Results 41-60 of 394 for speaker:James Heffernan

Seanad: Order of Business (27 Mar 2012)

James Heffernan: I add my voice to the calls for a debate on the Mahon tribunal. There has been much talk about it today and many Members from both sides of the House have expressed abhorrence at what the tribunal reported and found. Every day when one walks through the corridors of power, one becomes very aware of the ghosts of those who have gone before one and of those voices which are still around....

Seanad: Housing Policy: Statements, Questions and Answers (28 Mar 2012)

James Heffernan: I welcome the Minister of State to the House and I wish her continued success in her brief. I understand the Minister of State spoke with councillors in Limerick about retrofitting and insulation of local authority houses. This issue caused me a problem when I was a member of Limerick County Council. The council's system was to insulate vacant stock first in preparation for tenants moving...

Seanad: Road Safety Authority (Commercial Vehicle Roadworthiness) Bill 2012: Second Stage (18 Apr 2012)

James Heffernan: I welcome the Minister to the House and I thank him for bringing this important legislation before us. Like previous speakers, I welcome this Bill. It seems road safety is a theme which is discussed every time the Minister comes to the House and there is always commendable cross-party support which is a delight to behold for a change. This Bill is designed to reform the testing system for...

Seanad: Review of White Paper on Irish Aid: Statements, Questions and Answers (9 May 2012)

James Heffernan: I welcome the Minister of State and wish him continued success in his work. As has been mentioned by a couple of previous speakers, human rights issues in African countries like Malawi, Ethiopia and Uganda have been mentioned. I understand that if they receive 10% of their funding from a donor country they will be deemed to be operating illegally in some countries and the focus on human...

Seanad: Companies (Amendment) Bill 2012: Second Stage (17 May 2012)

James Heffernan: I welcome the Minister and apologise that I missed his opening remarks because I was at a committee. I will not profess to be an expert when it comes to economics, my knowledge of economics is pretty limited. This legislation seems very sensible in that it will remove that onerous task of having to compile to separate sets of accounts. Where I come from, we know how important foreign...

Seanad: British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly: Statements (17 May 2012)

James Heffernan: It was with great interest that I saw the Seanad Chamber in all its glory when I turned on my television the other day. When I noticed that every chair in the House was filled, I wondered whether somebody had failed to tell me about something. When I realised that the Chamber was being used for the 44th plenary session of the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly, I was glad it was getting...

Seanad: Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2012: Second Stage (6 Jun 2012)

James Heffernan: I welcome the Minister of State. It is nice to have another Limerick person in the Chamber, for a change.

Seanad: Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2012: Second Stage (6 Jun 2012)

James Heffernan: I understand Senator Landy spoke about the amalgamation of North Tipperary and South Tipperary County Councils. I wish to raise some points about the amalgamation of Limerick City Council and Limerick County Council. There was division for a long time between city and county perspectives, with one side wanting a boundary extension and the other side favouring amalgamation. I praise the...

Seanad: Gaeltacht Bill 2012: Second Stage (21 Jun 2012)

James Heffernan: Aontaím leis an Seanadóir Ó Clochartaigh. Níl na cluasáin ag obair anseo ach oiread.

Seanad: Gaeltacht Bill 2012: Second Stage (21 Jun 2012)

James Heffernan: It is very unfair that we cannot participate.

Seanad: Gaeltacht Bill 2012: Second Stage (21 Jun 2012)

James Heffernan: Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit go dtí an Teach chun Bille na Gaeltachta 2012 a phlé. The Bill makes provision for the potential geographic redefinition of the Gaeltacht and will, for the first time, provide for a statutory language planning process for the Gaeltacht, towns in or adjacent to the Gaeltacht that service Gaeltacht areas and communities outside the Gaeltacht that have made...

Seanad: Gaeltacht Bill 2012: Committee Stage (28 Jun 2012)

James Heffernan: Ba mhaith liom pointe beag a dhéanamh. It is interesting that we are debating amendments Nos. 2 and 3 which seek to cement the partition of the island. They come from Sinn Féin. Not too long ago its members were up in arms over Articles 2 and 3 of the Constitution. It is interesting, therefore, that they are trying to do this.

Seanad: Gaeltacht Bill 2012: Committee Stage (28 Jun 2012)

James Heffernan: I agree with what previous speakers said. We cannot make laws in this House for other jurisdictions. We must be sensible about this. We have debated the amendments for long enough. It is time for the Minster of State to respond and for us to move on.

Seanad: Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Bill 2012: Second Stage (19 Jul 2012)

James Heffernan: I welcome the Minister and thank him for doing such important work in this regard. I welcome the fact that he will continue to pursue a 50:50 scheme and that he has committed himself wholeheartedly to doing so. I hope that he gets the same commitment from the religious orders. We do not seem to have got that up to now but I am sure that pressure will come to bear on them. I wish to read a...

Seanad: Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Bill 2012: Second Stage (19 Jul 2012)

James Heffernan: It is a bleak spot and difficult to find.

Seanad: Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Bill 2012: Second Stage (19 Jul 2012)

James Heffernan: I went there to reflect and pay my respects to the thousands of people who have passed through its gates. The industrial school was opened from 1885 to 1974. It was with great difficulty that I found the school because there was no signpost and nothing to indicate where it was.

Seanad: Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Bill 2012: Second Stage (19 Jul 2012)

James Heffernan: Exactly. It is like the place was swept under a rug and painted over so that we would all forget. After touring around the site I was disturbed to discover that there was no physical reminder to inform people and visitors of what went on there. Eventually I came across a sign for a graveyard up a side road and across from a building that housed the brothers that is now being used as a...

Seanad: Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Bill 2012: Second Stage (19 Jul 2012)

James Heffernan: That can be done tomorrow.

Seanad: Syrian Conflict: Statements (25 Sep 2012)

James Heffernan: I welcome the Minister of State back to the House. I strongly welcome the information he gave the House towards the end of his statement regarding the initiatives being taken today by the Arab League and Russia. This conflict has dragged on for 18 months and has claimed 20,000 lives, and violence continues to spread to more parts of the country. In August alone, 100,000 people fled Syria....

Seanad: Syrian Conflict: Statements (25 Sep 2012)

James Heffernan: I welcome the Minister of State back to the House. I strongly welcome the information he gave the House towards the end of his statement regarding the initiatives being taken today by the Arab League and Russia. This conflict has dragged on for 18 months and has claimed 20,000 lives, and violence continues to spread to more parts of the country. In August alone, 100,000 people fled Syria....