Results 13,201-13,220 of 13,339 for speaker:Pat Gallagher

Seanad: Motor Vehicle (Duties and Licences) Bill 2004: Second Stage. (3 Mar 2004)

Pat Gallagher: It is not nonsense. It is a fact.

Seanad: Motor Vehicle (Duties and Licences) Bill 2004: Second Stage. (3 Mar 2004)

Pat Gallagher: I defy anyone in Fine Gael to confirm that the party was in favour of the regionalisation of the country — in other words, positive discrimination for the Border, midlands and west region. We delivered on that with expenditure reaching €2.3 billion. In both the BMW and south east regions, we are wellahead of our projections and profiles. Actual expenditure for the BMW region last year was...

Seanad: Motor Vehicle (Duties and Licences) Bill 2004: Second Stage. (3 Mar 2004)

Pat Gallagher: If we were depending on Senator Bannon's policies, including positive discrimination, there would be very little going into the west. The signage changeover from miles to kilometres is a matter for the Department of Transport, with which we are working closely. All the funding is being ring-fenced. We will see tremendous progress in the coming years. I look forward to the report from the...

Seanad: Motor Vehicle (Duties and Licences) Bill 2004: Second Stage. (3 Mar 2004)

Pat Gallagher: It was, although the Senator may be too young to remember it. I suggest to Senator Brian Hayes that he should not get too involved. I wish to thank everybody who contributed to the debate. I have great respect for Senator Bannon and I know he has to make the case, ach tá an fhírinne searbh agus táimid iontach bródúil as an Rialtas agus an Rialtas roimhe as ucht an fheiste atá curtha ar...

Seanad: Motor Vehicle (Duties and Licences) Bill 2004: Second Stage. (3 Mar 2004)

Pat Gallagher: The origins of this Bill were established with the passing in the Dáil on 25 November last of a financial resolution which essentially amended the Finance (Excise Duties) (Vehicles) Act 1952 and the Finance No. 2 Act 1992 on rates of motor taxation and trade plate licences. The resolution has, however, only a limited life and to continue in effect it needs to be replaced by an Act of the...

Seanad: Grant Payments. (26 Feb 2004)

Pat Gallagher: I am responding on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Noel Dempsey, who is chairing the meeting of EU Education Council in Brussels. I thank the Senator for the opportunity to set out the position of the Department of Education and Science on this issue. Under the terms of the higher education grant scheme administered by the local authorities, generally...

Seanad: European Parliament Elections (Amendment) Bill 2003: Report and Final Stages. (25 Feb 2004)

Pat Gallagher: I reiterate what I said on Committee Stage. The effect of this amendment would be that the temporary derogation for Members of the Oireachtas who stand as candidates in next June's European Parliament elections to hold the dual mandate until the general election to both Houses would not apply. The arrangement negotiated during the 1998 to 2002 discussions allowed for a rolling derogation...

Seanad: European Parliament Elections (Amendment) Bill 2003: Report and Final Stages. (25 Feb 2004)

Pat Gallagher: I thank the Senators for their co-operation in bringing the Bill through the various Stages. I appreciate their interest. They put their amendments down in good faith and I hope they accept that the points I made in response are in the best interests of the House, particularly with regard to the derogation period. I hope I provided good and justifiable reasons for not accepting the...

Seanad: School Transport. (25 Feb 2004)

Pat Gallagher: I thank the Senator for raising this matter as it affords me, on behalf of the Minister for Education and Science, the opportunity of outlining to the House the position regarding school transport to Pallaskenry post-primary centre from the Limerick city catchment area. The school transport scheme was established to cater for children in rural areas who, if living a long distance from school,...

Seanad: European Parliament Elections (Amendment) Bill 2003: Report and Final Stages. (25 Feb 2004)

Pat Gallagher: A Chathaoirligh, I know you have given us very clear guidelines. However, perhaps you will be somewhat tolerant and give me a minute to answer the point. I did not think I would have to take the opportunity to advise Senator Bannon on the different mixes. Voting electronically will differ somewhat from voting with the traditional ballot paper as that method depends on the mix and the...

