Results 201-220 of 228 for speaker:Déirdre de Búrca

Seanad: Order of Business (20 Nov 2007)

Déirdre de Búrca: ——the terms of reference he will give to that group and when it will report. I am confident the group will state clearly that the capacity for incineration planned for will mean we will become a net importer of waste from other countries. There is no way this small country——

Seanad: Order of Business (20 Nov 2007)

Déirdre de Búrca: We had very little support from either Fine Gael or the Labour Party, both of whom support incineration. They are speaking out of both sides of their mouths. On the one hand they are trying to——

Seanad: Order of Business (20 Nov 2007)

Déirdre de Búrca: ——distance themselves from this decision and, on the other, supporting the policy of incineration in their conferences and so on.

Seanad: Order of Business (20 Nov 2007)

Déirdre de Búrca: The Minister is not afraid to say that mass burn incineration is not the way forward for this country.

Seanad: Order of Business (20 Nov 2007)

Déirdre de Búrca: I ask that the Minister appear before the House to clarify the matter of the waste review group he will carry out and indicate when it will report back.

Seanad: Road Safety: Statements (Resumed) (14 Nov 2007)

Déirdre de Búrca: I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I echo the points made on road safety by other speakers. The statistics for 2006 give us real cause to be concerned. A total of 366 people were killed on Irish roads and, unfortunately, in the first ten months of this year 279 people were killed in road-related accidents. Other statistics are equally depressing. More than 166,000 people were...

Seanad: Government's Irish Aid Strategy: Statements (13 Nov 2007)

Déirdre de Búrca: I welcome the Minister of State to the House and thank him for his contribution. Few in this House would disagree that Ireland's development aid programme is among the best in the world. That is not to say, however, there is no room for improvement. Politicians have been able to resource the aid programme so well because of the strong support that exists among the public for it. Irish...

Seanad: Food Safety: Statements (8 Nov 2007)

Déirdre de Búrca: I welcome the Minister of State to the House and the opportunity to speak about the Government policy on food safety and health promotion. The point has been made already that the food sector is an important sector in the Irish economy. It is estimated that it directly employs approximately 300,000 people and that in 2006, the sectors of food retailing and tourism, respectively,...

Seanad: Community Child Care Subvention Scheme 2008-2010: Statements (7 Nov 2007)

Déirdre de Búrca: I thank the Minister of State for his presentation and his clarification on some of the issues surrounding this important debate on State subvention for the community child care scheme. The availability of quality child care services is very important for working parents and parents who want to access education and training. It is especially important where people from disadvantaged areas...

Seanad: Community Child Care Subvention Scheme 2008-2010: Statements (7 Nov 2007)

Déirdre de Búrca: I have said what I wanted to say. I thank the Minister of State and move the adjournment.

Seanad: Order of Business. (7 Nov 2007)

Déirdre de Búrca: I call for the Minister for Education and Science to come to the House to hear the concerns I and other Members have with regard to the policy she proposes to introduce for gaelscoileanna, namely, two and a half hours of obligatory instruction through English. I was at a meeting last night in Greystones, where a new gaelscoil is proposed. Many of the parents and those involved in Foras...

Seanad: Pre-Budget Outlook: Statements (1 Nov 2007)

Déirdre de Búrca: I thank the Minister for his pre-budget outlook. As other Senators have done, the Green Party welcomes the introduction of a pre-budget outlook as part of the overall reform of the budgetary process which the Minister has initiated. This will help in making the budgetary process easier to examine and easier for the public and public representatives to understand how our national finances...

Seanad: Housing Market: Statements (31 Oct 2007)

Déirdre de Búrca: I welcome the Minister of State to the House. The statements we have heard on developments in the housing market have been interesting. We must admit that the construction sector has been one of the most buoyant areas of the economy over the past ten or 15 years. The housing market has favoured developers and investors during that time. When one considers that the average house price...

Seanad: Housing Market: Statements (31 Oct 2007)

Déirdre de Búrca: Those of us who have served on local authorities are aware that waiting lists for social housing and housing in general remain stubbornly high. The Simon Communities of Ireland reminded Members recently that 1,725 households live in unfit accommodation, 4,112 households live in overcrowded accommodation and 3,375 households are involuntarily sharing. There are good grounds for the...

Seanad: Education and Training: Motion (24 Oct 2007)

Déirdre de Búrca: I thank the Minister of State for his contribution and commend the Government on the support it has given to lifelong learning. The integration between the Department of Education and Science and the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment is a welcome development as it helps integrate and amalgamate the education and training sectors and ensures proper co-ordination between the...

Seanad: Education and Training: Motion (24 Oct 2007)

Déirdre de Búrca: ——how we are doing and what we are achieving. I welcome the White Paper on Adult Education's extension of the remit of adult literacy services to cover asylum seekers. Significant pressure is placed on those services because many non-English speaking individuals try to access the courses. As it is estimated that 27% of adult literacy learners are non-English speakers, we must develop a...

Seanad: Suicide Prevention Strategy: Statements. (24 Oct 2007)

Déirdre de Búrca: I welcome the Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children, Deputy Devins, to the House and thank him for his presentation. I also welcome the opportunity to discuss the important issue of suicide and the adequacy of the Government's current strategy on suicide prevention. Senator Doherty used the word "emergency" in the context of suicide. It is increasingly clear that...

Seanad: Medicinal Products (18 Oct 2007)

Déirdre de Búrca: The subject of my Adjournment matter is to ask the Minister for Health and Children to review the permission given for the use of a drug called Depo Provera. It is a long-term reproductive controlling substance. It is an injectable contraceptive that is injected into the arm or buttocks four times annually. It has been approved by the Irish Medicines Board despite the fact that it has...

Seanad: National Drugs Strategy: Statements (17 Oct 2007)

Déirdre de Búrca: I thank the Minister of State for his overview of the current national drugs strategy and his intentions in regard to the new strategy for 2009-16. Until recently I was a member of the Bray local drugs task force, so I had an opportunity to experience directly the implementation of the national drugs strategy at a local level. I was very impressed by the cross-sectoral and partnership...

Seanad: Access to Education: Motion (10 Oct 2007)

Déirdre de Búrca: I wish to share my time with Senator Ned O'Sullivan.