Results 461-480 of 1,593 for speaker:Mick Wallace in 'Dáil debates'

Oireachtas Members' Salaries (4 Jul 2012)

Mick Wallace: I apologise. The Minister stated he was in favour of a progressive tax to deal with high wages. That was a fair point.

Oireachtas Members' Salaries (4 Jul 2012)

Mick Wallace: The figure of 62% is difficult to believe. I will check it. The Minister might be right, but it seems high to be the real tax rate for someone in the €200,000 bracket. One of the few promises the Government has kept is that it has not touched income tax. Perhaps it should consider breaking that promise and increase the tax rate for higher earners.

Financial Transactions Tax (5 Jul 2012)

Mick Wallace: Question 7: To ask the Minister for Finance if he has carried out a cost-benefit analysis in order to assess the benefits or consequences for Ireland of adopting a European financial transaction tax; the conclusions of any such analysis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32719/12]

Financial Transactions Tax (5 Jul 2012)

Mick Wallace: Question 9: To ask the Minister for Finance if he will explain in detail the reasons behind his decision not to participate in the new European tax on financial transactions agreed in principle by nine EU countries on 22 June 2012; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32718/12]

Financial Transactions Tax (5 Jul 2012)

Mick Wallace: I realise that if London does not play ball by buying into the notion of a financial transactions tax, this will prove problematic for Ireland. However, in principle, we should argue in favour of the introduction of such a tax. Perhaps the Minister might try to convince George Osborne about the merits of a financial transactions tax. Having such a tax must be a good idea in the long term,...

Financial Transactions Tax (5 Jul 2012)

Mick Wallace: Without England, the idea is seriously problematic for Ireland. Given the size of the English financial sector, it needs England's involvement if it is going to work effectively at European level. Perhaps the Minister will consider going over and having a cup of tea with George Osborne and appealing to his social conscience.

Freedom of Information (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2012: Second Stage (6 Jul 2012)

Mick Wallace: Did the cheque bounce?

Foreign Conflicts (11 Jul 2012)

Mick Wallace: I recently read that a Swedish official suggested that Ireland's stance on Palestine was not quite as strong as it has been in the past. I wonder if the presence of a very pro-Israeli individual in the Cabinet, in the person of the Minister for Justice and Equality, is in any way watering down our position in supporting Palestine.

Human Rights Issues (11 Jul 2012)

Mick Wallace: Question 8: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his views on the recent report by Amnesty International which suggests that militias in Libya are repeating some of the same abuses as the Gaddafi regime and that 4,000 people remain in detention centres outside the reach of the central authorities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33703/12]

Human Rights Issues (11 Jul 2012)

Mick Wallace: Question 36: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his views on the ongoing violations in Libya including arbitrary arrests and detention, torture including to death, impunity for unlawful killings and forcible displacement as highlighted in the recent report by Amnesty International; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33704/12]

Human Rights Issues (11 Jul 2012)

Mick Wallace: The Minister of State will be aware that Amnesty International has published two reports on Libya. The first report was issued along with a UN report in March 2012. It stated that NATO had failed to investigate the deaths of scores of civilians killed in Libya as a result of air strikes carried out by its forces. Mr. Colm O'Gorman of the Irish branch of Amnesty International said this was...

Human Rights Issues (11 Jul 2012)

Mick Wallace: I hope the election of Mahmoud Jibril will prove to be positive. I did not agree with the intervention of the western powers in Libya. It is rarely the case that military intervention proves to be positive. I agree with the Tánaiste in his view that a military intervention in Syria today, no more than in Iran, would be fraught with disaster. The new president is a former financial...

Human Rights Issues (11 Jul 2012)

Mick Wallace: I wish to reiterate the point made by Deputy Boyd Barrett about the manner in which we are dealing with Iran and with Israel. Whether the Minister likes it or not, it lacks balance. It would be great if more effort was made by the Irish Government to address that.

Human Rights Issues (11 Jul 2012)

Mick Wallace: I will refrain from getting personal with the Minister.

Employment Support Services (12 Jul 2012)

Mick Wallace: Based on my experience in business, I support the points made by Deputy Tóibín. There has been a significant focus by the Government and the European Union on reform, deregulation and the flexibility of the labour market, but the biggest challenges are still energy costs, upward-only rents and rates. There was much talk about rents and rates before the election but we have not really seen...

Personal Insolvency Bill: Second Stage (Resumed) (18 Jul 2012)

Mick Wallace: This is a massive body of work. It is complex and it is hard to know where to start. It will be significant. If it works out well for the people and the State, no doubt it will be a considerable boost for Ireland. A few years ago we could not have imagined that the problem with debt in the country could be so bad. There probably has not been anything like it in the history of the State....

Personal Insolvency Bill: Second Stage (Resumed) (18 Jul 2012)

Mick Wallace: It was not. People should not be allowed to enter a farmer's property in the middle of the night and take machinery or anything else. That should not happen in a civilised society. Some serious thought should be put into the regulation of debt because things can be done in a much better fashion. While I will not get to address all of the issues, I would like to draw attention to the case...

Personal Insolvency Bill: Second Stage (Resumed) (18 Jul 2012)

Mick Wallace: It was a great system. Before we get out of the hole we are in we will have to engage in some form of debt write-down. I know it is difficult. The main argument put forward on many occasions is the moral hazard argument but as many others have stated, far be it for the banks to talk about moral hazard given the way they have behaved. In general, if the structure the Minister is putting in...

Renewable Energy (19 Jul 2012)

Mick Wallace: The National Competitiveness Council report to which Deputy Clare Daly referred indicates that Ireland is among the countries in Europe most dependent on oil as a source of energy consumption. The latest figures show that in the first quarter of this year, exports increased by some 2.5% while imports rose by 5%. The price of oil, over which we have no control, is a huge factor in that....

Other Questions: Local Government Reform (18 Sep 2012)

Mick Wallace: Does the Minister agree that a more democratic and autonomous local government system would be in our best interests if we are to get citizen participation in local communities? We need a bottom up approach rather than top down, which is what we have had for a long time.