Results 281-300 of 784 for speaker:Jimmy Harte

Seanad: Finance Bill 2012 (Certified Money Bill): Committee and Remaining Stages (22 Mar 2012)

Jimmy Harte: I agree with the Minister on the VAT increase. In the Border county of Donegal, Letterkenny had a decent Christmas because of the currency fluctuation. A few businesspeople stated initially they did not like the VAT increase but their major concern is the exchange rate. It has been a feature of cross-Border trade since before I was born and people have dealt with it. The Sinn Féin...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2012 (Certified Money Bill): Committee and Remaining Stages (22 Mar 2012)

Jimmy Harte: The Senator wants to tax the small guy who wants to come back.

Seanad: Finance Bill 2012 (Certified Money Bill): Committee and Remaining Stages (22 Mar 2012)

Jimmy Harte: The wealth tax is an alternative-----

Seanad: Finance Bill 2012 (Certified Money Bill): Committee and Remaining Stages (22 Mar 2012)

Jimmy Harte: I agree with the Minister that the VAT increase may not be desirable but it is not a breaking point for many businesses in the Border area and Sinn Féin should know this. There is a tradition in Donegal of going to Derry or Strabane and vice versa. A huge amount of cars from Northern Ireland can be seen on bank holiday Mondays. We benefit both ways. We must get the economy going again or...

Seanad: Order of Business (27 Mar 2012)

Jimmy Harte: Probably in common with other Members, the findings of the Mahon tribunal came as confirmation of something that had been going on for years in Ireland. However, anyone who has read Roman history will know that political corruption also existed in ancient Rome and ultimately brought down the Roman empire. What I have read constitutes a systematic violation of rules of an organisation by...

Seanad: Small Business: Motion (28 Mar 2012)

Jimmy Harte: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy John Perry, as well as the representatives of the business community in the Visitors Gallery, particularly those from Letterkenny Chamber of Commerce who have made their way here today from County Donegal. Anyone who knows anything about business in the Border area will know there are extra difficulties being encountered as a result of the...

Seanad: Order of Business (18 Apr 2012)

Jimmy Harte: I call for a debate with the Minister for Health in the House to explain the position that obtains for people living outside the catchment area of Dublin who have to travel to Dublin for medical procedures. I dealt recently with a case of a young gentleman in Donegal who is in remission from cancer but who was told by St. Vincent's Hospital that because he lived outside the catchment area he...

Seanad: Report of Tribunal of Inquiry into Certain Planning Matters and Payments: Statements (24 Apr 2012)

Jimmy Harte: I welcome the Minister of State. The report has been torn apart, opened out and discussed at length, but there are central points from which we cannot escape. While Senator Paschal Mooney says it with honesty, I cannot accept his assertion that if a government is in power for a long time corruption happens automatically.

Seanad: Report of Tribunal of Inquiry into Certain Planning Matters and Payments: Statements (24 Apr 2012)

Jimmy Harte: However, there is an issue of choice.

Seanad: Report of Tribunal of Inquiry into Certain Planning Matters and Payments: Statements (24 Apr 2012)

Jimmy Harte: There is an issue of people making choices whether to accept money.

Seanad: Report of Tribunal of Inquiry into Certain Planning Matters and Payments: Statements (24 Apr 2012)

Jimmy Harte: What type of country would we now have if the tribunal had not been established? At what stage would Fianna Fáil have stated it was wrong? Would have it have been in 1997, 2007, 2012 or 2013? It took this report to get it to admit that it and many of its councillors had been responsible for much of this. This has been ongoing since I was a child when Charles Haughey was parading around...

Seanad: Order of Business (25 Apr 2012)

Jimmy Harte: I agree with Senator White with regard to Sinn Féin's position. That party has been opposed to every referendum on Europe since 1973 so there is no-----

Seanad: Order of Business (25 Apr 2012)

Jimmy Harte: Sinn Féin has always been proven wrong.

Seanad: Order of Business (25 Apr 2012)

Jimmy Harte: Just because the electorate votes for one does not make one right.

Seanad: Order of Business (25 Apr 2012)

Jimmy Harte: On this occasion Sinn Féin is opposing the referendum because it wishes to seek publicity. I am of the view that its members do not even believe the arguments being put forward. Any person who is involved in business and in creating jobs is advocating a "Yes" vote. These are the people who are maintaining the economy at present.

Seanad: Order of Business (25 Apr 2012)

Jimmy Harte: I wish to request a debate on another issue but I merely wanted to ask from where, in the event of a "No" vote, Sinn Féin would get the money the country will require? Perhaps Senator Ó Clochartaigh could enlighten us in that regard.

Seanad: Order of Business (25 Apr 2012)

Jimmy Harte: I am seeking a debate on an issue relevant to Donegal which was the subject of an report in the Irish Independent. I refer to Donegal County Council paying out almost €3 million to a private consultancy firm. I was a member of the council at the time and I am in a position to state that we were not made aware of this payment until the public auditor highlighted it and the internal auditor...

Seanad: Order of Business (25 Apr 2012)

Jimmy Harte: My final point-----

Seanad: Order of Business (25 Apr 2012)

Jimmy Harte: -----on Donegal County Council wasting money by paying consultancy fees to One Sigma Ltd., is that Sinn Féin was the only party involved which supported the spending of that money. It actually stated that-----

Seanad: Order of Business (25 Apr 2012)

Jimmy Harte: Sinn Féin stated it was a visionary-----