Results 241-260 of 405 for speaker:John Ellis

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (18 Feb 2009)

John Ellis: Senator Phelan is right.

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (18 Feb 2009)

John Ellis: Yes, Waterford to Tullow but if we take Mayo as an example, and having to travel from Blacksod to Cong, what is being done is unrealistic. In terms of rural areas, a case will have to be made with regard to the tolerance for membership of the Dáil. We must be fair about it. When the Constitution came into operation in 1937, there were approximately 16,000 people per Member of the Dáil....

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (18 Feb 2009)

John Ellis: ——she is a member of the commission. This issue can be fought on several legal points and it will have to be fought because it is not just something that affects us currently in County Leitrim but something that affects the entire system with regard to freedom of information. That comes into this because there is no way anybody in the Ombudsman's office could have a right to become...

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (18 Feb 2009)

John Ellis: I note the Minister of State's reply. He did not state whether or not he was going to ask his senior colleague to seek clarification from the Attorney General on the position concerning the preparation of the commission report. If we are to progress this further, this clarification must be got. The Members of this House are entitled to get information from the chief law officer, as far as...

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (18 Feb 2009)

John Ellis: The Minister of State said in his reply that we cannot make any change to the commission's recommendations. I accept totally that we do not have that right due to the independent nature of what has been recommended. However, that is not when the crisis arose. The crisis arose at the outset when the commission's terms of reference were not adhered to. The Bill is before the House but it is...

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (18 Feb 2009)

John Ellis: On a point of order the Minister of State quotes the decision of Mr. Justice Budd. However, at that stage the representation ratio was 20,000:1.

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (18 Feb 2009)

John Ellis: The procedure is very simple. The Minister of State made a statement in the House. If the statement is incorrect we should have the right to question it. I am not saying the Minister of State did not provide what was before him, but he did state that the decision of Mr. Justice Budd was taken when the representation ratio was 20,000:1. The ratio is now is 25,000:1 and the judgment is,...

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (18 Feb 2009)

John Ellis: I would have preferred to raise this under section 7 but it had passed. It is very unfair that the Clerks of the two Houses of the Oireachtas and the Ombudsman are on the commission. It should be composed entirely of members of the Judiciary, with somebody who would do the statistics for them. The Judiciary should decide this because there are vested interests. I do not refer to anybody...

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (18 Feb 2009)

John Ellis: Senator Hannigan has a point. Where surpluses are used as part of the vote transfer in a general election, it is up to the returning officer who can select from any bundle and it is not pure proportional representation. I experienced this many moons ago when the bundles from the surplus selected to be gone through were not balanced across the constituency. It is a matter that should be...

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (18 Feb 2009)

John Ellis: The fairest.

Seanad: Seanad Reform: Motion (11 Mar 2009)

John Ellis: I propose to share time with Senator Walsh.

Seanad: Seanad Reform: Motion (11 Mar 2009)

John Ellis: I welcome the opportunity to speak on the subject of Seanad reform. I was first elected to this House in 1977 under the panel system. I returned to it in 2007 as a Taoiseach's nominee. Therefore, I have seen it from both sides. I am strongly of the view that there is room for reform. However, are we talking about real reform or merely reform of the panel system and the other methods of...

Seanad: Seanad Reform: Motion (11 Mar 2009)

John Ellis: I have no gripe with university representation in the Seanad and I would welcome an extension of the franchise. However, if we are to extend it to all third level institutions in the State, we should also consider extending it to institutions in Northern Ireland. Students at those institutions should be allowed to vote if they hold Irish passports, as many of them do. This would be a...

Seanad: Order of Business (24 Mar 2009)

John Ellis: I echo the sentiments of other Senators with regard to the proposed action next Monday, which is totally unnecessary. More deliberation and consultation would lead to a much better result. The proposed action on Monday is an attempt to force the Government's hand prior to the budget which will be introduced in the following week. If we are to have fairness, cuts must be introduced across...

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2009 [Dáil]: Second Stage (24 Mar 2009)

John Ellis: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Haughey, who is here in place of the Minister of State, Deputy Michael Kitt, and the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Gormley. Controls on election spending are long overdue. Abuse of spending at every election and referendum during the past ten years has been rampant. If the posters that some groups put up during...

Seanad: Tourism Industry: Statements (25 Mar 2009)

John Ellis: I move: "That the Minister be allowed to reply to the debate at 4.50 p.m."

Seanad: Tourism Industry: Statements (25 Mar 2009)

John Ellis: I welcome the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism, Deputy Cullen, to the House for this renewed debate on the tourism industry. Recently there has been criticism of the St. Patrick's Day programmes of Ministers when they actually encourage people abroad to note that Ireland is open for business, be it for industry or tourism. It is also an opportunity for Ministers to meet first, second,...

Seanad: Tourism Industry: Statements (25 Mar 2009)

John Ellis: I will not dispute what is the capital of Irish tourism, where all the leprechauns reside or anything of that nature. Everybody accepts that Killarney, as a regional centre, has tremendous facilities. However, the facilities in other centres are equally good but these places are not as well marketed or do not receive the same exposure as Killarney. Some of the promoters and venue owners in...

Seanad: Order of Business (26 Mar 2009)

John Ellis: Senator Norris has stolen an item I intended to raise, namely, the issue of line rental costs. Those costs are a disgrace. A far more serious problem must be discussed in this House regarding the entire telephone system, that is, the lack of investment by Eircom in the network. The system is ready to crash. When Eircom was sold off it was in tip top shape following significant Government...

Seanad: Order of Business (26 Mar 2009)

John Ellis: That was on broadband.