Results 61-80 of 566 for speaker:Niall Ó Brolcháin

Seanad: Order of Business (2 Feb 2010)

Niall Ó Brolcháin: In the past various women's groups have asked me about the possibility of making St. Brigid's Day, 1 February, a public holiday. It would be good to debate that matter. There are nine public holidays in Ireland, while in France there are 11, in Italy there are 12, in Austria there are 13 and in Spain and Portugal there are 14. I am of the view, therefore, that there would be great merit in...

Seanad: Order of Business (2 Feb 2010)

Niall Ó Brolcháin: -----in the context of the number of days spent in government during the past 23 years. We now lead Fine Gael by 964 days in government to 963.

Seanad: Order of Business (2 Feb 2010)

Niall Ó Brolcháin: That is a good point to make.

Seanad: Order of Business (2 Feb 2010)

Niall Ó Brolcháin: My proposal that Lá Féile Bríde be celebrated as a public holiday - in honour of women, the Earth and the environment - is worthy of consideration.

Seanad: Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2009: Second Stage (2 Feb 2010)

Niall Ó Brolcháin: I welcome the Minister of State. This is the first time I have had the pleasure of debating child care. It is fantastic that there is a Minister of State with responsibility for children. It is very progressive and the present Minister of State is doing a very good job. Overall, I agree with the Bill. It is good legislation that will help children and in particular cases it will provide a...

Seanad: Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2009: Second Stage (2 Feb 2010)

Niall Ó Brolcháin: The loyal Independents are not always in Opposition. I commend those Independents who in many ways keep this House sane and working. They constantly add to the debate in the Chamber and therefore I commend them.

Seanad: Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2009: Second Stage (2 Feb 2010)

Niall Ó Brolcháin: I would not go that far. Consideration should be given to the proposed amendment. It will be the responsibility of the Minister and the Government to take the final decision. This is a good Bill and I commend it to the House.

Seanad: Order of Business (3 Feb 2010)

Niall Ó Brolcháin: I support Senator Hanafin's call for a debate on the economy. That is extremely important. Various people in the Opposition talk about Government stimulus packages. The Government is providing €6.5 billion in stimulus and is working on that. However, there must also be a stimulus package from the private sector. I refer in particular to high street rents. They are not reducing to the...

Seanad: Water and Roads Infrastructure: Motion (3 Feb 2010)

Niall Ó Brolcháin: I welcome the Minister of State. I find the motion very interesting and am glad to speak on it. It is good that Fine Gael introduced it but, unfortunately, I cannot support it. The motion starts out by praising the work of the local authorities and condemning the Government, which is a very political statement. What is being said is that the councils did a great job and the Government an...

Seanad: Water and Roads Infrastructure: Motion (3 Feb 2010)

Niall Ó Brolcháin: It must be acknowledged that when the Green Party entered Government, it prioritised water-----

Seanad: Water and Roads Infrastructure: Motion (3 Feb 2010)

Niall Ó Brolcháin: -----and we are spending on water.

Seanad: Water and Roads Infrastructure: Motion (3 Feb 2010)

Niall Ó Brolcháin: A previous speaker stated that the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government has done little in respect of Galway. However, there was a crisis involving cryptosporidium in the water supply in Galway. Unfortunately, it was not possible to solve this crisis in the three or four weeks prior to the election. However, the fact is that Galway is now the most...

Seanad: Order of Business (4 Feb 2010)

Niall Ó Brolcháin: The Green Party is obtaining great publicity as a result of comments made by Members on the other side of the House this morning, which is something I welcome. I acknowledge the points that have been made in respect of water. I ask the Leader to assist in facilitating a debate on the issue of water. I wish to put the record straight of a number of points. I support arguments relating to...

Seanad: Order of Business (4 Feb 2010)

Niall Ó Brolcháin: The Minister is well aware of it.

Seanad: Order of Business (4 Feb 2010)

Niall Ó Brolcháin: I welcome the new-found interest among Members on the opposite side in this matter.

Seanad: Order of Business (4 Feb 2010)

Niall Ó Brolcháin: It is an incredibly new-found interest.

Seanad: Order of Business (4 Feb 2010)

Niall Ó Brolcháin: Let us put the record straight.

Seanad: Order of Business (4 Feb 2010)

Niall Ó Brolcháin: The Fine Gael Party in government decided to abolish water charges in 1996.

Seanad: Order of Business (4 Feb 2010)

Niall Ó Brolcháin: I wish to know how the Members on the opposite side intend to fund all the wonderful things to which they refer. The leader of the Fine Gael party is absolutely unclear on that.

Seanad: Order of Business (4 Feb 2010)

Niall Ó Brolcháin: The Government has put in place record numbers of——