Results 2,221-2,240 of 4,465 for speaker:Jim Walsh

Seanad: Order of Business (29 Jun 2011)

Jim Walsh: The Senator said it was not ideal

Seanad: Order of Business (29 Jun 2011)

Jim Walsh: Saying it is far from ideal is very different from saying it is deplorable.

Seanad: Order of Business (29 Jun 2011)

Jim Walsh: I support the call made by Senator Darragh O'Brien for a change to the Order of Business. It is regrettable that at such an early stage in the Government's life it should take this House for granted. There is an opportunity for Members of the House to stand together to show its independence of the Executive. Any Bill, particularly one dealing with the Department of Finance, given its...

Seanad: Order of Business (29 Jun 2011)

Jim Walsh: I do. Will the Leader arrange for a Minister to come to the House for a discussion on the matter, given that the rates of pay for top executives in the public sector will not exceed €4,000 per week? Will the Minister consider imposing a maximum fee charge on barristers of €800 per day? This needs to be done. Unfortunately, politicians and the public apparatus seem to be totally...

Seanad: Order of Business (29 Jun 2011)

Jim Walsh: Why?

Seanad: Order of Business (29 Jun 2011)

Jim Walsh: On a point of order, will the Leader indicate who sets the business of this House? Is it the House or some external Department or Minister who sets it?

Seanad: Order of Business (29 Jun 2011)

Jim Walsh: That is an argument for extending the time available to debate the Bill.

Seanad: Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Bill 2011: Second Stage (29 Jun 2011)

Jim Walsh: I would like to share two minutes of my time with Senator Cullinane.

Seanad: Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Bill 2011: Second Stage (29 Jun 2011)

Jim Walsh: I welcome the Minister to the House and congratulate him on his appointment. We served together in the past.

Seanad: Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Bill 2011: Second Stage (29 Jun 2011)

Jim Walsh: I am conscious that he has the intellectual capacity to undertake the task he has been given.

Seanad: Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Bill 2011: Second Stage (29 Jun 2011)

Jim Walsh: That is not acceptable. We should be allowed to at least finish this element of it. It will only run over for a couple of minutes.

Seanad: Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Bill 2011: Second Stage (29 Jun 2011)

Jim Walsh: I welcome the initiative the Minister took in recent days in the area of pay in the public service and also in the semi-State sector. More important than pay is the quality and leadership skills of people in these senior positions. The NTMA, since it was established under the leadership of former Minister for Finance, Mr. Ray MacSharry, and former Taoiseach, the late Mr. Charles Haughey,...

Seanad: Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Bill 2011: Second Stage (29 Jun 2011)

Jim Walsh: I advise the Minister to take as much external advice as he possibly can garner. Last year when the budget was published and the figures and prognosis were predicated on a 2.75% GDP growth rate this year, I stated that we would be fortunate to get anywhere near half of it. From speaking to the Minister, I am aware that he expects growth of 2.5% next year. Budgets should be based on a...

Seanad: Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Bill 2011: Second Stage (29 Jun 2011)

Jim Walsh: I suggest Mr. Michael O'Leary.

Seanad: Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (29 Jun 2011)

Jim Walsh: Where does the Bill say that?

Seanad: Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (29 Jun 2011)

Jim Walsh: The general sentiment in the Seanad is a welcome of the principle of the Bill, which is to create greater focus on public expenditure. There has not been at any time a great record of control of public expenditure. Those who were around in the 1980s will recall the Government, led by the late Taoiseach, Dr. Garret FitzGerald, failed to arrest public expenditure resulting in the country...

Seanad: Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (29 Jun 2011)

Jim Walsh: What we are trying to do is ensure that this legislation achieves not alone what we want it to achieve but what the public are crying out for it to achieve. If we fail to do that, the consequences will be horrendous. This year, we will borrow €18 billion to meet the deficit which children of future generations will be saddled with paying. If this legislation is not about achieving a...

Seanad: Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (29 Jun 2011)

Jim Walsh: I am discussing the amendment, which is about setting targets. I am dealing with targets on privatisation, Jody. With regard to the issue of privatisation, a speaker referred to the dysfunctionality of the public service. Within recent days, staff at the Passport Office have been too busy to answer telephones due to a backlog. "Please call again" is the request. This has gone on for days...

Seanad: Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (29 Jun 2011)

Jim Walsh: On a point of order, I apologise for doing that and I do not usually do it. However, it annoys me extremely when I hear whoever is in the Chair being prompted by an official. That is not the job of an official.

Seanad: Order of Business (30 Jun 2011)

Jim Walsh: I second Senator Daly's amendment to the Order of Business on the introduction of the NAMA transparency legislation. I support the call by Senators Quinn and Ó Murchú on the introduction of the 116000 hotline number. We have been dilatory in introducing that. The European Commission provided for the introduction of that number for all European states in 2007. A great number of children,...