Results 4,021-4,040 of 6,030 for speaker:Brendan Ryan

Seanad: Restructuring of Vocational Education Committees: Statements (19 Oct 2010)

Brendan Ryan: I welcome the Minister of State to discuss this interesting proposal from the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Mary Coughlan. We know there is to be a reduction from 33 to 16 VECs. The rationale contained in the Minister of State's comments seems reasonable, although if we thought this through we might come up with slightly different action. It is a reasonable enough idea and as a...

Seanad: Restructuring of Vocational Education Committees: Statements (19 Oct 2010)

Brendan Ryan: It is important all these services are provided and not interrupted in any way by the restructuring process, as mentioned by other Senators. The valuable ongoing work in education must be at a level unaffected by this rationalisation. Some Senators raised concerns about such a potential outcome. The Minister of State went to great lengths in speaking about implementation, indicating there...

Seanad: Small and Medium Enterprises: Motion (20 Oct 2010)

Brendan Ryan: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Kelleher. The Labour Party supports the Fine Gael motion. Many small and family businesses cannot access the loans they need to keep afloat. Paying wages and suppliers is a major struggle for many such companies. Viable, profitable and well run businesses are going to the wall because they cannot access credit. More than two years on from the...

Seanad: Employment Support Services (28 Oct 2010)

Brendan Ryan: I also welcome the Tánaiste and the approval by the budget committee of the European Parliament of €7.4 million from the European Union Globalisation Adjustment Fund to 850 former workers at SR Technics. Nearly 1,200 highly skilled workers lost their jobs in 2008 and have been waiting since for assistance in getting back to work. I do, however, have serious concerns. The Government was...

Seanad: Employment Support Services (28 Oct 2010)

Brendan Ryan: I thank the Tánaiste for her response and for coming to the House to respond to the debate. The key matter to be learned is that there needs to be flexibility in everything we do. We need a can-do approach rather than highlighting the barriers preventing us from doing things. We must have no repeat of the failings that occurred elsewhere. Regarding the delays, I believe the average for...

Seanad: EU Directive on Temporary Agency Work: Statements (10 Nov 2010)

Brendan Ryan: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Calleary. We are dealing with the temporary agency workers directive 2004/104/EC which must be transposed into Irish law. It was published on 5 December 2008 and must be transposed by 5 December 2011. I question why it has taken us until now to get seriously involved in it. I welcome the directive which is a good one. Its transposition into Irish...

Seanad: EU Directive on Temporary Agency Work: Statements (10 Nov 2010)

Brendan Ryan: There is great potential for abuse.

Seanad: National Housing Development Survey: Motion (10 Nov 2010)

Brendan Ryan: The National Housing Development Survey, published by the Ministers of State, Deputy Cuffe and Deputy Finneran, is an important, welcome and much-needed report. It eliminates the unsubstantiated rumours of what had occurred in some housing developments. Having said that, the survey's results are alarming. A housing development, by definition, comprises two or more dwellings set out in...

Seanad: Protection of Intellectual Property Rights: Statements (11 Nov 2010)

Brendan Ryan: I welcome the Minister of State. I was briefed yesterday by people from the industry ahead of this debate and I found much merit in what they had to say and have sympathy for them and the situation in which they find themselves. When preparing my contribution I thought I might reflect their position, but having listened to what has been said by previous contributors, it seems that argument...

Seanad: National Recovery Plan 2011-2014: Motion (30 Nov 2010)

Brendan Ryan: I welcome the Minister of State. In the short term the fiscal and banking issues must be resolved, but our recovery will be all about the creation of jobs. It is my party's view that the focus was not put on job creation until quite recently by the Government. As my party's motion states, every unemployed person costs the State about €20,000 between social welfare payments and lost...

Seanad: National Recovery Plan 2011-2014: Motion (30 Nov 2010)

Brendan Ryan: In a recent article in The Irish Times, Professor Brian Nolan stated that cutting welfare benefits will not incentivise people to take up jobs that do not exist. Neither will the reduction in the minimum wage achieve anything in line with what the Minister of State had to say. The structural problem to which I refer is the difficulty in taking up short-term jobs, perhaps for a month or six...

Seanad: National Recovery Plan 2011-2014: Motion (30 Nov 2010)

Brendan Ryan: At a recent economic conference in Balbriggan which I attended, there was a show of hands by business people as to who had work available if they could afford to hire. Approximately 15 to 20 of the 70 business people present put up their hands. We must find a way to tap into this and other opportunities and give them the priority they properly deserve.

Seanad: Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Bill 2008: Report and Final Stages (1 Dec 2010)

Brendan Ryan: I second the amendment.

Seanad: Communications Regulation (Postal Services) Bill 2010: Committee Stage (Resumed) (7 Dec 2010)

Brendan Ryan: I move amendment No. 22: In page 25, line 19, to delete "overall limit = (Ä CPI) — X" and substitute "overall limit = (Ä CPI) – X + Y". This amendment has been proposed by An Post which states price control should reflect structural declines in volumes, given the fixed nature of many of the costs incurred in providing a universal service. As volumes decline, costs per unit increase....

Seanad: Communications Regulation (Postal Services) Bill 2010: Committee Stage (Resumed) (7 Dec 2010)

Brendan Ryan: In response to amendment No. 22 and the necessary clarifying amendments Nos. 23, 24 and 26 the Minister indicated it would not be good for An Post. It is its position that this would be the correct thing to do. Therefore, I do not accept the Minister's argument.

Seanad: Communications Regulation (Postal Services) Bill 2010: Committee Stage (Resumed) (7 Dec 2010)

Brendan Ryan: I agree with previous speakers that this section should be withdrawn. It is the promotion of competition gone mad. I certainly am surprised to see such a provision in a Bill that is being promoted by a Green Party Minister. If one considers, for example, the opening of the electricity market in the past, at least then the electricity networks were in separate ownership and the associated...

Seanad: Communications Regulation (Postal Services) Bill 2010: Committee Stage (Resumed) (7 Dec 2010)

Brendan Ryan: Not this measure.

Seanad: Communications Regulation (Postal Services) Bill 2010: Committee Stage (Resumed) (7 Dec 2010)

Brendan Ryan: I move amendment No. 32: In page 30, before section 30, but in Chapter 4, to insert the following new section: 30.—A postal service provider that operates a post office shall not close the post office (other than for a temporary purpose) without the consent, by reserved function, of the local authority in which the post office is situate. This is a proposal to insert a new section entitled...

Seanad: Communications Regulation (Postal Services) Bill 2010: Committee Stage (Resumed) (7 Dec 2010)

Brendan Ryan: Senators on all sides are aware of the social damage caused by the closure of the post offices. It is not an issue we should leave to commercial interests. We should take a stand on this by asking for some control beyond commercial interests. The Minister should reflect on these amendments. I will not press them today but I will resubmit them on Report Stage and I hope the Minister will...

Seanad: Communications Regulation (Postal Services) Bill 2010: Report and Final Stages (9 Dec 2010)

Brendan Ryan: I also welcome the Government amendment, which improves the legislation somewhat. It effectively includes trade unions without referring to them as such. I have a concern, although I am unsure whether Senator O'Toole shares it. The amendment reads "organisations representative of employees" rather than "organisations representing employees". I am not sure what the other interpretations of...