Results 181-200 of 1,596 for in 'Dáil debates' speaker:Mick Wallace
- Sale of State Assets: Statements (13 Oct 2011)
Mick Wallace: Will the Government sell off less than 50% of it?
- Sale of State Assets: Statements (13 Oct 2011)
Mick Wallace: Will the Government establish what it believes to be a fair price in this regard and will it, if that cannot be achieved, refuse to sell? It is not rocket science that this is not a good time to sell. It will be hard to get real value for a minority stake in the ESB, just as it is hard to get value in respect of anything in this country at this time. I know that only too well. Will the...
- Social Welfare Benefits (13 Oct 2011)
Mick Wallace: Question 5: To ask the Minister for Social Protection if, following the observation during the UN review of Ireland's human rights record that austerity measures should not disproportionately impact the elderly, she will guarantee that the State pension and the free travel pass will be protected in Budget 2012; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29402/11]
- Social Welfare Benefits (13 Oct 2011)
Mick Wallace: There can be no doubt that the Government's austerity measures have had the greatest impact on the more vulnerable members of society, including the elderly. A new report published by researchers at UCD and St. Mary's Hospital in the Phoenix Park, Dublin, shows that more than 10,000 elderly people per year are subjected to some type of abuse, of which the most common is financial abuse....
- Social Welfare Benefits (13 Oct 2011)
Mick Wallace: I agree that many older people have difficulty keeping their homes heated to a safe level. I recently received information from a company called Wexford Viking Glass which installs glass in window frames without taking the frames out, offering an increase in insulation levels of 60%. The company has proposed that the Government consider abolishing the VAT on its services in order to assist...
- Private Rented Accommodation (18 Oct 2011)
Mick Wallace: As the Minister of State knows, I have raised these issues before. He has indicated that the introduction of mandatory certificates of compliance for builders and designers of buildings will confirm that statutory requirements of building regulations have been met. That will not mean anything unless there is on-site supervision 100% of the time by an independent authority. An engineer...
- Private Rented Accommodation (18 Oct 2011)
Mick Wallace: The Government must try to understand what goes on in the industry and many areas must be given thought. Will the Government consult people in the industry who know what is happening because it must do so? The people doing the paperwork will not give the required cover in the area.
- Report by the Interdepartmental Working Group on Mortgage Arrears: Statements (Resumed) (20 Oct 2011)
Mick Wallace: I was always taught that when reading a factual book, the first thing I should do is see who wrote it, when he wrote it and in some contexts, particularly in history, where he came from and his background. When I looked at the Keane report, I was surprised that it came from people who did not have a direct relationship with the problems they addressed. That was a mistake. I am not sure if...
- Insurance Industry (20 Oct 2011)
Mick Wallace: The time is up.
- Mortgage Repayments (20 Oct 2011)
Mick Wallace: I promise this will be more peaceful. I raise the issue of Priory Hall, which we all know has become an absolute nightmare for those involved. The madness of it has meant the people there have had to move into hotel accommodation or apartment accommodation, often at quite a distance from where they work or where their kids go to school. It is a frightening scenario and hopefully there will...
- Mortgage Repayments (20 Oct 2011)
Mick Wallace: I thank the Minister of State for his positive response. In arguing the toss with banks and other lending institutions on a case by case basis about whether there is room for manoeuvre on a better deal, a write down or compensation for what occurred, some people will be in a poorer position than others. Unfortunately, the most vulnerable people are likely to get the rawest deal when...
- Waste Disposal (20 Oct 2011)
Mick Wallace: Question 9: To ask the Minister for the Environment; Community and Local Government his views on whether giving local authorities the power to regulate the scrap metal industry within their own jurisdictions is productive in view of the ease with which criminals can travel to neighbouring counties, which may have lesser regulation, to sell their stolen metal; if he will implement...
- Waste Disposal (20 Oct 2011)
Mick Wallace: I am sure the Minister is aware that there is a great deal of theft in the countryside, in particular, but believe it or not it also happens in Dublin. A copper cable 22 mm thick feeding a crane 36 metres high was robbed from me a couple of weeks ago. Copper scrap is achieving â¬6,000 per tonne and although I do not know what price the thief got, it cost me â¬5,000 to replace the cable....
- Waste Disposal (20 Oct 2011)
Mick Wallace: Metal is money.
- EU Summits: Statements (26 Oct 2011)
Mick Wallace: The politicians of Europe have failed to deal in a substantial way with the crisis facing the eurozone. That is certainly the verdict of the markets, which are running out of patience. Several weeks ago in this House we debated whether â¬440 billion was an adequate allocation for that great vehicle, the European Financial Stability Facility, EFSF. It is now clear, as we argued at the...
- EU Summits: Statements (26 Oct 2011)
Mick Wallace: Will the Minister of State consider an analysis in last week's edition of The Guardian which put forward the notion that many of today's problems have come from an unwillingness to re-finance Greece, Ireland and Portugal in the early days? Their share of the euro area public debt to GDP ratio is ridiculously low and cancelling out their debt would have been less painful than the present...
- EU Summits: Statements (26 Oct 2011)
Mick Wallace: No, it was in last week's edition.
- Health Services Delivery: Motion (Resumed) (26 Oct 2011)
Mick Wallace: I will start on a positive note by commending the Government on going ahead with funding for accident and emergency and maternity units in Wexford, which were much needed. For some strange reason, Wexford has been poorly treated for a long time. It has one of the highest literacy rates in the country yet it is one of the few counties without a third level education institution. At present,...
- Bank Guarantee Scheme (2 Nov 2011)
Mick Wallace: Thank you, a Cheann Comhairle, for selecting this topic. I accept that the Minister has been dealt a terrible hand, but I think the goalposts have moved in Europe. I do not think we should continue to give a certain impression to the Europeans about things. We are eager to be positive and there is nothing wrong with that. However, we are not calling our position as stark as it might be....
- Bank Guarantee Scheme (2 Nov 2011)
Mick Wallace: The Minister is saying that if we were to refuse to pay the unsecured bondholders on this occasion, it would likely result in Armageddon and it would be a bit of a disaster. The rules are changing. Things are not as they were in Europe even last month, and they will change more. Bondholders will take it on the chin a lot more, and not just what they took in Greece last week. They will be...