Results 261-280 of 10,663 for speaker:Colm Burke

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Jun 2012)

Colm Burke: -----there is a significant difference between 1% and 5.7%.

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Jun 2012)

Colm Burke: That is incorrect.

Seanad: Criminal Justice (Search Warrants) Bill 2012: Second Stage (19 Jun 2012)

Colm Burke: I welcome the Minister to the House and thank him for a comprehensive presentation on the need for this amending legislation. I welcome the Bill but have one or two observations to make on the question of independence. I note that District Court judges will now be involved in issuing warrants, except in exceptional circumstances. Following the Morris tribunal's recommendations, the Law...

Seanad: Order of Business (20 Jun 2012)

Colm Burke: The Chairperson of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health and Children has advised me that the report to be published today on children in care will be debated in full in the committee tomorrow. That will give an opportunity for Members of the House who sit on the committee to take part in that debate. I wish to raise a matter relating to the constitutional debate. A decision has been...

Seanad: Order of Business (21 Jun 2012)

Colm Burke: I wish to raise the issue of the report published yesterday on the deaths of children. I am involved in a small way with a centre dealing with young people who drop out of the education system. It is a life centre which looks after 15 to 18 young people. Its funding falls between the Department of Education and Skills, the Department of Health, the Department of Justice and Equality and...

Seanad: Order of Business (26 Jun 2012)

Colm Burke: I concur with the views expressed by my colleague, Senator Denis O'Donovan, on An Taisce. The Senator is correct that the same rules should be applied to An Taisce as to other organisations and that it should come within the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act. Some years ago in Cork the taxpayer had to pick up the €20 million in additional costs incurred when a project in which...

Seanad: European Communities (Amendment) Bill 2012: Second Stage (26 Jun 2012)

Colm Burke: I welcome the Tánaiste to the House and thank him for giving leadership in the referendum treaty and making a major contribution to ensure the right decision was taken. It was a very positive decision from an Irish point of view and copperfastens our commitment to involvement in Europe by leading the way in terms of the European agenda. Speaking in Cork last week, Bill Clinton remarked that...

Seanad: Order of Business (28 Jun 2012)

Colm Burke: I join with my colleagues in expressing concern about last night's flooding, particularly in the Cork area. It is not so long ago since the western side of the city was badly affected, now Douglas, on the south side and Ballyvolane and Blackpool on the north side are seriously affected. It goes back to the issue of long-term planning and whether we are making adequate provision for such...

Seanad: Credit Guarantee Bill 2012: Committee Stage (28 Jun 2012)

Colm Burke: I welcome the Minister of State. It is very important that this support mechanism is put in place. I have been involved in the private sector for more than 30 years and one of my concerns about the banking industry is the lack of insight it has into providing funding. The best example I can give relates to leasing companies. The banks are giving money to these companies across the board,...

Seanad: Credit Guarantee Bill 2012: Committee Stage (28 Jun 2012)

Colm Burke: One of the things the Government is doing is achieving efficiencies in the public sector, which is long overdue. We have been spending money where we have not been achieving value for money, but the Government is seeking to change this and will continue to do so. The amendment would require the Minister to produce a report every 12 months, but it would not give him the flexibility he...

Seanad: Credit Guarantee Bill 2012: Committee Stage (28 Jun 2012)

Colm Burke: The amendment reads "every 12 months". The provision included in the Bill is adequate. It gives an undertaking, whereby the Minister will produce a report. There are also procedures in this House and the Dáil, whereby Members can request information from the Minister if they are not satisfied with a report. The Bill deals with this issue adequately. There is a need for flexibility for...

Seanad: Order of Business (3 Jul 2012)

Colm Burke: I, too, join my colleagues in thanking the Leader and all those who contributed to this morning's debate. It was very constructive, and well done to everyone involved. I raise an issue that was raised last week but it is important that it be raised again. It concerns the flooding in Cork and the need for decisive action to be taken on that matter. One of the problems experienced by people...

Seanad: Mortgage Arrears, Banking and the Economy: Statements, Questions and Answers (3 Jul 2012)

Colm Burke: I thank the Minister for making time available to deal with this matter today. I want to deviate slightly from the issue of insolvency. The Minister mentioned that 76,000 mortgages are in arrears. I would like to ask about the problems that banks have encountered with regard to legal undertakings that have been given. I am aware that in the case of a legal practice in Dublin, there were...

Seanad: Order of Business (4 Jul 2012)

Colm Burke: I raise an issue mentioned by a colleague yesterday and in a national newspaper this morning. I refer to absenteeism in the health service. The health service appears to be unable to respond to the issues that cause absenteeism. For example, nurses who are pregnant are not assigned to lighter duties. One report said more than 50% of nurses who were pregnant were on sick leave for more...

Seanad: Order of Business (4 Jul 2012)

Colm Burke: No, really.

Seanad: Order of Business (5 Jul 2012)

Colm Burke: I received a letter from a constituent of the Leas-Cathaoirleach's yesterday. He raised the issue of trying to get visas for people who are very highly qualified and that we cannot get people with that qualification to come to work here. He pointed out that there are more than 20,000 jobs vacant here because we do not have the people with the required qualifications. It is time we examined...

Seanad: Flood Relief (5 Jul 2012)

Colm Burke: I wish to raise the issue of the recent flooding in Cork city, particularly in Blackpool, north central Cork, which is an old part of the city, Park Court in Ballyvolane and Meadow Brook, Riverstown, which is in the county area. In the first instance, I thank the local authorities for the manner in which they responded to the emergencies that arose. In particular, I thank Cork city and...

Seanad: Flood Relief (5 Jul 2012)

Colm Burke: I thank the Minister of State for his reply. I raised a concern last week that insurance companies are tending to drag out the payment of any compensation to householders and businesses. I suggested that as a minimum, every insurance company should pay out a sum of €3,000 within 14 days from the date of receiving a claim form, in order to tide people over. It is a very small amount but...

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Jul 2012)

Colm Burke: I join with my colleagues, Senator O'Donovan and Senator Whelan, in expressing concern about the trainee pilots. Eighty-five thousand euro is a great deal of money for people to invest only to find they are keeping their side of the bargain but the people who agree to provide the training are not keeping their side of the bargain. It is important that there is a full investigation into this...

Seanad: European Arrest Warrant (Application to Third Countries and Amendment) and Extradition (Amendment) Bill 2011: Second Stage (10 Jul 2012)

Colm Burke: I welcome the Minister to the House. I also welcome this legislation because it is important that we provide support to the system, not only in our own jurisdiction but in other jurisdictions where offences have been committed and where there is clear evidence of same. The Minister gave a very comprehensive overview of the Bill this evening. We received 284 warrant requests last year and...