Results 381-400 of 992 for speaker:Gabrielle McFadden

Seanad: Intoxicating Liquor (Amendment) Bill 2017: Second Stage (12 Apr 2017)

Gabrielle McFadden: It is not a theme park.

Seanad: Intoxicating Liquor (Amendment) Bill 2017: Second Stage (12 Apr 2017)

Gabrielle McFadden: It is not a theme park, it is part of what we are. People can go into a pub but they do not have to drink. They can have water and a meal but it is part of what we offer as a destination and it should be looked at.

Seanad: Intoxicating Liquor (Amendment) Bill 2017: Second Stage (12 Apr 2017)

Gabrielle McFadden: There are others after Senator Norris.

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Garda Vetting of Personnel (22 Mar 2017)

Gabrielle McFadden: I thank the Minister of State for dealing with the matter. The National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Act 2012 makes it mandatory for people working with children or vulnerable adults to be screened by the Garda National Vetting Bureau. This provision is necessary and prudent and is welcomed by all organisations working with the young and with vulnerable people. It means...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Garda Vetting of Personnel (22 Mar 2017)

Gabrielle McFadden: I thank the Minister of State and I appreciate that this is not necessarily her portfolio. It is absolutely vital that we and the public have confidence in the vetting process. Nobody denies the absolute need for it, bearing in mind what we have been through in this country between the church and situations like Áras Attracta in the past. It is absolutely vital. However, I believe...

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed) (7 Mar 2017)

Gabrielle McFadden: That is good news; I am delighted. Like others, I wish to address the issues arising from the finding of human remains on the site of the former mother and baby home in Tuam. I do not intend to rehearse the horror of what happened to those babies and their mothers but I share in the disgust that everyone in the House, and outside it, feels today. It is important we take this opportunity to...

Seanad: Order of Business (23 Feb 2017)

Gabrielle McFadden: I was the one who was sighing to whom the previous speaker referred. Before I say what I rose to speak about I must say that as far as I and most members of the Fine Gael Party are concerned, there is no lap of honour. The Taoiseach has never sought that kind of admiration. He has always put the country first. In the next few months the Taoiseach has an agenda for Brexit and he will work...

Seanad: Order of Business (22 Feb 2017)

Gabrielle McFadden: I ask the Leader to invite the Minister for Health to the House for a debate on the accident and emergency services. I say debate but I would prefer a discussion. We need a constructive discussion on such services and people being left on trolleys. The Opposition parties and, indeed, Mr. Liam Doran, constantly highlight the problems in the HSE but never offer a solution, a bit like the...

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Feb 2017)

Gabrielle McFadden: Anyone looking at the proceedings in the other House today would see the considerable toing and froing on the Opposition. They are discussing who knew what and when. That has become a greater issue than the real issue at stake. Who cares who said what and to whom they said it? Who cares where it was said? Who cares who knew what and at what time they knew it? To me, it is like they are...

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Feb 2017)

Gabrielle McFadden: We should allow the tribunal to find out whether a deliberate smear campaign was waged against Sergeant McCabe. We should allow him to have his name cleared. We need to find out, through the tribunal, by whom this was perpetrated and we should not use it for politics.

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Feb 2017)

Gabrielle McFadden: Fianna Fáil had 14 years.

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Feb 2017)

Gabrielle McFadden: I ask the Leader to request that the Minister of State in the Department of Defence come to the House for a debate. I and other Senators would like to discuss several issues with him, one of which is the very low morale in the Reserve Defence Forces. A committee heard a presentation today and I am quite shocked and horrified at the treatment of our Reserve Defence Forces. The issues...

Seanad: Action Plan for Rural Development: Statements (9 Feb 2017)

Gabrielle McFadden: Several times a week I get into my car to drive from Athlone to Dublin and I cannot help but notice how the volume of traffic grows as I pass every exit. Even more striking is the fact that most of the traffic is going in one direction. We should be bringing jobs to the people rather than people to the jobs.Leaving aside de Valera’s vision of comely maidens dancing at the crossroads,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Defence Forces Reserve: Reserve Defence Forces Representative Association (9 Feb 2017)

Gabrielle McFadden: I welcome the witnesses. I am delighted to hear first hand the situation they are in. I was one of only two Oireachtas members who attended the symposium in Farmleigh in 2015, and I was very enthusiastic about the White Paper myself, as everybody was. There was much discussion about talking up the Defence Forces over the next ten years, and that included, as far as I was concerned, the...

Seanad: Amendments to Councillors' Conditions: Statements (8 Feb 2017)

Gabrielle McFadden: I was to share with Senator O'Donnell.

Seanad: Amendments to Councillors' Conditions: Statements (8 Feb 2017)

Gabrielle McFadden: I thank the Minister for being in this House to discuss this very serious issue and for his work on it to date. I had mixed views on the Local Government Reform Act 2014, which was the most radical reform of local government in over a century. This legislation has led to large-scale reorganisation of local government around the country. With the reduction in the number of elected...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Mental Health Services (1 Feb 2017)

Gabrielle McFadden: I welcome the Minister of State to the House to discuss an issue that affects families and individuals from all walks of life. While mental health is an issue that affects all of us at one time or another, I want to talk about two groups who have specific needs with regard to mental health, namely, young people and people who are homeless. I came across a situation recently involving a 12...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Mental Health Services (1 Feb 2017)

Gabrielle McFadden: I accept that significant work is ongoing. While I also accept and acknowledge the commitment of the Minister of State to the issue, there is a serious need for 24-7 emergency care for people with mental health issues. The Midlands Simon Community obviously is based in the midlands and recently, it had a client in emergency accommodation who was taken to a psychiatric service because he was...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Killing of Mr. Michael Dwyer in Bolivia: Discussion (26 Jan 2017)

Gabrielle McFadden: Apologies for being late. I am desperately sorry for Ms Dwyer's loss. It was very moving and she is amazing to be able to do this and fight for him. I offer my condolences to Ms Dwyer and her family. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the question I had in mind about the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. Did Ms Dwyer make any kind of formal complaint? I presume she did. Was it not...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Killing of Mr. Michael Dwyer in Bolivia: Discussion (26 Jan 2017)

Gabrielle McFadden: It is pure obstruction.