Results 201-220 of 1,311 for speaker:Sheila Terry

Seanad: Order of Business. (8 Jun 2006)

Sheila Terry: Like Senator Morrissey, I wish to raise the action taken by the driver testers today whereby they cancelled the driving tests of 1,300 young people. It is a disgrace and shows utter disregard for the effort and, indeed, anguish many people go through to sit the test. They only learned in the past couple of days that their tests have been cancelled. This action shows utter disregard for those...

Seanad: Order of Business. (7 Jun 2006)

Sheila Terry: The national pay talks resume this afternoon in Government buildings. While broad agreement has been reached between the social partners on pay and employment standards, pensions are proving to be a stumbling block. I welcome the fact that the Irish Congress of Trade Unions is at last paying attention to the issue of pensions in light of one of the biggest banks in the country stating that...

Seanad: Public Hospital Land: Motion. (31 May 2006)

Sheila Terry: I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I support the motion. While we are all interested in providing additional hospital beds and I am supportive of any individual who would like to build a private hospital, our objection is that the Government proposes to provide public land to developers to build such hospitals. These lands are in public ownership and the people have a right to...

Seanad: Order of Business. (31 May 2006)

Sheila Terry: I support Senators Brian Hayes and Ryan in calling for this important issue to be debated in this House today. We are all extremely concerned about the ramifications of the recent court judgments for the young people of this country. When I listened to the radio yesterday afternoon and this morning, I sensed the concern, anger and fear of parents and the other law-abiding citizens of this...

Seanad: Ageism Policy: Statements. (17 May 2006)

Sheila Terry: I welcome the Minister of State who is taking this debate, the holding of which I very much support. I congratulate the Equality Authority on taking on board the campaign of Say No To Ageism. It is timely and it should be run on an annual basis. Our population is ageing. The performance of a country and a Government can be judged on how well they look after their older people. The...

Seanad: Order of Business. (17 May 2006)

Sheila Terry: The Leader may have seen last night's "Prime Time" which presented a worrying report on the effect on babies of mothers drinking alcohol while pregnant. We are unsure whether the results are true. There is some doubt about the findings. However I would be interested in the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children coming here to give us the opportunity to debate the issue of prenatal...

Seanad: Parental Leave (Amendment) Bill 2004 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil]: Report and Final Stages. (10 May 2006)

Sheila Terry: I welcome the Minister of State and the amendment. It will facilitate parents who work for a single employer. I recognise employers' difficulties in facilitating parental leave, but we want to encourage them to take it on board. They will now be obliged to provide it. We want to improve the situation, which will hopefully happen in coming years. It is a good amendment and I happily support it.

Seanad: Parental Leave (Amendment) Bill 2004 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil]: Report and Final Stages. (10 May 2006)

Sheila Terry: I welcome the amendment, which is a significant step forward in providing equality for same sex couples. Is this a Government amendment or was it tabled by the Opposition?

Seanad: Parental Leave (Amendment) Bill 2004 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil]: Report and Final Stages. (10 May 2006)

Sheila Terry: I acknowledge that the Government has recognised the difficulties of many same sex couples in their daily lives. I welcome the amendment and hope it is a signal from the Government that it will take on board the fuller aspects of Fine Gael's civil partnership proposals, which are widely accepted by the Gay and Lesbian Equality Network, GLEN, and other organisations. I also hope that the...

Seanad: Order of Business. (9 May 2006)

Sheila Terry: I join with Senator Tuffy in highlighting the trafficking of women portrayed in the "Prime Time" programme last night. It was a shocking programme in terms of the way so many vulnerable women are taken from their own country and trafficked to Ireland to become the property of pimps. Most of those are men but I was surprised to learn that some women were involved in the organisation of these...

Seanad: Order of Business. (9 May 2006)

Sheila Terry: I am dismayed that the Government is not taking this issue seriously. We must have specific legislation dealing with the sexual exploitation of women. Senator Tuffy outlined well the way the United Nations has highlighted our deficiencies in this area and that gardaí, as highlighted in last night's programme, are not trained in this area. We must introduce legislation that will protect these...

Seanad: Order of Business. (4 May 2006)

Sheila Terry: I support the call by the Leader of the Opposition, Senator Brian Hayes, for a debate on the serious problem of car theft, which is escalating on a weekly basis. It is a cause of great distress to many people. A person can break into their home, steal the keys of the car and subsequently sell it to a person in the UK or elsewhere in Europe. Something radical needs to be done to address the...

Seanad: National Pensions Reserve Fund: Motion. (3 May 2006)

Sheila Terry: Will the Minister comment on the use of the fund for investment purposes?

Seanad: National Pensions Reserve Fund: Motion. (3 May 2006)

Sheila Terry: Hear, hear.

Seanad: National Pensions Reserve Fund: Motion. (3 May 2006)

Sheila Terry: The Government made a commitment to invest some of the fund's moneys in public private partnerships.

Seanad: National Pensions Reserve Fund: Motion. (3 May 2006)

Sheila Terry: That is all we are saying. I am glad the Senator agrees with us.

Seanad: National Pensions Reserve Fund: Motion. (3 May 2006)

Sheila Terry: The Senator has to hand out some more congratulations.

Seanad: National Pensions Reserve Fund: Motion. (3 May 2006)

Sheila Terry: I move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after "Seanad Éireann" and substitute the following: —supports all efforts to ensure adequate provision for pension and social welfare entitlements in the future; —welcomes the increase in the value of the National Pensions Reserve Fund; —expresses concern that growth in the fund in the last full year was behind the average achieved by...

Seanad: Order of Business. (26 Apr 2006)

Sheila Terry: The largest ever nuclear disaster took place 20 years ago today in Chernobyl, Ukraine. I thank the Cathaoirleach for giving me the opportunity to recognise what the people of Ukraine and Belarus have suffered since then and will continue to suffer for generations to come. It is a good reminder when we speak about nuclear energy, in particular because the Sellafield site is adjacent to...

Seanad: Order of Business. (26 Apr 2006)

Sheila Terry: Will the Leader ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform to outline for the House what he will do to allow people to live safely in their homes? These are people who have settled here but must put up with dreadful intimidation because of the colour of their skin or country of origin. The situation is not good enough. While the majority of Irish people are very good in welcoming...