Results 121-140 of 519 for speaker:Mary Ann O'Brien

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Foresty Industry: Discussion with Coillte (2 Oct 2012)

Mary Ann O'Brien: I will take up half a minute. When is Coillte's year end? In respect of its budget for 2012, is it in the delegation's power to tell us about its latest estimate? I am trying to clarify Coillte's gross margin target for 2012.

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Noxious Weeds (3 Oct 2012)

Mary Ann O'Brien: I thank the Minister of State, Deputy McEntee, for attending. I want him to imagine that he is getting severe stomach pains and losing weight fast, and he stops eating and has no energy. The sun hurts his skin, he is losing co-ordination and he is struggling to breath. Now he is going blind and, worst of all, he cannot tell anybody or communicate how bad he is feeling. That is how a horse...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Noxious Weeds (3 Oct 2012)

Mary Ann O'Brien: I thank the Minister of State for the good, detailed answer. While it is comforting, I hope he would agree that everyone from a rural area with whom one speaks will say that this was the year of the ragwort. Each plant produces 50,000 to 200,000 seeds over a four to six week period from July to September. Particularly now that the flowers are dying down, I am conscious of the seeds. I am...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Review of Food Harvest 2020 Strategy: Discussion (Resumed) with Irish Dairy Board and Bord Bia (16 Oct 2012)

Mary Ann O'Brien: I thank Mr. Buckley for an excellent presentation. Coming from a small sector of the food industry, I have always admired the brand. One can go into a supermarket in the middle of nowhere in Florida and see that pound of butter on the shelf, which is no mean feat. One of the delegates might provide greater clarity on the vision for the board's turnover in 2015, 2018 and 2020 with...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Review of Food Harvest 2020 Strategy: Discussion (Resumed) with Irish Dairy Board and Bord Bia (16 Oct 2012)

Mary Ann O'Brien: I have one last question, which I do not think is for Bord Bia. The Irish Dairy Board’s turnover is €2 billion. How many of the board’s products, or what percentage, are processed outside the island of Ireland? It might be difficult to say given that operations extend to different areas.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Review of Food Harvest 2020 Strategy: Discussion (Resumed) with Irish Dairy Board and Bord Bia (16 Oct 2012)

Mary Ann O'Brien: I hope members do not mind indulging me, as I must attend another meeting. I do not really have questions to pose. I have been a customer of Mr. Cotter since 1993 and would not be where I am today were it not for Bord Bia. I could spend an hour telling members what it is like working with it. I was in a great deal of trouble in 2008 and I am aware that whether one's situation is good or...

Seanad: Alcohol Consumption: Statements (17 Oct 2012)

Mary Ann O'Brien: I welcome the Minister of State to the House and wish him good fortune in his new ministerial position. Previous speakers have made many of the points I wished to make so I will go straight to a point that has not been made which I would like everybody here to consider seriously. We have all become very exacting consumers. We like to know what we are going to eat and value our health above...

Seanad: Order of Business (7 Nov 2012)

Mary Ann O'Brien: He can be the second Senator to stay within the time limit.

Seanad: Order of Business (7 Nov 2012)

Mary Ann O'Brien: I second the point made by Senator Michael Mullins about the fraud which was discovered in Uganda and ask that the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade should come to the House and discuss that matter. We give ¤600 million in foreign aid. On that day I would like to question the Minister and ask Senators to join me in so doing about what checks, procedures and auditing...

Seanad: Action Plan for Jobs: Statements (20 Nov 2012)

Mary Ann O'Brien: I wish to share time with Senator Zappone. I welcome the Minister and I thank him for attending. He is bathing in flattery but he has been doing the most amazing job for us all. I agree with Senator White about his personal commitment and passion. He must be exhausted from all the trade missions he has been on. He has been proactive and innovative with the microfinance fund, the credit...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Coillte Teoranta: Discussion with Chairman Designate (20 Nov 2012)

Mary Ann O'Brien: Coillte has many strands, and they all seem to work in great synergy. If the members of the committee were Coillte's very wealthy shareholders, would Mr. McKenna recommend that we sell the forestry rights? Coillte seems to be working well. It is a company to be admired. I ask Mr. McKenna to look inside himself and give us an honest answer to that hypothetical question.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Coillte Teoranta: Discussion with Chairman Designate (20 Nov 2012)

Mary Ann O'Brien: I suggest it is worth a try.

Seanad: Budget 2013: Statements (5 Dec 2012)

Mary Ann O'Brien: What about the public sector?

Seanad: Budget 2013: Statements (5 Dec 2012)

Mary Ann O'Brien: The budget is very positive for business, for which I thank the Minister for Finance. However, as an entrepreneur and an employer, I would be terrified to take on even one new employee. The percentage relating to redundancies used to be 65%, then it was reduced to 15% and now it is zero. This represents a huge risk for people who are self-employed. If their companies come close to going...

Seanad: Budget 2013: Statements (5 Dec 2012)

Mary Ann O'Brien: We are closing down Garda stations. I would like the gardaí on duty outside Leinster House to stop working this evening and we would then see how Members feel about this matter. We must stop demoralising gardaí. Our society is in trouble, a fact that we must recognise.

Seanad: Budget 2013: Statements (5 Dec 2012)

Mary Ann O'Brien: Will the Minister of State clarify the position on tax relief on pension contributions which deliver incomes of over ¤60,000 per year? Does what is being done relate to the public as well as the private sector?

Seanad: Budget 2013: Statements (5 Dec 2012)

Mary Ann O'Brien: I thank the Minister of State.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund: Motion (13 Dec 2012)

Mary Ann O'Brien: I welcome the Minister and thank him for meeting with us. Like previous speakers, I support the motion. I have been steeped in this industry since I was young. I am proud of our reputation and excellence in the sport. However, we need to be realistic. The Minister mentioned the staggering amount of money which France is investing in its industry and we are all aware of the great...

Seanad: Order of Business (18 Dec 2012)

Mary Ann O'Brien: I wish to raise the subject of foreign aid. I ask the Leader to call the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to the House for a debate. As the months and years go by in these times of austerity, the latest issue concerns chemotherapy. The Members present may know someone with cancer. Can they imagine having cancer and having to pay ¤75 per dose of chemotherapy - not per day, but per...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2012: Committee Stage (19 Dec 2012)

Mary Ann O'Brien: We all realise what busy lives Ministers and politicians lead - 12, 14 and 18 hour days are the norm. Let us come out of our bubble in this beautiful room and talk about the people who have neither the time nor the freedom to go to the gates of Leinster House. Carers face the lonely hard reality of providing care 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They use daily words such as nebulising,...