Results 141-160 of 198 for like to work speaker:Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Services for People with Disabilities (12 Jun 2018)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: Earlier this month, the Government announced funding of €16 million for 27 projects across the State, to be funded under the Ability programme. This programme provides supports to more than 2,600 young people aged between 15 and 29 years who have a disability. According to a Government press statement, the announcement was the fruition of a long period of planning, consultation and...

Seanad: Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) (Amendment) Bill 2018: Second Stage (10 Oct 2018)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: I welcome the important legislation before the House. Sinn Féin intends to work with the Minister of State and all Members of the House to improve it. This Bill stems from the current lack of regulation in the English language school sector, which is worth €1.58 billion per annum to the economy. The vast majority of the approximately 120 private English language schools in the...

Children and Family Relationships Bill 2015: Report Stage (12 Mar 2015)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: I wish to speak to amendment No. 47. We discussed this at length on Committee Stage and I appreciate that the Minister has put in an amendment to strengthen the area of statutory declarations. This is a serious debate and organisations such as Treoir have been to the forefront in highlighting the issue. There is inequality as between a father and a mother as things stand. There must be...

Garda Síochána (Amendment) Bill 2013 [Private Members]: Second Stage (Resumed) (17 Jul 2013)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: ...Member of this House would agree that the overwhelming majority of the men and women in An Garda Síochána are people of the highest calibre. We are very proud of them, we know them personally, we went to school with them ,we played football with them and when we leave our children to school or go to the supermarket we meet them. They are an integral part of our community. They...

Children and Family Relationships Bill 2015: Second Stage (24 Feb 2015)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: I am very happy to see the much anticipated and long-awaited Children and Family Relationships Bill reach the floor of the House today. I am only sorry it has taken so long to get here. As we all know, this Bill is the biggest change to family law in the State's history, finally taking account of the diversity of modern Irish families, and this can only be celebrated. The reality of an...

White Paper on Defence: Statements (30 Jun 2015)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: I take this opportunity to welcome the news tonight of the appointment of Rear Admiral Mark Mellett as chief of staff of the Defence Forces. It was my pleasure to join the Oireachtas justice committee when we were hosted at Haulbowline. We viewed the facilities and learned about the exciting plans for the Naval Service. We also had the opportunity to look at the Irish maritime energy...

Public Sector Management (Appointment of Senior Members of the Garda Síochána) Bill 2014: Second Stage (Resumed) [Private Members] (18 Jun 2014)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: I commend Deputy Ross on his Bill. Given the various scandals that have emerged in the administration of justice, we need to challenge the political control of policing and particularly the appointment of senior police officers by a Minister and, in turn, backed by the Government. We have seen various examples of this. The former Garda Commissioner, Martin Callinan, announced the closure...

Seanad: Sea-Fisheries (Amendment) Bill 2017: Report and Final Stages (26 Mar 2019)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: I want to get clarification from the Minister. The idea of allowing Irish boats access to Irish waters is accepted, but the issue of allocation of stocks is a concern. Will the Minister make it clear that his ability, or that of his Department, to allocate stocks is excluded from the legislation? Will he make it clear that this legislation does not facilitate the allocation of stocks?...

Disability Services: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members] (16 Jul 2014)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: In these Houses all of us pledge allegiance to the 1916 Proclamation that hangs in the foyer. Therefore, we believe in a republic - a new republic - one where all citizens are equal, regardless of the colour of their skin, disability, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, where they live or what they do. Creating the conditions for establishing an equal society means recognising that many...

Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) (Amendment) Bill 2013: Second Stage [Private Members] (3 May 2013)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: ...has noted, the Joint Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality has been examining this issue and has invited a variety of spokespersons for national organisations, academics and former prostitutes to share the views and experiences of those who want to change our law to adopt the Swedish model and those who oppose such a change. We have heard hours of testimony, questions and...

Seanad: Horticulture Industry: Statements (22 Nov 2016)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: I welcome the Minister of State to the House. This is an important opportunity to discuss a sector and industry that is going through a period which can only be described as dangerously volatile. The horticulture industry is a vital, necessary and hard-working sector. We take for granted our ability to walk into shops and supermarkets and pick up fresh fruit and vegetables and we pay...

Ramming of Garda Vehicles Bill 2015: Second Stage [Private Members] (11 Dec 2015)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: I apologise for not being present when it was my turn to be called. We support the motivations behind the Bill. In Donegal, we lost two fine officers, Gary McLoughlin and Robbie McCallion, in 2009. Killed in the line of duty, they were the victims of reckless drivers. It was devastating for our communities and, most of all, their families. It was a sad time in Donegal, so I sympathise...

European Council Meeting: Statements (22 Mar 2011)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: I wish to share the final five minutes of my time with Deputy McDonald. Looking forward to this week's European Union summit, we hear the word "co-operation" bandied about. Co-operation is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as the action or process of working together to the same end. To intimidate means to frighten or overawe, especially to make another do what one wants. There is...

Death and Burial of Children in Mother and Baby Homes: Motion [Private Members] (10 Jun 2014)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: Whenever we start to digest the full horror of all the stories that have emerged not recently but for several years we must go back to its roots. Where did it all go wrong? What was at the root of it? Let us consider this building, in particular. We are surrounded by the leaders of the 1916 Rising and icons of our struggle for independence. They helped to formulate the Proclamation, the...

Energy Resources: Motion (Resumed) (20 Apr 2011)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: I too have a speech drawn up but I will move away from it. I was sitting in my office listening to the debate - as do all Deputies - to keep in touch with the debate before the time for my contribution. A Labour Party Deputy referred to this motion as a leprechaun motion. He spoke about black shoes and golden buckles and so on. He reminded me of Bertie Ahern when he was in my county of...

Seanad: Agricultural Prices and Decision by UK to Leave EU: Statements (25 Oct 2016)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: I welcome the Minister to the House to hear the observations and concerns we have about the agriculture and fisheries sectors across the island as a result of the Brexit vote. This is the third such statement I have made on the subject in this Chamber. I am more than happy to highlight the issues facing the agriculture and fisheries sectors that I hear from farmers and fishermen who have...

Criminal Justice (Forensic Evidence and DNA Database System) Bill 2013: Second Stage (9 Oct 2013)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: It is a fan of oratory. In some cases, forensic evidence also can be crucial to avoiding wrongful conviction while the true culprit evades justice. The use of forensic science to solve criminal cases is growing globally. A multidisciplinary field that embraces chemistry, physics, botany, zoology and medicine, forensic science includes the identification of human bodies or traces....

European Council: Statements (4 Jul 2012)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: ...substantive issues. I am afraid last week's headlines did all three. We cannot even talk about the detail of what was achieved because we have no idea. We know there is some sort of commitment to look at splitting banking and sovereign debt by allowing banks to be recapitalised by the ESM. That, if it comes to pass, will be a good thing, would represent an achievement for the Spanish...

Seanad: Post Office Closures: Motion (19 Sep 2018)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: ...clear that there has been hypocrisy on the airwaves in respect of this matter. When I did some research in advance of that meeting, I discovered that the last time Fianna Fáil was in power - up to 2011 - it closed 755 post offices, or almost 40% of the total number of post offices at that time. Sinn Féin has submitted an amendment to this motion because it does not accept the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Pre-Agriculture and Fisheries Council: Discussion (25 Oct 2023)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: There are a number of issues I wish to raise with the Minister and I would ask that he might note them. There will probably be about four or five issues. The first one is a Dutch corporation, Parlevliet & Van der Plas B.V., which is a major international fishing corporation. It is the owner of three of the largest fishing vessels in the world. Annelies Ilenais 145 m long and the...