Results 9,321-9,340 of 11,322 for speaker:Colm Burke

Seanad: Order of Business (30 Nov 2016)

Colm Burke: I am concerned when I hear Senator Gavan rising to speak, when on the one hand he is looking for services but on the other seeking an increase in salaries and wages across the board in the public sector. Senator Black raised a very serious issue. If wages and salaries are increased across the board services will suffer. We need to be realistic about our health services where there has been...

Seanad: Presidential Voting Rights: Motion (30 Nov 2016)

Colm Burke: I move amendment No. 1:To delete all words after “That Seanad Éireann” and substitute: “, while recognising the complexities and challenges involved, calls on the Government to expedite its consideration of the recommendations in the Fifth Report of the Convention on the Constitution on giving the right to vote at Presidential elections to citizens resident outside...

Seanad: Presidential Voting Rights: Motion (30 Nov 2016)

Colm Burke: Fianna Fáil was in government for 14 years.

Seanad: Presidential Voting Rights: Motion (30 Nov 2016)

Colm Burke: We need to take some legal advice.

Seanad: Order of Business (29 Nov 2016)

Colm Burke: I agree with Senator Kelleher in respect of the maternity service in Cork. I raised this issue two weeks ago at a meeting of the Committee on Health and looked for some work to be done to resolve the delay in the availability of gynaecological services. My understanding is that there are more than 4,000 women on the waiting list. I also understand that the people in the maternity service...

Seanad: Order of Business (29 Nov 2016)

Colm Burke: That is what I said.

Seanad: Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016: Report and Final Stages (29 Nov 2016)

Colm Burke: I welcome the Minister of State. On the proposal on rent certainty, it is very unwise to tie anything to the rate of inflation. It is fine when the rate is as it is currently, showing very little increase. What if there is a sudden increase of 10% to 12%, which happened in this country previously? Do we then rush in to amend legislation the following day?

Seanad: Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016: Report and Final Stages (29 Nov 2016)

Colm Burke: I did not interrupt the Senator so he should have the courtesy not to interrupt me. Do we rush in to amend legislation to take out this proposed clause? That is why I am totally against it. I agree, however, that we need rent certainty. This has to be planned over a period. Having been involved in the legal profession for over 25 years, I note that a person who is renting a commercial...

Seanad: Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016: Report and Final Stages (29 Nov 2016)

Colm Burke: That is not true.

Seanad: Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016: Report and Final Stages (29 Nov 2016)

Colm Burke: That is not true.

Seanad: Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Bill 2016: Report and Final Stages (29 Nov 2016)

Colm Burke: One would have a worse housing crisis the following day.

Seanad: Order of Business (23 Nov 2016)

Colm Burke: As someone who has been in this House for more than five years, I would say to my colleagues that they should not be disappointed about the way Departments react to Private Members' Bills. To get the Department to agree that the Minister would come into the House to discuss the Bill I had before it two weeks ago, I had to agree that I would not refer the Bill on to Committee Stage. Members...

Seanad: Order of Business (23 Nov 2016)

Colm Burke: It is about banks that want to come into Ireland. There appears to be some resistance from the banking sector here to banks based outside Ireland coming in here. If that story is true, and I am extremely concerned about it, the Minister for Finance should come into the House to clarify that there is not resistance to those jobs being created here. There would be a huge spin-off from the...

Seanad: Order of Business (22 Nov 2016)

Colm Burke: I agree with my colleague, Senator Humphreys, on Senators not being included in the Committee on the Future of Healthcare. It is disappointing that 60 Members of the Oireachtas have been excluded from the process. It is important that we look to the long term of where we are going as a country. The latest employment figures released are extremely significant in that we now have an...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Value for Money Reviews (16 Nov 2016)

Colm Burke: I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I conducted a survey of five local authorities over the summer and received interesting responses. I sought information on what the top ten companies in each local authority area were paying in commercial rates. In the Cork County Council area, the top ten companies were paying €27 million in commercial rates, while in Dublin the figure...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Value for Money Reviews (16 Nov 2016)

Colm Burke: The information about the publication of the report is interesting but there has been no public debate on it and maybe it is time we had one. We could look at how to further improve the services provided by local authorities and what we should be doing for ratepayers. The Minister of State said the total rates for 2014 were €1.325 billion, which is a lot of local taxation. The...

Seanad: Order of Business (16 Nov 2016)

Colm Burke: I enjoy being lectured by Senator Gavan. Yesterday he lectured us on the Spanish Civil War.

Seanad: Order of Business (16 Nov 2016)

Colm Burke: Today he lectured us on the Lansdowne Road agreement. I remind Senator Gavan that it is ordinary taxpayers who must pay for an increase in public sector pay. On the one hand, he cannot argue for increased public sector pay while, on the other hand, call for an increase in the take-home pay of people who work in the private sector.

Seanad: Order of Business (16 Nov 2016)

Colm Burke: No. If one raises the level of money paid to the public sector, then more taxation must be collected. There is no other way to do so. The Government has been fair about public sector pay agreements.

Seanad: Order of Business (16 Nov 2016)

Colm Burke: We need to step back. Ireland is facing major challenges in terms of its exports to the UK. The amount of exports to the UK has decreased so less income is being generated. We need to be careful how we deal with Brexit. We also need to be careful with the words we choose and not give a false sense of hope. Let us remember that public sector workers earn €200 a week more on average...