Seanad: European Parliament Elections (Amendment) Bill 2003: Report and Final Stages. (25 Feb 2004)

Pat Gallagher: Is the Senator speaking to amendment No. 1 or No. 7?

Seanad: European Parliament Elections (Amendment) Bill 2003: Report and Final Stages. (25 Feb 2004)

Pat Gallagher: This amendment would add definitions to section 1 of the Bill. These amendments are unnecessary as the Minister is defined in section 2 of the Electoral Act 1992 and in section 2 of the 1997 Act, which is being amended. The proposed addition of "the Electoral Act 1992" is linked to amendment No. 5. As I indicated last week on Committee Stage when discussing the other amendment, I understand...

Seanad: European Parliament Elections (Amendment) Bill 2003: Report and Final Stages. (25 Feb 2004)

Pat Gallagher: As I said on Committee Stage, this amendment is unnecessary. I refer to the EU directive that defines the requirements in this area. It specifies that resident EU citizens wishing to vote in their member state of residence must certify their nationality, address and any other details as are required on the form. They must do this by way of formal declaration which, if inaccurate, makes the...

Seanad: European Parliament Elections (Amendment) Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (19 Feb 2004)

Pat Gallagher: I will deal first with the contribution of Senator McCarthy regarding section 48. I said, and I still believe, that the Minister has the power to extend the voting system to all the other electoral codes, whether they be local, European or Presidential, by order under section 48 of the Electoral Amendment Act. The matter was raised by Deputy Gilmore, the spokesperson on this issue for Senator...

Seanad: European Parliament Elections (Amendment) Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (19 Feb 2004)

Pat Gallagher: It is wrong to say that the system has not been used. Holland, which has a population of 15 million, has been using the system for years. On the matter of the former Leader of Fine Gael writing to the Taoiseach, the fact of the matter is that the leaflet is in the public domain stating that electronic voting is like one, two, three. I rest my case there. We are not in favour of Internet...

Seanad: European Parliament Elections (Amendment) Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (19 Feb 2004)

Pat Gallagher: The EU directive which sets down the requirements in this area specifies that resident EU citizens wishing to vote in their member states of residence must certify their nationality, address and any other details required. The EU directive states they must do this by way of a formal declaration which, if inaccurate, makes the person concerned liable to penalties in accordance with the new...

Seanad: European Parliament Elections (Amendment) Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (19 Feb 2004)

Pat Gallagher: I take it the Senator is outlining Fine Gael policy. If Senator Bannon takes this view, I presume it is also the view of Senator Higgins, Ms Madeleine Taylor-Quinn and Deputy Coveney. However, the formulation of Fine Gael policy is not a matter for me.

Seanad: European Parliament Elections (Amendment) Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (19 Feb 2004)

Pat Gallagher: If that is the Senator's view, so be it. As I stated last week, the effect of this amendment would be that the temporary derogation for Members of the Oireachtas who stand as candidates in the European Parliament elections next June to hold a dual mandate until the next general election to both Houses would not apply. The derogation negotiated during discussions from 1998 to 2002 allowed for...

Seanad: European Parliament Elections (Amendment) Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (19 Feb 2004)

Pat Gallagher: At that time, 13 of the 15 Members elected had a dual mandate. Many of those Members were returned in June 1981 to serve in Government — a majority of those may have been from the Labour Party but I am simply making a point. While we have come a long way since then, I do not think anybody in this House would suggest that to have Members running for Europe would necessarily destabilise a...

Seanad: European Parliament Elections (Amendment) Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (19 Feb 2004)

Pat Gallagher: I have no information about the commission's recommendations other than what was set out in the report. I am in the same position as every other Member. In preparing the Bill, the Government formed the view that the commission's recommendations constituted a package and that we would accept or reject it in its entirety. We have accepted it, as successive Governments have done since the...