Results 301-320 of 1,338 for speaker:Kathleen O'Meara

Seanad: Order of Business. (14 May 2003)

Kathleen O'Meara: I support Senator Higgins's plea to the Government to look closely at yesterday's High Court judgment on the McBrearty affair. I refer, in particular, to the specific point he raised in respect of the Government's responsibility and duty to ensure that any citizen who finds themselves in the same position as the McBrearty family can be guaranteed the right to be supported in terms of engaging...

Seanad: Order of Business. (14 May 2003)

Kathleen O'Meara: Not only should we bring forward that Bill, we should ensure that it includes a rights-based approach to disability. Those with disabilities, whether physical or intellectual, must be guaranteed a legal right of redress and should not, as was the case in the original legislation, be left exposed or vulnerable. I look forward to the publication of that Bill. I ask that the Leader inquire, on...

Seanad: Strategic Rail Review Report: Statements. (21 May 2003)

Kathleen O'Meara: I welcome the Minister and I am pleased he has given us this time. Did he say €2 million was being set aside over the next five years?

Seanad: Strategic Rail Review Report: Statements. (21 May 2003)

Kathleen O'Meara: That is good to hear. Has the Minister secured that funding?

Seanad: Strategic Rail Review Report: Statements. (21 May 2003)

Kathleen O'Meara: It is clearly the Minister's intention to secure this amount. One must welcome his positive commitment to the development of rail services. It is important to clarify the amount of funding that will be available because the rail service, as we know, has suffered badly for many years from under-investment. In that context, the report is welcome. For the first time in a long time, it sets out...

Seanad: Strategic Rail Review Report: Statements. (21 May 2003)

Kathleen O'Meara: No. I wish I was in possession of a gold card but as the Minister might say, we are not there yet.

Seanad: Strategic Rail Review Report: Statements. (21 May 2003)

Kathleen O'Meara: It was actually a Bank of Ireland Laser card which could not be accommodated on the train. The trolley goes from one end of the train to the other but if one is at the wrong end—

Seanad: Strategic Rail Review Report: Statements. (21 May 2003)

Kathleen O'Meara: That is good to hear. If one is at the wrong end of the train, one cannot get a cup of tea because the trolley has run out of water. These are small examples. The staff of Iarnród Éireann are the best in the world and very accommodating but there are many issues that need to be tackled. There is a need for the rail service to be upgraded and increased investment in rail to meet the economic...

Seanad: Rural Development Policy: Statements (Resumed). - Third Level Fees: Motion. (21 May 2003)

Kathleen O'Meara: Keep going.

Seanad: Rural Development Policy: Statements (Resumed). - Third Level Fees: Motion. (21 May 2003)

Kathleen O'Meara: No problem.

Seanad: Rural Development Policy: Statements (Resumed). - Third Level Fees: Motion. (21 May 2003)

Kathleen O'Meara: There clearly has.

Seanad: Rural Development Policy: Statements (Resumed). - Third Level Fees: Motion. (21 May 2003)

Kathleen O'Meara: What about medical cards?

Seanad: Rural Development Policy: Statements (Resumed). - Third Level Fees: Motion. (21 May 2003)

Kathleen O'Meara: Exactly.

Seanad: Rural Development Policy: Statements (Resumed). - Third Level Fees: Motion. (21 May 2003)

Kathleen O'Meara: Yes, it is. It is very clear.

Seanad: Order of Business. (27 May 2003)

Kathleen O'Meara: The Order of Business is agreed and I support the calls for the Tánaiste to come to this House. However, I would like to put a different question to the Government, but in particular to the Tánaiste because clearly she is the person who can find money where nobody else can, particularly if it means keeping the coalition together and saving a Minister's career if that is required to keep the...

Seanad: Order of Business. (27 May 2003)

Kathleen O'Meara: Perhaps the Tánaiste could find a few million to extend medical cards to those who were promised them. Maybe she could restore a few very badly needed community employment schemes, particularly in those areas where unemployment is rising by the day. Maybe she would be better off if she listened to those people. I ask the Leader of the House to convene a debate as soon as possible on the...

Seanad: Order of Business. (27 May 2003)

Kathleen O'Meara: She found €30 million.

Seanad: Sustaining Progress: Statements. (27 May 2003)

Kathleen O'Meara: When I was in County Meath over the weekend I noted that the price of unleaded petrol was more than €1 a litre, the highest price I have seen. Senator Leyden probably did not notice this on his trip from Roscommon to Dublin but he might like to note it as one of the most extraordinary price increases we have seen recently. I recall speaking in 1992 to a college friend who had emigrated to...

Seanad: Order of Business. (28 May 2003)

Kathleen O'Meara: Will the Leader of the House ask both the Minister for Health and Children and the Minister for Finance to arrange for the three major reports on the health service – the Hanly, Brennan and Prospectus reports – to be published as soon as possible? It would also be helpful if they were published in advance of Government decisions on the service. It is clear that they are widely available...

Seanad: Order of Business. (28 May 2003)

Kathleen O'Meara: I specifically recall the debate on the Bill because I had a group here from a school in Nenagh and they were hugely impressed with the idea of an ombudsman for children. Those students have left school at this stage and moved on to third level and it is not acceptable that the Government should drag its heels on this important appointment.