Results 261-280 of 3,550 for speaker:Dominic Hannigan

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Oct 2008)

Dominic Hannigan: It is not often I defend the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Gormley, but it is unfair to criticise him on the issue of one-off housing in rural areas. Many of us come from rural areas and are aware of the pressures young families face in trying to get planning permission for one-off homes. Some parts of Ireland are suffering from rural depopulation. As...

Seanad: Volunteering in Irish Society: Statements (14 Oct 2008)

Dominic Hannigan: I am pleased to have the opportunity to discuss this subject and I welcome the Minister of State to the House. As the Labour Party's Seanad spokesperson on community affairs, I am aware of the real and positive benefits of volunteerism to the community. I have also done some voluntary work at home and overseas, which has given me a perspective on the benefits of volunteerism. Our country...

Seanad: Order of Business (16 Oct 2008)

Dominic Hannigan: I reiterate that we want the Minister for Finance in the House tomorrow. He was kind enough to attend the all-night debate a few weeks ago and it is only fair that he comes to the House tomorrow to discuss the scheme. Having spoken to my colleagues, we are happy to do our bit and be in the House until whatever time it takes tomorrow night and come back Saturday, if needed, but we need to...

Seanad: Order of Business (16 Oct 2008)

Dominic Hannigan: We have a limit.

Seanad: Report on EU Climate-Energy Package: Statements (16 Oct 2008)

Dominic Hannigan: I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I also welcome broadly the publication of the scrutiny report which contains many useful recommendations. I agree with the committee's recommendation that we lend our support to the policy framework proposed in the document. Over the past six months, every country has been affected by a period of sustained financial turmoil as the global economy...

Seanad: Report on EU Climate-Energy Package: Statements (16 Oct 2008)

Dominic Hannigan: I thank the Cathaoirleach for that clarification. We are close to the tipping point and we will not use climate change as a political football. We need fresh thinking across a range of ideas, including nuclear power. There are people in all parties who would welcome an open debate on this subject. We need urgency in our consideration of all options. We have no oil or coal of our own, but...

Seanad: Credit Institutions (Financial Support) Act 2008: Motion (17 Oct 2008)

Dominic Hannigan: I am glad the Minister of State is present because we have awaited this scheme for a while. However, the scheme and its clauses are disappointing. Like the previous speakers, I would like the board representation increased to a minimum of two people. The Labour Party believes they should be representative of the people who are bailing out the banks. We would like a taxpayer's...

Seanad: Order of Business (22 Oct 2008)

Dominic Hannigan: Fianna Fáil will not make the same mistake again.

Seanad: Order of Business (22 Oct 2008)

Dominic Hannigan: A clear example of how out of touch some members of the Government parties are is Senator Feeney's comments earlier about the Opposition busing supporters to Dublin.

Seanad: Order of Business (22 Oct 2008)

Dominic Hannigan: We could not have stopped them if we tried. There was a level of anger out there that has——

Seanad: Order of Business (22 Oct 2008)

Dominic Hannigan: ——never been seen before.

Seanad: Order of Business (22 Oct 2008)

Dominic Hannigan: We must recognise that there are some people in the Senator's party who see this clearly. I could not disagree with a word of what Senator Mary White said earlier. Obviously she has a clear idea of what is going on outside this House but Senator White and others in her party should consider their position. You do not have to support the Government on this issue.

Seanad: Order of Business (22 Oct 2008)

Dominic Hannigan: You can move to our benches.

Seanad: Order of Business (23 Oct 2008)

Dominic Hannigan: The National Property Services Regulatory Authority is now in existence for the guts of a year. I have been to its offices in Navan. We all welcomed the introduction of that agency but we still await legislation on property management companies. Although we have been promised on numerous occasions that legislation is just around the corner, it is not the case and there are thousands of...

Seanad: Order of Business (4 Nov 2008)

Dominic Hannigan: That is an excellent idea from Senator Hanafin, with whom I totally agree. Perhaps that debate could be inclusive of the whole issue of pricing which was raised earlier by Senator Alex White. This is not just about fuel prices. I had reason to recently examine prices of other goods. Prices in the same supermarkets in the UK and Ireland, when one takes into account the currency...

Seanad: Order of Business (4 Nov 2008)

Dominic Hannigan: I wish to correct the voting record for last week. The online version of the voting records for last week show that I voted on Tuesday's debate. In fact, myself and Senator Ormonde were away — we have pictures to prove it.

Seanad: Order of Business (4 Nov 2008)

Dominic Hannigan: Could the Leader arrange for the voting record to be corrected?

Seanad: Museum Projects (5 Nov 2008)

Dominic Hannigan: I welcome the Minister of State to the House and thank Senator Keaveney for being so generous with her time. I echo the call she makes for an interpretative centre at Ballykinlar camp. My grandfather, Patrick Boylan, was a member of the old IRA in County Monaghan. He spent nine months in Ballykinlar in the early 1920s. I remember well the stories he told me as a boy. For him and for many...

Seanad: Order of Business (6 Nov 2008)

Dominic Hannigan: I welcome the announcement that the European Central Bank is to reduce the interest rate by 50 basis points. That will mean an extra €250 million in home-owners' pockets. I am also glad to see that the Bank of England is to reduce its interest rates by 1% later today. The UK is one of our biggest markets and that will increase consumer confidence there, which should lead to benefits...

Seanad: Order of Business (6 Nov 2008)

Dominic Hannigan: When the rate was cut in October one institution, ICS Building Society, passed on only 60% of the cut, keeping 40% for itself. This cannot go on. I urge these institutions to pass on cuts to homeowners. President-elect Obama has started to put his team together and already the Russians have confronted him about the possibility that the US will place missile defence shields in Poland and the...