Results 281-300 of 10,683 for speaker:Ivana Bacik

Seanad: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (19 Nov 2008)

Ivana Bacik: I also support the thrust of the amendment which does not place unduly onerous obligations on housing authorities, which would be a concern given amendment No. 15 refers to "or any other bodies". The amendment does not require them to provide this information to a range of bodies, which would be too onerous.

Seanad: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (19 Nov 2008)

Ivana Bacik: I support both amendments. It is important to allow for a more concrete method of consultation to take place whereby written submissions or observations can be made. I think six weeks may not provide enough time, however, and eight weeks would allow the bodies concerned a little more time to consider the information they have received from the housing authority and to make more...

Seanad: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (19 Nov 2008)

Ivana Bacik: I am very grateful to the Minister of State for indicating that. It is very helpful that he is willing to look at the provision.

Seanad: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (19 Nov 2008)

Ivana Bacik: I support the amendment. It adds an important extra dimension to the background to which the housing authority must have regard when performing its functions. Social background is a relatively broad provision, but to include "economic or cultural" extends it to encompass different groups that are already represented in our communities. I ask the Minister of State to indicate that he might...

Seanad: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (19 Nov 2008)

Ivana Bacik: I support the amendment. It is important to specify in this Part of the Bill that housing authorities must work to prevent and reduce homelessness. As was said in the context of earlier sections, it is important to see some reference to homelessness included in the Bill. I know the 1998 Act provides the definition and we have heard the Minister of State's views on that. We had a vote on...

Seanad: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (19 Nov 2008)

Ivana Bacik: On a point of order, are we now permitted to speak about flourishes to the amendment as well as the amendments themselves?

Seanad: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (19 Nov 2008)

Ivana Bacik: To echo what other Senators said, I would welcome clarification from the Minister of State as to what precisely he plans to do with regard to the homeless implementation plan. While this may be my misunderstanding, I understood him earlier to say he would put the implementation plan for the homelessness strategy on a statutory footing at a later stage this year. I understood that as meaning...

Seanad: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (19 Nov 2008)

Ivana Bacik: I now understand it may be put as an amendment to this Bill, perhaps on Report Stage in the Seanad or at a later date in the Dáil, or even when the Bill returns to the Seanad. We would like clarification from the Minister of State as to exactly at which stage he intends to bring forward this provision to place the homelessness implementation plan on a statutory footing. I do not believe any...

Seanad: Order of Business (20 Nov 2008)

Ivana Bacik: Will the Leader arrange a debate on equality in health care provision? I note from reports yesterday that the Minister for Health and Children will intervene to ensure that older people will not have to pay massive premiums on foot of the Supreme Court decision on risk equalisation. It would be timely in that context to discuss equality and universality in the provision of health care....

Seanad: Order of Business (20 Nov 2008)

Ivana Bacik: The event will also illustrate to all of us how low the proportion of women in political life remains. It would be very useful for us to have a debate in December on how best we can achieve a greater number of women in the Oireachtas.

Seanad: Charities Bill 2007: Second Stage (26 Nov 2008)

Ivana Bacik: I wish to share time with Senator Quinn.

Seanad: Charities Bill 2007: Second Stage (26 Nov 2008)

Ivana Bacik: I broadly welcome the Bill because the regulation of the charitable sector is long overdue. The legislation has been some years in preparation and I am delighted to see it. Like other Members I urge the Minister of State to take on board one point: to extend the definition of charitable purposes to include a charitable purpose that is beneficial to the community, namely, the advancement of...

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

Ivana Bacik: I wish to share time with Senator Norris.

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

Ivana Bacik: I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I wish to set some context for this debate. Embryonic stem cell research is a relatively new area of research. It is within the last two decades that scientists have begun seriously to carry out research on embryonic stem cell lines. Contrary to some of what we have been hearing, the weight of medical and scientific opinion internationally is...

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

Ivana Bacik: May I finish on this point? The key here is to achieve a balance. We must achieve a balanced approach. We do not know whether life has begun with a two week old embryo, but we know that a two week old embryo left under liquid nitrogen storage indefinitely is not the same as a seven year old girl with leukaemia——

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

Ivana Bacik: ——a 32 year old woman with multiple sclerosis or a 55 year old man with Parkinson's disease. I want to refer to a letter from a senior neuroscientist in Trinity College who made that comparison directly and who pointed out that all those patients — patients are not mentioned in this Bill — deserve as much help as possible from society and it would be far more morally wrong to close a...

Seanad: Order of Business (27 Nov 2008)

Ivana Bacik: I support Senator Twomey's call for a debate on legislation to provide a regulatory framework for assisted human reproduction and in particular in vitro fertilisation, which is long overdue. A former Member of this House, Dr. Mary Henry, was very active in trying to get the matter placed on the Government agenda. I call on the Leader to have that debate as a matter of urgency. I ask the...

Seanad: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (3 Dec 2008)

Ivana Bacik: I move amendment No. 33: In page 17, subsection (4)(e), line 27, after "alternative" to insert "and appropriate". The purpose of the amendment is to ensure "appropriate" is inserted after the word "alternative" to ensure accommodation would be not only alternative but appropriate to the household. It is not a large amendment, but it is sensible to make the provision to ensure accommodation...

Seanad: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (3 Dec 2008)

Ivana Bacik: I ask the Minister of State to indicate that he might at least consider accepting this amendment and that we might resume our discussion on it on Report Stage. As Senator Norris has said, to reject this amendment is somewhat grudging. While the terms of subsection (4)(e) clearly specify that the alternative accommodation would meet the housing need of the household, to say it also would be...

Seanad: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (3 Dec 2008)

Ivana Bacik: It does not alter the tone or main thrust of the provision but gives it a nuance which would be important for particular households in seeking accommodation.