Results 3,781-3,800 of 4,414 for speaker:Sean Barrett

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2012: Report Stage (20 Dec 2012)

Sean Barrett: Vote against them.

Seanad: Order of Business (20 Dec 2012)

Sean Barrett: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Order of Business (20 Dec 2012)

Sean Barrett: I want to echo the statements of the Leader and the other speakers. I thank the Cathaoirleach and the Leader for their unfailing courtesy at all times. There may be problems in other debating chambers near here but they do not occur in this Chamber, which is a tribute to them both. I agree with everything Senator Hayden said about all of our staff. It was a momentous year, with a Nobel...

Seanad: Finance (Local Property Tax) Bill 2012: Second Stage (19 Dec 2012)

Sean Barrett: I welcome the Minister of State, as always. My ever-active research assistant took out the document issued by the IMF today at 5.10 p.m. In contains material in which we state we are introducing the tax on 1 July 2013 and that it will be collected centrally by the Revenue Commissioners and constitute an important and stable source of revenue. It will not be stable. Ireland and Spain...

Seanad: Finance (Local Property Tax) Bill 2012: Second Stage (19 Dec 2012)

Sean Barrett: The Minister of State has been lobbied by various groups stating it is not. Taxation accounts for 44% of GNP while the OECD average is 41.9%. We might have had a low-tax economy in the past but the property tax is on top of an already heavily taxed population. The myth that we have a low-tax economy should be debunked. It might be nice if one's corporation tax rate is 12.5% but the rest...

Seanad: Equal Status (Amendment) Bill 2012: Second Stage (19 Dec 2012)

Sean Barrett: I agree with Senator Norris is a silly Bill and I wonder what was the gender breakdown of the court that handed down the decision. Why can a woman not be more like a man? I certainly hope women cannot be more like men in the context of road safety, because their record is much better than that of men. O'Neill, Pat. The model that seems to underpin the...

Seanad: Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (19 Dec 2012)

Sean Barrett: The penalties to be imposed on insurance companies are to include imprisonment not exceeding five years and fines of ¤50,000. I do not see the point of criminalising the independent health insurance sector, particularly as we ourselves are in breach of a European Court decision of 29 September 2011. Six years before that date we were invited by the European Commission to regularise the...

Seanad: Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (19 Dec 2012)

Sean Barrett: This is something we should reflect on seriously and we should, perhaps, come back to it on Report Stage. The explanatory memorandum says that section 4 removes the requirement for the Minister before making regulations to present them in draft form to be approved by the Houses of the Oireachtas. This is an important function all parliamentarians should think about. They should think about...

Seanad: Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (19 Dec 2012)

Sean Barrett: That is the result that came in. It is the overwhelming rule of law in Ireland. The Chief Justice and his colleagues ruled against the Government. I gather the first set of damages amounted to ¤4 million and negotiations are taking place as to what the other damages will be for rigging the market. Let us have a debate about old people and who will or will not insure them and address it...

Seanad: Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (19 Dec 2012)

Sean Barrett: I am at a loss to know whether to move this amendment or not, but I wish to do so.

Seanad: Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (19 Dec 2012)

Sean Barrett: We asked for an independent referee and, obviously, the Minister does not want to concede that request, given the record. It is good that Ireland should be compliant with European Union law in these matters and not further bias the market. We have the Milliman report, which has 31 pages of redactions in a total of 67 pages, and it shows repeatedly that the VHI problems are caused largely...

Seanad: Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (19 Dec 2012)

Sean Barrett: Yes. Amendment No. 20-----

Seanad: Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (19 Dec 2012)

Sean Barrett: Amendments Nos. 4 and 5 deal with the appraisals and that they should be conducted by the Central Bank. Amendment No. 20 deals with recruitment of staff to perform certain roles, that they should be qualified in insurance and the qualification should be stipulated by the head of financial regulation at the Central Bank of Ireland. This system is in breach of the European Court and our...

Seanad: Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (19 Dec 2012)

Sean Barrett: I move amendment No. 4: In page 3, before section 2, to insert the following new section: The Central Bank of Ireland shall conduct an annual actuarial analysis of the health insurance market in Ireland with respect to the solvency positions of the various market participants operating within the State.My objective is to ensure the best possible choice of health insurers is made available...

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Dec 2012)

Sean Barrett: Yesterday, I raised the issue of the future of the Church of Ireland College of Education and the concerns expressed to me at meetings which I attended in Armagh on Saturday about the symbolism of abolishing that college at a time when relations between the traditions in Ireland are somewhat fraught. The Leader said he would arrange to have the matter selected for discussion on the...

Seanad: Credit Institutions (Stabilisation) Act 2010: Motion (18 Dec 2012)

Sean Barrett: I welcome the Minister of State. Towards the end of his speech, the Minister of State said the failures of the banking sector almost brought the country to its knees. The word "almost" might be deleted as the banks did a pretty good job in that regard. With regard to the pillar banks, are we creating a future duopoly? Might we have decided to break up the pillar banks? "Too big to fail"...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2012: Second Stage (Resumed) (18 Dec 2012)

Sean Barrett: Among the many important points made by the Minister was the one relating to the increase during the boom era to approximately 16% in the number of people in receipt of disability, invalidity or other illness benefits. It appears in retrospect that in an economy in which there is full employment the welfare economy gains. The Minister is trying to correct this problem through the...

Seanad: Order of Business (18 Dec 2012)

Sean Barrett: I raise concerns expressed to me in Armagh on Saturday about the future of the Church of Ireland College of Education. The symbolism shown by the Government in moving to shut down this college appals me. Anybody who has been to the North of Ireland lately knows the unintended consequences of concerns about flags have led to renewed violence on the streets. This matter was raised on the...

Seanad: Houses of the Oireachtas Commission (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2012: Second Stage (13 Dec 2012)

Sean Barrett: I agree with the previous speakers that the funding is going in the right direction. It was decreased from ¤393 million to ¤360 million and it is now ¤324 million for the period 2013-15. That means that we are in touch with what is going on outside of these Houses. Perhaps the communications unit will communicate that message. There is a lack of coverage and many taxpayers do not know...

Seanad: Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2012: Second Stage (13 Dec 2012)

Sean Barrett: As always, I welcome the Minister. As Senator MacSharry said, he is most assiduous in coming to the Seanad. I support the Minister's goals of abolishing the HSE - in fact, we tried to do it at a quicker pace when the Minister was last in the House - and establishing universal health insurance. However, I have serious misgivings about this Bill. The Bill is based on a couple of fallacies....