Results 41-60 of 4,717 for speaker:Martin Mansergh

Seanad: British-Irish Agreement (Amendment) Bill, 2002: Committee and Remaining Stages. (28 Nov 2002)

Martin Mansergh: I wish to add clarification to what Senator Brian Hayes said. There is a legal grey area, to put it at its mildest, in our interpretation of to what degree exercise of the power of suspension is compatible with the operation of an international agreement. We have decided, while entirely reserving our legal position on that, to be reasonably pragmatic in practice in the interests of the...

Seanad: British-Irish Agreement (Amendment) Bill, 2002: Committee and Remaining Stages. (28 Nov 2002)

Martin Mansergh: De facto according to us is probably de jure according to them.

Seanad: Order of Business. (3 Dec 2002)

Martin Mansergh: I ask the Leader to urge the Minister for Finance, on the next occasion he attends an ECOFIN meeting, to congratulate his Swedish counterpart on his Government's courage in organising a referendum on the euro, which it is uncertain of winning. Completing the spread of the euro is of great importance to people in Ireland and to others on these islands. Perhaps if the Swedes are successful,...

Seanad: Budget Statement: Motion. (4 Dec 2002)

Martin Mansergh: I welcome this budget. It is a good budget in difficult circumstances that looks after the least well-off. It is the role of the Opposition to play devil's advocate. The same debate is going on in Germany, where the election took place in September and the SPD and the Green Party are being accused of having deceived the electorate.

Seanad: Budget Statement: Motion. (4 Dec 2002)

Martin Mansergh: The reality is that in elections all parties paint best case scenarios and after elections we are back to choices and hard day-to-day realities. Many Ministers for Finance would be only too glad to be able to announce a budget which has a borrowing requirement of only 0.7% next year and a decline in debt as a percentage of GDP to 34%. Senator Higgins is wrong to minimise global influences....

Seanad: Budget Statement: Motion. (4 Dec 2002)

Martin Mansergh: This budget maintains and consolidates Ireland's economic strength. If we want social partnership to work and our infrastructure to develop, we must maintain confidence in the economy. The measures are not on the scale of the 1980s but confidence will help the economy to expand more quickly. One economist referred to this as "expansionary fiscal contraction". There is not even any...

Seanad: Budget Statement: Motion. (4 Dec 2002)

Martin Mansergh: When the time comes, I hope ways will be found to help the film industry. The state of schools has been raised and I hope the PPPs will help in that regard. I warmly welcome the welfare increases, which are fully in line with or slightly above inflation. In the past child benefit was the first thing not to be increased. As recently as 1995, I recall a 2.5% increase, including old age...

Seanad: Budget Statement: Motion. (4 Dec 2002)

Martin Mansergh: And the cider industry.

Seanad: Budget Statement: Motion. (4 Dec 2002)

Martin Mansergh: It is not being implemented.

Seanad: Budget Statement: Motion. (4 Dec 2002)

Martin Mansergh: We are borrowing.

Seanad: National Tourism Development Authority Bill, 2002: Report and Final Stages. (5 Dec 2002)

Martin Mansergh: The American system does not apply to this sort of appointment. It applies to ambassadorial and other significant political appointments and would not be in order for an appointment to a tourism board. Even if the principle is arguable, it is being applied at too low a level.

Seanad: National Tourism Development Authority Bill, 2002: Report and Final Stages. (5 Dec 2002)

Martin Mansergh: Five years is the term of the Oireachtas.

Seanad: National Tourism Development Authority Bill, 2002: Report and Final Stages. (5 Dec 2002)

Martin Mansergh: Now that we are returning to the practice of Governments lasting for a full five year term, there is a great deal to be said for leaving it at five years.

Seanad: National Tourism Development Authority Bill, 2002: Report and Final Stages. (5 Dec 2002)

Martin Mansergh: At the start of any committee one is on a learning curve and five years is a more sensible term.

Seanad: National Spatial Strategy: Statements. (5 Dec 2002)

Martin Mansergh: I welcome the Minister. Everyone broadly welcomes the concept of the national spatial strategy. It contains a message to anyone, to Dublin-based Departments, agencies and so on that there is more to Ireland than the greater Dublin area. I am not anti-Dublin in any way. I have lived and worked here most of my working life. The development which has taken place here is wonderful, instead of the...

Seanad: National Spatial Strategy: Statements. (5 Dec 2002)

Martin Mansergh: A great deal of An Taisce's thinking emanates from south-east England. I can understand why one would not favour one-off housing in south-east England, where there is enormous over-crowding and a tremendously large population. Such ideas, however, are totally inappropriate for a country like Ireland. If one flies over Ireland and ignores the greater Dublin area, one will notice that we have...

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill, 2002: Committee and Remaining Stages. (11 Dec 2002)

Martin Mansergh: One of the areas in which the Government has had most success in recent years has been increasing housing supply. Perhaps the Minister will comment on a medium-term problem. The housing projects for which he is extending planning permission predate the 2000 Act. They are not, therefore, subject to the Part V provisions or the proposed levy. There is perhaps a danger that the building industry...

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill, 2002: Committee and Remaining Stages. (11 Dec 2002)

Martin Mansergh: Will the levy apply only to those houses or will it also apply to houses built in the future?

Seanad: Alcohol Consumption by Young People: Statements. (11 Dec 2002)

Martin Mansergh: We had a debate at lunch as to whether one glass of wine would disable us for the debate. I welcome the open nature of this debate, which is a sort of brain-storming session.

Seanad: Primary Education: Motion. (11 Dec 2002)

Martin Mansergh: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Brian Lenihan. I also welcome the Opposition motion in that it gives us the opportunity to discuss a very important issue, to which I attach the highest priority in terms of expenditure and investment decisions. The motion refers to broken promises, although the Government is only six months into a five year term. One will only be able to judge if the...