Results 361-380 of 2,017 for speaker:Paul Bradford

Seanad: Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Amendment) Bill 2013: Second Stage (Resumed) (6 Nov 2013)

Paul Bradford: The Minister was not asked about that. He was asked whether it should be refunded. On a point of order, the Minister knows full well that he was not asked that question. He was not asked whether the allowance should be paid to expelled Members. The Minister said that he was asked such a question.

Seanad: Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Amendment) Bill 2013: Second Stage (Resumed) (6 Nov 2013)

Paul Bradford: To the question he was asked.

Seanad: Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Amendment) Bill 2013: Second Stage (Resumed) (6 Nov 2013)

Paul Bradford: The Minister was not asked that question.

Seanad: Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Amendment) Bill 2013: Second Stage (Resumed) (6 Nov 2013)

Paul Bradford: I welcome the Minister to the House. During the debate on the abolition of the Seanad he was very much committed to its dissolution but the public decided that the Seanad is worthy of its place in the Oireachtas and we look forward to working with the Minister on a broad range of reform over the coming months and years. I have two questions on the legislation following which I will make my...

Seanad: Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Amendment) Bill 2013: Second Stage (Resumed) (6 Nov 2013)

Paul Bradford: Some Senators, as the Minister knows, are nominated to stand by nominating bodies and some Members are nominated by four Members of the Oireachtas. The non-contentious point I want the Minister to clarify is that the definition of an Independent Senator in the Bill is "a member of the Seanad... elected... or nominated... at the last preceding general election" as a member of a particular...

Seanad: Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Amendment) Bill 2013: Second Stage (Resumed) (6 Nov 2013)

Paul Bradford: How can that be justified? There is a list of the prescribed expenses and what the money is to be spent on, namely, the general administration of the parliamentary activities, the provision of technical or specialist advice, research and training, policy formulation, consultancy services, polling or public attitude sampling and so on. The €23,000 or €24,000 of taxpayers' money...

Seanad: EU Scrutiny and Transparency in Government Bill 2013: Second Stage (24 Oct 2013)

Paul Bradford: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan. As she arrived, Senator Darragh O'Brien was speaking about the fact that many Ministers seemed to ignore the Seanad. Perhaps because of her previous experience as a Member of the House, she has always valued it and appeared in it regularly. She has contributed and debated here and I believe she respects the Chamber and the work it does.

Seanad: EU Scrutiny and Transparency in Government Bill 2013: Second Stage (24 Oct 2013)

Paul Bradford: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy John Perry. I thank Fianna Fáil Senators for tabling the legislation which allows us an opportunity to have an important debate at an opportune time, particularly in the light of the debate we had yesterday on the future of the Seanad. European elections will be held in the coming months and all parties will tell voters how important these...

Seanad: Order of Business (24 Oct 2013)

Paul Bradford: Almost 12 months ago we had the referendum on children's rights. It was held on 10 November 2012. On that day, following a campaign in which virtually every political party supported the referendum, 42% of the people said "No." We must concede that if the referendum had taken place in the aftermath of what we have seen over the past fortnight, it would have been decisively rejected. Irish...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Ombudsman and Information Commissioner: Discussion with Nominee (23 Oct 2013)

Paul Bradford: Is it the selected candidate?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Ombudsman and Information Commissioner: Discussion with Nominee (23 Oct 2013)

Paul Bradford: Is there an initial round of interviews?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Ombudsman and Information Commissioner: Discussion with Nominee (23 Oct 2013)

Paul Bradford: The essential difference between the Welsh and Irish recruitment processes is that a number of candidates would be interviewed.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Ombudsman and Information Commissioner: Discussion with Nominee (23 Oct 2013)

Paul Bradford: That would not happen in Ireland.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Ombudsman and Information Commissioner: Discussion with Nominee (23 Oct 2013)

Paul Bradford: I welcome Mr. Tyndall and wish him every success in his new post of responsibility. His submission and speech were very interesting. We look forward to engaging with him. I wish to pursue the question by Deputy Terence Flanagan on the recruitment process, but I take Mr. Tyndall’s deflected answer concerning the process in Dublin. It is a matter I raised in the Seanad some months...

Seanad: Seanad Reform: Statements (23 Oct 2013)

Paul Bradford: A win is a win.

Seanad: Order of Business (23 Oct 2013)

Paul Bradford: I support Senator Feargal Quinn with regard to queries about Russian adoptions. I am aware of one case where the family involved is under extraordinary stress. If anything could be done from a legislative perspective - even at this late stage - it would be extremely useful. The clock is certainly ticking and we must use every possible parliamentary device to try to find a solution to this...

Seanad: The One Percent Difference National Giving Campaign: Statements (22 Oct 2013)

Paul Bradford: Great work, not just charitable work, across educational and health services is done as a result of greater public involvement. I hope we can learn from this and bring about the policies the Minister, from his contribution, and the forum's report are trying to produce.

Seanad: The One Percent Difference National Giving Campaign: Statements (22 Oct 2013)

Paul Bradford: I welcome the report and the work of Mr. Flannery and his colleagues to bring us this far. Ronald Reagan described the following sentence as the most feared in the American political language: "I am from the Government and I am here to help." We are trying to encourage civic participation to a greater level. It would be a wonderful thing if the old Irish spirit of community help and...

Seanad: Order of Business (16 Oct 2013)

Paul Bradford: My apologies for missing the initial part of the debate. I trust most of it was a rerun of yesterday's budget debate. It is fair to say that during the course of the finance Bill and the social welfare Bill we will all have ample opportunity to go through the measures in more detail and make whatever suggestions we believe are appropriate. Perhaps in his reply the Leader might indicate to...

Seanad: Order of Business (18 Sep 2013)

Paul Bradford: One of our most distinguished former Senators was the late William Butler Yeats. He wrote the famous poem "September 1913", a line or two from which is particularly relevant to the debate on the future or otherwise of this House. In that poem, William Butler Yeats asks: What need you, being come to sense, But fumble in a greasy till And add the halfpence to the pence.....In a sense, the...