Results 41-60 of 4,168 for speaker:Susan O'Keeffe

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Tuarascáil Bhliantúil an Choimisinéara Teanga: Díospóireacht (21 Oct 2015)

Susan O'Keeffe: Níl móran Gaeilge agamsa freisin agus mar sin b'fhearr liom labhairt as Béarla. The commissioner stated that the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht has the capacity or the capability to change the public bodies named in Schedule 1 to the Act. What is the commissioner's understanding of the reason that has not happened? What debate has there been, if any? What...

Seanad: Marriage Bill 2015: Second Stage (20 Oct 2015)

Susan O'Keeffe: How do I follow that? The Minister is welcome, as is her commitment and perseverance with this Bill. It is, if I might say, a marriage of the best of Fine Gael and the best of the Labour Party in terms of our having been able to come together and hold the referendum in the lifetime of this Government and to introduce this Bill in such a speedy manner. It shows that while we can disagree,...

Seanad: Marriage Bill 2015: Second Stage (20 Oct 2015)

Susan O'Keeffe: Little could Gilbert Baker, the man who designed the first rainbow flag for the San Francisco freedom day parade in June 1978, have known that his flag and its values would be embraced with such enthusiasm around the world and, finally, in Ireland with such great joy this year. Gilbert Baker assigned the values of life, healing, sunlight, nature, art and harmony to the colours of the flag....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Decisions on Public Petitions Received (14 Oct 2015)

Susan O'Keeffe: This is a very useful submission, where somebody has a good idea. People often say, "But if we did this...". That we can give the research back and can give a cogent answer allows the person to say that it was worth doing. It is a very small example of the fact the petitions committee is not that complex and that people can feel free to use this committee, if they have an idea they think...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Decisions on Public Petitions Received (14 Oct 2015)

Susan O'Keeffe: It might be worth noting the petitioner is almost ahead of the curve in that they are so enthusiastic and willing to help, and want something to happen. The apparatus of government is still sorting out how it should respond. Certain commitments have been given by the Government and it is to be hoped they will be followed up on. Plans are being drawn up, but, in a way, it was almost...

Seanad: Public Services and Procurement (Social Value) Bill 2015: Committee and Remaining Stages (14 Oct 2015)

Susan O'Keeffe: I do not have much to add other than to echo the words of previous speakers. This is a day of positive politics and a good day for the Seanad. This is the type of collaboration we do not see enough of and it is very welcome, irrespective of one's age. We do not discuss often enough the moments when we succeed. I thank my colleagues opposite for introducing the legislation and the Minister...

Seanad: Order of Business (8 Oct 2015)

Susan O'Keeffe: That was a cheap political broadcast. On the matter of housing and the homeless crisis, it is clear that much work has been done. While there is a long way to go, a plan is being put in place. Like everything that is complicated, it is not simply a matter of finding everybody who does not have a home and saying, "Here, there's a home." Everybody who tries to reduce it to such a simplistic...

Seanad: Order of Business (8 Oct 2015)

Susan O'Keeffe: It is not happening. Senator Mooney is not listening.

Seanad: Order of Business (1 Oct 2015)

Susan O'Keeffe: Before we proceed, I want to pay tribute to Senator Jimmy Harte, as I have not been in the House since he announced his retirement. I want to give him my personal best wishes and thank him for his work as a Senator and as a councillor and for what he has done in his local area in Donegal, and I wish him the very best in the future. I join others in welcoming the Building on Recovery...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Office of the Ombudsman Reports: Mr. Peter Tyndall (30 Sep 2015)

Susan O'Keeffe: I thank the Ombudsman. The fact this is the first own initiative, so-called, taken in 30 years is worthy of recommendation. Mr. Tyndall made a number of recommendations which were accepted in full by the HSE, and he asked its officials to put the complaints procedure in place. What timeline has he sought? Given the Ombudsman is the last resort rather than the first, if the HSE starts to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Office of the Ombudsman Reports: Mr. Peter Tyndall (30 Sep 2015)

Susan O'Keeffe: I asked about the timeline. Mr. Tyndall believes the HSE will put a robust complaints system in place, but that will take a long time and he referred to the need to professionalise it. Will it take a year or five years?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Office of the Ombudsman Reports: Mr. Peter Tyndall (30 Sep 2015)

Susan O'Keeffe: Twelve months is reasonable. My fear is the lack of professionalisation and the fact it is a part-time job for some people. They do not see complaints as a priority and if anything else comes in, it will always have priority over sorting out the complaints system, which will then fall to the bottom. We will never get a robust system established on that basis.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Office of the Ombudsman Reports: Mr. Peter Tyndall (30 Sep 2015)

Susan O'Keeffe: Professional complaints handler is a new job title.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Office of the Ombudsman Reports: Mr. Peter Tyndall (30 Sep 2015)

Susan O'Keeffe: It is.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Office of the Ombudsman Reports: Mr. Peter Tyndall (30 Sep 2015)

Susan O'Keeffe: I wish to add to that. If we are to write in that manner, we should also mention direct provision and prisons.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Office of the Ombudsman Reports: Mr. Peter Tyndall (30 Sep 2015)

Susan O'Keeffe: Encourage a positive outcome.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Office of the Ombudsman Reports: Mr. Peter Tyndall (30 Sep 2015)

Susan O'Keeffe: I thank the Ombudsman again for his presentation, particularly in relation to the Learning to Get Better report. Not only is it a good report, but it is clearly laid out, easy to read and I am heartened by the fact that the bright spots are also given notice because the Ombudsman's job is all about people complaining, so it is good for us to see that he can see where the progress is and that...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Office of the Ombudsman Reports: Mr. Peter Tyndall (30 Sep 2015)

Susan O'Keeffe: Except that I am arguing that because the Ombudsman is specifically looking to extend his jurisdiction in areas that are exclusively to do with health, assuming that he gets that jurisdiction, the forecast would be that he would double the workload in that area and that the level of work would be very diverse. That is the only reason I ask, not because I am trying to dilute his office.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Office of the Ombudsman Reports: Mr. Peter Tyndall (30 Sep 2015)

Susan O'Keeffe: The Ombudsman can only take recent complaints.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Office of the Ombudsman Reports: Mr. Peter Tyndall (30 Sep 2015)

Susan O'Keeffe: Yes.