Results 11,541-11,560 of 24,571 for speaker:Jerry Buttimer

Seanad: Order of Business (12 Oct 2016)

Jerry Buttimer: Senator Lombard raised the issue of cashflow and working capital and the assistance provided by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. As he rightly said, that is what is required. In response to Senator Gavan, I am on record as saying that the 9% VAT rate is important. In particular, we must continue to attract tourists to this country post-Brexit. It is not about...

Seanad: Seanad Bill 2016: Second Stage (Resumed) (12 Oct 2016)

Jerry Buttimer: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy English, and thank him for his presence today and for his contribution to the debate. I compliment Senator McDowell on putting the Bill before us and thank the former Senators, Mr. Manning and Mr. O'Toole, for their immense work in preparing the report of the working group on Seanad reform. While it is important to recognise that there was a referendum...

Seanad: Rent Certainty (No. 2) Bill 2016: Second Stage (12 Oct 2016)

Jerry Buttimer: I feel like I should not speak at all at this stage given the comedy I heard this afternoon and yesterday. We all take this issue seriously. Where I agree with my colleague-----

Seanad: Rent Certainty (No. 2) Bill 2016: Second Stage (12 Oct 2016)

Jerry Buttimer: What I find comical is the constant prevarication and the back-and-forth nature thereof. If Sinn Féin wants to engage in serious politics, let us come to the middle because that is where-----

Seanad: Rent Certainty (No. 2) Bill 2016: Second Stage (12 Oct 2016)

Jerry Buttimer: I did not interrupt the Senator. That is where we should be.

Seanad: Rent Certainty (No. 2) Bill 2016: Second Stage (12 Oct 2016)

Jerry Buttimer: It is not about trying to score points or opposing everything. We can all come in here and provide heart-wrenching human stories involving people in our communities about which we hear every day. They are not statistics on a quarterly report - they are real people. If Members have not already done so, I ask them to read the action plan on housing and homelessness. It did not happen...

Seanad: Rent Certainty (No. 2) Bill 2016: Second Stage (12 Oct 2016)

Jerry Buttimer: It is called having to make decisions and having to be responsible. People cannot go from Malin to Mizen Head and all points in between giving out about matters.

Seanad: Rent Certainty (No. 2) Bill 2016: Second Stage (12 Oct 2016)

Jerry Buttimer: It is not possible to do that unless a person is prepared to say " I am willing to act when in government."If the Members opposite do, then let us have a proper meaningful talk. I will give the Members opposite some figures. Up to €200 million has been allocated to the local infrastructure housing activation fund to remove infrastructure blockages to larger housing developments and,...

Seanad: Order of Business (11 Oct 2016)

Jerry Buttimer: The Order of Business is No. 1, statements on budget 2017, to be taken at 5 p.m. and to conclude no later than 7 p.m., with the contribution of group spokespersons not to exceed eight minutes and those of all other Senators not to exceed five minutes, and with the Minister or Minister of State to be called upon to reply no later than 6.55 p.m.

Seanad: Order of Business (11 Oct 2016)

Jerry Buttimer: That is not in the budget. The Senator should deal in facts and not spread rumours. There is nothing in the budget about that.

Seanad: Order of Business (11 Oct 2016)

Jerry Buttimer: Nílimid.

Seanad: Order of Business (11 Oct 2016)

Jerry Buttimer: Good man.

Seanad: Order of Business (11 Oct 2016)

Jerry Buttimer: I thank the 21 Senators who predominantly raised the measures in the budget. I will deal with them as best I can and I apologise if I miss some of the points made. I echo the words of Senator Ned O'Sullivan. If one were to listen to the merchants of doom and gloom, we would return to the situation of 2001 and 2011 as opposed to where we are today, where more than 2 million people are at...

Seanad: Order of Business (11 Oct 2016)

Jerry Buttimer: I have.

Seanad: Order of Business (11 Oct 2016)

Jerry Buttimer: This is the first of three budgets under the confidence and supply arrangement with Fianna Fáil. The only party that wanted to go into government was Fine Gael. The Independents joined us.

Seanad: Order of Business (11 Oct 2016)

Jerry Buttimer: Fianna Fáil opted out and Sinn Féin would not do anything.

Seanad: Order of Business (11 Oct 2016)

Jerry Buttimer: The reality is that the only man who wanted to lead a Government was Deputy Enda Kenny, and he has done that.

Seanad: Order of Business (11 Oct 2016)

Jerry Buttimer: The sacrifices -----

Seanad: Order of Business (11 Oct 2016)

Jerry Buttimer: The sacrifices of the people of Ireland along with the political leadership of the last Government and this Government have brought our country to a better place than when we took office. This budget may not be perfect but we are not going back to the days of boom and bloom, to borrow a famous phrase from a former Minister for Finance, former Deputy Ray MacSharry. If one looks at the...

Seanad: Order of Business (11 Oct 2016)

Jerry Buttimer: In its alternative budget, Sinn Féin was proposing €1 billion worth of new taxes.