Results 181-200 of 1,338 for speaker:Kathleen O'Meara

Seanad: Local Government Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (6 Mar 2003)

Kathleen O'Meara: My point is relevant to amendment No. 1 which deals with membership of the Oireachtas and local authority at the same time. Women do not see themselves in leadership roles or speaking roles and they must be encouraged to do so. Women should be encouraged to speak out on community issues and to get involved in the town council and county council. That is where their voices should be heard...

Seanad: Local Government Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (6 Mar 2003)

Kathleen O'Meara: I deal with mother and toddler groups, community groups and others who have a strong representation of women on issues relating to hospitals, health and caring. These matters are very close to the agenda of most women involved in even the most minor activities in their community. They are the ones we want to come on to local authorities. If the dual mandate is abolished and a number of us are...

Seanad: Local Government Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (6 Mar 2003)

Kathleen O'Meara: On a point of information, the Minister is deliberately misinterpreting what my colleagues have said.

Seanad: Local Government Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (6 Mar 2003)

Kathleen O'Meara: The Minister should be accurate about what was said. He is deliberately misinterpreting Senators.

Seanad: Local Government Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (6 Mar 2003)

Kathleen O'Meara: On the abolition of the dual mandate and the issue of reform which the Minister raised, it is clearly his philosophical position which is behind this legislation. He sees it as necessary to break the link between the national Government and Parliament and local councils yet, when he talks about that, he refers only to revenue raising issues. That gives an interesting insight into the...

Seanad: Local Government Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (6 Mar 2003)

Kathleen O'Meara: This is relevant to the amendment.

Seanad: Order of Business. (11 Mar 2003)

Kathleen O'Meara: I support the amendment before the House. I do not support the Order of Business which is a farce, nothing more, nothing less. A Bill of such magnitude which deals with the accountability of Government decisions is being rammed through the House with speed and in the absence of the Minister involved. Not only is he absent – he also has shown his contemptuous attitude by publicly declaring...

Seanad: Order of Business. (11 Mar 2003)

Kathleen O'Meara: That is not true.

Seanad: Order of Business. (11 Mar 2003)

Kathleen O'Meara: Has the Senator read the Bill?

Seanad: Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (11 Mar 2003)

Kathleen O'Meara: I oppose this section. To do so might appear strange, particularly in light of the fact that section 1 is the definition section and provides the Title to the Bill. The latter is entirely incorrect. While the Bill is called the Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill 2003, it contains little that applies to freedom of information and represents an emasculation of the principle of freedom of...

Seanad: Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (11 Mar 2003)

Kathleen O'Meara: I know what happens on Committee Stage. As it is my sixth year in this House, I do not need to be told about Committee Stage. I am speaking to the question.

Seanad: Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (11 Mar 2003)

Kathleen O'Meara: For worse.

Seanad: Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (11 Mar 2003)

Kathleen O'Meara: It did not have a choice.

Seanad: Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (11 Mar 2003)

Kathleen O'Meara: That is what should happen; the plug should be pulled on it.

Seanad: Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (11 Mar 2003)

Kathleen O'Meara: I have never in the relatively short time I have been a Member of this House encountered a situation where information of such critical importance to the discussion of a Bill before the House was not available. I had to run downstairs to get the report in the middle of a debate on an amendment. It is outrageous that I had to draft amendments without the information which has now come before...

Seanad: Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (11 Mar 2003)

Kathleen O'Meara: On a point of order, the fact that the position has changed so fundamentally would appear to have also fundamentally changed the position with regard to the Order of Business.

Seanad: Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (11 Mar 2003)

Kathleen O'Meara: That is correct.

Seanad: Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (11 Mar 2003)

Kathleen O'Meara: The Government had it.

Seanad: Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (11 Mar 2003)

Kathleen O'Meara: On a point of order, under Standing Order 63 of the House I propose a motion that we report progress on this Bill in order to allow substantial amendments based on the report of the Information Commissioner to be laid before the House later this evening.

Seanad: Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (11 Mar 2003)

Kathleen O'Meara: It is critical that we be allowed to formulate amendments on Committee Stage—