Results 421-440 of 3,707 for speaker:Brian O'Shea

Written Answers — Telecommunications Services: Telecommunications Services (5 May 2005)

Brian O'Shea: Question 97: To ask the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources if he will report on his Department's analysis of ComReg's recently published forward looking strategic review of the Irish telecoms sector; his views on the opinions expressed recently at a telecommunications conference in Kilkenny; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14392/05]

Order of Business. (10 May 2005)

Brian O'Shea: The Taoiseach has given the wrong answer. He should apologise.

Dormant Accounts (Amendment) Bill 2004 [Seanad]: Report Stage. (10 May 2005)

Brian O'Shea: I move amendment No. 1: In page 3, line 27, after "Act" to insert the following: "and the Freedom of Information Act 1997 shall apply to the Board as and from the establishment day". If so amended, section 2 would read "The Minister shall, by order, appoint a day to be the establishment day for the purposes of this Act and the Freedom of Information Act 1997 shall apply to the Board as and...

Dormant Accounts (Amendment) Bill 2004 [Seanad]: Report Stage. (10 May 2005)

Brian O'Shea: A Leas-Cheann Comhairle——

Dormant Accounts (Amendment) Bill 2004 [Seanad]: Report Stage. (10 May 2005)

Brian O'Shea: Deputy Boyle put his finger on the main issue when he said we would all like this Bill to be withdrawn. God marches on the side of the big battalions and the Government has the numbers in terms of voting power on this occasion. We are reduced to seeking to influence the Government to make the best job of what is bad legislation. On the last occasion we debated this Bill the Minister made...

Dormant Accounts (Amendment) Bill 2004 [Seanad]: Report Stage. (10 May 2005)

Brian O'Shea: The Minister has gone part of the way in delivering on what the amendment is seeking. The inclusion of the name of the board in the appropriate Schedules is not his decision but that of another Minister. I take without reservation his commitment that he will make the appropriate approach to the Minister for Finance or the Minister of State who deals with these matters. Will he give a...

Dormant Accounts (Amendment) Bill 2004 [Seanad]: Report Stage. (10 May 2005)

Brian O'Shea: That is a matter of opinion and the Minister cannot guarantee it, confident as he may be. I hope he realises we need more than good will. We need a guarantee to convince us that the Freedom of Information Act will apply to the board from the date of its establishment. If he cannot guarantee this, he should accept the amendment. We all agree that what the Bill proposes is desirable but we must...

Dormant Accounts (Amendment) Bill 2004 [Seanad]: Report Stage. (10 May 2005)

Brian O'Shea: Can the Minister give me a guarantee at this stage?

Dormant Accounts (Amendment) Bill 2004 [Seanad]: Report Stage. (10 May 2005)

Brian O'Shea: Can the House agree to allowing the Minister one minute?

Dormant Accounts (Amendment) Bill 2004 [Seanad]: Report Stage. (10 May 2005)

Brian O'Shea: Yes.

Dormant Accounts (Amendment) Bill 2004 [Seanad]: Report Stage. (10 May 2005)

Brian O'Shea: I move amendment No. 3: In page 5, between lines 14 and 15, to insert the following: "(a) to establish transparent criteria for the disbursement of funds under the Dormant Accounts Acts 2001 to 2005,". The intent of this amendment is simple. It would require the board — not the Minister — to establish the criteria for the disbursement of funds. As the legislation stands, the functions of...

Dormant Accounts (Amendment) Bill 2004 [Seanad]: Report Stage. (10 May 2005)

Brian O'Shea: We will leave that to the people. I will not speculate on that question at this stage. A Fianna Fáil led Government will lay hands on this sort of loot in the run-up to a general election and use it to buy votes. The Minister minimised this line in our argument on Committee Stage. If a Minister can provide funding for a community project in his area, prior to the election, he or she will ask...

Dormant Accounts (Amendment) Bill 2004 [Seanad]: Report Stage. (10 May 2005)

Brian O'Shea: Fianna Fáil invented the tactic. The Labour Party would know very little about it.

Dormant Accounts (Amendment) Bill 2004 [Seanad]: Report Stage. (10 May 2005)

Brian O'Shea: The Minister seeks to portray Fianna Fáil as a virtuous party that does not try to swing every deal it can in the State sector in the run-up to general elections to ensure it is elected. If that image is true I have been living in the wrong country for many years because the Fianna Fáil I know is quite different from that virtuous, almost monastic party the Minister wishes to present to us....

Dormant Accounts (Amendment) Bill 2004 [Seanad]: Report Stage. (10 May 2005)

Brian O'Shea: That is another argument I will not take up. There is more than one side to it. None of us can dispute the success of the CLÁR programme but the RAPID programme is another kettle of fish.

Dormant Accounts (Amendment) Bill 2004 [Seanad]: Report Stage. (10 May 2005)

Brian O'Shea: I do not wish to engage in this debate now. This is a changing situation. The Minister has offered spurious arguments about the virtuous Fianna Fáil Party and how Fianna Fáil Ministers will react to having €200 million to disburse in the run-up to a general election. He probably believes what he says but he would be in a small minority in holding the sincere view that Fianna Fáil will...

Dormant Accounts (Amendment) Bill 2004 [Seanad]: Report Stage. (10 May 2005)

Brian O'Shea: A slush fund is one of the most effective weapons in the armoury of a Fianna Fáil led Government in the run-up to the next election. The Minister may say the Labour Party is expert in this but history will show who are the real experts. Nothing happening today convinces me that anything is changing in that regard. The only changes effected were introduced by the Labour Party which proposed...

Dormant Accounts (Amendment) Bill 2004 [Seanad]: Report Stage. (10 May 2005)

Brian O'Shea: The Minister covered a lot of ground in his reply. He might be surprised to learn that I agree with him on much of what he said. One issue on which I always need to be convinced is whether the national pay agreements have added to the democratic process. They were introduced at a particular time when financial rectitude and discipline were very necessary. What is agreed between the Government...

Dormant Accounts (Amendment) Bill 2004 [Seanad]: Report Stage. (10 May 2005)

Brian O'Shea: I am not replying. I will allow other Deputies to speak.

Dormant Accounts (Amendment) Bill 2004 [Seanad]: Report Stage. (10 May 2005)

Brian O'Shea: I do not want to go back over the same ground repeatedly. As my family got bigger and older, I converted what was a three bedroom house into a five bedroom house to cater for events as they unfolded. As it was designed as a three bedroom house, I ended up with four doors into my kitchen and two rooms with only one door into them. When something is designed to fulfil a specific purpose, it is...