Results 21-40 of 190 for speaker:Mark Dearey

Seanad: Croke Park Agreement: Statements (15 Dec 2010)

Mark Dearey: I remember the dark days of winter 2009 when discussions on the 12 days unpaid leave and so on broke down. The level of ill-will and distrust that existed at that time among those who had been negotiating with the Government and who thought they had an arrangement with it was palpable and it did not promise much success for the new year. I was absolutely delighted when I watched the process...

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Dec 2010)

Mark Dearey: I wish to record my abhorrence at the latest revelation about bonus payments. I commend Senator Coffey for his efforts in trying to get to the bottom of why such bonuses will be paid to people who are, after all, in the public service. The notion of a bonus payment being provided in the public service seems to me to be a dreadful contradiction, a kind of thinking that may have its place in...

Seanad: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Bill 2010: Second Stage (Resumed) (14 Dec 2010)

Mark Dearey: In regard to the national minimum wage, I believe in the concept of creating a social floor below which people's incomes should not drop. However, that view is not shared in the labour market throughout Europe. It is surprising to note the countries in which a national minimum wage does not apply. Sweden which has a reputation of being socially progressive has not introduced a national...

Seanad: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Bill 2010: Second Stage (Resumed) (14 Dec 2010)

Mark Dearey: It predicts growth in job creation in the medium term.

Seanad: Crime Prevention (14 Dec 2010)

Mark Dearey: I raise the necessity for proof of identity to be provided when people engage in an exchange of gold for cash. As the Minister of State will know, this phenomenon is growing in towns and cities. One sees freestanding units in shopping centres to which people can go to a person equipped with a weighing scales to have gold assessed, following which an exchange of money takes place. The...

Seanad: Crime Prevention (14 Dec 2010)

Mark Dearey: That is a full answer, for which I thank the Minister of State and the Minister for Justice and Law Reform. In particular, it is welcome that the Minister has formally asked the Garda Commissioner to give his views on a very wide range of issues, including whether organised crime is involved in running some of the cash for gold outlets. That is an interesting angle. I imagine it is...

Seanad: Crime Prevention (14 Dec 2010)

Mark Dearey: I merely wish to thank the Minister of State. I do not have a supplementary question to pose, but I look forward to the Commissioner's report to the Minister and the Minister, in turn, letting us know what he envisages doing.

Seanad: EU-IMF Programme for Ireland: Statements (2 Dec 2010)

Mark Dearey: It is extraordinary that the House is discussing the merits and shortcomings of an EU-IMF programme of financial support for Ireland. What has happened is my worst nightmare. Last Saturday in Drogheda, I addressed a group of young people from Ireland and Africa at a development perspectives event. They were anxious to know how this country arrived at its current position. I found myself...

Seanad: Tributes to Member of Staff (2 Dec 2010)

Mark Dearey: On behalf of the Green Party, I wish to be associated with all of the previous remarks. I wish Shay Byrne every happiness in his retirement. I am sure his family will be pleased to see more of him and have no doubt his quiet presence will enhance his family's home life. I thank all of the ushers for the manner in which they have ushered me into the life of the Houses. While it has been a...

Seanad: Order of Business (1 Dec 2010)

Mark Dearey: Some time ago I asked the Leader if the Minister for Justice and Law Reform could provide us with an assessment of the so-called dissident threat on this island. Last night's interception of a viable mortar on the northbound carriageway of the M1 outside Dundalk brings to attention again the activity of these people as they essentially attempt to challenge and undermine the basic precepts of...

Seanad: Order of Business (1 Dec 2010)

Mark Dearey: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Order of Business (1 Dec 2010)

Mark Dearey: The Minister did not introduce the term. The Opposition raised it.

Seanad: Order of Business (25 Nov 2010)

Mark Dearey: On an important point of information, the €85 billion is a single figure that covers both borrowing for current expenditure and the banks. Some €40 billion of it will go towards covering the current spending deficit, as I understand it.

Seanad: Order of Business (25 Nov 2010)

Mark Dearey: I am sure.

Seanad: Order of Business (25 Nov 2010)

Mark Dearey: If Senator Healy Eames checks with the Members around her, they can confirm it. I raised the matter yesterday, to which I would appreciate a response while understanding why it was not possible to get one in the context of yesterday's debate, about the need to inject greater expertise into the dealings of the Oireachtas and the public service, generally. I proposed that a partial list...

Seanad: Order of Business (24 Nov 2010)

Mark Dearey: I would like to expand on some of the remarks ventilated in the past few minutes in regard, in particular, to the role of politics. The rush to appoint a business leader to sort us out reflects a yearning for two things - decisiveness and expertise - but should there ever be such a move, we would be throwing the baby out with the bath water because not only do we need decisiveness and...

Seanad: Special Educational Needs (18 Nov 2010)

Mark Dearey: The other night I attended a meeting organised by the Down's Syndrome Centre which highlighted an issue of which I had been aware, although I had not fully appreciated the hurt it was causing. An educational assessment for a child suffering from Down's syndrome is provided at around the age of six years and assessments fall into four categories, "mild", "moderate", "severe" and "profound"....

Seanad: Special Educational Needs (18 Nov 2010)

Mark Dearey: My question focused on section 7 of the 1998 Act to which the Minister of State's response did not refer. Consequently, I consider that my question remains outstanding although a number of issues were touched upon by the Minister of State, for which I thank him. I recognise that the Government has provided for an expansion in special education support needs. A particular emphasis has been...

Seanad: Order of Business (18 Nov 2010)

Mark Dearey: I also welcome the clarity of thought and expression from the Governor of the Central Bank this morning. It was a model of communication which will help all of us to move forward. I call for a debate on the future of semi-State companies. I do this in the context of the conditions that might attach to any loan or bailout. Not only is the corporation tax rate issue central to our...

Seanad: Value-Added Tax Consolidation Bill 2010: Fifth Stage. (18 Nov 2010)

Mark Dearey: I welcome the Minister of State and thank him for bringing this Bill to the House. I understand the amount of work that must be involved in the consolidation of any range of Acts. This legislation is based on the model that was used in the cases of the Stamp Duties Consolidation Act 1999 and the Capital Acquisitions Tax Consolidation Act 2003. This road has been travelled before. I can...