Results 361-380 of 1,886 for speaker:Fergal Browne

Seanad: Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2006: Second Stage (26 Oct 2006)

Fergal Browne: I welcome the Minister of State to the House and wish him continued success in his area of responsibility. It is right and fitting that our children have the Minister of State as their ambassador at Cabinet. The Fine Gael Party welcomes the Child Care (Amendment) Bill. It is fitting that people are given extra rights after five years of having children in their care. Some 5,000 children...

Seanad: Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2006: Second Stage (26 Oct 2006)

Fergal Browne: On a point of information, do the five years apply from the day of placement to the day of application——

Seanad: Order of Business (25 Oct 2006)

Fergal Browne: I call for a debate on fireworks.

Seanad: Order of Business (25 Oct 2006)

Fergal Browne: I ask the Leader for a debate on fireworks. The Criminal Justice Act 2006 introduced changes which we hoped would make a difference. The situation is worse than ever. In the past three years there have been 11 court appearances relating to fireworks, yet there was not one conviction. While I accept it has not been a full year, this year there have been 30 seizures in comparison with 126...

Seanad: Sea Pollution (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2003 [Seanad Bill amended by Dáil]: Report and Final Stages. (19 Oct 2006)

Fergal Browne: No.

Seanad: School Staffing (19 Oct 2006)

Fergal Browne: I am more comfortable discussing this subject than sea pollution, harbours, etc. because, living in County Carlow, I have not had much experience of such matters. I am not sure if the Minister of State is aware that primary school teachers spend either the first week of their holidays in July or the last week at the end of August attending courses to update their skills. In return, they are...

Seanad: Mental Health Commission Report 2005: Statements (19 Oct 2006)

Fergal Browne: I wish to share my time with Senator Norris.

Seanad: Mental Health Commission Report 2005: Statements (19 Oct 2006)

Fergal Browne: To clarify, as a spokesperson I have 15 minutes which will be divided as eight minutes and seven minutes.

Seanad: Mental Health Commission Report 2005: Statements (19 Oct 2006)

Fergal Browne: I welcome the Minister of State and his officials to the House. I will not repeat what was stated by Senators Henry and Ryan and other speakers. I will summarise the issues raised by the Mental Health Commission report. I had the privilege of sitting on the sub-committee of the Joint Committee on Health and Children which examined suicide. The report states suicide is responsible for three...

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Oct 2006)

Fergal Browne: I wish.

Seanad: Pre-Nuptial Agreements: Motion (18 Oct 2006)

Fergal Browne: I do not.

Seanad: Pre-Nuptial Agreements: Motion (18 Oct 2006)

Fergal Browne: I thank those who have spoken during this debate and I thank the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform for his frankness. At times we may become disillusioned with politics, but today the Seanad has justified its existence as we have taken a lead on an issue that has not been addressed elsewhere. There have been huge social and economic changes in the past 30 to 40...

Seanad: Pre-Nuptial Agreements: Motion (18 Oct 2006)

Fergal Browne: I move: That Seanad Éireann: calls on the Attorney General to request the Law Reform Commission to produce a report examining the current status of Pre-Nuptial Agreements in Irish Courts; and to investigate the consequences of their possible introduction and the impact on the constitutional and legal rights of spouses and children; and that this Report to be laid before the House within a...

Seanad: Order of Business (18 Oct 2006)

Fergal Browne: I welcome Government support for the Private Members' motion tonight and look forward to the full debate. I ask that we bring the Minister for Finance or the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform into the House to debate stamp duty. We must know the Government's plans, if any, on the issue. Do they amount to an election promise or are they an aspiration? Will they be...

Seanad: Order of Business (18 Oct 2006)

Fergal Browne: On a point I raised previously, it should be possible, when the House is sitting for two days, to take four matters on the Adjournment. I intend to write a second letter to the Committee on Procedure and Privileges seeking to have the issue addressed and call on Senators to support me. Of the nine matters submitted for debate on the Adjournment today, only three will be taken. This is not...

Seanad: UN Committee Report on Children in Ireland: Statements (11 Oct 2006)

Fergal Browne: I wish to share my time with Senators Brian Hayes and Terry.

Seanad: UN Committee Report on Children in Ireland: Statements (11 Oct 2006)

Fergal Browne: I welcome the Minister of State with responsibility for children, Deputy Brian Lenihan, to the House and wish him well in his new job where much progress has been made. There is always change in politics, but this area is changing at a rapid rate. While the Minister of State was speaking, I was thinking his departmental responsibilities could be divided into three sections, infants, children...

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed) (11 Oct 2006)

Fergal Browne: Hopefully, I will not get a red card. On the matter of educational grants, I have asked the Minister for Education and Science to examine the possibility of basing the qualification for such grants on net income as in the case of qualification for a medical card because couples and families find it difficult to cope without the benefit of such grants. Qualification for a medical card has...

Seanad: Postal Services (4 Oct 2006)

Fergal Browne: I thank Senator Ross for raising this issue. Minister Dempsey regrets that he is unable to be in the House this evening to address the Senator on this matter. The Government recognises the critical importance of having nationwide, reliable, high quality and efficient postal services. However, we must recognise that the challenges facing the postal sector now at the start of the 21st century...

Seanad: Postal Services (4 Oct 2006)

Fergal Browne: As I have outlined, a review is underway at EU level and will go before the Parliament and the Council. Ireland will make its decisions when we see the outcome of that.