Results 24,101-24,120 of 24,382 for speaker:Seán Barrett

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Flood Prevention Measures (21 Feb 2017)

Seán Barrett: 359. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform when the OPW will carry out works which will strengthen flood resilience and reduce the risk of flooding in view of the updated models for the Carysfort-Maretimo catchment regarding flood resilience, using an enhanced hydraulic model; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8312/17]

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Joint Sitting with Joint Committee on European Union Affairs
First Vice-President of the European Commission, Mr. Frans Timmermans: Discussion (21 Feb 2017)

Seán Barrett: I welcome Mr. Timmermans. It is very sad for us to lose a member state. There is no great delight in my heart about losing the UK from the family of the European Union. The warning bells are ringing loud and clear. We would be foolish to bury our heads and pretend that others are not thinking the same way.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Joint Sitting with Joint Committee on European Union Affairs
First Vice-President of the European Commission, Mr. Frans Timmermans: Discussion (21 Feb 2017)

Seán Barrett: It does not matter. It has been said and I think it is because we have lost our way. What do we mean by the European Union and the family of European countries? I was first elected in 1974, a year after we joined the then Common Market. The sense of joy at feeling Irish and European was great. There was great excitement. There was a sense of pride when we held the Presidency, a sense...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Joint Sitting with Joint Committee on European Union Affairs
First Vice-President of the European Commission, Mr. Frans Timmermans: Discussion (21 Feb 2017)

Seán Barrett: We have 13 members of the Parliament. We are stuck out here in the Atlantic. Our near neighbour is gone. It is a great tragedy. Let us think of where we are going and reconsider this huge structure. Individual member states want to run their own affairs but share responsibility with colleagues in Europe. It is sad to see what is happening. I hope we do not see any other members leaving.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Review of the Capital Plan: Transport Infrastructure Ireland (22 Mar 2017)

Seán Barrett: I apologise for being late. I was at another meeting next door. We live in a small country in which many roads have been built. That is welcome. The journey time to Galway is now, by and large, two hours if one gets out on to the motorway system. The journey to Cork is two and half hours. The problem has been the linking of public transport to the road network to make it more...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Review of the Capital Plan: Transport Infrastructure Ireland (22 Mar 2017)

Seán Barrett: I do not want to delay proceedings by getting into a philosophical discussion. We cannot have it every way. We must be prepared to subsidise a public transport system in order to achieve other things that are far more important in terms of quality of life. I refer, for example, to relieving the burden of heavy borrowings on young people, ensuring higher wages, etc. There is an idea that...

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Review of the Capital Plan: Transport Infrastructure Ireland (22 Mar 2017)

Seán Barrett: That is incredible. This is the sort of thinking that I am totally in favour of. We should do it now rather than leave it for five or ten years.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Review of the Capital Plan: Transport Infrastructure Ireland (22 Mar 2017)

Seán Barrett: The committee should ask the clerk to ensure we come back to this issue as part of the overall package.

Select Committee on Health: Misuse of Drugs (Supervised Injecting Facilities) Bill 2017: Committee Stage (22 Mar 2017)

Seán Barrett: Unfortunately, I was ill for the debate on Second Stage. That is why I wanted to make some points on Committee Stage. I appreciate what the Minister of State is trying to do here, but this is dangerous territory for the State to be involved. This is not about outside agencies. This is about the State doing something that allows for illegal drugs to be brought into premises under the...

Select Committee on Health: Misuse of Drugs (Supervised Injecting Facilities) Bill 2017: Committee Stage (22 Mar 2017)

Seán Barrett: She was having a conversation with her officials.

Select Committee on Health: Misuse of Drugs (Supervised Injecting Facilities) Bill 2017: Committee Stage (22 Mar 2017)

Seán Barrett: We are asking people to support legislation which allows people to bring drugs bought illegally into premises - it could be literally outside the door of these premises - under certain circumstances with no obligation that the person using the drugs inside engage in any form of rehabilitation. In most other similar legislation, we spend most of our time helping people caught up in the...

Select Committee on Health: Misuse of Drugs (Supervised Injecting Facilities) Bill 2017: Committee Stage (22 Mar 2017)

Seán Barrett: I am not suggesting they do not matter.

Select Committee on Health: Misuse of Drugs (Supervised Injecting Facilities) Bill 2017: Committee Stage (22 Mar 2017)

Seán Barrett: I know all that.

Select Committee on Health: Misuse of Drugs (Supervised Injecting Facilities) Bill 2017: Committee Stage (22 Mar 2017)

Seán Barrett: The legislation proposes-----

Select Committee on Health: Misuse of Drugs (Supervised Injecting Facilities) Bill 2017: Committee Stage (22 Mar 2017)

Seán Barrett: With the greatest respect------

Select Committee on Health: Misuse of Drugs (Supervised Injecting Facilities) Bill 2017: Committee Stage (22 Mar 2017)

Seán Barrett: I just want to make the point. She is missing the point I am making.

Select Committee on Health: Misuse of Drugs (Supervised Injecting Facilities) Bill 2017: Committee Stage (22 Mar 2017)

Seán Barrett: I am just talking about legislation that we as legislators are being asked to approve.

Select Committee on Health: Misuse of Drugs (Supervised Injecting Facilities) Bill 2017: Committee Stage (22 Mar 2017)

Seán Barrett: I do not know if I was deliberately misunderstood or not but this emotional stuff trotted out to me, as if I am some sort of a bad boy by being opposed to help being given to people who are unfortunate enough to be caught up in this drug situation, is far from what I said. I do not have a problem with the legislation. I have a problem with what is not in it. There is no question here of...

Select Committee on Health: Misuse of Drugs (Supervised Injecting Facilities) Bill 2017: Committee Stage (22 Mar 2017)

Seán Barrett: It is not me. We are lawmakers. When passing laws, we must ensure they stand up to scrutiny and we have to be able answer people. There are two questions I posed. It is a real problem and we cannot hive it off by becoming emotional about the unfortunate people in question. The main problem concerns where these people are going to buy the drugs. These are illegal drugs being brought into...

Select Committee on Health: Misuse of Drugs (Supervised Injecting Facilities) Bill 2017: Committee Stage (22 Mar 2017)

Seán Barrett: I was asking the Minister whether she would consider the points I am making, which refer to real problems. At the very least, we should provide that the legislation can be reviewed. I am not asking that we throw out every provision in this legislation and I am not trying to be unsympathetic to those with a drugs problem but, as a legislator, I am trying to produce legislation that will...