Results 1-20 of 276 for long speaker:Donie Cassidy

Seanad: Mental Health (Involuntary Procedures) (Amendment) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (24 Mar 2011)

Donie Cassidy: ...do and the changes it can commence. I wish all colleagues who are standing for the election well. I thank all those who are not standing for re-election. Some colleagues have been here quite a long time. Senator Ellis has spent 33 years in the Oireachtas and Senator O'Brien has spent almost 22 years here. These are considerable lengths of time, the prime of careers of individuals who...

Seanad: Programme for Government: Motion (23 Mar 2011)

Donie Cassidy: I welcome the Minister to the House and I congratulate him on his appointment. He is a long-standing member of the Oireachtas and it is hoped his experience and expertise can be used in the interests of the people of Ireland over the next five years. I wish him well. I congratulate the Government and the Taoiseach. The people have spoken, as the Minister stated, and 55% voted in favour of...

Seanad: Death of Former Member: Expressions of Sympathy (8 Mar 2011)

Donie Cassidy: Before I pay tribute to a dear friend and colleague, former Senator Willie Farrell, I acknowledge the presence of his lifelong friend, former Deputy Mattie Brennan and very many friends, including Councillor Patsy Barry, John Feeney and their respective wives who are attending this very special occasion in company with Willie's family. With a heavy heart I shall say a few words about the sad...

Seanad: National Monument at 14-16 Moore Street, Dublin: Statements (26 Jan 2011)

Donie Cassidy: ...places of birth in particular, but I had no difficulty in signing the objection when asked by Senator Ó Murchú and other Oireachtas colleagues from the Dáil. I know the area very well. I am a long time in business in the north inner city of Dublin. My family runs a lot of businesses in the area. Now is a timely opportunity for us as Members of the Oireachtas and guardians of the...

Seanad: Death of Former Member: Expressions of Sympathy (26 Jan 2011)

Donie Cassidy: ...involved in two professional organisations, namely, the INTO and the Irish Farmers' Association. Although he was only 12 years old when the Fianna Fáil party was founded, Séamus was a lifelong member of the party, having served it in every forum to which he was elected. From his early years he was very interested in public life and became a member of Cavan County Council in 1950, where...

Seanad: Road Traffic Bill 2011: Second Stage (19 Jan 2011)

Donie Cassidy: I welcome the Bill and I hope it has a safe passage through the House. We have come a long way on road safety in seven years. I remember in 2003 when I was appointed chairman of the committee dealing with enterprise, trade and small business, which carried out an investigation on insurance. Part of this dealt with road safety, as at the time deaths on our roads amounted to approximately...

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Jan 2011)

Donie Cassidy: ...in the Dáil. I welcome the wonderful announcement made by Intel last week of the investment of a further €500 million in Ireland, leading to the creation of 850 jobs in construction and 200 long-term high-end jobs at its plant in Leixlip. What Intel has achieved and what we are achieving in Ireland is a dream come true. It could be considered we are talking about a race to the bottom...

Seanad: Order of Business (18 Jan 2011)

Donie Cassidy: On the matter raised by Senator Hanafin, the success of those involved in farming, following a 34% increase in the past year, is long overdue. I welcome it and congratulate everyone associated with it. Also, this must be taken into account in regard to climate change proposals, which are before the House for consideration and Second Stage of that Bill will be taken in the House tomorrow....

Seanad: Order of Business (12 Jan 2011)

Donie Cassidy: ...effect that exports in the sector which Bord Bia covers have increased by 11%. It is an example of the success of the time spent promoting our country during the St. Patrick's Day celebrations. Long may it continue. Regardless of the Government that is in place and the Ministers who are available, we need to support the good work of our agencies in increasing export opportunities....

Seanad: Order of Business (12 Jan 2011)

Donie Cassidy: ...urgent debate on the VHI increases. I fully support that. I am giving the House a commitment that I will endeavour to have such a debate take place urgently. I have been a customer of VHI for a long number of years. All I can say to my fellow customers is that they should shop around. I regret to say that long-standing and new customers of VHI have been placed in a position in which...

Seanad: Order of Business (12 Jan 2011)

Donie Cassidy: ...Regional Hospital in Mullingar. The staff of the hospital provide an excellent service. It is the second or third best hospital in the country on the basis of its efficiency and its standards. Long may that continue. I know the Minister for Health and Children appreciates the achievements of the Midland Regional Hospital. I am proud to be from the area, to say this is my hospital and...

Seanad: Order of Business (17 Dec 2010)

Donie Cassidy: ...we come back. I must say something on the announcement by the Minister, Deputy Dempsey, that he is retiring. As one of the three Fianna Fáil Oireachtas Members in the Meath West constituency, along with Deputy Johnny Brady, I have known Deputy Dempsey a long time. There was no more decent or hard-working public representative representing any constituency in the country than Deputy...

Seanad: Order of Business (16 Dec 2010)

Donie Cassidy: ...we must go for an endorsement every so many years. We must have an answerable system and I have no difficulty debating this in the House because it is in the best interests of the taxpayer in the long-term and I fully support many of the calls made this morning. Senators O'Toole, Coghlan and Buttimer spoke about the challenge laid down by the Government to Ryanair and its chief executive....

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Dec 2010)

Donie Cassidy: ...to the attention of the nation the difficulties being experienced by the HSE in regard to home care packages. What we saw in the programme was appalling and shocking. Those of us who served for a long time on the health boards and who are totally committed to providing the best possible care to all patients could not condone what we saw on our television screens last night. As regard the...

Seanad: Order of Business (2 Dec 2010)

Donie Cassidy: ...supporting that call by the House. That is what we will do until the agreement is implemented. Senator Bacik asked about the budget which will be announced next Tuesday. We will debate it for as long as Senators require. She again raised the question whether the recent agreement with the EU, ECB and IMF needed to be passed by the Dáil in accordance with an article of the Constitution....

Seanad: Order of Business (1 Dec 2010)

Donie Cassidy: ...job creation and for growth. If we do not have growth, we are in a steady race to the bottom. All of us with experience of small family sized businesses that have been providing employment for a long time know that support for the 800,000 employed by SMEs and for small and community enterprise projects must be the priority of whatever Government is in office. I know Senator Coffey is...

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed) (30 Nov 2010)

Donie Cassidy: -----the Finance Bill, the social welfare Bill and other Bills which will have to come to the House before the dissolution of the Dáil. I assure the House we will have a long spring session.

Seanad: National Recovery Plan 2011-2014: Statements (24 Nov 2010)

Donie Cassidy: I welcome the Government's initiative in introducing a four year national recovery plan. Those of us who have been in the House a long time remember what happened in the 1980s when the situation was even more difficult. Some 900,000 people were unemployed compared with a figure of more than 1.7 million in employment today. According to the Minister, our exports have grown by 6% this year...

Seanad: Order of Business (24 Nov 2010)

Donie Cassidy: ...we will have from 4 p.m to debate the national recovery plan which will be published at 2.30 p.m. It will cover the period 2011 to 2014 and the debate will be open-ended. It will continue for as long as Members are offering to speak and I invite every Member to make a contribution on this most important plan. It is 12 days to the budget. It is a very short period of time. We will know...

Seanad: Order of Business (16 Nov 2010)

Donie Cassidy: ...Ireland is seen as a small player in the European Union, the European Union must decide for itself. We all know the issues. The people, the entrepreneurs and those who have proved employment for a long time are ready and waiting for the banks to start to lend for good sound projects awaiting funding. The recovery will not be sustainable unless it is through employment. Before the Order...