Results 181-200 of 1,158 for speaker:Fiona O'Malley

Seanad: Ministerial Pensions: Motion (5 May 2010)

Fiona O'Malley: With the permission of the House I will share time with Senator Callely.

Seanad: Ministerial Pensions: Motion (5 May 2010)

Fiona O'Malley: It is a matter of considerable regret that this motion is before the House. I place the blame largely on the three individuals who have chosen not to do the honourable and decent thing. The three speakers who have just contributed hit the nail on the head. This is total political opportunism and this is one of the reasons I will not support the Fine Gael motion. It will not deliver...

Seanad: Smarter Travel Initiative: Motion (28 Apr 2010)

Fiona O'Malley: I am glad to have the opportunity to contribute on this subject because transport is the lifeline of a city or a community. We are all of focused on our own areas. Senator Carroll was very much focused on population growth and so on while my focus will be on the Dublin area. The motion is a fine one which has given us the opportunity to discuss what progress the Government has made in...

Seanad: Women's Participation in Politics: Statements. (27 Apr 2010)

Fiona O'Malley: This is a first because I agree wholeheartedly, I would say for the first time in my life, with Sinn Féin and the previous speaker in that our Constitution offends both men and women and it drastically needs a rehaul. It is on that basis and having regard to speakers who are seeking a new system of election that I decided to approach this debate from a solutions point of view rather than...

Seanad: Women's Participation in Politics: Statements. (27 Apr 2010)

Fiona O'Malley: If it has made a difference, that is evidence it is not a bad thing. However, we are more concerned about what we can do in Ireland. I recognise it is quite a radical suggestion. How can I get it imposed because, as I said, the political parties will not really buy into it? I worry it will remain theoretical. We need real solutions to the issues we face. It is important to see if women's...

Seanad: Female Genital Mutilation Bill 2010: Second Stage (21 Apr 2010)

Fiona O'Malley: Notwithstanding what Senator O'Toole said about the Government not accepting this Bill, days like this make us proud to be in politics. We have agreed a consensus and I pay tribute to the Minister of State and Senator Bacik for dealing with this fluid situation. I am not sure we have secured agreement at this stage. The will of the Seanad is such that all Members are agreed we need to send...

Seanad: Banking: Statements (31 Mar 2010)

Fiona O'Malley: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Dara Calleary, and congratulate him on his role in resolving the public service talks recently. I am sure he was working behind the scenes there. As regards the banking situation, what had to happen yesterday was most unfortunate. It was, however, a consequence of how things have played out. Any responsible person would recognise that while nobody...

Seanad: Banking: Statements (31 Mar 2010)

Fiona O'Malley: I would prefer not to be interrupted.

Seanad: Banking: Statements (31 Mar 2010)

Fiona O'Malley: Yesterday, I was in Intel as part of an Oireachtas committee examining energy uses. Intel is a major employer and a big user of energy. As our costs are going through the roof, we needed to talk to them about what they are doing and what we could be doing. The one message we got at Intel was that their competitors are other units within the Intel community internationally. They compete...

Seanad: Banking: Statements (31 Mar 2010)

Fiona O'Malley: These are the basics.

Seanad: Banking: Statements (31 Mar 2010)

Fiona O'Malley: Of course, we wish we did not have to cut the variety of items that were cut, but in doing so we have pulled-----

Seanad: Banking: Statements (31 Mar 2010)

Fiona O'Malley: We have concentrated our focus and made people realise that if we are to get out of this, we need to act fast. We did not do it in the 1980s and were all paying for it for a long time afterwards. I am glad the Government has taken the bull by the horns and decided we are getting out of this as quickly as possible. It is an awful place to be and terrible to think many of the benefits of the...

Seanad: Banking: Statements (31 Mar 2010)

Fiona O'Malley: -----but that is the way it is. The one thing people forget-----

Seanad: Banking: Statements (31 Mar 2010)

Fiona O'Malley: I listened to the Taoiseach talk about this matter this morning. The international financial system is so precarious; it is all built on confidence. Let us consider the overnight decision taken 18 months ago to guarantee deposits. Had we not done that, the banks would have gone down. It is easy, with the benefit of hindsight, to say Anglo Irish Bank is not of systemic importance. Once...

Seanad: Banking: Statements (31 Mar 2010)

Fiona O'Malley: ): If Senator John Paul Phelan wants his colleague to be in a position to contribute, he should conclude.

Seanad: Banking: Statements (31 Mar 2010)

Fiona O'Malley: ): The Senator must conclude. He cannot ask any more questions because his time has expired.

Seanad: Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2009: Committee Stage. (31 Mar 2010)

Fiona O'Malley: Senator Norris's suggestion of the use of the word "placement" is good in terms of changing the nature of the language used. I am interested in the principle that a person is branded, tarnished or tarred for life if he or she is tagged as having been in a detention centre or having been detained. I hope the Minister of State will be sympathetic to the proposed change in the language used....

Seanad: Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2009: Committee Stage. (31 Mar 2010)

Fiona O'Malley: The Minister of State has indicated that a child may need to travel abroad for two forms of treatment, one of which is psychiatric care. Is the nature of the medical advice or treatment for which a child will be allowed to travel specified or is the provision general in nature?

Seanad: Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2009: Committee Stage. (31 Mar 2010)

Fiona O'Malley: I disagree with what the previous speakers have been saying. Traditionally, we always thought the best interests of the child were served in the home and by the family. We have learned time and again that is not the case. This measure recognises that the home can be a dangerous place for a child.

Seanad: Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2009: Committee Stage. (31 Mar 2010)

Fiona O'Malley: A child might run away if he or she thinks a care order might be applied for on his or her behalf. I think this provision should be retained because it offers flexibility. It is a recognition of modern life that it might not always be appropriate to consult those who represent the child - the parents etc. We need to modernise our attitude to the family.