Results 321-340 of 1,494 for speaker:Deirdre Clune

Seanad: Order of Business (23 Feb 2012)

Deirdre Clune: I would welcome an informed debate and not people grabbing headlines and speaking off the tops of their heads without informing themselves of the actual provisions.

Seanad: Community Mental Health (22 Feb 2012)

Deirdre Clune: I thank the Minister for being here to respond on this matter. I raise this issue because this week is national awareness week for eating disorders. I have always had an interest in this area because individuals and families who have been faced with this issue have come to me over the years because they have not known where to turn. The more one gets involved in this area, the more one...

Seanad: Community Mental Health (22 Feb 2012)

Deirdre Clune: I am glad the Minister has said, on behalf of the Minister of State, Deputy Lynch, that eating disorders are recognised and that the funding to be provided in the community mental health area will be used to help those with eating disorders. As this week is eating disorders awareness week, it is important that we are debating this issue and making a public commitment to it in this House. I...

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Feb 2012)

Deirdre Clune: There have been some very interesting debates in this House recently on the subject of energy and energy supply. The Energy (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill was in the House last week and we had a Private Members' debate on energy. This Monday, Shell and its partners in the Corrib gas field announced that it is to spend a further €800 million supporting 700 jobs in the area to bring...

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Feb 2012)

Deirdre Clune: The Minister is preparing an energy policy in 2012 and I am sure this announcement will feed into that policy, particularly when balanced with the development of renewable energy versus security of supply and the introduction of efficiency into our natural gas energy production. This is an important step which the House should discuss further.

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Feb 2012)

Deirdre Clune: It is 60% of our energy supplies, our electricity supplies.

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Feb 2012)

Deirdre Clune: I welcome the Government's announcement yesterday on the jobs plan and I am particularly pleased to hear Senator Darragh O'Brien give it a guarded welcome-----

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Feb 2012)

Deirdre Clune: -----in contrast to his colleague in the other House where it was dismissed out of hand. It is a wide-ranging document which deserves to be debated in this House. I suggest we debate it under the four headings of indigenous business; international start-ups and attr multinationals; areas with high potential; and improving our competitiveness. The debate would be more far-reaching if we...

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Feb 2012)

Deirdre Clune: I welcome the proposed changes to bring the county and city enterprise boards within the local authorities and tie them with Enterprise Ireland. This will make them much more reactive and provide for far greater support for small and medium-sized businesses. That is a very positive proposal and I would not shake my head to dismiss it. I look forward to a very good debate on it.

Seanad: Garda Investigations (8 Feb 2012)

Deirdre Clune: I am glad to raise this issue, which came to light last week following the publication of the Garda Inspectorate report on the investigation of sexual offences against children. There was criticism of the handling of these cases by the Garda Síochána. The report was produced in 2010 and published last week by the Minister for Justice and Equality. I hope for assurances that certain...

Seanad: Garda Investigations (8 Feb 2012)

Deirdre Clune: I thank the Minister of State for the comprehensive statement. For clarification, have the interviewing process and liaison between the HSE and the national director of child and family services happened since the report was published or are they in addition to what is in place since the investigation by the inspectorate?

Seanad: Energy (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2011: Second Stage (8 Feb 2012)

Deirdre Clune: I welcome the opportunity to speak on this Bill. The most important feature of it is that it focuses on reducing our energy demand by introducing energy efficiency. I agree with Senator Crown that the Minister has one of the most challenging Departments as we attempt to meet the needs of business customers as well as domestic customers. The cost of energy for businesses has continually...

Seanad: Health (Provision of General Practitioner Services) Bill 2011: Second Stage (8 Feb 2012)

Deirdre Clune: I am pleased to have a brief opportunity to speak on this important Bill, which I welcome. It is a positive step. The reports of the Competition Authority and the National Competitiveness Council consistently refer to the need to open up what are termed the "sheltered professions". This includes the legal profession and the process is under way there at present. Restricted access to the...

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment)(Political Funding) Bill 2011: Second Stage (2 Feb 2012)

Deirdre Clune: They have safe seats for the men.

Seanad: Renewable Energy: Motion (1 Feb 2012)

Deirdre Clune: This is an important debate. We look forward to the Minister's production of his energy policy in 2012. That will be important. The International Energy Agency is currently carrying out an in-depth analysis of our energy policy in line with the IMF agreement. We look forward to that and to what it will mean for us in terms of efficiencies in the electricity and gas markets, which the...

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Jan 2012)

Deirdre Clune: To clarify the issue referred to by Senator Walsh, the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources indicated this morning that he is considering a broadcasting charge. Moreover, he made clear that this would not be an additional charge. In other words, any household already paying a television licence fee will not be required to pay any more. It makes sense to replace the...

Seanad: Report of Advisory Group for Small Business: Statements (11 Jan 2012)

Deirdre Clune: I welcome the Minister of State and thank him for coming to the House to debate his report. Since his appointment, and prior to it, he has been focused on this initiative. It is one of his main objectives and therefore it is welcome that he has got to this point. We are discussing the first report, The Voice of Small Business - A Plan for Action, and the initiatives the Minister of State...

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Dec 2011)

Deirdre Clune: My opinions on the question of a referendum are similar to Senator Paul Coghlan's, in that there is no proposal as yet. Last week's political agreement will be transposed into text before Christmas, after which time the Attorney General will make a wise decision. Yesterday, the Minister, Deputy Noonan, discussed what would happen in the event of a referendum. The agreement is on introducing...

Seanad: Vaccination Programme (13 Dec 2011)

Deirdre Clune: I am glad there will be a report next year. Is there a link between the studies ongoing in this country and those being undertaken across Europe? I raise the issue today because Finland yesterday acknowledged that there was a connection between the vaccine and narcolepsy in young people. The reasons should be available across the European Union.

Seanad: Vaccination Programme (13 Dec 2011)

Deirdre Clune: I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House to respond to this matter which concerns Pandemrix, a vaccine given to many because of concerns about the effects of swine flu. There are some concerns that a number of children and adolescents have since developed narcolepsy, a neurological sleeping disorder caused by the brain's inability to regulate sleep and waking cycles in a normal...