Results 15,261-15,280 of 16,492 for speaker:Ciarán Lynch

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Mar 2009)

Ciarán Lynch: I move amendment No. 7: In page 6, line 2, to delete "60" and substitute "365".

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Mar 2009)

Ciarán Lynch: I move amendment No. 2: In page 3, between lines 28 and 29, to insert the following: "(b) in subsection (1)(b) by inserting the following after subparagraph (ix)— "(x) expenditure incurred in preparing or publishing material on the internet, where the material was published prior to the period during which election expenses are to be calculated under this Act.".". The purpose of this...

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Mar 2009)

Ciarán Lynch: I thank the Minister for his extensive explanation and I thank his officials for taking the time to examine this matter. I realise that a website can be put in place specifically for the election period alone, which could be costed entirely as election expenditure. However, where there are previous press releases or even the loading of current press releases during the duration of a...

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Mar 2009)

Ciarán Lynch: I move amendment No. 3: In page 4, between lines 6 and 7, to insert the following: "and (c) by the insertion of the following subsection after subsection (11): "(12) Where a political party incurs expenses and payments under this section as amended by the Electoral (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 2009 on a local election to which that Act applies and in particular to which Part IIIA of this Act as...

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Mar 2009)

Ciarán Lynch: I have welcomed it.

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Mar 2009)

Ciarán Lynch: The Minister seems to be bringing us all around the House on this matter. He is going from 2009 to 1999 and 1997. We are well aware that when Deputy Howlin was the Minister in 1997 substantial changes were made, which were subsequently diluted and diminished by his successor, the Minister, Deputy Noel Dempsey, when a whole range of provisions that would have facilitated electoral control...

Written Answers — Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Greenhouse Gas Emissions (11 Mar 2009)

Ciarán Lynch: Question 43: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the steps he has taken to deliver the programme for Government commitment to establish a commission on climate change; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10153/09]

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (11 Mar 2009)

Ciarán Lynch: Question 97: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if his attention has been drawn to the decision of the German Constitutional Court to rule out the use of Nedap electronic voting machines similar to those in storage here on the grounds that it should be possible to check election procedures and results in a reliable fashion and without any particular...

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2009: Second Stage (Resumed) (11 Mar 2009)

Ciarán Lynch: The research commissioned by the select committee, which was passed on to the Minister, gave an interesting opinion on the system we have employed to date. It stated that our current system of electoral spending was like inviting two people to participate in a race, with one participant turning up on a bicycle and the other in a sports car. I hope this legislation will change this and move...

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2009: Second Stage (Resumed) (11 Mar 2009)

Ciarán Lynch: It could have. Some candidates have claimed opposing parties have robbed some of their posters and stuck them up after the election, thus attracting fines.

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2009: Second Stage (Resumed) (11 Mar 2009)

Ciarán Lynch: Awful things can happen. I advocate a common sense approach whereby a candidate would be given some indication that a poster is still up. If a candidate receives a telephone call about a poster, it will be taken down that evening. Nobody leaves posters up after an election deliberately. Deputy Michael Higgins is correct that the Minister should refrain completely from placing posters in...

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2009: Second Stage (Resumed) (11 Mar 2009)

Ciarán Lynch: Is that the island of Ireland, or just the Republic of Ireland?

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2009: Second Stage (11 Mar 2009)

Ciarán Lynch: It could be cavalier too.

Private Rented Accommodation. (11 Mar 2009)

Ciarán Lynch: Question 36: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he will amend the Residential Tenancies Act 2004 to prevent licence agreements being used to circumvent the provisions of the Act; if he will undertake an immediate study to establish the extent of potential misuse of such agreements; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10367/09]

Private Rented Accommodation. (11 Mar 2009)

Ciarán Lynch: My question for the Minister of State pertains to landlords' use of sham licences to deprive tenants of their rights and the PRTB of its jurisdiction. While certain renting arrangements fall outside the scope of the Act, some landlords use sham licences to circumvent their responsibilities. One such licensing arrangement which I have brought to the Minister of State's attention is...

Private Rented Accommodation. (11 Mar 2009)

Ciarán Lynch: I certainly will forward such evidence to the Minister of State. He said the notice was posted four years ago. I printed this off at 2.25 p.m. so it is still being advertised as we speak. Is the Minister of State aware of the knock-on consequences of these licence agreements? In Cork city, a tenant cannot obtain a parking permit if the landlord is not registered with the PRTB. Tenants...

Private Rented Accommodation. (11 Mar 2009)

Ciarán Lynch: I take on board the Minister of State's commitment to resolve the issue but is he saying to me he is aware the PRTB has taken action on this? That would contradict the statement he made a couple of minutes ago that the issue has not been brought to his attention. Has it been brought to his attention or not?

Private Rented Accommodation. (11 Mar 2009)

Ciarán Lynch: By the PRTB, not by me.

Private Rented Accommodation. (11 Mar 2009)

Ciarán Lynch: Was the Minister of State made aware of the situation by the PRTB?

Planning Issues. (11 Mar 2009)

Ciarán Lynch: Unquestionably, planning departments in recent years were being crisis driven, such was the volume of applications. It is a fact that the application processes have slowed significantly but there is a culture pertaining from that period affecting local people and residents in terms of access to planning departments. As Deputy Jim O'Keeffe can confirm, at one time the public could not...