Results 141-160 of 6,030 for speaker:Brendan Ryan

Seanad: Order of Business. (28 Nov 2002)

Brendan Ryan: Hear, hear.

Seanad: British-Irish Agreement (Amendment) Bill, 2002: Second Stage. (28 Nov 2002)

Brendan Ryan: I note that this is the first time in this Seanad that Labour Party speakers have been called before the Independent Members.

Seanad: British-Irish Agreement (Amendment) Bill, 2002: Second Stage. (28 Nov 2002)

Brendan Ryan: I cannot resist making the point. It is still an irritant.

Seanad: British-Irish Agreement (Amendment) Bill, 2002: Second Stage. (28 Nov 2002)

Brendan Ryan: It is a sign of our diligence. The Labour Party supports this legislation enthusiastically and will be happy to facilitate its speedy passage. It is a matter of regret that we must pass this Bill, but it is the correct decision. I agree with the Leader and Senator Bradford when they say we had taken these things for granted. They were no longer issues. There were no longer news reporters or...

Seanad: British-Irish Agreement (Amendment) Bill, 2002: Second Stage. (28 Nov 2002)

Brendan Ryan: Someone said it reminded him of a Mafia funeral. It was not the most auspicious of beginnings, but once things quietened down they worked extremely well and, as the Leader said, became mundane and ordinary. Getting things done is the essential part of politics which large sections of the world find boring. The Minister of State paid tribute to the work of the Ulster Unionist members of the...

Seanad: British-Irish Agreement (Amendment) Bill, 2002: Second Stage. (28 Nov 2002)

Brendan Ryan: If someone had referred to a certain coalition Government and had only mentioned Fianna Fáil and not the Labour Party—

Seanad: British-Irish Agreement (Amendment) Bill, 2002: Second Stage. (28 Nov 2002)

Brendan Ryan: I am not trying to be awkward.

Seanad: British-Irish Agreement (Amendment) Bill, 2002: Second Stage. (28 Nov 2002)

Brendan Ryan: I often try to be awkward, but not on this occasion. May I mention a matter as a curiosity? This is probably the first time since 1922 that the British Government has had executive authority in this part of Ireland.

Seanad: British-Irish Agreement (Amendment) Bill, 2002: Second Stage. (28 Nov 2002)

Brendan Ryan: This is an interesting idea and an indication of the degree of compromise we have all come to accept. Where does parliamentary accountability come into this matter? A ministerial council makes executive decisions which are implemented by implementation bodies, and I appreciate the distinction in terms of Tourism Ireland. However, ministerial authority without parliamentary accountability is...

Seanad: British-Irish Agreement (Amendment) Bill, 2002: Second Stage. (28 Nov 2002)

Brendan Ryan: This is not something that causes me trouble, but it is an interesting concept nevertheless.

Seanad: British-Irish Agreement (Amendment) Bill, 2002: Second Stage. (28 Nov 2002)

Brendan Ryan: People who were strangers to us are suddenly on first name terms and that creates a whole new culture. It is the creation of that whole new culture that makes the anomalies I have just teased out easy to handle. Twenty or 25 years ago, when we were perhaps less secure in our own identity and self-confidence, the practical implications of what we are now doing would probably have generated...

Seanad: British-Irish Agreement (Amendment) Bill, 2002: Committee and Remaining Stages. (28 Nov 2002)

Brendan Ryan: I wish to ask a question on the Schedule where it refers to the termination of the Agreement.

Seanad: British-Irish Agreement (Amendment) Bill, 2002: Committee and Remaining Stages. (28 Nov 2002)

Brendan Ryan: Looking at the extraordinary language with which Her Majesty's Ambassador is described, is it not a glorious thing to live in a Republic?

Seanad: British-Irish Agreement (Amendment) Bill, 2002: Committee and Remaining Stages. (28 Nov 2002)

Brendan Ryan: Legislation has never gone through the House which I wished would expire quickly – it is quite peculiar. I reiterate – I must be alone in this – that I regard the Bill as quite profound in terms of how it defines relationships between ourselves and the United Kingdom. It is a lot more than a technical Bill. As I said on Second Stage, the Bill has quite profound implications which I support.

Seanad: Order of Business. (3 Dec 2002)

Brendan Ryan: On behalf of the Labour Party I would like to be associated with the remarks of Senator Brian Hayes. I had the pleasure of knowing Jim Mitchell for the best part of 20 years or more. As well as being a politician I respected, he was a person I liked. On both grounds his demise at a young age is particularly regrettable. We in the Labour Party would like to convey our deepest sympathies to his...

Seanad: Digital Hub Development Agency Bill, 2002: Report and Final Stages. (3 Dec 2002)

Brendan Ryan: I thank the Minister. I will not be moving amendments Nos. 2 and 3 because they are adequately covered by the Minister's amendment. I will leave it to Senator Quinn to decide about amendment No. 4, but I had expected it would be obligatory, rather than legally possible, to publish things electronically. The Minister's amendment does not make it clear that this is the case.

Seanad: Digital Hub Development Agency Bill, 2002: Report and Final Stages. (3 Dec 2002)

Brendan Ryan: On a point of order, is it in order for me to propose that the Bill be recommitted for the purpose of discussing amendment No. 9 which involves a fundamental change to the functions of the agency, including a number of issues that deserve to be discussed in detail? I do not want to make a major issue of this, but it would be much more satisfactory to deal with the amendment in committee in...

Seanad: Digital Hub Development Agency Bill, 2002: Report and Final Stages. (3 Dec 2002)

Brendan Ryan: I apologise for springing the proposal to recommit on the Cathaoirleach at such short notice. I simply did not have the opportunity, perhaps through my own fault, to read the section.

Seanad: Digital Hub Development Agency Bill, 2002: Report and Final Stages. (3 Dec 2002)

Brendan Ryan: I appreciate that and I will do my best. It was late in the afternoon before I had a chance to read the section. I wish to inquire about subsection (1) of the new list of functions. It states the functions of the agency shall be to enter, where appropriate, into an agreement with a person who has arranged or provided funding for the carrying out of any part of the development of the digital...

Seanad: Digital Hub Development Agency Bill, 2002: Report and Final Stages. (3 Dec 2002)

Brendan Ryan: The Minister is around long enough to have one.