Results 181-200 of 605 for speaker:John Whelan

Seanad: Order of Business (18 Jul 2012)

John Whelan: The trainee pilots are seriously out of pocket and some of them are within touching distance, some by days or weeks, of completing their training. This is the issue the Minister must tackle. He has a responsibility in the matter because the Irish Aviation Authority endorsed the training college. We have a responsibility to the students and that is the problem that needs to be resolved....

Seanad: School Transport (18 Jul 2012)

John Whelan: I propose to share my time with Senator Pat O'Neill on this matter.

Seanad: School Transport (18 Jul 2012)

John Whelan: I thank the Minister of State for dealing with this matter. He has always been available and forthcoming on these issues. Our concerns are about rural families. I accept that changes are required as a result of budgetary constraints and the Department must be aware of numbers and figures. However, in the case of rural areas, it is not always down to statistics and it is not always easy to...

Seanad: School Transport (18 Jul 2012)

John Whelan: I thank the Minister of State for his fair answer. I am aware that in his constituency the Minister of State is encountering these types of situation personally. I am not seeking to break the rules but I earnestly request that the Minister consider situations where children are already attending a certain school and a sibling wishes to attend the same school. It will not break the bank or...

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Jul 2012)

John Whelan: I have been here well over a year and I just found out that one can accumulate one's time and let the meter run up in order to get a better run at things. I support the issue raised by Senator John Kelly this morning. I also support Senator Marie-Louise O'Donnell who made a potent if brief speech yesterday in the presence of the Taoiseach on how we have abandoned and surrendered control of...

Seanad: Charities Act 2009: Motion (19 Sep 2012)

John Whelan: I move: That Seanad Éireann: - welcomes the passage in 2009 of the Charities Act 2009 which provides for the regulation and supervision of the charitable sector; - recognises that the charitable sector occupies a place of central importance in our society and economy; - recalls that the objectives of the Charities Act include the enhancement of public trust and confidence in charities...

Seanad: Charities Act 2009: Motion (19 Sep 2012)

John Whelan: I do not want to over-egg the pudding or delay proceedings any longer than is needed. I appreciate the Minister of State had a long day in the other House. I am heartened at the nature of the discourse and debate and grateful for the positive and constructive contributions put forward by all sides of the House. Lest there be confusion as to the reason we are here, I thank Ivan Cooper from...

Seanad: Order of Business (20 Sep 2012)

John Whelan: To get back to matters more at home, I draw to the attention of the House that the interim closing date for the registration of septic tanks is one week away on 28 September. To be fair to the Minister and the Department of the Environment, Culture and Local Government, it is a relatively modest ¤5. Colleagues will be aware that due to the deluges we had and the poor weather during the...

Seanad: Order of Business (20 Sep 2012)

John Whelan: There is plenty of evidence because I saw it happening in my local area.

Seanad: Order of Business (20 Sep 2012)

John Whelan: It is imperative that people stop paying lip service to the environment and to being good neighbours. There is a need for clean, safe sustainable water. It is reckless in the extreme to encourage people not to maintain and monitor their septic tanks or to ensure they are operating properly.

Seanad: Order of Business (20 Sep 2012)

John Whelan: I urge country people to register with what is a modest charge of ¤5. It makes good sense. It makes one a good neighbour and it protects the local water resource, not to mention that not to do so would leave the State, the Government and the taxpayer exposed to millions of euro in fines from the EU because of not complying with EU directives.

Seanad: Irish Water and Related Reforms: Statements (Resumed) (20 Sep 2012)

John Whelan: I would like to share time with my colleague, Senator Landy.

Seanad: Irish Water and Related Reforms: Statements (Resumed) (20 Sep 2012)

John Whelan: I welcome the Minister of State to the House. He knows this issue is near to my heart. I do not doubt his personal endeavour and his commitment to this subject. It is natural and understandable that everyone is perplexed and obsessed with the vexed issue of water metering and water charges. I think we are forgetting a more fundamental and important issue. The installation of water meters...

Seanad: Order of Business (25 Sep 2012)

John Whelan: I wish to raise an educational matter. While it may not be of the lofty heights of, as referred to by Senator Barrett, the proposed amalgamation of the esteemed institutions of Trinity College Dublin and University College Dublin, it is, nonetheless, every bit as important to the people of Laois and has broad-ranging implications for people across the country. Many Members of this House...

Seanad: School Transport: Statements (26 Sep 2012)

John Whelan: I propose to share time with Senator John Kelly. I appreciate the courtesy of Senator Jim D'Arcy, who allowed me to speak first as I have to attend another meeting at 5 p.m. I welcome the Minister of State again after a previous discussion on this matter on the Adjournment, responding to Senator Pat O'Neill and me in July. I welcome the thoroughness of the policy as set out by the Minister...

Seanad: Order of Business (27 Sep 2012)

John Whelan: That was a very fair ruling by the Leas-Chathaoirleach. I support the sentiments of the Labour Party group leader in this House in respect of her expression of support and solidarity with our colleague, Deputy Róisín Shortall, because she still remains a valued colleague. She is a not a loss to the Department of Health, she is a loss to this country, the health service and the protection...

Seanad: Order of Business (27 Sep 2012)

John Whelan: I received an invitation in the post this morning to the launch of a book entitled Standing By the Republic. This is exactly what Deputy Shortall did last week in the Dáil when she set out her vision for how health services should be provided in this country with conviction.

Seanad: Order of Business (27 Sep 2012)

John Whelan: Front-line health services, like primary and respite care, home helps and community nursing homes, are the responsibility of the State. The State has a duty of care to its citizens. It is not appropriate that these services are farmed out or privatised. It does not work.

Seanad: Order of Business (27 Sep 2012)

John Whelan: I am looking for a debate and thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach for his assistance in that regard. When the Minister for Health was here yesterday - I took note of the time; it was 4.15 p.m. - he said there had been no cuts to home helps or carers. If the Minister is of that view, the Government is totally detached from the reality on the ground because we are inundated with calls from people...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters.: Health Services (27 Sep 2012)

John Whelan: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Perry, to the House to deputise for the Minister for Health on this important issue. My question pertains to sufferers of narcolepsy that is a direct result of a vaccine against swine flu that was not only provided by the State but sponsored by it through GPs and schools in 2009 and 2010. Unfortunately for many parents this has turned into their worst...