Results 2,181-2,200 of 7,082 for speaker:John Paul Phelan
- Seanad: Small and Medium Enterprises: Motion (20 Oct 2010)
John Paul Phelan: I move: That Seanad Eireann: - notes with concern that 1,132 businesses have been declared insolvent since the start of the year; - notes that the rate of business insolvency is higher so far in 2010 than for the same period in 2009 and 2008 despite assurances that the economy was turning a corner; - notes with concern that small business are still having difficulty accessing credit...
- Seanad: Small and Medium Enterprises: Motion (20 Oct 2010)
John Paul Phelan: Yes, international.
- Seanad: Small and Medium Enterprises: Motion (20 Oct 2010)
John Paul Phelan: Senator Butler could take three minutes.
- Seanad: Small and Medium Enterprises: Motion (20 Oct 2010)
John Paul Phelan: I thank the Minister of State for his comments on my proposals. No copy of his speech was circulated, which is unusual. The sentiments expressed in the Government amendment are not very different from those expressed by Fine Gael in the original motion. The Minister of State spoke about how the Government's endeavours are not aimed at any particular sector or group within the economy. We...
- Seanad: Small and Medium Enterprises: Motion (20 Oct 2010)
John Paul Phelan: I have just come from a meeting where we discussed figures contained in an ESRI report which clearly indicate that the worst is far from over. The number of small businesses that closed in the last nine months compared with last year and the previous year has risen. This clearly indicates that the worst is far from over. It is important to set targets. I reject the Minister of State's...
- Seanad: Order of Business (27 Oct 2010)
John Paul Phelan: I echo the sentiments expressed by many of the previous speakers and Senator Mullen put the matter very well. There is a paradox as regards the thousands who face enormous levels of personal debt - that is the great difference between what is happening in the current recession and what happened in the 1980s - and the figures expounded by Senator O'Toole and others which indicate that there...
- Seanad: Order of Business (27 Oct 2010)
John Paul Phelan: Christmas is coming too and the White Paper has not yet appeared. However, it could be a white Christmas. In the light of the significant reforms to be introduced in how public services are delivered and given that we discussed recently the reform of the VEC sector in the delivery of local services, many services are being delivered by central government that should be and are throughout...
- Seanad: Food Harvest 2020 Report: Statements (27 Oct 2010)
John Paul Phelan: I will start on a note of agreement with Senator à Brolcháin. He made correct points about the potential in Ireland for food tourism and developing our unique brands. He mentioned Italy as a good example. There has been an underground movement in the past few years to try to promote Ireland as a food destination, which does not appear to have received much support from the Department....
- Seanad: Food Harvest 2020 Report: Statements (27 Oct 2010)
John Paul Phelan: We must protect this money in rural areas, but I am not satisfied the Government is doing enough in that regard. As I said, approximately 20% of jobs outside Dublin are in the agriculture sector, yet agriculture accounts for less than 1% of the overall Government budget. Two years ago, when we had two or three budgets in one year, the agriculture budget was slashed through the suspension of...
- Seanad: Diabetes Treatment and Management: Motion. (27 Oct 2010)
John Paul Phelan: When is it proposed to sit again?
- Seanad: Hospital Services (27 Oct 2010)
John Paul Phelan: Does Senator Cummins wish to ask a question?
- Seanad: Hospital Services (27 Oct 2010)
John Paul Phelan: Senator Cummins should pose questions to the Minister of State.
- Seanad: Macro-Economic and Fiscal Outlook: Statements (28 Oct 2010)
John Paul Phelan: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Calleary. Not much has been said either by Government or Opposition Senators that I disagree with and I do not have much by way of original thought because much of what I intend to say has been said already. Nevertheless, I will air my views. Earlier, Senator Regan remarked about the need to reform the way the budget is carried out every year and I...
- Seanad: Order of Business (2 Nov 2010)
John Paul Phelan: I refer to media comments over the weekend about third level registration fees. The Green Party has prided itself for some time on being the party of education in government. We are led to believe it is not willing to support an increase in the registration fee to â¬3,000 but that it is willing to support an increase to â¬2,500. I ask the Deputy Leader to state whether this is correct....
- Seanad: Order of Business (16 Nov 2010)
John Paul Phelan: We are.
- Seanad: Order of Business (16 Nov 2010)
John Paul Phelan: What nonsense.
- Seanad: Order of Business (16 Nov 2010)
John Paul Phelan: It was brought on by your banks.
- Seanad: Order of Business (16 Nov 2010)
John Paul Phelan: I intended to speak on the banking crisis and the economy but Senator Donohoe anticipated my remarks. There is a terrible sense of fear among the public. Last night I attended a political meeting at which questions were raised about the safety of bank deposits. People are concerned about their children's future and keeping a roof over their heads. As previous speakers have noted, the...
- Seanad: Chemicals (Amendment) Bill 2010: Second Stage (16 Nov 2010)
John Paul Phelan: No more than the Minister of State I suspect, I am not an expert on the chemicals industry as such. However, its contribution to the economy is highly significant as it is worth almost 60% of our overall exports figure for goods each year. Members all are familiar with the significant role that many pharmaceutical companies in particular play in sustaining employment nationwide and as such...
- Seanad: Communications Regulation (Postal Services) Bill 2010: Second Stage (24 Nov 2010)
John Paul Phelan: I thank Senator Bradford and Senator Buttimer for sharing their time. I want to put on the record some points about this legislation. In the past ten years we have seen a decimation in many rural areas of the service provided by rural post offices because many of them have closed. I know that from personal experience. My cousins ran the local post office, Phelan's post office in...