Results 181-200 of 204 for speaker:Lisa McDonald

Seanad: Order of Business (28 Oct 2010)

Lisa McDonald: The procedure was not followed earlier, which is unfair to speakers coming in at the end.

Seanad: Order of Business (28 Oct 2010)

Lisa McDonald: I support Senator Walsh's call for a debate on the Croke Park agreement.

Seanad: Overcrowding in Prisons: Statements (Resumed) (3 Nov 2010)

Lisa McDonald: I welcome the debate and congratulate and compliment Senator Bacik on consistently pushing for it for some time. It has been quite a challenge to arrange it and it is noteworthy that it has attracted such interest that there are more speakers than could be accommodated in the time allotted. The net issue of overcrowding in prisons and the combination of the slopping out and doubling up in...

Seanad: Order of Business (4 Nov 2010)

Lisa McDonald: I, too, welcome the fall in the live register figures. It is a positive news story this morning. Having spoken to some employers over recent weeks, they are determined to get the heads down, plough on and get out of this recession as quickly as possible despite all the factors against them. I was disappointed to hear this morning of more than €300 million of the capital budget of the...

Seanad: Protection of Intellectual Property Rights: Statements (11 Nov 2010)

Lisa McDonald: I welcome this debate, which relates to an interesting problem that requires immediate action on the part of the Government. When we enacted the Copyright Act in 2001, we did not foresee the spiralling or viralling of downloading that has been going on or the splurge in Internet activity that has become a way of life for so many people. This debate needs to be stripped down to how illegal...

Seanad: Death of Member: Expressions of Sympathy (17 Nov 2010)

Lisa McDonald: I express my deepest sympathy with the family of Kieran Phelan and the community of Rathdowney in Laois. I met Kieran when I entered the House as a young Senator in 2007. As Senator Corrigan said, he often invited me to tag along to tea after the Order of Business. Since he departed, I feel that time of the day has passed with him in that we are not as good at engaging in the camaraderie...

Seanad: Order of Business (23 Nov 2010)

Lisa McDonald: It is my understanding that the Taoiseach indicated yesterday when the general election will be. What has emerged out of recent days is that we all, as politicians, abdicated our responsibilities as leaders in our community. We are all leaders and we need to lead now because, as Senator Healy Eames said, the people are crying out for leadership. We need calmness to get the budget through...

Seanad: Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Bill 2008: Second Stage (23 Nov 2010)

Lisa McDonald: I also welcome the Bill which strengthens the law on the bribery of foreign officials in compliance with the OECD Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions. It is welcome that the Minister has said we will see a consolidation of prevention of corruption legislation which, when codified, will make the law on corruption easier to...

Seanad: Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Bill 2008: Second Stage (23 Nov 2010)

Lisa McDonald: Yes, we are. As a younger Member of the Oireachtas, it is time we stopped this pettifoggery and trying to blame one side. The people do not care who is to blame; they want to see change and politicians standing up and being counted and having the courage to introduce the change required. They do not want to see the same old nonsense that has continued for years continued in what we...

Seanad: Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Bill 2008: Second Stage (23 Nov 2010)

Lisa McDonald: We should rise above this.

Seanad: Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Bill 2008: Second Stage (23 Nov 2010)

Lisa McDonald: I was referring to the Moriarty tribunal——

Seanad: Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Bill 2008: Second Stage (23 Nov 2010)

Lisa McDonald: ——and mobile phone licensing.

Seanad: Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Bill 2008: Second Stage (23 Nov 2010)

Lisa McDonald: All we are doing——

Seanad: Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Bill 2008: Second Stage (23 Nov 2010)

Lisa McDonald: I believe a Cosgrave was brought before the courts recently.

Seanad: Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Bill 2008: Second Stage (23 Nov 2010)

Lisa McDonald: All we are doing is turning people away from the noble profession of politics. I decided to get involved, despite having had no familial involvement. I have significant familial involvement in community activities, with my parents spending every waking hour training young people to play hurling. What we are doing is bringing down the body politic which needs confidence. What the Senator...

Seanad: Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Bill 2008: Second Stage (23 Nov 2010)

Lisa McDonald: Next Wednesday.

Seanad: Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Bill 2008: Second Stage (23 Nov 2010)

Lisa McDonald: Ar 10.30 maidin amárach.

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2010: Second Stage (14 Dec 2010)

Lisa McDonald: I rise to speak with a heavy heart, as do most today, because it is not easy to discuss cutting social welfare payments and the necessity of having to do so. I take issue with the contention that the Minister is somehow cutting the payments of the vulnerable and that this is somehow a choice he has. There is not very much choice in respect of what we must do. Unfortunately, the economy and...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2010: Second Stage (15 Dec 2010)

Lisa McDonald: I welcome the Minister to the House. I also welcome this reforming legislation. In the three Bills he has put before the House in the past eight months he has proven that he is a man of vision and someone who has an idea of where we need to go to reform the system in the places where it requires reform. This legislation is another example of this. The Bill deals primarily with the transfer...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2010: Second Stage (15 Dec 2010)

Lisa McDonald: We need to acknowledge that change is now happening and is a good thing. We must go forward from here. Most of us have spent much time over the past year indulging in going over the past and wondering what went wrong and when it went wrong. The one thing we have to do from now on is move forward, make the changes that need to be made and make a better life for the citizens of the country....