Results 381-400 of 35,959 for speaker:Pearse Doherty

Seanad: Investment of the National Pensions Reserve Fund and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2009: Committee Stage (5 Mar 2009)

Pearse Doherty: I move amendment No. 3c: In page 3, before section 2, to insert the following new section: "2.—The Minister shall not direct the Commission to use funds from the National Pension Reserve Fund in excess of €7 billion for the purposes of investing in any financial institution without the consent of both Houses of the Oireachtas.".

Seanad: Investment of the National Pensions Reserve Fund and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2009: Committee Stage (5 Mar 2009)

Pearse Doherty: I move amendment No. 3d: In page 3, before section 2, to insert the following new section: "2.—The Minister for Finance shall make a quarterly report to both Houses of the Oireachtas on all financial institutions availing of funds from the National Pension Reserve Fund.". This is another simple amendment. We might have to make these amendments a little simpler if the Minister of State is...

Seanad: Investment of the National Pensions Reserve Fund and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2009: Committee Stage (5 Mar 2009)

Pearse Doherty: I am disappointed that the Minister of State will not accept the amendment. The National Pensions Reserve Fund has entered into new territory. As we have said, it is not being used for the purposes for which it was originally established. Annual reporting may have sufficed in the past. I do not question the best standards or practices used in such reporting. Now that we are funding banks...

Seanad: Investment of the National Pensions Reserve Fund and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2009: Committee Stage (5 Mar 2009)

Pearse Doherty: I cannot say the right word without offending the Minister of State. I will leave it at that. He can probably think of what I was going to say.

Seanad: Investment of the National Pensions Reserve Fund and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2009: Committee Stage (5 Mar 2009)

Pearse Doherty: I move amendment No. 3e: In page 3, before section 2, to insert the following new section: "2.—Any drawdown of funds under the terms of this Act will have sole application to the primary banking activities of either beneficiary and will be confined to the said financial institution's activities wholly within the island of Ireland.". Am I right in saying that amendment No. 5 was supposed to...

Seanad: Investment of the National Pensions Reserve Fund and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2009: Committee Stage (5 Mar 2009)

Pearse Doherty: Perhaps Senator Twomey would like to return to that amendment.

Seanad: Investment of the National Pensions Reserve Fund and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2009: Committee Stage (5 Mar 2009)

Pearse Doherty: Amendment No. 3e deals with the drawdown of funds under the terms of this legislation. Sinn Féin proposes that the funds should have "sole application to the primary banking activities of either beneficiary" and should be "confined to the said financial institution's activities wholly within the island of Ireland". In other words, the moneys that are drawn down should be used as we want...

Seanad: Investment of the National Pensions Reserve Fund and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2009: Committee Stage (5 Mar 2009)

Pearse Doherty: Is the Minister saying the €7 billion can be used by AIB or any other institutions to provide massive loans in places such as New York, Boston, Chicago, Poland, Britain, Scotland and Spain where there are branches of these banks and that there is no guarantee that this money will be spent on the island of Ireland? The Minister says the Bill is to allow us to invest in these institutions...

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed). (11 Mar 2009)

Pearse Doherty: What about the banking legislation?

Seanad: Irish Language: Statements (11 Mar 2009)

Pearse Doherty: Cuirim fáilte roimh an díospóireacht seo. Bhí mé ag cuartú díospóireachta ó tháinig mé isteach go dtí an Teach seo ar chúrsaí Gaeilge agus Gaeltachta. Cé go gcuirim fáilte roimh an díospóireacht seo, níor chóir don Ghaeilge bheith curtha sa choirneál le linn Seachtain na Gaeilge. Níl go leor ama tugtha don díospóireacht agus ní cheart dúinn bheith ag plé cúrsaí...

Seanad: Youth Services (11 Mar 2009)

Pearse Doherty: Baineann an cheist atá agam le cúrsaí cóiriúla atá ag dul ar aghaidh i gceantar Ghaoth Dobhair. Phlé mé seo cúpla seachtain ó shin sa Seanad nuair a bhí cuid mhór eachtraí ag titim amach sa cheantar ach is ceist eile í seo a bhaineann le tacaíocht a thabhairt d'ógánaigh an cheantair agus do na gardaí go mbeidh comhoibriú ann leis na hógánaigh ar dhóigh níos fearr. Tá...

Seanad: Youth Services (11 Mar 2009)

Pearse Doherty: I thank the Minister of State for his response. Unfortunately, it is not the one I had hoped to receive nor is it the one that those involved in the forum and the young people who will probably need the service in the future were hoping to receive. The Government has implemented a number of cuts and budgetary restraints. This applies to the Minister of State's Department and therefore his...

Seanad: Order of Business (24 Mar 2009)

Pearse Doherty: I ask the Leader to invite the Minister for Foreign Affairs to come before the House to report on progress made on the undocumented Irish during his recent trip to the United States. Some of the information given and statements made by Senators on the strike action proposed for Monday are factually inaccurate. Those who will go on strike on Monday have been balloted and the decision to go on...

Seanad: Order of Business (24 Mar 2009)

Pearse Doherty: The House should also recognise that 65% of IMPACT members voted for strike action and the ballot did not deliver the 66% required for strike action to proceed. Let us not twist this issue and try to blame the executive or leaders of trade unions for the decision forced on union members by the Government. I call on the Taoiseach to stop his attacks on public and private sector workers.

Seanad: Order of Business (24 Mar 2009)

Pearse Doherty: Government Senators called on people to be patriotic. The most recent occasion that we heard such comments was when 30 attacks were made on the education sector and front line services. The solution to the national strike planned for Monday lies solely in the hands of the Government.

Seanad: Order of Business (24 Mar 2009)

Pearse Doherty: I have no problem defending the approach I took on Friday night to the role of this House.

Seanad: Order of Business (24 Mar 2009)

Pearse Doherty: What is that comment supposed to mean?

Seanad: Tourism Industry: Statements (25 Mar 2009)

Pearse Doherty: Gabhaim buíochas leis an Seanadóir Burke as am a roinnt liom. Tá a fhios againn gur ceist thábhachtach í an turasóireacht sa tír seo agus go bhfuil laghdú ar an méid turasóirí atá ag teacht isteach ó thar lear. Given the economic circumstances, it is important to maximise tourism spend and the tourism sector's potential. Many Senators have ideas and suggestions on how to...

Seanad: Telecommunications Services: Motion (25 Mar 2009)

Pearse Doherty: We should not be having this debate at all. We have had a number of debates on broadband, some of which have been sparked by worthwhile motions proposed by Senator Ross which should have been supported by the House. We are talking about a technology that is at least a decade old, and a national broadband strategy that even the Minister recognises will not address the needs of customers in...

Seanad: Economic and Recovery Authority: Motion (1 Apr 2009)

Pearse Doherty: Gabhaim buíochas leis an Seanadóir Norris as ucht a chuid ama a roinnt liom. While I do not intend to support the Fine Gael motion this evening, I welcome the focus of the debate it has initiated as it is important to make progress in finding solutions. Last week, Sinn Féin was the first party to publish a job creation strategy. We announced 80 proposals that would have a direct impact...