Results 161-180 of 238 for going forward speaker:David Cullinane

Seanad: Water Sector Reforms: Statements (25 Nov 2014)

David Cullinane: ...worried about Sinn Féin and their seats. That is the reason he came to the Chamber and attacked Sinn Féin's policies. The reality is that he cannot stand over his own party's policies. Senators on the Government side of the House are very meek and quiet this evening. They were not so quiet 12 months ago when we debated the Water Services Bill for 18 hours with the former...

Seanad: Matters on the Adjournment: Schools Building Projects Status (30 Sep 2014)

David Cullinane: ...list as it is shovel ready and will benefit the students. It will create jobs in the area and remove prefabs which have been used for far too long. The Department’s position is that the earliest it can go to tender is 2018. The school would like the Minister and the Department to bring that forward. Are there any plans to increase the number of schools being built? If that was...

Seanad: Eye Care: Motion (16 Jul 2014)

David Cullinane: ...wish him well in his new role. It has been considered a poisoned chalice for a long number of years but I hope it will not be for him and he brings real reform to the health service. I commend the Government and Fine Gael Senators for proposing a good motion. Normally, when the Government tables a motion in the Seanad we, in Sinn Féin, amend it but on rare occasions, such as this...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: European Commission Country Specific Recommendations: Discussion (10 Jun 2014)

David Cullinane: I thank the committee and the Chairman for allowing us to raise the issue and to put questions to the Minister. He has acknowledged that the Government stands ready to support the workforce and the company in finding a resolution to what is a difficult set of ongoing negotiations. We all want those negotiations to go well and for the best possible outcome for all 1,100 staff at the plant in...

Seanad: Seanad Electoral (Panel Members) (Amendment) Bill 2014: Second Stage (14 May 2014)

David Cullinane: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy O'Dowd, to the Chamber. I commend Senator Barrett for bringing forward this Bill and allowing us to again discuss the future of the Seanad. Since the referendum of October 2013 we have not had any real reform of the Seanad, which is what people voted for when they went to the polls in the Seanad referendum. I will not be supporting this Bill. Prior...

Seanad: Public Health (Sunbeds) Bill 2013: Second Stage (14 May 2014)

David Cullinane: ...It is, in our view, a vital protection of public health. I will refrain from taking the opportunity to discuss cancer services in the south-east, including Waterford, because I believe the Minister is going to be in Waterford city on Friday. I am glad to see he is back to full health and I look forward to seeing him both inside and outside Waterford Regional Hospital on Friday when he...

Seanad: Order of Business (14 May 2014)

David Cullinane: ...union recognition. We cannot have collective bargaining in the State without trade union recognition. The announcement made yesterday was not surprising. The Government announced that it is going to bring forward legislation to enable collective bargaining but it will not include trade union recognition. That is a big mistake because one cannot have one without the other, effectively....

Seanad: Services for People with Disabilities: Motion (7 May 2014)

David Cullinane: ...the opportunity to take part in this debate and welcome the individuals from the Centre for Independent Living who are present in the Visitors Gallery. It is a sign of how far we still need to go that this Chamber can only facilitate a very small number of people who have motorised vehicles or a wheelchair. We still have a long way to go even as a State in supporting people with a...

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2014: Second Stage (16 Apr 2014)

David Cullinane: I welcome the Minister and am happy to support this Bill which will remove an outdated ban on people who have been declared bankrupt putting themselves forward for election to the Dáil. It also redresses the anomaly where people can contest local elections if they are bankrupt but not Dáil or European Parliament elections. The law regarding local elections was changed in 1974, so...

Seanad: Care of the Elderly: Motion (9 Apr 2014)

David Cullinane: The response of this Government in terms of supporting older people has not been much better. Let us review the record of Fine Gael and the Labour Party in this area. Under this Government, there have been cuts to home help hours and home care packages, illegal implementation of the mobility allowance and motorised transport grant scheme and a reduction in palliative care experts and...

Seanad: Renewable Energy: Motion (12 Mar 2014)

David Cullinane: Not personally, but the Senator's party was in favour of them. Fianna Fáil brought forward the Planning and Development (Strategic Infrastructure) Act that allowed EirGrid to go straight to An Bord Pleanála and bypass the proper planning system.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Research and Development Landscape: Minister of State (4 Feb 2014)

David Cullinane: ...supports, obviously I support the need to fund excellence. I think the Minister of State made the point that any research and development entity of any third or fourth level institution can put forward an application for funding based on whatever the project is and that the Department has to fund what it sees as excellence and the best applications which come before it. However, there is...

Seanad: Local Government Reform Bill 2013: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (15 Jan 2014)

David Cullinane: ...not devolved real powers from Departments to local government. We have not given it the powers it has in many other countries. What the Minister has done is rearrange the deck chairs. We are going down the same road the Government followed in the case of the Seanad, which was to reduce numbers. Under the Bill town councils will be abolished and the number of councils and councillors...

Seanad: Local Government Reform Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (20 Dec 2013)

David Cullinane: The Minister is doing some good things in the Government that merit support. However, we need to learn from the mistakes of the past. The Minister served on the old city development boards himself. They were good in theory, but not very good in practice in some areas. It depended on the local authority involved. One of the difficulties that city and county managers encountered, as well...

Seanad: Local Government Reform Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (19 Dec 2013)

David Cullinane: ...opinions in Waterford. I cannot speak to the same extent for Limerick and Tipperary but the Minister will know there were very strong opinions expressed by some in Waterford, even within local government, that the merger of the two local authorities would not be good in the long term for the county and city, particularly the city. I took a decision that I was against the merger but only...

Seanad: Protection of the Public Interest from Tobacco Lobbying Bill 2013: Second Stage (18 Dec 2013)

David Cullinane: ...a pioneer in this area since his election to Seanad Éireann. I welcome the Minister, Deputy Reilly, to the House. On the Order of Business in recent months, much has been said - not all of it good - about his performance as Minister for Health. On this issue especially, however, we must acknowledge his pioneering work and thank him for it. Tackling smoking is an important issue,...

Seanad: Water Services (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (16 Dec 2013)

David Cullinane: I am sorry but I think the Minister's response raises more questions than it answers. If the Minister does not know where this is all going in the long term, then who does? He is introducing the Bill and he is charged with having that long-term vision of how all of this will work out. It is not about having a crystal ball, it is about having a vision and a policy analysis of the long-term...

Seanad: Water Services (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (12 Dec 2013)

David Cullinane: We engaged in a lengthy debate on charges and we have just discussed an amendment designed to include an ability-to-pay clause in the Bill. It is disappointing that the Government voted down that amendment, which was an attempt by those of us who oppose the charges in the first instance to try to bring some element of fairness to the process. People have different views as to whether water...

Seanad: Critical Utilities (Security of Supply) Bill 2013: Second Stage (11 Dec 2013)

David Cullinane: I cannot, as is customary, commend the author of the Bill for bringing it forward. I spoke to him prior to the debate because this legislation is abhorrent and unhelpful and it is beyond me how any Oireachtas Member would put effort into criminalising workers. The Senator disagrees but I will demonstrate how it does. He also said the legislation does not and will not prevent workers from...

Seanad: Water Services (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (10 Dec 2013)

David Cullinane: ...universal social charge. They are concerned and frustrated about how they will be facing annual bills that will impact on their quality of life. It is not so much a question of whether people are going to be asked to pay a standing charge for the meter which will only compound the anger but whether this makes sense in the context of the property tax. Perhaps the Minister of State might...