun 2016)

Kieran O'Donnell: I wish to be associated with the tributes to Jo Cox, MP. Like everyone else, I did not know the lady. From what I have read, however, she was an excellent parliamentarian. She had previously been head of policy at Oxfam and brought many skills and much experience to her job as an MP. She was going about her daily duty, holding a clinic like any of us would, and she was gunned down and...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Road Network (16 Jun 2016)

Kieran O'Donnell: I welcome the Minister, Deputy Ross. It is particularly significant that he is a former Member of this House, but the issue I am bringing up today is more significant. As a Senator based in Limerick city, the upgrade of the N20 to a motorway, the M20, between Cork and Limerick is the number one infrastructural project for both Cork and Limerick at the moment. If one travels from Cork along...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Road Network (16 Jun 2016)

Kieran O'Donnell: I ask the Minister to request or direct Transport Infrastructure Ireland to carry out an updated business case for the M20. The business case conducted in 2009 clearly indicated the need for this route between Limerick and Cork. It is a huge concern and priority for my constituents in Limerick. Furthermore, the fact that there have been nine fatalities on that route in the past 12 to 14...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Road Network (16 Jun 2016)

Kieran O'Donnell: Will the Minister inform us of the outcome of that?

Seanad: Order of Business (16 Jun 2016)

Kieran O'Donnell: I wish to raise a point that came to mind as I travelled the country during the Seanad election campaign. It is a bugbear of mine. It might seem small, but not with regard to the promotion of tourism. The directional road signs in Ireland are atrocious. Unless one has a satnav, one cannot find the areas we should be marketing as tourism attractions. Will the Leader and the Cathaoirleach...

Seanad: Order of Business (16 Jun 2016)

Kieran O'Donnell: I am sure the Cathaoirleach has many friends all over the country and I have no doubt that he can drive into any village and people will say, "Is that you, Cathaoirleach?". However, for the average tourist, this is something we should do to market Ireland and it is a very simple way of doing so.

Seanad: Delivering Sustainable Full Employment: Statements (16 Jun 2016)

Kieran O'Donnell: Give us the abridged version.

Seanad: Delivering Sustainable Full Employment: Statements (16 Jun 2016)

Kieran O'Donnell: I wish the Leas-Chathaoirleach well. I expect he will perform his role with great aplomb. I also congratulate the Minister, Deputy Mary Mitchell O'Connor, on her appointment. In the brief time I have, I want to speak about what I know, which is the constituency I represent, Limerick, and on the theme of sustaining full employment. Many jobs have been created over the past three to five...

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Jun 2016)

Kieran O'Donnell: I congratulate the Cathaoirleach and the Leader of the House, Senator Buttimer, on his appointment. Reference was made to Seanad reform. I think Senator Ó Céidigh spoke about how this Chamber is very diverse in terms of Members' array of talents. Seanad reform is key but the items the House deals with are more fundamental than that. This week is national carers' week. Senator...

Joint Committee of Inquiry into the Banking Crisis: Statements (28 Jan 2016)

Kieran O'Donnell: It was a privilege to have been involved in this cross-party banking inquiry along with my ten colleagues. It must be recognised that this inquiry had two strands - public hearings and the publication of the report. Each was equally important. The inquiry was held in public. For the first time the public could see, in real time, all the stakeholders appearing before the committee to be...

Written Answers — Department of Social Protection: Invalidity Pension Data (19 Jan 2016)

Kieran O'Donnell: 107. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the number of applicants in receipt of invalidity pension in Limerick city and county; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1986/16]

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Operations and Functioning of NAMA: Discussion (16 Dec 2015)

Kieran O'Donnell: Hello. Goodbye.