25/06/2024 | 19:11:48 Thank you, Madam Speaker, Madam President and thank to the rapporteur for a timely Report. Those seeking asylum is an issue that will be with us for many years to come because of the war, the famine and the torture that exists across the globe, and to my mind, it is not an issue any developed country can address on their own. The lottery of birth very often determines the future of any citizen. And I will never forget the image of the eight-year-old Syrian boy who was washed up on a Turkish... 23/01/2024 | 20:17:01 (Undelivered speech, Rules of Procedure Art. 31.2) The Invasion of Israel by Hamas, all the atrocities torture, rape and killings are totally unforgivable. There are no words of mine, no adjectives strong enough to condemn what Hamas a terrorist organisation has done to innocent civilians for no other reason other than being a jew. I listened to my colleague from Israel and I feel her pain when she spoke of what has been done to innocent civilians Sadly I don’t see pain for the innocent... 23/06/2023 | 12:14:07 Thank you, Madam President. Can I firstly compliment the rapporteur for this very comprehensive report. I know that in the report it says that there have been numerous resolutions in this area, and despite this, and at a time of massive acceleration to the digital world, 3.6 billion people continued to have no access to the internet, and half of the rural European Union has no access to broadband. That digital divide is based on geography, it is based on a generational divide, social-economic... 21/06/2023 | 19:16:58 Dear Colleagues, While the European Court of Human Rights is the penultimate body to ensure human rights are exonerated, the principle of subsidiarity exists. That is, human rights should be secured by domestic mechanisms rather than through the Court. Point 6 of the draft resolution points to the current operation of Human Rights Act in the UK as an excellent example of an effective domestic mechanism for ensuring rights are respected and fully implemented at a national level. Why then is... 25/04/2023 | 19:06:42 Dear colleagues, I think with anything in life – whether it be business, social or political – it is always important to take stock, to reflect and assess how relationships or partnerships are working. What's working well, what can be improved and indeed if there's something that needs to be discontinued. I thank the rapporteur for doing just that with an initiative which was introduced 13 years ago, Partner for Democracy. This status aims at developing cooperation with parliaments of non... 25/04/2023 | 16:29:44 Thank you, Mister President. As we approach the fourth summit in our 73-year history and the first in 18 years, many have asked questions as to are these frequent enough to ensure, as a body, we remain fit for purpose and relevant to the citizens we are elected to serve and relevant to address the challenges of today? I think what is more important now is to ensure that this summit is a success and we are very proud of the role the Irish have played in ensuring this summit happened and... 25/01/2023 | 19:12:52 Thank you. Dear colleagues, Can I start by adding my voice of thanks and gratitude to the rapporteurs for the work that they have done. If you'll forgive me for signalling out one in particular, my Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe colleague Ms Petra STIENEN, who I know from my time as serving on the Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination with her from 2016 to 2020, has been an extremely strong voice on this important issue. The eradication of gender-based violence is a key... 24/01/2023 | 19:00:10 Madam Vice President, Distinguished Colleagues, Firstly, can I thank Ms Fiona O'LOUGHLIN for her work as rapporteur on this report and compliment her on producing such a comprehensive report which has received such strong support across all political groupings. We, in Ireland and in our party in Ireland, are very proud of the work that my friend and colleague has completed. I think the length of this debate and a huge interest and a number of contributions, to my mind, demonstrates the... 02/10/2019 | 16:46:34 Thank you, Mr Vice-President. I want to compliment the rapporteur and, in reading the report, I can't help but think if more of our global financial institutions had acted even with some of the ethical values of the Council of Europe Development Bank, then the global crisis that we are just coming out of may not have been as severe. Regulatory failure, corporate greed, and failure by policymakers have ensured that the Bank established in 1956 is needed now as much — if not more — than any... 02/10/2019 | 12:19:18 Thank you, Madame President. Madame Secretary General, firstly, I congratulate you on your recent election. Yesterday, we had a magnificent day when we all celebrated the 70th anniversary of this magnificent body and all its achievements in that period. Now, we must certainly focus on the challenges that are facing us all, and for that mind, I want to put on the record that, from my belief, the challenges facing us and what we must be focusing on as a Parliamentary Assembly is climate change...