Results 1-20 of 119 for going forward speaker:Paddy Burke

Seanad: Social Welfare and Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2023: Second Stage (13 Feb 2024)

Paddy Burke: ...I welcome the amendment the Minister will table relating to 18-year-olds. As she has rightly pointed out, many kids do not now start national school until they are five years of age and are still going to secondary school at 18 years of age. That is a very important amendment, and we will fully support it when it comes before the House on Committee Stage. The Bill covers two main areas,...

Seanad: Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2023: Second Stage (7 Dec 2023)

Paddy Burke: ...of State outlining all the various increases here today. We must have the best social welfare system in the world. Looking at other countries, I cannot come up with any country that has as good a social welfare system as we have here in Ireland. I suppose that is down to this Government as well as other governments over the years. We have a very generous social welfare system. We see...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Water and Energy Connections in Rural Areas: Discussion (6 Dec 2023)

Paddy Burke: If there is a village that has no sewerage or wastewater provision, who would put forward a proposal in that regard? Would it be the local authorities? How does Uisce Éireann receive the inquiry? Who then decides if the work should go ahead and who should bear the cost of it?

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (14 Nov 2023)

Paddy Burke: ...in full flight in this House, there are none better than the Senator. He is so entertaining. I do not think this Chamber will see the likes of him again. He is unbelievable. I compliment the Government on bringing forward an increased cost of business grant. I hope it will be brought in efficiently and will go directly to businesspeople. Many small businesses are in a lot of...

Seanad: Care Payments: Motion [Private Members] (12 Jul 2023)

Paddy Burke: I welcome the Minister to the House. I congratulate the Labour Party for bringing forward this motion. This is a great motion in my view. I thank the Minister for accepting this motion on behalf of the Government. The Minister needs to be congratulated for the reforms she has implemented. I would say she has delivered more than any other Minister in the Department of Social Protection,...

Seanad: Ban on Dumping New Products Bill 2022: Second Stage (5 Jul 2023)

Paddy Burke: I welcome the Minister of State. I compliment Senator Boylan on bringing forward the Bill. Nothing ever stays the same. The longer we live, the more we know. I knew very little about this type of practice until the Bill was brought forward by Senator Boylan and Senator McGahon asked me to take in on his behalf from the Fine Gael side. There was a time that my wife and I were involved in...

Seanad: Local Government Matters: Statements (28 Jun 2023)

Paddy Burke: I welcome the Minister of State to the House. It is a timely time to have a debate on local government as we face into local elections in May or June of 2024. There are many aspects to local government and there have been many changes in local government in the past 20 or 30 years. As someone who was a member of a local authority for 25 years, until the dual mandate came in, I have seen a...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (22 Jun 2023)

Paddy Burke: ...many cases where we have developments with a first, second and third phase those doing the building in the first stage can create a problem for the those working in the third stage if they do not go ahead with the development. Mr. Cussen was able to tell us there may a way around this. If a certain length of time is given to carry out the first stage and those involved are not prepared...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (21 Jun 2023)

Paddy Burke: ...the Cathaoirleach. I also want to wish Councillors Hoare and Carroll the very best of luck in the next 12 months. They will have a joint civic reception for all of the Mayo people who will be going to Pearse Stadium next Sunday in their droves. We will look forward to that.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (31 May 2023)

Paddy Burke: ...are being held up. At least two people whose applications are being held up have contacted me. They try to get contractors or workers and tradespeople in place to carry out the work and do not know where they are going. The problem with the scheme is that the Department and banking institutions have not reached agreement on how it will operate. Seemingly, there is a claw back on the...

Seanad: Social Welfare (Child Benefit) Bill 2023: Second Stage (24 May 2023)

Paddy Burke: ...Minister has outlined here the generosity of the taxpayer to the people and the country. This would not be possible at all were it not for the fact that the economy is in such a good state. We can see going forward that the economy is in a healthy state. That is through prudence and good management over the past number of years. When one considers the difficulties this country has had...

Seanad: Inland Fisheries Ireland: Statements (29 Mar 2023)

Paddy Burke: ...related to Aasleagh Falls. The way the central board was looking after the falls was pathetic. It is a fabulous property. Mr. Griffin said that all of the matters I raised with him would be forwarded to an investigator. Who is the investigator? I got another letter which said that under the Protected Disclosures Act, it could be the Secretary General of the Department who would...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Implementing Housing for All: Discussion (Resumed) (24 Jan 2023)

Paddy Burke: I have two further questions. The first relates to anomalies in the planning laws. There can be shortcomings or whatever in legislation and regulations that are brought forward. There does not seem to be any great feedback from local authorities to say that there is an anomaly and that when the Department is rectifying the position, it should take a certain course of action. There are two...

Seanad: Election of Cathaoirleach (16 Dec 2022)

Paddy Burke: .... You learn something new every day. Today, we found out there are two Father Teds. Like Senator Cummins, I offer my commiserations to Senator Boyhan and my congratulations on letting his name go forward. I congratulate the Cathaoirleach and wish him, Conchobar and their families the very best of luck during his term as Cathaoirleach of Seanad Éireann. This is an historic day, on...

Seanad: Cuimhneachán ar Chothrom Céad Bliain an Chéad Suí de Seanad Éireann – 11 Nollaig 1922 - Commemoration of the Centenary of the First Sitting of Seanad Éireann – 11 December 1922 (12 Dec 2022)

Paddy Burke: ...a few words on the 100th anniversary of Seanad Éireann. I congratulate the Cathaoirleach and the staff of the Houses for organising this great event. I welcome the Taoiseach and members of the Government as well as former Members of Seanad Éireann. I wonder what the Members of this House thought 100 years ago on this day. It was after the First World War and the War of...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2022: Committee Stage (7 Dec 2022)

Paddy Burke: ...farms, whether or not they rent them long-term to companies, for solar farms - not turbine farms but solar photovoltaic farms - they lose their basic payments. That is a disincentive to farmers going down that route. I ask that the Minister, before he comes back on Report Stage, consider where we can go forward on this to incentivise farmers from a taxation point of view or to deal with...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2022: Second Stage (7 Dec 2022)

Paddy Burke: ...income needs are greatest. That is quite correct. Over the past 12 months, she has been listening to all the proposals that were made in these Houses and at parliamentary party meetings. The Government and the Minister have dealt in a very fair way with the needy of this country. Not only have they responded with increases in welfare allowances, such as increases to the old age...

Seanad: Sick Leave Bill 2022: Committee Stage (29 Jun 2022)

Paddy Burke: ...in legislation but we will have to amend it in a particular way because of something else. It has to stand on its own two feet. What Senator Gavan is proposing is a matter that can be brought forward by a different Department. The fee to see a doctor could be waived or whatever by another Department. This is new employment law legislation and it has to stand the test of time and on its...

Seanad: Sick Leave Bill 2022: Committee Stage (29 Jun 2022)

Paddy Burke: ...We have to be fair to employers as well. This is, as has been said, groundbreaking legislation. I suppose everything is relative. Whether one is on a lower wage or a middle-income wage, one's outgoings will be relative to what one's income will be. If somebody is out sick, whether he or she is in the middle-income bracket or not, he or she cannot afford to be out of work either. When...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (29 Mar 2022)

Paddy Burke: ...Communications, Deputy Eamon Ryan, could come into the House for a discussion on energy. The two big main players in this country at the moment are the ESB and Coillte. We should know their plans going forward. This behoves the Minister to come into the House to outline that to us. The other issue I would like to raise is on the tariffs that are being paid to domestic customers. I...