Results 3,301-3,320 of 6,030 for speaker:Brendan Ryan

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Feb 2007)

Brendan Ryan: Like Senator Brian Hayes I would be delighted to find out what the Government really thinks about tribunals. The Tánaiste was in one of his flights of fantasy recently when he was on his Ronseal flight. I am grateful to a letter writer to The Irish Times who points out that on the Ronseal tin there is a warning that it is toxic and that——

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Feb 2007)

Brendan Ryan: ——prolonged contact is not recommended. I suggest my friends in Fianna Fáil might bear that in mind.

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Feb 2007)

Brendan Ryan: Yesterday the European Parliament accepted the report of its special committee on rendition. If our Government is capable of being embarrassed, it should be embarrassed because, as the Leader well knows, we spent a year or two trying to get the most rudimentary information out of the Department of Transport about aircraft landing in Shannon Airport. This is long before anybody had accepted...

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Feb 2007)

Brendan Ryan: I wish to move an amendment to the Order of Business that we at least have statements on that report this morning before taking the first item because this report is such an embarrassment to the country. I have raised on many occasions the need for a debate on competitiveness. I know many fine economists who are sceptical about the concept of national competitiveness, but it is part of the...

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Feb 2007)

Brendan Ryan: The educational attainments do not appear to be that good in mathematics and science.

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Feb 2007)

Brendan Ryan: In terms of material deprivation we are so close to the bottom that we should be ashamed of ourselves, given the resources this country has. I ask for a debate on the report as it is a score card or a report card and it gives serious food for thought.

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Feb 2007)

Brendan Ryan: How long would I have to wait?

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Feb 2007)

Brendan Ryan: Two years was enough.

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Feb 2007)

Brendan Ryan: I have read it.

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Feb 2007)

Brendan Ryan: Yes.

Seanad: Communications Regulation (Amendment) Bill 2007: Second Stage (15 Feb 2007)

Brendan Ryan: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Communications Regulation (Amendment) Bill 2007: Second Stage (15 Feb 2007)

Brendan Ryan: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Communications Regulation (Amendment) Bill 2007: Second Stage (15 Feb 2007)

Brendan Ryan: They do a better job of looking after their own interests than the State does of looking after ours.

Seanad: Communications Regulation (Amendment) Bill 2007: Second Stage (15 Feb 2007)

Brendan Ryan: Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. Tá súil agam go bhfuilimid ag druidim i dtreo an deiridh leis an bpraiseach atá déanta ag an Rialtas seo don bhonneagar teileachumarsáide. ComReg is toothless and I always wondered why. We knew it was toothless because we could all see it. We saw it when Citibank encouraged people to buy Eircom shares about two years ago, citing Eircom's ability to...

Seanad: Communications Regulation (Amendment) Bill 2007: Second Stage (15 Feb 2007)

Brendan Ryan: That is what it has said. The member businesses of the American Chamber of Commerce Ireland employ 100,000 people. In the businesses' submission to the Government on the national development plan, they pointed out that more than 40% of their US executives did not want to come to Ireland for meetings. They mentioned broadband again and again. Given that this small country has a small...

Seanad: Communications Regulation (Amendment) Bill 2007: Second Stage (15 Feb 2007)

Brendan Ryan: ——have come about five years too late.

Seanad: Communications Regulation (Amendment) Bill 2007: Second Stage (15 Feb 2007)

Brendan Ryan: Who set up a telecommunications regulation system that had no enforcement powers? I did not do so, the Government set it up and it takes five years for it to dawn on the Government that if the telecommunications sector is to be regulated, the regulations must be enforced. I am not being negative; I am pointing out the fact. International competitiveness reports, mostly from the World...

Seanad: Communications Regulation (Amendment) Bill 2007: Second Stage (15 Feb 2007)

Brendan Ryan: Slow, late and inadequate is the only way to describe it. Our telecommunications infrastructure is a mess. We should be looking to what telecommunications will be like in 20 years' time instead of being last behind places like Estonia and Hungary and wondering why modern telecommunications and other industries are moving to those countries rather than staying here. We go on about cost...

Seanad: Communications Regulation (Amendment) Bill 2007: Second Stage (15 Feb 2007)

Brendan Ryan: The Government can.

Seanad: Communications Regulation (Amendment) Bill 2007: Second Stage (15 Feb 2007)

Brendan Ryan: I am not referring to the roads but to the inability of Government to react quickly and flexibly and to see where the world is going. The Government believes that the old model is the new model but the old model is out of date. I am more than a little worried about the emergency service. I can understand the Government's position in this case as Eircom, apparently, does not regard itself as...