Results 2,481-2,500 of 25,732 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Seanad: Budget 2013: Statements (5 Dec 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: Hear, hear. Well said.

Seanad: Order of Business (6 Dec 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: Yesterday was an important day. Fianna Fáil disagrees with many items contained in the budget. The Minister of State, Deputy Hayes, was in the House yesterday for statements on the budget. One issue on which there is agreement across the House is the requirement for more time to debate the budget. Many Senators, on all sides, who wished to contribute yesterday were unable to do so.

Seanad: Order of Business (6 Dec 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: It is true. I was here.

Seanad: Order of Business (6 Dec 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: The Leader should arrange a meeting with the Fine Gael and Labour Party Senators to discuss the issue. The reason time is required for further debate is that while the budget was announced yesterday, it was only late last night or early today that people came to understand what it really means. I will give an example. The respite care grant has been cut. This is reminiscent of the cut to...

Seanad: Order of Business (6 Dec 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: Senator Bacik knows that.

Seanad: Order of Business (6 Dec 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: She and all her student friends in Labour Youth were among those who stood with the Minister for Education and Skills, when he was simply Deputy Ruairí Quinn, as he signed a pledge that he would not increase registration fees. He has increased them again. There is something else her Government did although she may not know it. It raised the income threshold for families seeking student grants

Seanad: Order of Business (6 Dec 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: I am trying to inform Senator Bacik what her party did yesterday.

Seanad: Order of Business (6 Dec 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: I reiterate what I said last night. Senator Bacik's party rolled over like the old Labour Party dog it is, and let Fine Gael rub its belly.

Seanad: Order of Business (6 Dec 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: The Labour Party was not even able to push for a 3% increase in the USC for those earning more than ¤100,000, which would have brought in ¤200 million. What did it do instead? It cut child benefit by ¤10----

Seanad: Order of Business (6 Dec 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: That party failed miserably. I am looking for more than a debate. I am tabling an amendment to the Order of Business.

Seanad: Order of Business (6 Dec 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose that the Minister for Social Protection - or social destruction - Deputy Joan Burton come to the House. The reason is that she hid a supplementary budget yesterday.

Seanad: Order of Business (6 Dec 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose that the Minister, Deputy Burton, should come to the House and explain how she, a Labour Party Minister, can stand over the cuts she introduced and also why she found it fit to use budget day to cover up a supplementary budget, an overspend of ¤670 million. We will deal with the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Alan Shatter, in a couple of minutes because he hid further...

Seanad: Order of Business (6 Dec 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: I move that the Minister, Deputy Joan Burton, should come to this House to explain the rationale for cutting the respite care grant and child benefit, to name but two.

Seanad: Order of Business (6 Dec 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: I would like her to explain, as all of us would-----

Seanad: Order of Business (6 Dec 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: I hope Senator Bacik will agree to this amendment because we were promised an open and transparent budgetary process, which we did not get. What did we get? The Minister for Social Protection, who cannot manage her own area, stands over a ¤10 cut to child benefit and cuts to the respite care grant.

Seanad: Order of Business (6 Dec 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: You made Fine Gael do that, did you?

Seanad: Order of Business (6 Dec 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: You pushed the party to do that and grasp its wealthy friends.

Seanad: Order of Business (6 Dec 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: Where did you read that?

Seanad: Order of Business (6 Dec 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: Last year you had the most regressive budget ever and you have followed it with another one.

Seanad: Order of Business (6 Dec 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: You should be ashamed of yourself.