Results 7,281-7,300 of 24,329 for speaker:Jerry Buttimer

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Nov 2018)

Jerry Buttimer: I thank the 21 Members of the House for their contributions to the Order of Business. I dtús báire, cuirim fíor fáilte roimh triúr daltaí atá ag obair san idirbhliain. I welcome three transition year students to the House who are here on work experience. They are Senan Ó Ríordáin, who is a nephew of Senator Ó Ríordáin,...

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Nov 2018)

Jerry Buttimer: Here the Senator goes again.

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Nov 2018)

Jerry Buttimer: There he goes again. That is all Senator Gallagher can say.

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Nov 2018)

Jerry Buttimer: What Senator Daly forgot to say was that there has been a 19% increase in the workload of An Bord Pleanála, which is welcome.

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Nov 2018)

Jerry Buttimer: The Fianna Fáil Party should go back and remind itself once more-----

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Nov 2018)

Jerry Buttimer: I am waiting for the old guard to come back again. Fianna Fáil will probably resurrect them again. I heard Bertie Ahern this morning. I see that they are gradually coming back again.

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Nov 2018)

Jerry Buttimer: Let me remind the Members opposite-----

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Nov 2018)

Jerry Buttimer: The problem with amateur historians is they forget that history does not lie. Fianna Fáil was part of the Government that ruined our country in that period. That is a fact, not fake news.

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Nov 2018)

Jerry Buttimer: I am replying to the Senator.

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Nov 2018)

Jerry Buttimer: I agree with Senator Daly that this is a very serious issue. There has been a 19% increase in the workload of An Bord Pleanála. The Minister is committed to providing more resources and engaging on the matter. As the Senator knows well, he has also reformed the board. We all agree that decisions must be made more quickly and we will work toward that. Let us be fair about this,...

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Nov 2018)

Jerry Buttimer: That is incorrect. Some of us who have worked on direct provision, both in this House and the other House, have been working hard with the Minister of State, Deputy Stanton. More than 140 of the recommendations of the McMahon report have been accepted and worked on. I fully concur with Senator Warfield and I also agree with Senator Gavan. We need to move people out of direct provision...

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Nov 2018)

Jerry Buttimer: I am not asking for an adversarial debate because my record, as I think Senator Gavan will agree, is one of promoting and upholding human rights, as is his own.

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Nov 2018)

Jerry Buttimer: Senators Hopkins and Gallagher raised the issue of IDA Ireland visits. I remind both Members that last year the number of jobs created by IDA Ireland increased by 5% in the west and 4% in the Border region. That is to be welcomed. Senator Gallagher will also welcome that Monaghan is the county with the lowest level of youth unemployment in the country.

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Nov 2018)

Jerry Buttimer: I know the Senator does not want to hear good news. It is anathema to him. However, he might do me the courtesy of listening.

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Nov 2018)

Jerry Buttimer: If the Senator will not do me that courtesy, he should do IDA Ireland the courtesy of listening to the facts. First, in 2017, there were 11,169 IDA Ireland jobs in the Border region, which is a 4% increase. That is a fact, not fiction. Second, Monaghan is the county with the lowest level of youth employment in the country. That is also a fact, not fiction.

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Nov 2018)

Jerry Buttimer: If the Senators do not want to have the facts, that is fine and we will not have a debate. They should not, however, come in here criticising when our country has the lowest number of people unemployed ever. We are at full employment.

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Nov 2018)

Jerry Buttimer: I would remind the Senator to go back to Charlie McCreevy's - what was it called? - decentralisation. That worked out well for them, all right.

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Nov 2018)

Jerry Buttimer: I agree with Senator Ned O'Sullivan on one point about Brexit. There is no such thing as a good Brexit; he is 100% right on that. It will have ramifications and repercussions for us as a country, for our relationship with Europe and for our relationship with the UK. We must certainly work to overcome that. Senator Humphreys raised the issue of the licence fee and I will be happy to have...

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Nov 2018)

Jerry Buttimer: Gabh mo leithscéal. It is Hungary. As a member of the EPP, as a Christian Democrat and a Social Democrat, I say there can be no condoning of the mistreatment of people and the denial of human rights. Senator Dolan also made reference to the issue. There is no toleration of the mistreatment of people on this side of the House, ever. The issue of people with disabilities referenced by...

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Nov 2018)

Jerry Buttimer: Perhaps the Senator could go back and look at Venezuela and Colombia and his own party's relationships with people in those parts of the world, if he wants to go down that road. I do not choose to go down that road.