Results 301-320 of 704 for speaker:John Kelly

Seanad: Business of Seanad (28 Feb 2013)

John Kelly: -----Private Member's business and Adjournment debates and the attendance of the relevant Minister at same. Fianna Fáil's Private Member's motion yesterday had been well flagged. Either the relevant Minister should have been present or he should have selected another time that suited him. He should have taken the debate. The same applies in the case of Adjournment debates. One could...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Prison Accommodation (28 Feb 2013)

John Kelly: I do not mind. I can give him one minute. I welcome the Minister of State to the House. This matter is of great concern to all Oireachtas Members in County Roscommon. Harristown House is a unit adjacent to the prison in Castlerea. Historically, this was an open unit used to deal with prisoners with problems from drug misuse. When St. Patrick's Hospital in Castlerea closed, the people in...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Prison Accommodation (28 Feb 2013)

John Kelly: I thank the Minister of State. Thankfully, I was privy to the response and read it earlier because Deputy Denis Naughten tabled the matter in the Dáil under Topical Issues yesterday. He received exactly the same response except this morning my title of Senator was substituted for Deputy. I shall quote one line from the response given to the Deputy: "While several options remain under...

Seanad: Order of Business (5 Mar 2013)

John Kelly: I compliment Senator Mark MacSharry on the introduction of his discussion document on suicide awareness. I have consistently said here that I do not think we are doing enough to tackle the issue of suicide. I said recently that we needed to set up a single authority to deal with the issue suicide alone, to be headed by somebody such as Mr. Noel Brett. He was head of the Road Safety...

Seanad: Order of Business (6 Mar 2013)

John Kelly: I support my colleague, Senator Denis Landy, in his call to have the shared ownership scheme operated by the local authorities scrapped. When it was introduced approximately 15 years ago, those who availed of it were working and given mortgages based on that fact. I know many who are now out of work and receiving social welfare payments who are not in a position to repay their mortgage. As...

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Mar 2013)

John Kelly: I support Senator Whelan's call for a moratorium on wind farm developments until there is proper engagement on the issue. I am sick and tired of listening to the spin of the Irish wind energy sector, including the suggestion of 77,000 jobs. The reality is quite different. In recent weeks in my county, we saw that a couple had to leave their home because of the noise of wind turbines next...

Seanad: Order of Business (20 Mar 2013)

John Kelly: I take the opportunity to congratulate St. Brigid's GAA club in County Roscommon on going down in history as the first team from the county to win the all-Ireland club final.

Seanad: Order of Business (20 Mar 2013)

John Kelly: En route in the Connacht final they beat my home team of Ballaghaderreen. It is great that there are two teams in County Roscommon playing at such a high level in all-Ireland leagues. Fair play to Shane Curran, Frankie Dolan, Senan Kilbride and the rest of the lads. I am delighted for them and we are all proud of them. I support the call made by Senator Mary Ann O'Brien on the...

Seanad: Order of Business (21 Mar 2013)

John Kelly: I will not be here next week so I want to take this opportunity to extend my very best wishes to Jimmy Walsh of The Irish Times in his retirement with effect from next week. He has been a good friend of this House and when no other journalist covered events here Jimmy did. I have no doubt he will have a very active retirement because anyone who knows Jimmy knows that he rarely sits still....

Seanad: Mobility Allowance: Statements (21 Mar 2013)

John Kelly: I compliment Senator Moloney on her raising of this issue. I agree it is a pity that a Minister or at least a civil servant is not present to listen to our points. Like Senator Burke, I hope that this is the start of the debate and that it will not conclude without further input from the House. I agree with Senator van Turnhout's questioning of a number of the HSE's figures. It makes no...

Seanad: Order of Business (17 Apr 2013)

John Kelly: Like Senator Jonathan O'Brien, I offer my sincere condolences to the resilient people of Boston. I was there two weeks ago at the world Irish dancing championships and actually stayed at the Lenox Hotel on Boylston Street right across from where the second bomb exploded. To think one was coming in and out of that hotel with one's wife and kids while a terrorist organisation of some...

Seanad: Order of Business (17 Apr 2013)

John Kelly: I have. This issue has lain dormant for 28 years. Senator Whelan and I have supported the call for a public inquiry into the case. The chairman of the Fine Gael Parliamentary Party has written to the Taoiseach and the Minister for Justice and Equality calling for a public inquiry too. As this House initiated the call for a public inquiry, will the Minister for Justice and Equality make a...

Seanad: Order of Business (18 Apr 2013)

John Kelly: A number of weeks ago Senator John Whelan and I called for a moratorium on wind farm developments until the review of the current guidelines was completed. Needless to say, that call fell on deaf ears, but there have been a number of developments in the past couple of weeks as a result of a European Court of Justice ruling which found that Ireland was not compliant with an EU EIA directive....

Seanad: Order of Business (25 Apr 2013)

John Kelly: I compliment Senator Barrett on the Bill he introduced yesterday and on the literature relating to it which he circulated to all Members and which explained its contents in very simple terms. I was on the point of standing up and apologising to the Senator for the fact that the Government was most likely not going to accept the Bill and for the nonsense whereby while I agreed with the...

Seanad: Order of Business (25 Apr 2013)

John Kelly: I am ahead of you this time. I have two questions.

Seanad: Order of Business (25 Apr 2013)

John Kelly: I have never heard anyone answer these two questions, and they are simple questions. Given the fact that we have recapitalised the banks, have we any say in the running of the banks? It is a simple question. We have put 15% into Bank of Ireland. We are allowing a man to earn €800,000 per year. Have we any say in how the bank does its business? The second question relates to the...

Seanad: Order of Business (25 Apr 2013)

John Kelly: I am sorry about that. Can I make one point? I am aware of someone who owes the Bank of Scotland €400,000. It is willing to accept €150,000 and walk away and leave this woman with a property that is worth €150,000, as long as she can simply find €150,000. However, no Irish bank will give her €150,000.

Seanad: Order of Business (25 Apr 2013)

John Kelly: This is a serious issue that needs to be addressed.

Seanad: Order of Business (30 Apr 2013)

John Kelly: I raise the impending carbon tax on solid fuel, which will have effect from tomorrow. I am concerned, as are members of the hardware industry, that this will result in a loss of jobs in that sector. Apart from all that, it will be an added burden on struggling households. People may not realise that in many cases, with families using up to three tonnes of coal per year to heat their homes,...

Seanad: Adjournment Debate: Wind Farm Developments (30 Apr 2013)

John Kelly: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan. I am seeking a moratorium on future wind farm developments. I have three reasons for doing so, which I will explain presently. Senator John Whelan and I have been beating the drum about wind farm developments for the last 14 months. What we are seeking to achieve is the right of people to live in peace and tranquillity within their...