Results 541-560 of 1,594 for speaker:Mick Wallace in 'Dáil debates'

Other Questions: Youth Health Issues (25 Oct 2012)

Mick Wallace: Will the Minister remind the Minister for Education and Skills that the job of teaching children today is probably more difficult than it ever was? That is all the more reason we need to attract the best people to the job. Therefore, cutting the pay of first-time teachers, as is happening, will hardly help to promote teaching at a time when there are such massive challenges. It is vital...

Other Questions: Children's Rights Referendum (25 Oct 2012)

Mick Wallace: This issue has been covered already.

Other Questions: Transport Costs (6 Nov 2012)

Mick Wallace: I am sure the Minister is well aware that the problems of the haulage industry are directly related to pressures on the agricultural industry. I can tell the Minister for certain that for every lorry load of dry goods returning from Italy, a lorry load of meat went out in the first place, because most of the aforementioned dry goods usually are imported in refrigerated containers. At present-----

Other Questions: Transport Costs (6 Nov 2012)

Mick Wallace: I note that 35% of the fuel used by those hauliers was purchased outside of Ireland last year because of the lack of a rebate here. The Irish Road Haulage Association has done the maths on it and were the Government to introduce a system in which a rebate was in operation, it would make money from stopping the hauliers from buying so much diesel outside the country. There is money in it for...

Pensions and Retirement Lump Sums: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members] (7 Nov 2012)

Mick Wallace: It must be difficult for people to look at their own situation while reading what is in the newspapers and seeing what is on television. It is very difficult to stand over the position here and worse again the position with regard to the banks. I believe Deputies are paid too much. A Member referred to the leaders' allowance. If the Government proposes to create a level playing field such...

Pensions and Retirement Lump Sums: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members] (7 Nov 2012)

Mick Wallace: I would not have a problem whatsoever with vouching. If the Government introduces legislation to introduce vouching, I will vote for it. If there is legislation to do away with the allowance completely for all parties and Independents, I will vote for that also. It must be very difficult for the people to accept the golden handshake given to people leaving this Chamber. Everyone has...

National Children's Hospital: Motion (8 Nov 2012)

Mick Wallace: I understand the approximate timetable for the project is six months to pick a design team, one year to design it and another year to go through the planning process. I am aware that under the strategic infrastructure Act passed some years ago this project will not go through the local authority but directly to An Bord Pleanála. I developed the Italian Quarter in conjunction with...

National Children's Hospital: Motion (8 Nov 2012)

Mick Wallace: I move amendment No. 2:After the final paragraph, to insert the following new paragraph:"calls for a structure to be put in place to facilitate engagement between An Bord Pleanála and the design team at all stages in order to fast-track this project."The Minister was hoping to use local authority planners as a liaison with An Bord Pleanála. This morning I spoke to planners in the...

National Children's Hospital: Motion (8 Nov 2012)

Mick Wallace: Out of the goodness of my heart, I will not press the amendment.

Tax Transparency Bill 2012: Second Stage [Private Members] (9 Nov 2012)

Mick Wallace: We think the Deputy is up to it.

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Other Questions: Community Employment Schemes (13 Nov 2012)

Mick Wallace: The Minister agrees the community employment schemes are of great benefit to those who work in them, serve the people well and provide a significant social dividend. With much of the cost-saving measures that the Government is trying to implement like local government reform, it is more about saving money than actually reforming. I have had several schemes in Wexford on to me stating they...

Credit Union Bill 2012 (Resumed): Second Stage (Resumed) (14 Nov 2012)

Mick Wallace: I met representatives of the credit unions recently and they were broadly in favour of the Bill but concerned about some aspects of it the first of which was the proposal to apply historic Central Bank legislation from 1942 to 2011 to credit unions, which was not considered by the Commission on Credit Unions. They consider that to be unfair and believe it should not form part of the Bill. ...

Topical Issue Debate: Death of Ms Savita Halappanavar (14 Nov 2012)

Mick Wallace: Savita Halappanavar would most likely still be alive if she had chosen any 44 of 47 European countries. Sadly for her and all those belonging to her she chose Ireland. We have just held a referendum on the rights of children. It was passed and now we will proceed to legislate for it, rightly so. There have been two referendums on the Supreme Court judgment of 1992 which ruled that...

Topical Issue Debate: Death of Ms Savita Halappanavar (14 Nov 2012)

Mick Wallace: The Minister quoted the Medical Council guidelines which are relevant but they do not protect doctors. The 1861 Offences Against the Person Act states that the maximum punishment is "penal servitude for life" in the case of a doctor making a call in such cases and he or she can be prosecuted. That law remains in place and there is no protection for a doctor who makes such a call....

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Human Rights Issues (14 Nov 2012)

Mick Wallace: We have seen 18 months of violent suppression of the opposition in Bahrain, as well as by Britain and America. Recently, all anti-government demonstrations have been outlawed and the government has threatened to take legal action against opposition groups. I accept that the Tánaiste has called for better behaviour on the part of the Bahraini authorities, but does he consider that the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Middle East Peace Process (14 Nov 2012)

Mick Wallace: I am sure the Minister is well aware that the Palestinians will soon be seeking support for their application for non-member observer status at the United Nations. Given that President Obama has already asked the Israelis to withdraw, a request that was refused, it is up to Europeans to apply pressure to see that fairness prevails. This is important, because it is at the core of so many of...

Education Funding: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members] (14 Nov 2012)

Mick Wallace: I agree with Deputy Healy that this effort to achieve further centralisation has proved to be a step too far. This new organisation does not have the experience to deal with these challenges and, clearly, is not able to cope with 66,000 applications, at least for now. I am not saying this is the fault of the staff in question, as it is clear that the Government should have put a bit more...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Tax Collection (15 Nov 2012)

Mick Wallace: To ask the Minister for Finance in view of the difficulties that so many persons here are facing in dealing with mortgage arrears and negative equity on their homes, if he will consider raising the anticipated property tax revenue from an alternative source such as an increase in income tax for those who can afford to pay; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50479/12]

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Tax Collection (15 Nov 2012)

Mick Wallace: This is not a normal time in Ireland to try to introduce a property tax. In principle, in a healthy climate I would not have a problem with the notion of a property tax. However, we are approaching a figure of 400,000 homes in negative equity, including those in mortgage arrears. In addition, there are approximately 450,000 people unemployed, meaning about 150,000 households are affected by...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Tax Collection (15 Nov 2012)

Mick Wallace: Dr. Peter Bacon recommends that we do it through income tax. Imposing a tax rate of 50% on earned moneys above €100,000 would bring in €490 million annually,almost equal to what is expected to be raised by the property tax. Such a tax would be based on ability to pay, making it a fairer tax. I remind the Minister that in January 2011 Fine Gael stated it would raise revenue from...