Results 81-100 of 504 for speaker:Mary White

Pupil-Teacher Ratio: Motion (Resumed) (28 May 2008)

Mary White: I will tell Deputy Tom Hayes in a minute. We will not hear it speak about the work on more than 150 devolved projects under the permanent accommodation scheme which will provide 8,000 extra places in existing schools. Among the important work in the developing areas unit is work on a school accommodation project in my constituency of Carlow which will open in September.

Pupil-Teacher Ratio: Motion (Resumed) (28 May 2008)

Mary White: Class sizes must improve, but for parties to single out the loss of a teacher in some schools, blatantly overlooking the nuances of teacher allocation decisions and the substantial number of new teachers being provided by the Government, is shallow and disingenuous. The Opposition will also fail to mention the fact that the Minister told the House last night that the Government is well on...

Pupil-Teacher Ratio: Motion (Resumed) (28 May 2008)

Mary White: The school was given a principal and two mainstream teachers for 2007 to 2008 because of an enrolment of 49 pupils in September 2006. These figures are significant. Unfortunately, the enrolment in September last year was 47 and next year the school will have only a principal and one mainstream class teacher. In the case of Ballymurphy, I know there is the possibility of retaining the third...

Pupil-Teacher Ratio: Motion (Resumed) (28 May 2008)

Mary White: We will pursue the targets and investment needed in budget 2009 and we will reduce class sizes in line with the commitments in the programme for Government. As I learned in school, festina lente — hasten slowly.

Pupil-Teacher Ratio: Motion (Resumed) (28 May 2008)

Mary White: In terms of the diktats of the economic situation, the commitments in the programme for Government are in safe hands.

Cancer Screening Programme: Statements (29 May 2008)

Mary White: I wish to share time with Deputy Mary O'Rourke. I am pleased to speak here this morning. I believe the health system is slowly but surely reforming and the great challenges facing it are being addressed over time. The Green Party believes in equitable access to health services and recent achievements by the Government and the careful and co-ordinated approach by Professor Keane and the...

Cancer Screening Programme: Statements (29 May 2008)

Mary White: The last point is the legitimate one regarding the loss of Irish jobs. On this, the Health Service Executive has accepted its responsibility to ensure medical laboratory scientists employed in cytology are redeployed in the health system. It must be remembered the new contract the NCSS is set to sign will be good news for 1.1 million women who will receive test results within four weeks...

Special Areas of Conservation. (4 Jun 2008)

Mary White: I am delighted that my debate was selected because I am very concerned about what is happening in special areas of conservations, SACs, particularly in my own area, the Blackstairs Mountains on the Carlow-Wexford border, and also on the upland areas of County Wicklow. Quads, sports utility vehicles and scramblers are using these beautiful upland commonage areas for recreational use. These...

Lisbon Treaty: Statements (Resumed) (18 Jun 2008)

Mary White: I wish to share time with Deputy Chris Andrews. Like the other speakers, I believe this is a very important debate. As a committed European, I am pleased to participate in it and express my solidarity with the European project which has served this country very well.

Lisbon Treaty: Statements (Resumed) (18 Jun 2008)

Mary White: I express my respect for the verdict of the people. We live in a democracy and 53% of the electorate told us how they wished to vote. They did so and it is up to us as elected representatives to listen to those who voted. The founding of the European Coal and Steel Community in 1951, followed in 1957 by the formation of the European Economic Community after the Treaty of Rome, was intended...

Dáil Sittings: Motion (Resumed) (18 Jun 2008)

Mary White: I am delighted to contribute to this debate, even though much of our political energy in recent days has been spent on the implications and repercussions of the Lisbon treaty referendum. While there are many items on the domestic agenda, in the context of the Labour Party motion, I want to discuss fuel prices, fuel poverty and what can be done to help families on low incomes. The motion...

Legal Aid Service. (26 Jun 2008)

Mary White: For many years, I have been campaigning for a dedicated law centre for Carlow run by the Free Legal Aid Board. I welcome this opportunity to raise this important matter on behalf of the people of Carlow who need this service. The Legal Aid Board does a great deal of important work. The many legal letters and negotiations it deals with for people are invaluable. It provides legal advice,...

Statements on Climate Change (3 Jul 2008)

Mary White: I am delighted to speak again in the House on the issue of climate change but when I heard Fine Gael's Deputy Hogan speaking on climate change it reminded me of the graveyard scene in Shakespeare's "Hamlet" when he says, "Alas, poor Yorick!". Alas, poor Deputy Hogan, a fellow of infinite jest. It is obvious Fine Gael does not understand or has deliberately misunderstood climate change....

National Development Plan: Motion (Resumed) (9 Jul 2008)

Mary White: It is good to have this opportunity to debate the economy. The speed of the global downturn has awakened international economies to action, which is what we now have. Before talking about current action on fiscal and economic challenges, it is important to remind ourselves that Ireland is not fully responsible for the current challenges. Make no mistake about it, this is a global downturn....

Energy Poverty: Motion (1 Oct 2008)

Mary White: I am pleased to have an opportunity to discuss this issue. As the days get shorter, we observe the annual rise in electricity usage at this time of year. Many elderly and vulnerable people absolutely dread the winter evenings, afraid to turn the heat on or even up a notch and obliged to monitor their electricity usage. Some spend their time sitting in rooms that are unhealthily cold. As...

Energy Poverty: Motion (1 Oct 2008)

Mary White: I am pleased with the new measures we have been able to introduce. We in this House are all agreed on the need for the upcoming budget to make progress on helping those who heretofore have been caught in the fuel poverty trap. In previous years, agencies working in this area have claimed that as many as 6% of Irish people went without heating at some stage in the past two years. We must...

Energy Poverty: Motion (1 Oct 2008)

Mary White: Such energy efficient homes are among the ingredients for a better quality of life and that is what we aim to deliver.

Broadcasting Bill 2008 [Seanad]: Second Stage (2 Oct 2008)

Mary White: Hear, hear.

Broadcasting Bill 2008 [Seanad]: Second Stage (2 Oct 2008)

Mary White: Speak for yourself.

Broadcasting Bill 2008 [Seanad]: Second Stage (2 Oct 2008)

Mary White: I welcome the Broadcasting Bill. The Bill contains much needed reform and modernisation of the broadcasting laws. I welcome it within the context of what I hope and believe will be a new era for Irish television with the proposed introduction of an Oireachtas channel, which, I hope, in tandem with much-needed Dáil reform, will refresh the engagement between the public and the process of...