Results 4,461-4,480 of 4,717 for speaker:Martin Mansergh

Written Answers — Water and Sewerage Schemes: Water and Sewerage Schemes (19 Oct 2010)

Martin Mansergh: The Office of Public Works is responsible for maintaining those channels that form part of drainage schemes carried out by the Office under the Arterial Drainage Acts. The country is currently divided into three administrative regions, East, West and South West, for the purposes of these maintenance operations. Of the allocation of €16.8m provided in the OPW Vote for maintenance of...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (19 Oct 2010)

Martin Mansergh: The allocation referred to by the Deputy was made by the Office of Public Works under the Minor Flood Mitigation Works & Studies Scheme, which I introduced in 2009 to provide funding to local authorities to address localised flooding problems in their administrative areas. Under the scheme, local authorities were invited to submit applications for funding for proposed mitigation measures...

Written Answers — Water Pollution: Water Pollution (19 Oct 2010)

Martin Mansergh: The Working Group, established by the Government, is looking at the future use of Haulbowline. The remit of the Working Group does not include matters relating to the contamination of the site or matters relating to remediation or containment measures on the site. Such matters will be considered in light of Government's consideration of the recommendations of the Group as to the future use of...

Written Answers — Flood Relief: Flood Relief (20 Oct 2010)

Martin Mansergh: At the beginning of February, 2010, I launched the draft River Lee catchment flood risk assessment and management study, (CFRAM) as the primary pilot project for the national CFRAM programme. This commenced a period of public consultation which extended to 30 April, 2010. At present, the recommendations set out in the draft are being re-assessed in the light of the feedbacks and...

Seanad: Announcement on Banking by the Minister for Finance: Statements (20 Oct 2010)

Martin Mansergh: The Irish banking system has faced its most significant crisis ever. The core of the problem has been the scale of reckless lending that took place over many years. The consequence of such reckless lending must now be faced and the capital position of all the viable banks is being restored in order that the banking system will be in a position to meet adequately and responsibly the needs of...

Seanad: Announcement on Banking by the Minister for Finance: Statements (20 Oct 2010)

Martin Mansergh: I said exports were encouraging.

Seanad: Announcement on Banking by the Minister for Finance: Statements (20 Oct 2010)

Martin Mansergh: Of all descriptions.

Seanad: Announcement on Banking by the Minister for Finance: Statements (20 Oct 2010)

Martin Mansergh: I have never had tenure in my life.

Seanad: Announcement on Banking by the Minister for Finance: Statements (20 Oct 2010)

Martin Mansergh: I thank all those who have contributed to the debate. As a Member of the Other House, I did my calculations and found that at least one in five Senators contributed to this debate, which is good. I will respond to two general points before addressing some more detailed matters. The stringency of the budget in December will not be mainly due to the bank situation but to the gap between...

Seanad: Announcement on Banking by the Minister for Finance: Statements (20 Oct 2010)

Martin Mansergh: Is the Senator talking about the Fine Gael Party? I remember the Cosgrave Administration in the 1970s. There were many controversies about it at that time.

Seanad: Announcement on Banking by the Minister for Finance: Statements (20 Oct 2010)

Martin Mansergh: One Senator - it may have been Senator Phelan - mentioned Mr. John Bruton, who is now the IFSC czar. I saw him perform in Hong Kong when I was in China in connection with Expo 2010 in September. He did a superb job. He is a superb communicator. I am afraid I was left with the rather subversive thought as to why Fine Gael was in such a hurry to get rid of him as leader, but that is not my...

Seanad: Announcement on Banking by the Minister for Finance: Statements (20 Oct 2010)

Martin Mansergh: I am simply giving an honest reaction. I am not really trying to score a particular point. This is just a way of expressing my respect for a former leader of Fine Gael and Taoiseach, which should not be a matter of offence to Fine Gael Members.

Seanad: Announcement on Banking by the Minister for Finance: Statements (20 Oct 2010)

Martin Mansergh: I must comment on a suggestion made, I think also by Senator Phelan. He did not use these words exactly but he seemed to propose that we pressurise international funds in the IFSC to invest in the Irish economy. Perhaps I am confusing Senator Phelan with another speaker.

Seanad: Announcement on Banking by the Minister for Finance: Statements (20 Oct 2010)

Martin Mansergh: I was simply going to say one would need to be very much on one's guard in that regard. The IFSC is terrifically important to the economy in terms of employment, tax revenue and so on. One would need to be careful in that regard.

Seanad: Announcement on Banking by the Minister for Finance: Statements (20 Oct 2010)

Martin Mansergh: I may have mixed up Senator Phelan with someone else, in which case my apologies. The Senator from Cork stresses the point about his image as a common man, but I give him credit for being able to quote from Hamlet.

Seanad: Announcement on Banking by the Minister for Finance: Statements (20 Oct 2010)

Martin Mansergh: He spoke about people in ivory towers. I have never been an academic, although perhaps my style is slightly academic. The French Minister for Finance who is very capable was previously a professor in an American university. Every American Administration draws academics from the universities such as Mrs. Condoleezza Rice. I am not sure we always make proper use of our resources in that...

Macro-Economic and Fiscal Outlook: Statements (27 Oct 2010)

Martin Mansergh: At least we learned something from the last contribution, namely, that Labour Party Ministers would do without cars and drivers to drop them at meetings to do with the budget.

Macro-Economic and Fiscal Outlook: Statements (27 Oct 2010)

Martin Mansergh: The purpose of this debate is to clarify the choices we have to make over the next four years and the fundamental reasons for them. There are, unfortunately, no relatively painless exits from the situation in which we find ourselves. To clear up one persistent misrepresentation, State underpinning of the banks, while adding tens of billions of euro to the national debt, is not a main...

Macro-Economic and Fiscal Outlook: Statements (27 Oct 2010)

Martin Mansergh: Of course not.

Written Answers — Flood Relief: Flood Relief (27 Oct 2010)

Martin Mansergh: The issue of a national flood warning system was raised with me by a number of public representatives during the severe flood event of November 2009. At that time I gave an undertaking that the OPW would examine the issue and bring forward recommendations. The issue was re-iterated in the Fourth Report of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Environment Heritage and Local Government –...