Results 2,381-2,400 of 7,604 for speaker:James Bannon

Seanad: Agrifood Sector: Motion. (29 Mar 2006)

James Bannon: —— the attempts of this lame-duck Government to convince by self-praise, by spin, waffle and lies, all calculated to cover what will be the order of the day, weeks and months ahead. The Government has been completely inept in running the agricultural sector, which has suffered from ten years of wilful Government mismanagement. Since this Government took office, an average of seven farmers...

Seanad: Agrifood Sector: Motion. (29 Mar 2006)

James Bannon: What has the Government done to merit this self-praise? It relaunched a report which had been gathering dust on the shelf for the last 15 months. The Taoiseach recently announced, with some fanfare, a blueprint for agriculture beyond 2015, an effort on which the Government is now lavishing inordinate praise. Something needed to be pulled from the hat to cover the large, white elephant the...

Seanad: Agrifood Sector: Motion. (29 Mar 2006)

James Bannon: The Government sat on the report all that time, in spite of major threats to the Irish farming industry. The average Irish farmer lost €3,899 in 2005. The average annual income to each farmer in Ireland——

Seanad: Agrifood Sector: Motion. (29 Mar 2006)

James Bannon: —— is €15,557, which included the single farm payment. When import costs of €15,478, Government stealth taxes and other charges totalling €3,978 are taken into account, farmers are losing over €3,000 per annum. The average farming family is operating at a loss of €75 per week and this has revealed that the crisis in farming is worse now than ever. Farming incomes are lower now...

Seanad: Agrifood Sector: Motion. (29 Mar 2006)

James Bannon: I strongly condemn what the Minister has had the cheek to put before the House this evening, when all agricultural enterprises are on their knees. Shame on Fianna Fáil for the manner in which it has dismantled agriculture in this country.

Seanad: Community Development. (29 Mar 2006)

James Bannon: I thank the Minister of State at the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Deputy Noel Ahern, for taking this matter. I wish to impress on him the need to clarify the position on once-off funding for Kenagh community centre, County Longford, which was built at a cost of €662,000 in a small rural parish of approximately 700 people. They are finding it difficult to pay the...

Seanad: Community Development. (29 Mar 2006)

James Bannon: â'¬10,000.

Seanad: Community Development. (29 Mar 2006)

James Bannon: The GAA gave the site.

Seanad: Community Development. (29 Mar 2006)

James Bannon: The loan is from the banks. Small rural communities need some sort of a centre where young people can congregate. That is lacking in many communities. There should be some grant assistance available towards community centres.

Seanad: Community Development. (29 Mar 2006)

James Bannon: I mentioned the refurbishment works involving the installation of the timer and the provision of tarmacadam outside the centre, which cost in the region of €40,000——

Seanad: Community Development. (29 Mar 2006)

James Bannon: Would the Department's scheme cover that?

Seanad: Community Development. (29 Mar 2006)

James Bannon: I thank the Minister of State.

Seanad: Order of Business. (30 Mar 2006)

James Bannon: When?

Seanad: Order of Business. (30 Mar 2006)

James Bannon: I agree with the acting leader of the Opposition, Senator Finucane, that the health service in this country is in total chaos. Senator Minihan had a drowning man's grip on the PDs and the Tánaiste when he spoke on this issue. The system is still top-heavy with administrators. We have too few doctors, nurses and beds in our hospitals. That is the bottom line and where the problem lies. The...

Seanad: Order of Business. (30 Mar 2006)

James Bannon: On another issue, crime is out of control throughout the country. The Leader knows it is a serious problem in the midlands in particular. What people must put up with in terms of crime in rural Ireland is highlighted daily in national and local newspapers, local radio stations and, yesterday, on national radio stations. Break-ins are an everyday occurrence.

Seanad: Order of Business. (30 Mar 2006)

James Bannon: People are fed up. We were promised 2,000 extra gardaí in the run up to the last election. This has not happened and is why law and order is out of control in rural Ireland.

Seanad: Order of Business. (30 Mar 2006)

James Bannon: The way this Government handles the crime issue is a shame and an indictment on the Government.

Seanad: Order of Business. (30 Mar 2006)

James Bannon: The Government is wrong and creates untruth about this issue day in and day out. The Government has no answers and it should be ashamed of itself.

Seanad: Order of Business. (30 Mar 2006)

James Bannon: All 14,000?

Seanad: Order of Business. (5 Apr 2006)

James Bannon: Coming from the same constituency as Senator Leyden, I was not aware that the Leader was a director of the railway station in Athlone.