Green Party European Spokesperson Senator Déirdre de Búrca has said the Lisbon Treaty is good for the environment. Speaking at a public meeting organised by the National Forum on Europe in Kilkenny tonight, Senator de Búrca said that the Treaty contained many positive and important environmental provisions.
Senator de Burca said: ”The Charter of Fundamental Rights [...]

I welcome the members of the delegation and thank them for their presentation.  On the question of Commissioner Mandelson, I would not disagree with anything any speaker has said about him and the way he has engaged with the current round of WTO negotiations.  It is important to say that, generally, the position on the [...]

Now that the national referendum campaign on the Lisbon Treaty has really kicked off, as the Green Party’s Spokesperson on Europe it is interesting to look back at what has happened in the party in relation to the treaty over the past few months. It has been a very interesting time! 

I suppose the first public [...]

The Government launched its information booklet on the Lisbon treaty yesterday. Will the Leader clarify what role this House will play in educating and informing the public about the treaty? Most people areaware there is a deficit of information on it. Members of the public have said they do not know enough about it and [...]

I thank the Minister of State for his overview of the agenda for next Monday’s meeting.  I am delighted that climate change and energy are key issues for the spring European Council.  Ireland has agreed to sign up to strong targets for emissions reductions, which is welcome.  However, the agreement on targets for various member [...]

I also welcome this opportunity to recognise the important contribution that Ireland is now making towards achieving the millennium development goals, in particular goal No. 5, which has been referred to by other speakers, to improve maternal health and specifically to reduce by three quarters the maternal mortality rate in developing countries. Under this commitment [...]

87TH PLENARY SESSION
Thanks, Chairman.  Chairman, I would like to welcome Deputy Gilmore to the Forum and thank him for his presentation, and to say that I would agree with a lot of what he says about the fact that the Lisbon Treaty does, more than any previous Treaty, promote citizen’s rights and interests.  It also [...]

I ask the Minister for Health and Children to outline her intentions on the implementation of the recommendations of the Pollock report. This report was commissioned by the Cystic Fibrosis Association of Ireland and was published on 7 February 2005. Its author is Dr. Ron Pollock and the title of the report is, An Independent [...]

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Killeen, to the House and thank him for his presentation. I welcome the opportunity to make a statement on the Government’s waste management strategy. I do so as a member of a political party that is a party of Government but has long been preoccupied with the need [...]

Will the Leader of the House invite the Minister for Defence to the House to discuss the issue of the delayed deployment of Irish troops to Chad? This issue is a matter of concern. It was discussed in the House before Christmas and many speakers wished the Irish troops well in the EUFOR mission in [...]