Results 101-120 of 784 for speaker:Jimmy Harte

Seanad: Order of Business (4 Jul 2013)

Jimmy Harte: I am disgusted to be in the same county as him.

Seanad: Order of Business (4 Jul 2013)

Jimmy Harte: I will resume my seat when I have cleared my name. The people of Donegal know me better.

Seanad: Order of Business (4 Jul 2013)

Jimmy Harte: They know why Senator Ó Domhnaill is before the Standards in Public Office Commission.

Seanad: Order of Business (4 Jul 2013)

Jimmy Harte: I agree with many of Senator Norris's sentiments. I want to raise an issue about two pre-schools in Donegal. It was raised here yesterday regarding an emergency motion tabled by a Fianna Fáil Senator. I am disgusted by the methods he used. He targeted me personally in the local media to say that I had personally blocked a debate on the two special schools. He has used vulnerable...

Seanad: Adjournment Debate: Hospital Services (3 Jul 2013)

Jimmy Harte: I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House for this debate on the future of three community hospitals in County Donegal, in Stranorlar, Carndonagh and Dungloe. They are as geographically spread out as any three hospitals in the county could be. This issue, which affects every corner of County Donegal, was brought into focus recently when HIQA reports found that the hospitals in...

Seanad: An Bille um an Dara Leasú is Tríocha ar an mBunreacht (Deireadh a Chur le Seanad Éireann) 2013: An Dara Céim (Atógáil) - Thirty-second Amendment of the Constitution (Abolition of Seanad Éireann) Bill 2013: Second Stage (Resumed) (3 Jul 2013)

Jimmy Harte: Senator Mullen ate into my time, so I wish the best of luck to whoever comes after Senator Moran. I thank the Cathaoirleach for his indulgence. I have said it locally on radio that I have no problem with a referendum being put to the people, who will ultimately decide. If they decide to abolish it, then so be it. However, there should be an honest debate because the debate that has taken...

Seanad: An Bille um an Dara Leasú is Tríocha ar an mBunreacht (Deireadh a Chur le Seanad Éireann) 2013: An Dara Céim (Atógáil) - Thirty-second Amendment of the Constitution (Abolition of Seanad Éireann) Bill 2013: Second Stage (Resumed) (3 Jul 2013)

Jimmy Harte: I have no problem with the holding of a referendum as promised in the programme for Government, but a considerable number of people are cynical about politics. If a referendum was held on abolishing all tiers of Government, at least 25% of voters would vote "Yes" because the politics we are trying to promote is being destroyed from within. I will abide by the people's decision, however,...

Seanad: An Bille um an Dara Leasú is Tríocha ar an mBunreacht (Deireadh a Chur le Seanad Éireann) 2013: An Dara Céim (Atógáil) - Thirty-second Amendment of the Constitution (Abolition of Seanad Éireann) Bill 2013: Second Stage (Resumed) (3 Jul 2013)

Jimmy Harte: I wish to share some of my 15 minutes, or what I call my ten minutes plus injury time.

Seanad: An Bille um an Dara Leasú is Tríocha ar an mBunreacht (Deireadh a Chur le Seanad Éireann) 2013: An Dara Céim (Atógáil) - Thirty-second Amendment of the Constitution (Abolition of Seanad Éireann) Bill 2013: Second Stage (Resumed) (3 Jul 2013)

Jimmy Harte: I will share three minutes with Senator Mary Moran.

Seanad: An Bille um an Dara Leasú is Tríocha ar an mBunreacht (Deireadh a Chur le Seanad Éireann) 2013: An Dara Céim (Atógáil) - Thirty-second Amendment of the Constitution (Abolition of Seanad Éireann) Bill 2013: Second Stage (Resumed) (3 Jul 2013)

Jimmy Harte: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Brian Hayes, to the Chamber. This issue is difficult for most Senators to speak about. Some former Members, among whom I do not include the Minister of State, have stated blatantly on the radio and in the media that the Seanad is rotten. That is a disservice to democracy in this country and to all politicians. Even the smallest town council in the...

Seanad: Order of Business (3 Jul 2013)

Jimmy Harte: I would like to extend a welcome to Mr. John McCallister MLA and Mr. Basil McCrea MLA. As a fellow Donegal man from Ramelton, a very good town just outside Letterkenny, Mr. McCrea is very welcome to the Chamber. I ask that we debate the future of retail banking in rural areas. I have an office in a small town, Raphoe, where at one stage there were three banks, two building societies, a post...

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed) (2 Jul 2013)

Jimmy Harte: I concur with Senator O'Sullivan's remarks about receiving offensive e-mail and text messages from people.

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed) (2 Jul 2013)

Jimmy Harte: I received through my mobile phone a disgusting YouTube video from a man calling himself a concerned Christian. I e-mailed him back and said: "Don't dare do that again because I have a 9 year old daughter who has access to that phone". It is a despicable type of promotion.

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed) (2 Jul 2013)

Jimmy Harte: The church has not come out and told people to stop doing this. I have to say, as a practising Catholic, that the church must do that. Other Members have daughters and sons who are minors or toddlers who could be subject to this, which is tantamount to intimidation. Will the Leader ask the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government to come to the House to discuss the...

Seanad: Public Health (Availability of Defibrillators) Bill 2013: Second Stage [Private Members] (19 Jun 2013)

Jimmy Harte: The Minister of State is very welcome to the House. With a name like Harte, it is appropriate that I speak on this subject today. In Letterkenny, there is a road named after my father in that the locals call it the "Harte bypass". I fully support the Bill. In France last summer, I noticed a defibrillator beside the gendarmerie station in the square of a small village. That is the model...

Seanad: Public Health (Availability of Defibrillators) Bill 2013: Second Stage [Private Members] (19 Jun 2013)

Jimmy Harte: Even less. It would not be a lot of money if the club raised €1,000 and the local authority, HSE or Department chipped in also. It is important that we have the facility because, without such primary care, an increasing number of people would be dead or suffer from heart attacks causing severe damage. Having spoken to a local cardiologist in Letterkenny, I learned there are not as...

Seanad: Health (Amendment) Bill 2013: Second Stage (19 Jun 2013)

Jimmy Harte: I welcome the Minister of State. On the issue of public beds and private health insurance, when I visited Taiwan in January as part of a delegation we met representatives of the bureau of health information, their equivalent of the HSE. I asked the head of its delegation if Taiwan had a problem with waiting lists. They said there was no such thing as a waiting list in that country, where...

Seanad: Order of Business (29 May 2013)

Jimmy Harte: I support Senator van Turnhout, but I call on Members not to use this as a political football today. They are saying that because we do not have funding and because of funding cutbacks in the HSE it gives people an excuse to abuse children.

Seanad: Order of Business (29 May 2013)

Jimmy Harte: People do not have any excuse to abuse a child at any level for any reason at any time either financially or for any other reason and Members should be aware of that.

Seanad: Order of Business (29 May 2013)

Jimmy Harte: I join colleagues in supporting Senator Jillian van Turnhout's call for a special debate on the issues highlighted last night in the "Prime Time Investigates" programme. I take exception, however, to Members seeking to use this issue as a political platform. To claim that the individuals in question are abusing children because of cutbacks in the Health Service Executive is unacceptable....