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

Seanad: Houses of the Oireachtas Commission Bill 2002: Second Stage. (26 Jun 2003)

Martin Mansergh: There is an inner fence closer to the back of the building.

Seanad: Houses of the Oireachtas Commission Bill 2002: Committee Stage. (1 Jul 2003)

Martin Mansergh: I made the point on Second Stage that the deputy chairman should be the Cathaoirleach, for reasons that were stated. At that stage the Bill referred to the 'acting chairman' but it is proposed to change that. It is implicit in section 9(1) of the Bill which states: If Dáil Eireann is dissolved, the chairperson, or, if the chairperson is unable to perform his or her function, the acting...

Seanad: Houses of the Oireachtas Commission Bill 2002: Committee Stage. (1 Jul 2003)

Martin Mansergh: It is in the margin, "Dissolution of Dáil Eireann and Seanad Éireann".

Seanad: Houses of the Oireachtas Commission Bill 2002: Committee Stage. (1 Jul 2003)

Martin Mansergh: I accept that, but I was pointing out an error in the margin.

Seanad: Houses of the Oireachtas Commission Bill 2002: Committee Stage. (1 Jul 2003)

Martin Mansergh: A Chathaoirligh, it is not often that we are addressing you and discussing you at the same time in the Chair.

Seanad: Houses of the Oireachtas Commission Bill 2002: Committee Stage. (1 Jul 2003)

Martin Mansergh: I support that without qualification. Amendment agreed to. Government amendment No. 2: In page 3, subsection (1), between lines 31 and 32, to insert "'deputy chairperson' means the person who, under section 7 holds the office of deputy chairperson of the Commission;". Amendment agreed to. Section 2, as amended, agreed to. Section 3 agreed to. SECTION 4.

Seanad: Houses of the Oireachtas Commission Bill 2002: Committee Stage. (1 Jul 2003)

Martin Mansergh: The difference is between intervening in a judicial or legal sense and intervening in an extra-legal sense. The Oireachtas sometimes gets into problems with the sub judice rule if the intervention is political, but this is clearly meant to be legal.

Seanad: Houses of the Oireachtas Commission Bill 2002: Committee Stage. (1 Jul 2003)

Martin Mansergh: I am not sure that I fully agree with Senator Higgins. A House of the Oireachtas is to get involved in backing legal proceedings. If either House of the Oireachtas is to get involved in backing legal proceedings, it ought to be formally approved by the House as a whole. Obviously, the commission will be the prime mover and I am sure if the commission recommends it, in 95 out of 100 cases, the...

Seanad: Houses of the Oireachtas Commission Bill 2002: Committee Stage. (1 Jul 2003)

Martin Mansergh: In discussing this issue one should acknowledge the progress made during the years. When I worked in Leinster House in the 1980s, three or four Senators shared a secretary. Matters have improved greatly in that we now have a secretary for every two Senators and also get a secretarial allowance which helps with secretarial assistance in the constituency. I agree with Senator Higgins that we...

Seanad: Houses of the Oireachtas Commission Bill 2002: Committee Stage. (1 Jul 2003)

Martin Mansergh: We are only discussing our situation here and how it might evolve. I have said on more than one occasion that I regret the rounding down of the entry point of the secretarial allowance. All of us depend on our secretaries. However, this is probably a matter for the commission to look at and deal with; it is not strictly a matter for legislation. Research facilities have improved considerably...

Seanad: Houses of the Oireachtas Commission Bill 2002: Committee Stage. (1 Jul 2003)

Martin Mansergh: A lot more than 20 or 30 years ago.

Seanad: Houses of the Oireachtas Commission Bill 2002: Committee Stage. (1 Jul 2003)

Martin Mansergh: The Minister of State may correct me but my reading of section 9 is that, in practice, the deputy chairperson must be a Senator. Otherwise, section 9(1) does not make any sense. If that position is to be held by a Senator, it should be the Cathaoirleach. I would prefer this to be stated explicitly rather than implicitly.

Seanad: Houses of the Oireachtas Commission Bill 2002: Committee Stage. (1 Jul 2003)

Martin Mansergh: I welcome the Minister of State's reply. One could conceive of extreme situations where, shortly after being elected to the chair, the Cathaoirleach was taken ill and was out of action. However, the Minister of State's response is a satisfactory one and, on that basis, I support the section as it stands.

Seanad: Houses of the Oireachtas Commission Bill 2002: Committee Stage. (1 Jul 2003)

Martin Mansergh: I wish to make clear before making further observations that we are no more discussing personalities than we were with the discussion on the deputy chairperson. We are discussing the office and the role it plays, which is well fulfilled by the individual in it at present. A point could be made, and perhaps this is truer of those of us relatively new to House than those who have been Members...

Seanad: Houses of the Oireachtas Commission Bill 2002: Committee Stage. (1 Jul 2003)

Martin Mansergh: Loyalty to the Government.

Seanad: Houses of the Oireachtas Commission Bill 2002: Committee Stage. (1 Jul 2003)

Martin Mansergh: I do not accept the Minister of State's argument. The Clerk of the Dáil is a member of the commission in two capacities that are set out. He is there as the chief civil servant running the Oireachtas but also as an immensely important civil servant who has years of experience of the workings of the Dáil. That experience is of benefit. I do not accept that he is only there as someone who...

Seanad: Houses of the Oireachtas Commission Bill 2002: Committee Stage. (1 Jul 2003)

Martin Mansergh: I support what Senator O'Rourke has just said. We have appointed worker representatives to public and State bodies. It is part and parcel of modern European social democracy. If one looks at the staff of the House, I do not think revolution tomorrow is what we are likely to be facing. If we do this on commercial State bodies, why would we not do it on the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission?...

Seanad: Houses of the Oireachtas Commission Bill 2002: Committee Stage. (1 Jul 2003)

Martin Mansergh: It would not do them any harm if it did.

Seanad: Houses of the Oireachtas Commission Bill 2002: Committee Stage. (1 Jul 2003)

Martin Mansergh: I am a little disappointed by the reply of the Minister of State. I do not regard worker representation as an experiment. It has been in place for the past 15 years and appears to be working reasonably well. Rather than regarding it as dangerous and something to be guarded against, we should be trying to introduce it wherever we can. On the issue of the number of members of the commission,...

Seanad: Houses of the Oireachtas Commission Bill 2002: Committee Stage. (1 Jul 2003)

Martin Mansergh: The subsection relates to Estimates, which contain estimates of receipts and expenditure for two years, namely, the year coming to a close and the forthcoming year. Subsection (3) clearly relates to an Estimate for the preceding year. If the Senator considers the text in that light, he should not find a problem with it.