Results 181-200 of 375 for speaker:Margaret Cox

Seanad: Tax Code: Motion. (10 Nov 2004)

Margaret Cox: I find it funny that some Opposition Senators have said that the motion moved by Senator Mansergh is an exercise in back-slapping or self-praise. The motion "urges the Minister for Finance to continue to support a low tax regime". It is obvious that our economy has grown, developed and boomed in recent years because of the low-tax regime. Irish workers, particularly PAYE workers, are taking...

Seanad: Tax Code: Motion. (10 Nov 2004)

Margaret Cox: Our cancer strategy has been highly successful.

Seanad: Tax Code: Motion. (10 Nov 2004)

Margaret Cox: It certainly is.

Seanad: Tax Code: Motion. (10 Nov 2004)

Margaret Cox: We are well on the way to——

Seanad: Tax Code: Motion. (10 Nov 2004)

Margaret Cox: We certainly have regional specialties such as chemotherapy in the two centres with which I am familiar, in the west of Ireland and Cork. Cancer liaison teams are operating effectively in such centres. Radiotherapy will come on stream in the new year, or possibly beforehand. We are seeing an improvement in the health services in many areas. It is not enough, however, and I do not claim that...

Seanad: Tax Code: Motion. (10 Nov 2004)

Margaret Cox: It is to be hoped he will ensure this happens. It would really be something for the money to go back to charity. I draw the Minister's attention to the fact that many charities in this country pay the full 21% rate of non-reclaimable VAT when buying services. For many organisations, that is a substantial additional cost. We must investigate whether there is any other way of proceeding. The...

Seanad: Pension Provisions: Statements. (18 Nov 2004)

Margaret Cox: I welcome the Minister to the House. I am delighted the Leader was able to arrange this debate on pensions in advance of the budget and Estimates. I compliment Senator Terry on many of the points she made regarding the pensions industry. My focus will be on older people. The current pensions system is made up of two components, the social welfare pension and a supplementary pension. As a...

Seanad: Pension Provisions: Statements. (18 Nov 2004)

Margaret Cox: I am sorry. I was talking about SSIAs. It is a particularly important and attractive scheme. It was simple, clear and transparent. Everyone understood that whatever money was saved would be backed by the Government and that tax would only be paid on the interest. A number of weeks ago the Minister said he was considering the impact interest on SSIAs might have on means tests for social...

Seanad: Pension Provisions: Statements. (18 Nov 2004)

Margaret Cox: The Senator never does.

Seanad: Pension Provisions: Statements (Resumed). (18 Nov 2004)

Margaret Cox: We are debating pensions.

Seanad: Pension Provisions: Statements (Resumed). (18 Nov 2004)

Margaret Cox: Let us concentrate on pensions.

Seanad: Pension Provisions: Statements (Resumed). (18 Nov 2004)

Margaret Cox: There are two separate rates, one for the first and second child and a second rate for the third and subsequent children.

Seanad: Order of Business. (30 Nov 2004)

Margaret Cox: BreastCheck, the national breast screening programme, published its annual report for 2003 yesterday. It is a fine report and I would like to compliment all those involved on the information it highlights and the number of women's lives saved because of BreastCheck. However, as regards the west of Ireland, there is a line in the report which states: "Subject to satisfactory completion of...

Seanad: Order of Business. (30 Nov 2004)

Margaret Cox: Senator O'Meara might be happy to wait for that, but I am not. I am quite happy to have a fight here in this Chamber on the matter.

Seanad: Order of Business. (3 Dec 2004)

Margaret Cox: With regard to Senator Henry's comments, a book published a number of years ago listed by name every person killed in Northern Ireland.

Seanad: Order of Business. (3 Dec 2004)

Margaret Cox: It was a remarkable volume of stories about innocent people who lost their lives. Their mothers and fathers, sons and daughters are all across Northern Ireland. It is very difficult for many people in the Republic to understand these people's pain, and difficult for them to understand our hurt at the notion that our unarmed Garda force might not be thought special and that gardaí shot down,...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2004: Second Stage. (15 Dec 2004)

Margaret Cox: I welcome the Minister for Social and Family Affairs, Deputy Brennan, to the House. I will start with the suggestion that Fianna Fáil has adopted a new image and has apparently made a miraculous conversion to giving to the people. In the context of total spending on welfare, which has more than doubled since 1997, it is a joke to make such a suggestion. If the Government had suddenly found...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2004: Second Stage (Resumed). (15 Dec 2004)

Margaret Cox: At 10.30 a.m. tomorrow.

Seanad: Order of Business. (16 Dec 2004)

Margaret Cox: I ask the Leader to arrange a debate in the new year on education. I compliment the Minister for Education and Science on her new initiative under which she is providing funding for all schools to invest in CD players. Music, and culture generally, are important to the education system. Many Departments have lo-call numbers whereby people outside the Pale can phone up for the same rate as a...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2004: Committee and Remaining Stages. (16 Dec 2004)

Margaret Cox: I note Senator Terry has asked this question. The Minister will know from our connections in Galway that the business in which I have been involved for many years is in the area of recruitment of people for jobs. I am personally aware of a number of people who abused the system and gave up jobs in order to go on the live register for a period of six months and benefit from this scheme in the...