Results 1-20 of 228 for speaker:Déirdre de Búrca

Seanad: Dog Breeding Establishments Bill 2009: Second Stage (26 Jan 2010)

Déirdre de Búrca: I welcome the Minister of State. I also welcome the opportunity to engage in the Second Stage debate on the Bill. As Senator Glynn said, the legislation is very welcome because it is long overdue, as most of us would accept. Both of the Minister's immediate predecessors in the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government had spoken about their intent to introduce...

Seanad: Standing Committee on Operational Cooperation on Internal Security: Motion (21 Jan 2010)

Déirdre de Búrca: I welcome the Minister of State and the opportunity to discuss this motion on a new Council standing committee on internal security, COSI. The shift within the provisions of the Lisbon treaty to a much more genuinely European or Community approach to justice and home affairs, as opposed to the more traditional inter-governmental approach, was supported and welcomed by the Green Party. Under...

Seanad: Communications Regulation (Premium Rate Services and Electronic Communications Infrastructure) Bill 2009: Second Stage (Resumed) (20 Jan 2010)

Déirdre de Búrca: I welcome the Minister and I welcome the opportunity to participate in the debate on the timely Communications Regulation (Premium Rate Services and Electronic Communications Infrastructure) Bill 2009. Senator Quinn mentioned some of the changes in the field. It is important for legislation to keep pace with the changes that are happening. The premium rate industry is one of growing...

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Dec 2009)

Déirdre de Búrca: I welcome Senator Niall Ó Brolcháin to the Seanad Chamber and congratulate him on his successful election yesterday. I believe he will make a very valuable contribution to the debate that occurs in this House. It is a good day for the Green Party because we have increased our representation in the Seanad by 50% overnight. I have no doubt Senator Ó Brolcháin will provide very effective...

Seanad: Climate Change: Statements (10 Dec 2009)

Déirdre de Búrca: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Finneran. I am pleased to have an opportunity to speak about this important issue, particularly at a time when an international summit on climate change is taking place in Copenhagen. When I listened to the contributions of Senators, I was encouraged to hear they are convinced about the issue of climate change. I suggest that most of us should take...

Seanad: Farming and Agrifood Sector: Statements (9 Dec 2009)

Déirdre de Búrca: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Killeen, and the opportunity to make a statement on the agriculture and agrifood sectors. Like many others, I acknowledge the range of challenges facing both sectors. Senators referred to climate change, trade agreements, the pressure of large multiples pushing down the prices farmers get for their produce, the CAP reform proposals that have leaked...

Seanad: Mental Health (Involuntary Procedures) (Amendment) Bill 2008: Second Stage (Resumed) (2 Dec 2009)

Déirdre de Búrca: I welcome the Minister of State. As a former psychologist and someone who managed a project for young people who had had their first serious experience of mental health difficulties, including psychosis, I also welcome the opportunity to conclude my reply to the Second Stage debate on the Mental Health (Involuntary Procedures) (Amendment) Bill 2008. In view of the time constraints involved,...

Seanad: Mental Health (Involuntary Procedures) (Amendment) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (2 Dec 2009)

Déirdre de Búrca: I wish to respond to Senator Twomey's point about whether we should support the use of ECT. The thrust of our amendment is to remove the involuntary use of ECT from the Statute Book. The question of removing it altogether is a wider one. It misses the point of our amendment. Senator Twomey said surgery is invasive.

Seanad: Mental Health (Involuntary Procedures) (Amendment) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (2 Dec 2009)

Déirdre de Búrca: Yes, I am just making a point in response to Senator Twomey. He said that surgery is involuntary in that it is invasive but will he consider how acceptable it would be to the public if we were to carry out involuntary surgery because we felt it would achieve certain outcomes? That would be absolutely unacceptable. As Senator Boyle said we must examine complementary approaches to treating...

Seanad: Mental Health (Involuntary Procedures) (Amendment) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (2 Dec 2009)

Déirdre de Búrca: I wish to make one final point because this is important. When we raised this issue over a year ago, many who contributed said they did not know enough and wanted to defer to mental health experts, psychiatrists and so on. That was over a year ago. We have had an opportunity here——

Seanad: Mental Health (Involuntary Procedures) (Amendment) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (2 Dec 2009)

Déirdre de Búrca: We have had an opportunity for hearings and to invite in experts but have not done so. We are still at the point we were at last year. No reforms or changes have been made to the Mental Health Act. Senators have made very good suggestions today about the need for people with serious mental health difficulties to have advocates, for advanced directives, considering approaches that have...

Seanad: Flooding: Statements (Resumed) (25 Nov 2009)

Déirdre de Búrca: I welcome this opportunity to make a statement on the recent flooding. I feel very passionately about flooding because in my eight years as a member of Wicklow County Council some of the most difficult planning situations I had to deal with or be involved with were cases in which flood plains were being zoned. Public representatives have probably only begun to wake up to the enormous...

Seanad: Education and Training Responses to the Economic Downturn: Statements (5 Nov 2009)

Déirdre de Búrca: I welcome the Minister and the opportunity to debate the Courts and Court Officers Bill 2009. Like Senator Walsh, I must admit to feeling at a slight disadvantage. I am not a legal practitioner and thus am not on the receiving end of some of Senator Walsh's criticisms, but I have been a litigant once or twice and a defendant in one or two minor cases and I was struck by the volume of people...

Seanad: Order of Business (5 Nov 2009)

Déirdre de Búrca: I raise the issue of the decision to be made shortly on the appointment of the first President of the European Council. The name of John Bruton, a former Taoiseach and leader of the Fine Gael Party, has been mentioned along with a number of others. He was one of the first people to be mentioned for the role. The reports in the newspapers today on the imminent gathering of the Heads of...

Seanad: Order of Business (5 Nov 2009)

Déirdre de Búrca: I would like to ask-----

Seanad: Order of Business (5 Nov 2009)

Déirdre de Búrca: -----that some of the suggestions made arising from a special sub-committee of which I was a member last November and December would be looked at again as part of the process of Seanad reform. That involved a scrutiny reserve system of European legislation.

Seanad: Order of Business (5 Nov 2009)

Déirdre de Búrca: A number of appointed Senators should have expertise in European affairs and so on.

Seanad: Order of Business (4 Nov 2009)

Déirdre de Búrca: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Order of Business (4 Nov 2009)

Déirdre de Búrca: I wish to express my disappointment at the ruling by the Supreme Court on Portmarnock Golf Club's prohibition on women becoming full members. While I respect the right of that court to decide the law as it sees fit, it is disappointing in the 21st century that a golf club should be designated gentlemen only. The Supreme Court ruled that the club is entitled to an exemption under section 9...

Seanad: Order of Business (4 Nov 2009)

Déirdre de Búrca: We are all aware of the important networking opportunities presented by golf courses and it is disappointing to see the continuation of this prohibition against women. More than 400 clubs have already opened their doors to women as full members and none has ground to a halt. I support the call made by a previous speaker for the Minister of Justice, Equality and Law Reform to appear before...