Responding to Patricia McKenna’s comments today, Green Party European affairs spokesperson, Senator Deirdre de Burca said:
“I am disappointed but not unduly surprised by Patricia McKenna’s comments about the Green Party’s decision on the EU Lisbon Treaty. The proposal to support a Yes in the forthcoming Lisbon referendum campaign was endorsed by two thirds of Party [...]

Green Party members today voted to campaign for a Yes in the Lisbon Treaty referendum. Following a special conference in Dublin, where members also discussed the review of the Programme for Government, a two thirds majority was reached in favour of the Treaty. Out of a total valid poll of 321, precisely two thirds of [...]

If we want the European Union to respond effectively to international financial, energy and climate change crises we must empower it to do so
AS A PUBLIC representative who is neither starry-eyed about the Lisbon Treaty, nor focused exclusively on its flaws, I would like to argue that – on balance – it is worth supporting. [...]

The advertising of sugary foods that are high in salt and fat to children could soon be banned from Irish television screens. Green Party Health spokesperson Senator Deirdre de Burca has welcomed the Broadcasting Act 2009 which was signed into law by President McAleese today.
Senator de Burca said: “The Green Party has long been concerned that [...]

I welcome the Minister to the House and am glad to have the opportunity to discuss the Twenty-Eighth Amendment of the Constitution (Treaty of Lisbon) Bill. I hope the Minister will forgive me when I say there is a slight sense of déjà vu about this because we sat here before the last Lisbon referendum [...]

I welcome the Minister. I welcome the opportunity to participate in this Second Stage debate on the Criminal Justice (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2009.
When we discuss criminal justice legislation we must try to find a balance between the need to respond to the real problems of crime we confront every day but also the need to [...]

The Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill is the first of a number of legislative measures that will come before us in an attempt to rationalise and introduce greater efficiencies in the agencies and statutory bodies we have established over the years. It is interesting to hear the squeals of outrage already coming from the other side [...]

I welcome the Minister of State. I am thankful for the opportunity to engage in this debate on the Bill. We are all aware that public access to health services is becoming increasingly important. Some Senators referred to circumstances in the United States where 47 million people find themselves without health insurance. Health services and [...]

 I welcome the Minister of State and second the motion proposed by my colleague, Senator Dan Boyle.
This motion addresses the growing challenge of unemployment facing the country. We are all aware that the global community is grappling with an economic and financial crisis but that we have our own domestic strain of that crisis. We [...]