Minister Kathleen Lynch
Statement by the Minister of State for Disability, Equality, Mental Health and Older People, Ms. Kathleen Lynch T.D., on the occasion of the Informal Council of EPSCO Ministers held in Dublin on 7th and 8th February 2013
Working women can help both themselves and the economy
EU Ministers, in Dublin today, debate the contribution and benefits older women can make as they remain in the labour market
Speech of Michael McGrath TD
FF Private Members Motion opposing cuts to community garda resources
Dáil Éireann, 29 January 2012
I begin by expressing my sympathies to the wife and family of Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe who was so callously killed last Friday night in County Louth. Like those who gunned down Detective Garda Jerry McCabe in Adare in 1996, those responsible for this murder are nothing other than ruthless criminals, cowards and callous killers. I know that everybody in this House joins with the Minister in wishing the gardaí every success in tracking them down and bringing them to justice. more »
Ciaran Lynch
Speech by Ciarán Lynch TD
Commissioner, Chairman, Members of the European Parliament, Colleagues, Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for affording me the opportunity of addressing you here today. I thank the Commissioner in particular for his opening address.
The main theme of the Irish Presidency is securing stability. Stability that will ensure jobs and growth. To do this it is necessary to build a competitive European economy – flexible in good times and durable in bad.
Statement by Fianna Fáil Leader Micheál Martin – Dáil Resolution on establishment of Constitutional Convention
Editor : July 10, 2012 11:45 pm : Soapbox
Micheál Martin
One of the central messages conveyed by the people to every member of this House last year was that they want a change in the way that politics is done in this country.
They want us to focus on getting Ireland through to recovery, but they also demand that we implement wide-ranging and credible reform. more »
Ciaran Lynch
Ciarán Lynch
Political decisions made that affect women are made overwhelmingly by men and nowhere more so than in our Parliament. For that reason, it is a hugely significant development that this government is set to introduce legislation to bring a system of gender balance for General Elections. It is badly needed.
Finland’s powerhouse R&D effort is a model for Ireland to copy on the road to economic recovery’ – Sherlock
Editor : April 26, 2012 12:05 pm : News, Soapbox
Sean Sherlock
The Minister for Research and Innovation, Mr. Sean Sherlock TD, today (Thursday) concluded a two day visit to Helsinki, Finland where he met with a range of Finnish research and education policy makers, funding agencies and innovators.
Minister Sherlock said the visit gave him the opportunity to gain a valuable insight into Finland’s research, innovation and education systems. The Minister heard of reforms in the Finnish higher education system, efforts to increase exploitation of knowledge as well as the creation of new knowledge, measures to support entrepreneurship and start-up companies as well as the use of evaluation and foresight to inform decision making.
Sean Sherlock
MINISTER of State Sean Sherlock described the Final Report of the Commission on Credit Unions as “…an innovative, and practical approach to the necessary restructuring of credit unions and of the credit union sector”.
“I am particularly pleased that the Commission, which had been established as a result of manifesto commitments made by the current government parties, had not only brought forward a valuable report after widespread consultation, but it was also proposing a well thought out mechanism to ensure that the report becomes a reality in the immediate future.
Micheál Martin
Micheál Martin TD, Leader of Fianna Fáil
This week’s summit has a number of important items on the agenda but only one will receive any real attention. The formal signing of the Fiscal Treaty will be accompanied by further discussions about the economic crisis. While the sense of panic which prevailed during most of last year’s summits is absent there is still and unmistakable sense of crisis. My biggest concern is that this sense of crisis is clearly accompanied by the urgency and ambition which Europe needs.
The agenda is a partial agenda which will not tackle the recession or restore confidence. more »
Micheál Martin
Micheál Martin TD, Leader of Fianna Fáil Statements on the European Summit
Dáil Éireann, Wednesday 1st February 2012
Over the next few months there will be a lot of debate on the ratification of the Fiscal Treaty which the Taoiseach agreed to on Monday. This is already shaping up to be a destructive process solely focussed mainly on the form of ratification rather than on the future of Europe and our role in it. For the first time since we applied to join the Union fifty years ago, we begin this debate without basic information being publicly available and without even the most elementary consensus between parties who are positive to the EU.
Sean Sherlock
Minister of State Sean Sherlock
We all subscribe to the freedoms, the opportunities and the access to information that the Internet provides us with. Ireland is home to some of the world’s most innovative internet companies and we are determined to grow our reputation as a location where smart people and these smart companies can continue to innovate in this fast moving arena.
The last thing innovators need is a culture where the outputs of their creative endeavours have to be locked away or kept secret for the fear of theft. Ireland is very proud of the fact that we have a modern suite of intellectual property laws that by their very nature balance a range of competing interests and rights in a manner that is seen, right across the globe, as reasonable and proportionate.
