Results 141-160 of 437 for speaker:Niall Blaney

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Architects of the Good Friday Agreement (Resumed): Mr. Bertie Ahern (20 Oct 2022)

Niall Blaney: Mr. Ahern is most welcome. We are delighted to have him before us as part of the work the committee is doing. Senator Currie and I were adamant that we get stuck into this piece of work during our programme year. From my perspective, I have a strong sense that if we do not learn the lessons of the past, particularly around the Good Friday Agreement and the working up towards that...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Architects of the Good Friday Agreement (Resumed): Mr. Bertie Ahern (20 Oct 2022)

Niall Blaney: This nation owes Mr. Ahern a debt of gratitude for his dedication and the work he put into the Good Friday Agreement and all the years working up to it. It has served this nation very well and has laid the foundations for us all to move on from here. His dedication - even the final week leaving his mother's graveside and heading back to Northern Ireland - was a sign of his commitment to the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Architects of the Good Friday Agreement (Resumed): Mr. Bertie Ahern (20 Oct 2022)

Niall Blaney: What is Mr. Ahern's view on criminality and border criminality? There is a view that much of the criminality that has taken place since the Good Friday Agreement has been given a kind of blind eye. It was part of the agreement back then, although it was not in writing, that there was an arrangement between the Governments whereby a blind eye was turned to some of the criminality that...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Business of Joint Committee
Architects of the Good Friday Agreement (Resumed): Lord Alderdice (6 Oct 2022)

Niall Blaney: As I young boy growing up, I saw Lord Alderdice many times on media, television, etc. Of the political leaders down through the years, he remains very fresh. He must have some secret he might share with us, maybe offline.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Business of Joint Committee
Architects of the Good Friday Agreement (Resumed): Lord Alderdice (6 Oct 2022)

Niall Blaney: On a more serious note, I thank Lord Alderdice for his contribution. This is fascinating work because we need to realise what was achieved in the Good Friday Agreement. Moreover, we need to get a greater understanding of how we came to that point of getting agreement across the religious divide in the final moments and, in so doing, learn the lessons from the past that might help us to move...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Business of Joint Committee
Architects of the Good Friday Agreement (Resumed): Lord Alderdice (6 Oct 2022)

Niall Blaney: There is some really good content in the debate. Mr. Brady and Lord Alderdice hit the nail on the head in terms of discussing the issues of the day, such as education and the health service. That is why the work of the shared island unit, led by the Taoiseach, is critically important. That is not recognised by all across the political spectrum or given the credence I feel it should be....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Business of Joint Committee
Architects of the Good Friday Agreement (Resumed): Lord Alderdice (6 Oct 2022)

Niall Blaney: On a point of order, I do not believe anybody in Fianna Fáil has anything against citizens' assemblies proposed by Ms Gildernew but it is really important that in respect of the shared island work, we establish what the status quowith the health service North and South is because it is only when you have that information that you can sit down and decide what you want into the future....

Seanad: Passport Office: Motion (5 Oct 2022)

Niall Blaney: I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House to hear this debate. I commend Sinn Féin on putting forward the motion on passport services on the island. It complements the Fianna Fáil motion brought forward by Senators Wilson and McGreehan not long ago. That is the approach taken by the House on this issue during this term. I could be petty and say we could do with a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Architects of the Good Friday Agreement (Resumed): Mr. Mark Durkan (29 Sep 2022)

Niall Blaney: I welcome Mr. Durkan. It is great to see him again. There is no element of his opening remarks one could disagree with. We could do another report on the intricacies of matters between ourselves and the British Government and what has not happened in relation to the agreement. As a committee we have a job to do on the implementation of the agreement. The idea of bringing in people like...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Architects of the Good Friday Agreement (Resumed): Mr. Mark Durkan (29 Sep 2022)

Niall Blaney: Taking it all in context, what are the lessons from the whole process? We have lots of talk and articles these days about census results, constitutional change and so on. What are the take-away lessons for us? If we have an election in the UK at some point and there is a change of government and the environment happened to be right, what would we need to do? What are the lessons from the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Architects of the Good Friday Agreement (Resumed): Mr. Mark Durkan (29 Sep 2022)

Niall Blaney: We are moving on to the Fianna Fáil slot. I will take seven minutes and give Deputy Lawless the last eight. Mr. Durkan referenced Mr. John Hume and relations. From my perspective, the Irish Government is leading in this area through the work and research being done by the shared island unit. What is Mr. Durkan's opinion on that? It is investigating 62 relevant aspects. One of the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Architects of the Good Friday Agreement (Resumed): Mr. Mark Durkan (29 Sep 2022)

Niall Blaney: I call Deputy Lawless, who is online.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Architects of the Good Friday Agreement (Resumed): Mr. Mark Durkan (29 Sep 2022)

Niall Blaney: Sinn Féin's second slot has started. Six minutes were taken and seven minutes are outstanding. A number of their representatives are online. Does Deputy Conway-Walsh wish to take the time now?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Architects of the Good Friday Agreement (Resumed): Mr. Mark Durkan (29 Sep 2022)

Niall Blaney: Does Mr. Brady, Ms Gildernew or Mr. Hazzard wish to use the slot?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Architects of the Good Friday Agreement (Resumed): Mr. Mark Durkan (29 Sep 2022)

Niall Blaney: Will Mr. Durkan reply to Senator Ó Donnghaile's question if he has a note of it?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Architects of the Good Friday Agreement (Resumed): Mr. Mark Durkan (29 Sep 2022)

Niall Blaney: We will move on to the Fine Gael slot. Senator McGahon has 15 minutes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Architects of the Good Friday Agreement (Resumed): Mr. Mark Durkan (29 Sep 2022)

Niall Blaney: I thank Senator McGahon for doing my job for me and bringing the meeting to its conclusion.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Architects of the Good Friday Agreement (Resumed): Mr. Mark Durkan (29 Sep 2022)

Niall Blaney: I thank Mr. Durkan for coming all the way down and for being here in person today and contributing to this debate. It is one that I personally find very intriguing because I think we have to learn from the past before we can move forward. We have to have an understanding of why those who took major steps and put their neck out did so and of the spirit in which they did so. We have to give...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (14 Sep 2022)

Niall Blaney: As party spokesperson on Northern Ireland, I express my condolences to Ambassador Johnston, his staff, everybody in the UK and not just the Protestant Unionist community but everybody across all counties on the island for whom she was their queen. I would go further and second the proposal by Senator Craughwell. I believe we should write to the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste and ask that...

Seanad: Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Bill 2022: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (14 Jul 2022)

Niall Blaney: That is not true.