Results 25,361-25,380 of 26,857 for speaker:David Cullinane

Seanad: Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (19 Jul 2012)

David Cullinane: Neither is SIPTU.

Seanad: Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (19 Jul 2012)

David Cullinane: I move amendment No. 17: In page 46, lines 1 to 23, to delete subsections (3) and (4) and substitute the following: "(3) Pensions payable under the Scheme shall be indexed in line with the Consumer Price Index.". I will be brief because I am interested in the Minister's response. We support the move to index pensions in payment in line with the consumer price index, CPI. Our difficulty with...

Seanad: Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (19 Jul 2012)

David Cullinane: Yearly.

Seanad: Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (19 Jul 2012)

David Cullinane: The logic of Committee Stage-----

Seanad: Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (19 Jul 2012)

David Cullinane: -----is that we can accept the principle and come back on Report Stage.

Seanad: Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (19 Jul 2012)

David Cullinane: I was making the point that when amendments are tabled on Committee Stage and if a Minister is of the view that there is some flaw in the amendment he might accept the logic of the amendment and it can be dealt with on Report Stage. If the concern is that we have not specified the "how", we will not press this amendment, and we will return on Report Stage with an amendment that will specify...

Seanad: Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (19 Jul 2012)

David Cullinane: We will see then if the Minister will accept it.

Seanad: Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (19 Jul 2012)

David Cullinane: No.

Seanad: Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (19 Jul 2012)

David Cullinane: This is the so-called enabling clause which provides for the Minister to uprate current public service pension schemes in line with the consumer price index but at an undetermined point in the future. That is part of our problem with it. As this may be my last opportunity to speak on this section I want to indicate that we will be opposing the Bill. As I said earlier, we support career...

Seanad: Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Bill 2012: Second Stage (19 Jul 2012)

David Cullinane: This Bill is very welcome. All of us hoped it could have been before the House much earlier, but it has arrived now and we support it. It is unfortunate that we cannot complete the legislative process before the summer recess. Members would have preferred if it had been possible to deal with it before the summer, but we must wait until we return in September to finalise the Bill. That is...

Seanad: Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Bill 2012: Second Stage (19 Jul 2012)

David Cullinane: The Labour Party, Fine Gael and Sinn Féin disagreed with the charge at the time. We all accept the cost of medicine to the State and to individuals is too high and we all acknowledge there is waste and over-prescription of medicine. We also agree measures must be undertaken to address the problems but the last way to do so is to punish those who are least able to pay. In opposition, the...

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Jul 2012)

David Cullinane: On Tuesday, I called for a debate on poverty and the Leader replied that the Minister for Social Protection would attend the House to deal with the broad issues in her portfolio. I do not believe that will do justice to a debate on the causes of poverty, which I was seeking. I call for this debate in the context of a number of published reports, the Social Justice Ireland report, the report...

Seanad: Order of Business (18 Jul 2012)

David Cullinane: I wish to raise the issue of the student pilots left stranded in Florida after their training was suspended. A number of issues in this regard need to be discussed, including the Irish Aviation Authority and the light touch regulation mentioned earlier, the company involved in pilot training and its funding. There is also an issue with regard to the fact that Enterprise Ireland has invested...

Seanad: School Transport (18 Jul 2012)

David Cullinane: I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I wish to raise the issue of changes that have been made to the post-primary school transport scheme. The changes were introduced by the previous Government but a number of elements of that scheme come into effect this September. There were a number of issues in County Waterford which, thankfully, have been resolved this year due to the...

Seanad: School Transport (18 Jul 2012)

David Cullinane: I thank the Minister of State for agreeing to investigate my first concern about the distance eligibility. At the end of his contribution, the Minister of State referred to efficiency and cost-effective schemes. We have no difficulty with cost-effective schemes. There is logic in people attending their nearest education centre. However, sometimes their nearest education centre is not the...

Seanad: Presidential Nominations: Motion (18 Jul 2012)

David Cullinane: I thank Senator Norris for tabling this important motion which we support and we ask the Government to also support it. I wish to make a number of broad remarks about the constitutional convention. Senator Gilroy mentioned the fact that the parameters have been set by the Government and he is correct. He then went on to state that perhaps Senator Norris has missed the boat. The Government...

Seanad: Presidential Nominations: Motion (18 Jul 2012)

David Cullinane: Many people would ask whether that type of campaign would put people off standing for the presidency in the future.

Seanad: Presidential Nominations: Motion (18 Jul 2012)

David Cullinane: I am pleased that Seán Gallagher was not elected and I am pleased that the person in the Áras has been elected.

Seanad: Presidential Nominations: Motion (18 Jul 2012)

David Cullinane: I know it is a sore point for Fianna Fáil that its proxy candidate was not elected-----

Seanad: Presidential Nominations: Motion (18 Jul 2012)

David Cullinane: -----and that is unfortunate.