Results 161-180 of 431 for speaker:Lorraine Higgins

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Small and Medium Enterprises Supports (12 Mar 2014)

Lorraine Higgins: I thank the Minister of State for taking this matter, which is of importance to the recovery of this country. It is the need for a bank to actively lend to the small and medium enterprise sector. This week we were informed by reports in the Irish Independent that lending to small and medium enterprises has declined for each of the past three quarters when lending to farms and property...

Seanad: Child Protection: Motion (5 Mar 2014)

Lorraine Higgins: I call Senator O'Donnell and she has six minutes.

Seanad: Action Plan for Jobs: Statements (5 Mar 2014)

Lorraine Higgins: I welcome the Minister to the House to hear our views on the Action Plan for Jobs recently announced. I commend the Minister and the Government for all the hard work done in creating jobs in very difficult times. There is no doubt that we have come back from a very difficult place, bringing the country back from the brink and into a zone where we can see stability and recovery. Before...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Health Services Staff Issues (11 Feb 2014)

Lorraine Higgins: I welcome the Minister of State to the House and thank him for taking this matter on the Adjournment on overcrowding in the accident and emergency department at University Hospital Galway and the potential for nurse prescribing to be used as a means of alleviating the ongoing crisis. The Minister of State may be aware it was reported on 20 January that 44 people were waiting on trolleys at...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Health Services Staff Issues (11 Feb 2014)

Lorraine Higgins: I thank the Minister of State and appreciate the very detailed response he has given. I wish to clarify one issue. Is it the case the HSE will not issue a GMS prescription pad to nurses employed at non-HSE facilities? This is where my issue arises.

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Health Services Staff Issues (11 Feb 2014)

Lorraine Higgins: I thank the Minister of State.

Seanad: Order of Business (11 Feb 2014)

Lorraine Higgins: I call on the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to come to the House to discuss the price Irish farmers are getting for meat in this country. The success of our agriculture sector is being hindered by recent cattle prices which suggest that the market is uncompetitive. This is of great concern to most people out there, particularly those who are working as farmers. Recently I...

Seanad: Charities Sector: Statements (4 Feb 2014)

Lorraine Higgins: The Senator is being unfair.

Seanad: Charities Sector: Statements (4 Feb 2014)

Lorraine Higgins: I thank the Minister for coming before the House to discuss the charities sector and the recent difficulties in which charities have found themselves. The sector includes an estimated 12,000 non-profit organisations, of which 7,000 have charitable status. The combined figure of employees in the sector stands at more than 100,000 and charities also have more than 560,000 volunteers on their...

Seanad: Order of Business (4 Feb 2014)

Lorraine Higgins: I wish to bring up the same issue that has been raised by several Members, namely, the recent neknominations craze which has swept Ireland and which regrettably has resulted in the loss of lives. It is imperative that the Government responds to this issue, given that it straddles a number of Departments. It seems that increasing YouTube and Facebook hits is the aim of the whole phenomenon...

Seanad: Humanitarian Situation in Syria, South Sudan and Central African Republic: Statements (30 Jan 2014)

Lorraine Higgins: I welcome the Minister of State to the House. He has been very active in his role since being appointed and I commend him on all that he has done. As the ethnic conflicts continue in Syria, South Sudan and the Central African Republic, the rest of the world has been faced with the question - should we involve ourselves in these crises? I believe we should get involved in any way we can in...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Schools Building Projects Status (29 Jan 2014)

Lorraine Higgins: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Cannon, to the House. I know he is quite familiar with Loughrea, County Galway and how it has experienced a significant increase in its population. This has led to an increased demand on public services in the town and surrounding areas. This is particularly evident at Scoil Naomh Éanna national school, Bullaun, Loughrea, County Galway. The...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Schools Building Projects Status (29 Jan 2014)

Lorraine Higgins: I thank the Minister for his response. Contrary to what he said, there is significant demographic growth in this area with an increase in the school’s enrolment from 39 pupils in 2000 to 187 pupils in 2013. I am critical of the Department's five-year construction programme and that there should be some degree of discretion to add schools to the list, especially in light of the...

Seanad: Youth Justice Policy: Statements (28 Jan 2014)

Lorraine Higgins: When is it proposed to sit again?

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Agriculture Schemes Appeals (22 Jan 2014)

Lorraine Higgins: I am not satisfied with the response provided by the Minister of State this evening. In my opinion, an annual report does not satisfy transparency and consistency requirements. The suggestion that it does means we are focusing on the general rather than specific incidences of appeals by farmers. At the end of the day, farmers in this country are entitled to access to decisions which are...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Agriculture Schemes Appeals (22 Jan 2014)

Lorraine Higgins: Provision could be made for anonymity of individuals. In reports of refugee and family law proceedings the initial letter of the surname rather than surname is used, as would be the situation in most legal cases.

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Agriculture Schemes Appeals (22 Jan 2014)

Lorraine Higgins: I agree with anonymity. The use of the initial letter of a surname is the way around that.

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Agriculture Schemes Appeals (22 Jan 2014)

Lorraine Higgins: I thank the Minister of State.

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Agriculture Schemes Appeals (22 Jan 2014)

Lorraine Higgins: I thank the Minister of State for attending to discuss my issue. I refer to the need to make the agriculture appeals process more open and transparent in order that those availing of it have certainty about the board's findings, as they apply. The EU Common Agricultural Policy outlines the direct payment programme in which farmers may receive payment provided that certain requirements have...

Seanad: Standards in Public Office Commission Membership: Motions (22 Jan 2014)

Lorraine Higgins: I support this motion, which concerns a change in the membership of the Standards in Public Office Commission. I understand these vacancies arose last month. I commend the Minister on moving so swiftly to fill them in such a short period. I understand that important investigations could not go ahead as a consequence of the board not being at its full capacity. It is necessary for the...