Results 2,701-2,720 of 4,465 for speaker:Jim Walsh

Seanad: Criminal Justice (Withholding of Information on Offences Against Children and Vulnerable Persons) Bill 2012: Second Stage (Resumed) (10 May 2012)

Jim Walsh: I welcome the Minister to the House and I welcome the Second Stage debate on this Bill. I welcome it because as I have said before in the House, I am concerned about the distortion that is taking place on human rights. In places like the UN and in other international fora, it is no longer about human rights, but adult rights. This will help balance the situation in favour of children, and...

Seanad: Order of Business (15 May 2012)

Jim Walsh: I want to add my voice to the chorus of calls for the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform to come to the House to debate the important topic that is his responsibility. There are good budgetary reasons for doing this. We are now half way between the last budget and the next, which will be particularly difficult. The soft options are gone, given the failure to tackle the real issues...

Seanad: Mortgage Arrears: Statements, Questions and Answers (15 May 2012)

Jim Walsh: I welcome what the Minister of State has said. I do not in any way deny his commitment to resolving this very complex and difficult situation. We do not have time to prevaricate. I hear anecdotally that some people - to what extent I am not sure - because of an expectation that something will be done are trying to position themselves to avail of it. This needs to be watched and checked....

Seanad: Mortgage Arrears: Statements, Questions and Answers (15 May 2012)

Jim Walsh: Will the likely fall-out and impact on the banks be in the report?

Seanad: Order of Business (16 May 2012)

Jim Walsh: The Joint Committee on Communications, Natural Resources and Agriculture is at present meeting representatives from the BAI and RTE regarding the report on the Fr. Reynolds case. I offer my apologies to the Deputy Leader because I will be going to that meeting as soon as I have finished speaking. I call for a debate on the report. On Monday the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly...

Seanad: Order of Business (16 May 2012)

Jim Walsh: ----- social issues and religion. The BAI report reminded us that section 39(1) of the Broadcasting Act 2009 requires broadcaster to ensure: the broadcast treatment of current affairs, including matters which are either of public controversy or the subject of current public debate, is fair to all interests concerned and that the broadcast matter is presented in an objective and impartial...

Seanad: Order of Business (16 May 2012)

Jim Walsh: I am asking for a specific debate on our national broadcaster, which has specific responsibilities and which is funded by the hard-pressed taxpayers of this country. We should expect better and we should get better.

Seanad: Order of Business (17 May 2012)

Jim Walsh: Given the day that it is that is in it, I join Senators Coghlan and Norris in condemning homophobic bullying. We are all aware of the consequences of bullying and, in the case of the gay community, it poses tremendous difficulties for people, particularly at a time when they are trying to come to terms with their sexual orientation. It is very difficult. We should condemn it across the...

Seanad: Order of Business (17 May 2012)

Jim Walsh: Senator Norris exemplifies the attitude of some of those in the gay community.

Seanad: Order of Business (17 May 2012)

Jim Walsh: GLEN is very professional. When talking about civil partnership, I ask for a full debate about gay marriage, which was raised in the House because of President Obama's comments. An interesting article in The Irish Times made a case opposing gay marriage by someone who is part of the gay community. I would like to see a debate on that and the ramifications for society and children. Given...

Seanad: Order of Business (17 May 2012)

Jim Walsh: It was without debate.

Seanad: Order of Business (17 May 2012)

Jim Walsh: That motion was without debate.

Seanad: Order of Business (23 May 2012)

Jim Walsh: Will the Deputy Leader arrange for the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform - public service reform is a misnomer - to come to the House for a debate on jobs for the boys? I do not only refer to public service retirees on good pensions being re-employed at high salary rates, which is a scandal, but also to the various party hacks who have been employed by Ministers on enhanced...

Seanad: Order of Business (23 May 2012)

Jim Walsh: Yes, absolutely. Not to be outdone, the Labour Party could not keep its snout out of the trough, with the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade appointing the party's former director of policy on a salary of €155,000. My concern is that this contagion has spread to the Office of the President. An adviser, whose salary was to be designated at €80,000, has had it increased...

Seanad: Order of Business (23 May 2012)

Jim Walsh: I am not debating the Presidency-----

Seanad: Order of Business (23 May 2012)

Jim Walsh: I am debating the appointment of a person who got €23,000 more than the designated salary for the post and this was sanctioned by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform.

Seanad: Order of Business (23 May 2012)

Jim Walsh: At the same time, Ministers are cutting social welfare and dealing with the unemployed who cannot get jobs and they are not bringing forward the necessary legislation to extricate people from the severe financial difficulties they face because of the pressure of their mortgages. However, there is no difficulty in dealing promptly with what is an absolute scandal. I appeal to Government...

Seanad: National Lottery: Motion (23 May 2012)

Jim Walsh: I commend Senators O'Donnell and Mary Ann O'Brien on tabling this motion. They made much sense in what they said about the national lottery. The debate can be divided into two categories - the public service ethos and the business ethos. I am not criticising the Minister for it because he comes from a public service background and is advised by people in the public service, but his speech...

Seanad: National Lottery: Motion (23 May 2012)

Jim Walsh: Figures of between €400 and €600 million have been expressed. Most business people will look for an internal rate of return of between 20% and 30%. In this case, they may settle for somewhat less than that but there will still be a significant double digit rate of return. Those sums could be used more prudently by the State. Selling off that profit to a private operator shows a...

Seanad: National Lottery: Motion (23 May 2012)

Jim Walsh: Will it be used to fund such expenditure? It is symptomatic of the Minister's failure to tackle the structural fiscal problems. It is like the budget. We cut capital expenditure which would have resulted in the creation of jobs in the short term and improved infrastructure and increased competitiveness in the long term. The increased VAT rates have affected the retail trade. The...