Results 161-180 of 240 for speaker:Maria Corrigan

Seanad: Order of Business (24 Mar 2009)

Maria Corrigan: I do not want to repeat what colleagues have stated but I add my voice to those urging the unions and workers not to engage in industrial action next Monday. We need to support measures to protect work and not to stop work. I understand the fear and anger but this is not the way forward. It is not in anybody's interest and certainly not in the interests of our country. Will the Leader make...

Seanad: Report on Dublin Bus and Bus Éireann: Statements (25 Feb 2009)

Maria Corrigan: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Noel Ahern. I am pleased to have an opportunity to speak on this important issue which has a real impact on people's quality of life. I was struck by the contributions made by speakers on all sides of the Chamber. I will not repeat what has been said but I support many of the points made. I wish to focus on a number of the report's recommendations....

Seanad: Report on Dublin Bus and Bus Éireann: Statements (25 Feb 2009)

Maria Corrigan: That is it.

Seanad: Adoption Bill 2009: Second Stage (17 Feb 2009)

Maria Corrigan: Tomorrow.

Seanad: Adoption Bill 2009: Second Stage (17 Feb 2009)

Maria Corrigan: I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I welcome the Bill, particularly ratification of the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption. In recent years, we have seen a lot of change in Ireland. We have gone from being a country from which people adopted children to a country whose people travel to other countries to adopt. Part...

Seanad: Adoption Bill 2009: Second Stage (17 Feb 2009)

Maria Corrigan: A good deal of the information available tends to be anecdotal, because we do not keep records in the family courts. Will the Minister of State explain if it will be possible to keep such records in future, because it could inform our practice and future legislation? There may be benefits from some degree of record keeping in the family courts. It would be a good deal better than relying...

Seanad: Child Poverty: Motion (11 Feb 2009)

Maria Corrigan: Tomorrow at 10.30 a.m.

Seanad: Child Poverty: Motion (11 Feb 2009)

Maria Corrigan: I move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after "Seanad Éireann" and substitute the following: acknowledges that combating poverty and building an inclusive society are key priorities for the Government; supports the overall goal of the National Plan for Social Inclusion to reduce the number of those experiencing consistent poverty, to between 2%-4% by 2012, with the aim of eliminating...

Seanad: Order of Business (27 Jan 2009)

Maria Corrigan: I support Senator McFadden's call for a debate on A Vision for Change. In light of the report launched by the Minister yesterday it would be useful at this stage if the Leader could make arrangements for the Minister to attend the House to discuss the next steps in the implementation of A Vision for Change. It has been recognised by everybody, including the Minister, that the progress made...

Seanad: Health Bill 2008: Second Stage (12 Dec 2008)

Maria Corrigan: I thank the Cathaoirleach for the opportunity to speak on this topic. I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Hoctor, to the House and thank her for her work, to date, on behalf of older persons. The Health Bill sets out how the Government intends to legislate for the changes announced in the budget regarding the provision of medical cards to those aged over 70 years. The country faces an...

Seanad: Teaching Qualifications (2 Dec 2008)

Maria Corrigan: I thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach for the opportunity to raise this important matter, namely, the need for the Minister for Education and Science to review the current procedures for the employment of substitute teachers by schools and the formalisation of such websites used to source teachers to ensure only candidates with the required teaching qualifications and up-to-date Garda clearance are...

Seanad: Teaching Qualifications (2 Dec 2008)

Maria Corrigan: I thank the Minister for the very detailed response. Even with that, however, I am still concerned about the number of gaps that still exist. I would appreciate it if the Minister could consider them in the context of the new legislation due to be brought forward. Some of the gaps that come to mind immediately are in the case of unqualified personnel who clearly are not registered with the...

Seanad: Site Acquisitions (26 Nov 2008)

Maria Corrigan: I thank the Cathaoirleach for giving me the opportunity to raise this very important matter on the Adjournment, namely, the provision of a secondary school for the area of Stepaside-Leopardstown. This area has grown in the past ten years from having a couple of hundred homes to one that now has in excess of 8,000 homes. It has four primary schools immediately within its environs and a...

Seanad: Site Acquisitions (26 Nov 2008)

Maria Corrigan: I thank the Minister of State for his positive response. While I am pleased that the Department's identification of future need is in keeping with ours, will he ask the Minister for a timeframe for the provision of school places? Despite the surplus capacity identified in south Dublin, will he also convey to the Minister that, for the first time ever, young people have not been able to find...

Seanad: Stem-Cell Research (Protection of Human Embryos) Bill 2008: Second Stage (26 Nov 2008)

Maria Corrigan: Science is and will continue to be our new frontier. Its terrain is infinite and its scope is vast. History has illustrated how it has reflected the best and worst aspects of the human race. It has the potential to be the most positive, constructive force in our lives, yet, unchecked and unbridled, it has the potential to be the most destructive. We cannot here begin to imagine the...

Seanad: Death of Member: Expressions of Sympathy (18 Nov 2008)

Maria Corrigan: It is fitting that we should pay tribute to our late colleague, Séamus Brennan, in the Chamber that marked the start of his life as a public representative. It is difficult to say more than has been said about Séamus. He was a man who touched all our lives and he devoted his entire professional life to politics. In the course of that time, he served the Fianna Fáil Party as general...

Seanad: Order of Business (6 Nov 2008)

Maria Corrigan: I congratulate my colleague, Senator Wilson, for raising the issue of BZP on the Adjournment last night. Like Senator Keaveney, I welcome the commitment to introduce legislation on this matter before March. However, last night Senator Wilson also raised another underlying issue. Time passes quickly but new drugs and new forms of illicit substances that can give people a chemical high are...

Seanad: Mental Health Bill 2008: Committee and Remaining Stages (30 Oct 2008)

Maria Corrigan: I have a quick question related to my earlier statement. In section 3 there is a specification of five working days. Are the Health Service Executive and the three private hospitals satisfied there is capacity within the five working days to complete the necessary work to ensure replacement renewal orders can be put in place? On an aside, I understand there will be a new form but will it...

Seanad: Mental Health Bill 2008: Second Stage (30 Oct 2008)

Maria Corrigan: I welcome the Minister to the House. I support the legislation as necessary to ensure the safety of a small but vulnerable group of people. As the Minister observed, these are people who find themselves involuntarily detained for their own protection, whether as a consequence of being deemed a risk to their own or others' safety or because treatment in a safe environment was deemed to be of...

Seanad: Special Educational Needs: Motion (29 Oct 2008)

Maria Corrigan: I welcome the Minister of State and particularly his commitment that the money allocated to disabilities and mental health will be spent in that area. For far too long, these areas have been seen as easy targets when the HSE sought to offset over-spending in other areas. I welcome the commitment of the Minister of State and am delighted that we will no longer experience the situation that...