Results 23,621-23,640 of 26,795 for speaker:David Cullinane

Seanad: Order of Business (7 May 2014)

David Cullinane: It is outrageous for Senator Bacik and for the Labour Party to claim that the water tax is fair. It is anything but fair. The vast majority who will have to pay the water tax will see it as unfair. In spite of all the so-called concessions to Deputy Eamon Gilmore and other Labour Party members, the average cost per household for water tax will be €240. That same Government recently...

Seanad: Order of Business (7 May 2014)

David Cullinane: If the Senators wish to have a debate on the North of Ireland on any aspect of what happens in the North, let us have that debate. We have called for such a debate on several occasions but the Leader has not arranged it. We would be very comfortable with having that debate with anybody. We are discussing what this Government is doing in this State. The new charges will come to some...

Seanad: Order of Business (7 May 2014)

David Cullinane: I think people will understand that clearly when they go to the polls in two weeks. They will be very conscious of the people who brought in those charges and the impact that those charges are having on ordinary working families across the State.

Seanad: Order of Business (7 May 2014)

David Cullinane: I propose an amendment to the Order of Business that either the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Hogan, or the Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Fergus O'Dowd, will come to the House to discuss the Cabinet decision to set the charging mechanism for water.

Seanad: Order of Business (7 May 2014)

David Cullinane: He is in fine form.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Pre-Legislative Scrutiny of Technological Universities Bill: Discussion (16 Apr 2014)

David Cullinane: I accept that. Those were just my initial observations.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Pre-Legislative Scrutiny of Technological Universities Bill: Discussion (16 Apr 2014)

David Cullinane: I welcome the delegations. I must declare an interest as I come from Waterford city and the south east has a particular interest in this legislation as one can imagine. I arrived at this issue initially as a sceptic. I agree a university needs to behave as one and it cannot be simply a rebranding exercise. Neither can we have two tiers of institutes of technology. There must be a clear...

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: Order of Business (16 Apr 2014)

David Cullinane: Despite the very cheerful articulation of where things currently stand in the economy by Senator Mullins, it masks a different reality altogether in that we have far too many people out of work, people are still emigrating, people have been faced with an increase in taxes with the universal social charge, a property tax and they will face the introduction of water charges shortly. There have...

Seanad: Order of Business (16 Apr 2014)

David Cullinane: We still have not got back a single cent of all that taxpayers' money that was poured into the banks to again benefit the wealthy, the speculators and the bankers, yet the citizens of this State are being faced with more cuts, taxes and the introduction of water charges. I want to take this opportunity to call on the Leader to again ask the Minister of State with responsibility for the Irish...

Seanad: Order of Business (16 Apr 2014)

David Cullinane: The response from people on the doorsteps to those who are canvassing is that people have given too much already. The water charges and the water tax is a step too far. The Government should come forward and let the people know exactly how much they will have to pay in water charges and how much it is will cost them.

Seanad: Merchant Shipping (Registration of Ships) Bill 2013: Second Stage (15 Apr 2014)

David Cullinane: I welcome the Minister and the Bill which is a welcome step in how we manage merchant shipping on the island. I am sure the Minister will agree that it is long overdue, but it is welcome that it has been published. The idea of a register has been cautiously welcomed by those involved in the shipping industry, in particular the Irish Marine Federation. We certainly support it, with the...

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Apr 2014)

David Cullinane: I made very similar points on Ireland rejoining the Commonwealth as Senator Mooney made recently. I put them up on my Facebook page on 1 April and got a very interesting response.

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Apr 2014)

David Cullinane: I just wanted to raise again the State meeting its renewable energy targets. I commend the thousands of people who took part in a protest today outside the gates of Leinster House. They were protesting for many different reasons but primarily against the imposition of industrial for-profit wind farms that are being erected in parts of the country to export energy outside of Ireland. They...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Access to Finance for SMEs: Bank of Ireland, Ulster Bank and AIB (15 Apr 2014)

David Cullinane: Mr. Boucher said he did not seem to be aware of the questions that were being asked.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Access to Finance for SMEs: Bank of Ireland, Ulster Bank and AIB (15 Apr 2014)

David Cullinane: That strikes me as odd.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Access to Finance for SMEs: Bank of Ireland, Ulster Bank and AIB (15 Apr 2014)

David Cullinane: I am encouraged by Mr. Boucher's comment regarding the agricultural sector. This is a good example of sectoral lending. The abolition of the milk quota will present opportunities for farmers to expand their herds and so on and access to credit will be an issue for them. Is the bank considering this? The Government's national jobs strategy refers to emerging sectors where jobs can be...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Access to Finance for SMEs: Bank of Ireland, Ulster Bank and AIB (15 Apr 2014)

David Cullinane: I thank the delegation for fielding our questions. One of the things banks need to do is to learn the lessons from the mistakes of the past. Mr. Boucher gave a general but helpful overview of where Bank of Ireland is now. When the Celtic tiger was in full roar, the banks were lending irresponsibly. There was far too much credit and money thrown around the place which fuelled the property...

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

David Cullinane: I support this Fianna Fáil motion, which while well-crafted and well-intentioned, excludes any acceptance by that party of any responsibility for its policy failures in this area for many years. I acknowledge that during the 2011 general election the public passed judgment on the Fianna Fáil Party, and rightly so. That judgment was not good or positive because of its failures...

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

David Cullinane: I did not interrupt the Senator.