Results 25,201-25,220 of 29,533 for speaker:Brendan Howlin
- Seanad: Address by Mr. Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission (21 Jun 2018)
Brendan Howlin: A Cheann Comhairle, a Chathaoirligh, Monsieur le Président, I join others in welcoming President Juncker and his colleagues, Mr. Michel Barnier and Commissioner Hogan, to the House for an important interaction at a crucial juncture in our history. I have a mere four minutes to set out a few ideas on behalf of my party, the Labour Party. When the Irish economy collapsed in 2008, our...
- Order of Business (26 Jun 2018)
Brendan Howlin: The Employment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2017 is scheduled for Report Stage today. I am aware that we cannot have a debate about it now, but a very unusual set of rulings was made by the Chair at committee. Virtually every amendment proposed by the Opposition was ruled out of order on the basis of Standing Order 179(3), that is, on the basis that they proposed to impose a charge on...
- Order of Business (26 Jun 2018)
Brendan Howlin: The Group of States against Corruption, GRECO, which is a Council of Europe body, has published a draft report criticising the changes to the judicial appointments system proposed in the Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017. This follows an extraordinary intervention by the presidents of the five Irish courts. They directly contradict the views of the Government that there has been...
- Order of Business (26 Jun 2018)
Brendan Howlin: Despite the concerns of GRECO and the European Commission.
- Ceisteanna - Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (26 Jun 2018)
Brendan Howlin: Two issues will dominate the upcoming European Council meeting and we will have a chance to deal with them tomorrow in statements. Those are the issues of migration and Brexit. We had assumed up to relatively recently that the Brexit issue would be the definitive one. It may well be eclipsed now by migration. On the strong words expressed in this House last week by the President of the...
- Ceisteanna - Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (26 Jun 2018)
Brendan Howlin: No problem.
- Ceisteanna - Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (26 Jun 2018)
Brendan Howlin: That is what happens when socialists are involved.
- Ceisteanna - Questions: National Risk Assessment (26 Jun 2018)
Brendan Howlin: This is a really important matter. One of our problems is that we debate issues such as biodiversity in isolation because they do not run across everything else we do. We do not have joined-up thinking on biodiversity. The national biodiversity action plan, published last year, should have been a wake-up call. It said that 90% of our habitats were in a bad or inadequate position. I refer...
- Commission of Investigation: Motion (26 Jun 2018)
Brendan Howlin: I wish to begin by thanking the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Flanagan, for bringing this motion before the House. I call on the Minister to thank his immediate predecessor, the former Tánaiste, Deputy Fitzgerald, who agreed to do this. As others have said, there are numerous demands for particular forms of inquiry, including commissions of inquiry and tribunals. It is...
- Leaders' Questions (27 Jun 2018)
Brendan Howlin: There are two ways a Government can damage the economy - reckless spending and failure to invest, both of which are ruinous. The doctrine of the Minister for Finance, Deputy Donohoe, has been to circle the wagons around the national finances and to limit debate by not publishing the full range of national statistics. For example, because the Minister has decided to pursue his own so-called...
- Leaders' Questions (27 Jun 2018)
Brendan Howlin: The Taoiseach did exactly what I expected him to do. It is unfortunate. He did not answer the question and embrace the real economic needs of our people. He gave what is now becoming his stock election speech that Fine Gael is prudent and everybody else is profligate. Meanwhile, look at the true economy. The Taoiseach talks about GDP. We can argue about whether GDP is appropriate but...
- Leaders' Questions (27 Jun 2018)
Brendan Howlin: The Taoiseach used the phrase.
- Leaders' Questions (27 Jun 2018)
Brendan Howlin: Even GNI* is-----
- Questions on Promised Legislation (27 Jun 2018)
Brendan Howlin: It is over a year since the Supreme Court ruled that the ban on asylum seekers working was unconstitutional. We understand that the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Flanagan, will today announce new proposals to allow asylum seekers to work. This follows on from the highly restrictive and unworkable procedures introduced by the Government in February. They required a €1,000...
- Questions on Promised Legislation (27 Jun 2018)
Brendan Howlin: Will legislation be required?
- Questions on Promised Legislation (27 Jun 2018)
Brendan Howlin: The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (Gender Pay Gap Information) Bill 2017 passed Second Stage in the Seanad.
- Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Papal Visit (27 Jun 2018)
Brendan Howlin: 3. To ask the Taoiseach the details of the papal visit; and the role of his Department in organising the events for August 2018. [27719/18]
- Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Papal Visit (27 Jun 2018)
Brendan Howlin: I thank the Taoiseach for his reply. He has told us the events management unit of the Office of Public Works, OPW, will manage the Phoenix Park event, which will be the biggest, with 500,000 people. I know from my time in the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform that in advance of the visits of Heads of State, including Queen Elizabeth II and US President Obama, there was a...
- Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Papal Visit (27 Jun 2018)
Brendan Howlin: Did the Taoiseach say "part of" or "apart from"?
- Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Papal Visit (27 Jun 2018)
Brendan Howlin: Is it not 25 more?