Results 381-400 of 605 for speaker:John Whelan

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Nursing Home Services (6 Nov 2013)

John Whelan: I thank the Minister for the information he has put on the record of the House. However, I fear the words "shortly" and "soon", as I said back in April. I thought in April that would mean we would have a decision before the recess in July. We are one full year on since the original report was issued by the HSE to the Department. The public in Laois are entitled to clarity and a commitment...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: EirGrid Grid25 Project: Discussion (20 Nov 2013)

John Whelan: On a point of information, when will members be given the opportunity to comment on the appointment to which Mr. Moloney refers?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: EirGrid Grid25 Project: Discussion (20 Nov 2013)

John Whelan: I thank the Chairman.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: EirGrid: Discussion with Chairman Designate (3 Dec 2013)

John Whelan: I will be as prompt as I can. I welcome Mr. O'Connor to the meeting. I hope he is aware that my opposition to his appointment is not any personal matter. I have no doubts about his personal and professional integrity and his credentials. I am totally uncomfortable, however, because I believe that there is a conflict of interests. I do not mean a personal one whereby he would take...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: EirGrid: Discussion with Chairman Designate (3 Dec 2013)

John Whelan: I have to suggest respectfully that Eirgrid does not uphold standards and best international practice and neither has An Bord Pleanála, even on Mr. O’Connor’s watch. The period from 2000 to 2011 saw some of the worst planning excesses that ever blighted our towns and cities. If the Financial Regulator was asleep at the wheel so too was An Bord Pleanála as the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: EirGrid: Discussion with Chairman Designate (3 Dec 2013)

John Whelan: With no disrespect, it is more than a perception.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: EirGrid: Discussion with Chairman Designate (3 Dec 2013)

John Whelan: What about the question on the conflict of interest?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: EirGrid: Discussion with Chairman Designate (3 Dec 2013)

John Whelan: Is there an answer to that point about the cumulative effect of so many people who are former colleagues and colleagues moving from the boards? The interaction between EirGrid, An Bord Pleanála and the wind farm companies, in my opinion, has gone off the charts.

Seanad: Water Services (No. 2) Bill 2013: Second Stage (4 Dec 2013)

John Whelan: I welcome the Minister of State to the House and commend him on the progressive and constructive content of this Bill. It is eminently fair and sensible. Most reasonable people will agree that the Government is playing catch-up and is putting to right decades of neglect. As Senator Clune and others mentioned, ours is a Victorian infrastructure. To cite a phrase from the politics of...

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Dec 2013)

John Whelan: I would like the Leader to facilitate early in the new year a debate on the consultation process that has been commenced by the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Ruairí Quinn, on schooling costs for parents and families, particularly in regard to school uniforms. Parents state that putting children through school can cost over €500 per annum per child. This is quite a...

Seanad: Critical Utilities (Security of Supply) Bill 2013: Second Stage (11 Dec 2013)

John Whelan: This is a timely and topical debate. I have the utmost respect for Senator Quinn not only as a captain of industry and entrepreneur but also as a commendable employer who set the highest of standards. He has the support of Senator Barrett, who also commands our respect when he speaks. However, not all employers are as decent as Senator Quinn or as forthcoming with their employees. We have...

Seanad: Order of Business (12 Dec 2013)

John Whelan: I second Senator John Kelly's proposal. At the earliest juncture, the relevant Minister, be it the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Phil Hogan, or the Minister of State, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan, should be invited to the House to discuss, as a matter of urgency, the so-called new planning guidelines for wind turbines. I do not know how we can call them new...

Seanad: Local Government Reform Bill 2013: Second Stage (16 Dec 2013)

John Whelan: I did not indicate.

Seanad: Local Government Reform Bill 2013: Second Stage (16 Dec 2013)

John Whelan: Our spokesperson has contributed substantially.

Seanad: Local Government Reform Bill 2013: Second Stage (16 Dec 2013)

John Whelan: No problem, Chairman. Thank you.

Seanad: Order of Business (17 Dec 2013)

John Whelan: I support what Senator Mary Ann O'Brien said on the urgent need to expedite the establishment of the charities regulatory office. The Leader responded comprehensively on this question yesterday, but I was astonished to hear that it will take until autumn 2014 for the office to become operational. The Act to establish the office was passed in 2009. There are 8,400 registered charities and,...

Seanad: Order of Business (17 Dec 2013)

John Whelan: This is the biggest planning issue the country will face. I was pleased that the Taoiseach said, in his address to the nation, that we would never again take the road of greedy, development-led strategies. I earnestly believe the wind energy strategy being pursued in this country at present is being driven by developers. It is predicated on a false and flawed economic model, based on a...

Seanad: Order of Business (17 Dec 2013)

John Whelan: We are pursuing a flawed policy. It is unacceptable that we will destroy the landscape, the countryside, tourism and our amenities.

Seanad: Order of Business (17 Dec 2013)

John Whelan: I appeal to the Leader to invite the Minister of State, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan, to the House. She has direct responsibility for this issue in the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government, along with the Minister, Deputy Phil Hogan. It is a huge concern across the country. The Seanad should take the lead, not the back seat, on this issue.

Seanad: Road Traffic (No. 2) Bill 2013: Second Stage (21 Jan 2014)

John Whelan: I welcome the Minister to the House and commend him on an excellent Bill. He has been doing tremendous work in his Department and this is more good legislation that will have a significant impact on what we are all hoping to achieve, namely, to reduce the deaths and horrendous carnage that can happen on our roads, with terrible outcomes for families in terms of tragedies and trauma with...