Results 141-160 of 1,760 for speaker:Aideen Hayden

Seanad: Order of Business (12 Jun 2012)

Aideen Hayden: Many Members would have been driving during the Joe Duffy show today and I do not know if any of them heard-----

Seanad: Order of Business (12 Jun 2012)

Aideen Hayden: -----a deeply distressing horrifying interview with an elderly lady-----

Seanad: Order of Business (12 Jun 2012)

Aideen Hayden: -----who borrowed €2,000 from a moneylender and was to repay €5,000 at the rate of €100 per week. The moneylender concerned kept her social welfare card and met her at the social welfare office each week when she went in to get her money. She paid for more than 30 weeks. On, I think, the 32nd week, she was unable to pay the entire amount and he threatened to break both of her legs....

Seanad: Criminal Justice (Withholding of Information on Offences Against Children and Vulnerable Persons) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (12 Jun 2012)

Aideen Hayden: I congratulate Senator van Turnhout on this amendment. I also congratulate the Ombudsman for Children's office on the excellent advice it has provided Senators concerning the Bill. Would it be possible for the Minister to consider the spirit of the amendment and table an amendment on Report Stage? The first of a number of important points is that the law should not be an ass. This is not a...

Seanad: Criminal Justice (Withholding of Information on Offences Against Children and Vulnerable Persons) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (Resumed) (12 Jun 2012)

Aideen Hayden: With regard to sacerdotal privilege, the Minister illustrated at great lengths the provisions of the Cook v. Carroll case. That did not involve the confessional but rather a meeting in the priest's office. For the sake of argument, if an abuser in a family goes to a priest in a confessional, saying that he or she is behaving in a way that is wrong but the person cannot prevent the...

Seanad: Criminal Justice (Withholding of Information on Offences Against Children and Vulnerable Persons) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (Resumed) (12 Jun 2012)

Aideen Hayden: Or a journalist?

Seanad: Criminal Justice (Spent Convictions) Bill 2012: Second Stage (13 Jun 2012)

Aideen Hayden: I also welcome the Minister to the House. I congratulate him on the general direction in which he is taking the justice system. The Criminal Justice (Community Service) (Amendment) Bill recognised the importance of using prison as a last resort and this Bill is a step in a similar direction. The Minister's announcement on Limerick Prison is very welcome. We are all well aware that our...

Seanad: Criminal Justice (Search Warrants) Bill 2012: Second Stage (19 Jun 2012)

Aideen Hayden: I welcome the Minister to the House. I congratulate him in the first instance on the speed with which he has brought this legislation before the House. It is important to note the Supreme Court decision in the Ali Charaf Damache case was only delivered on 23 February of this year. I also stress that the House could pass on its congratulations to the parliamentary draftsmen, who must have...

Seanad: Order of Business (20 Jun 2012)

Aideen Hayden: I support Senator van Turnhout in her call for the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Deputy Fitzgerald, to come to the House as a matter of urgency to discuss the report of the independent review group that was set up to investigate the deaths of almost 200 children in State care. This report is evidence that we do not treat all of the children in this country equally. However, I do...

Seanad: Order of Business (20 Jun 2012)

Aideen Hayden: In this way we can obtain a true and accurate reflection of the way in which we are not caring for the children in this society.

Seanad: Criminal Justice (Amendment) Act 2009: Motion (20 Jun 2012)

Aideen Hayden: I wish to respond to Senator Byrne's comments about the Labour Party. We have a proud record in defending individual rights, including the right to a jury trial, and we make no apologies for that. History shows us that previous Governments which rolled back on individual civil liberties did so on the basis of claims of necessity that were incorrect. The result was that the response of the...

Seanad: Criminal Justice (Amendment) Act 2009: Motion (20 Jun 2012)

Aideen Hayden: It is a fair and reasonable solution. As the Minister has pointed out, it is not used in many circumstances and the Labour Party will keep it under review. Who is suffering at the hands of these armed gangs and criminals? What communities are intimidated? They are the most vulnerable and poorest communities in this country. They are the people the Labour Party stands up to defend.

Seanad: Mortgage Arrears, Banking and the Economy: Statements, Questions and Answers (3 Jul 2012)

Aideen Hayden: I, too, welcome the Minister to the House and welcome the measures being taken, both in respect of the Keane report outcomes and the personal insolvency legislation. One aspect of the mortgage crisis I wish to bring to the Minister's attention is that of the group of people who "rent to rent", as the term has it. These are people who bought their properties during the height of the Celtic...

Seanad: Rent Supplements: Motion (4 Jul 2012)

Aideen Hayden: I thank the Minister for a comprehensive statement. I also thank the Sinn Féin Senators for raising this important issue. We must bear in mind that 20% of the people live in rented accommodation. That is a significant change for a country that until recently had an 80% home ownership rate. Rent supplement was introduced in 1989 as a short-term measure but that position had changed within...

Seanad: Animal Health and Welfare Bill 2012: Committee Stage (Resumed) (11 Jul 2012)

Aideen Hayden: I support the Minister on this point. First, the presumption of ownership is rebuttable. That is an important limitation. There are too many areas of law, particularly the law of tort, in which the law is so weak in requiring that ownership be established. It can be difficult to prove. In the case of derelict sites, for example, establishing ownership is extremely difficult and in many...

Seanad: Developments in the European Union and Ireland's Presidency of the European Council: Statements with An Taoiseach (18 Jul 2012)

Aideen Hayden: I welcome the Taoiseach to the House. He said that Europe had not been very decisive in recent times in dealing with the economic crisis, which is an understatement. It is quite clear that Europe has been seen as being dragged kicking and screaming to the table. Unfortunately, this is not without precedent and in this regard I am thinking of the foreign affairs crisis caused by the...

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) (Political Funding) Bill 2011 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil]: Report and Final Stages (20 Jul 2012)

Aideen Hayden: I thank the Minister for that clarification. It is important to point out that while this legislation is clearly going a long way in terms of transparency, political parties are voluntary bodies. We are concerned nationally with the lack of participation in public and political life. While it is critical that we have transparency, we must be careful not to make being part of the political...

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) (Political Funding) Bill 2011 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil]: Report and Final Stages (20 Jul 2012)

Aideen Hayden: I agree and I suspect we will all be making the same contribution. This is momentous legislation for the future of Irish politics and in particular for the future of women in Irish politics. Although today's debate has centred on transparency over corporate donations, cash donations, intermediaries and so forth, we must not forget this is the end of what has been a long process. Some of...

Seanad: Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Bill 2012: Committee and Remaining Stages (19 Sep 2012)

Aideen Hayden: I would also like to congratulate the Minister of State. This is very important legislation, as everyone in the House agrees. I would also like to commend the Minister of State for her openness in accepting the suggestions of Senator MacSharry, some of which are worthy of consideration, particularly with regard to section 20. We live in the age of the Internet and very few patients today...

Seanad: Order of Business (25 Sep 2012)

Aideen Hayden: I also thank the Donegal team, which has made my colleague, Senator Harte, very happy and will probably keep him happy until Christmas. I also support Senator Kelly's call for a debate on the property tax but my comments relate to the other end of the property spectrum - that of homelessness. I bring to the attention of colleagues the 2011 census results on homelessness which show that...