Results 25,941-25,960 of 26,857 for speaker:David Cullinane

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment)(Political Funding) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (15 Feb 2012)

David Cullinane: I move amendment No. 4: In page 7, to delete lines 11 to 37 and substitute the following: "shall directly or through any intermediary accept any corporate donations.".

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment)(Political Funding) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (15 Feb 2012)

David Cullinane: May I clarify a point I made earlier about students' unions? I was referring to the funding of student societies, whether political, sporting or cultural by students' unions. I was not talking about corporate donations. Students' unions have their own mechanisms and controls for how the money is administered and there is fairness and equity for the various groups. That is what this is...

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment)(Political Funding) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (15 Feb 2012)

David Cullinane: I will get to that in a moment. We asked for the pay of Oireachtas Members to be reduced by 30% in the case of Ministers, 15% for TDs and 10% for Senators. That was knocked back by the Government parties and by some of the Opposition parties as well. That would be my preference. I do not give my money to the party directly, because there is a limit. I spend the money on my constituency...

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment)(Political Funding) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (15 Feb 2012)

David Cullinane: I have an office which I pay for out of my salary, and that is where my money goes. It goes back into providing a first class constituency service.

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment)(Political Funding) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (15 Feb 2012)

David Cullinane: I am responding to the point made. It is a bit rich, given the climate in which we find ourselves, that some Senators seem to take exception to Senators and TDs taking the average industrial wage.

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment)(Political Funding) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (15 Feb 2012)

David Cullinane: The Senator does not have to believe me.

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment)(Political Funding) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (15 Feb 2012)

David Cullinane: It is a bit rich. In order to remove any ambiguities about these issues-----

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment)(Political Funding) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (15 Feb 2012)

David Cullinane: If they support what I am saying, why do they not then accept amendments that we put down to the Finance Bill to reduce the salaries of Oireachtas Members?

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment)(Political Funding) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (15 Feb 2012)

David Cullinane: With the greatest respect to yourself, a Chathaoirligh, Senator Norris was allowed a five minute rant about Sinn Féin. Senator Bradford made a similar rant. When I get up to respond, we suddenly have to stick to the amendment. I have responded to two rants in this House from people-----

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment)(Political Funding) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (15 Feb 2012)

David Cullinane: -----who obviously do not believe in transparency.

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment)(Political Funding) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (15 Feb 2012)

David Cullinane: Or I could do what the Senator does and keep it and spend it on myself. That is what everybody else does.

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment)(Political Funding) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (15 Feb 2012)

David Cullinane: No funding is allowed for it.

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment)(Political Funding) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (15 Feb 2012)

David Cullinane: A number of amendments are being taken in this grouping. Our amendment No. 4 also proposes the banning of corporate donations. The Independent Senators' amendment No. 3 goes further than ours. It proposes to delete lines 11 to 41, while our amendment proposes to delete lines 11 to 37. There is a reason for what we propose in our amendment and I want to explain it because we cannot support...

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment)(Political Funding) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (15 Feb 2012)

David Cullinane: Does the Senator have proof of that?

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment)(Political Funding) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (15 Feb 2012)

David Cullinane: She should go to the Garda and make a statement.

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment)(Political Funding) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (15 Feb 2012)

David Cullinane: It cannot be spent here.

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment)(Political Funding) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (15 Feb 2012)

David Cullinane: It cannot be spent in this State.

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment)(Political Funding) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (15 Feb 2012)

David Cullinane: The Minister should know. Can the money be spent in this State?

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment)(Political Funding) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (15 Feb 2012)

David Cullinane: It is not first class.

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment)(Political Funding) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (15 Feb 2012)

David Cullinane: It is never first class.