Results 481-500 of 4,717 for speaker:Martin Mansergh

Seanad: Order of Business. (2 Jul 2003)

Martin Mansergh: I support the suggestion from Senator Ryan. When orders are placed before the House it would be helpful if they were available for consultation outside with perhaps a short summary note on what they are about. The Joint Committee on Finance and the Public Service discussed the Civil Service code of conduct but it would be fair to inform the House about these matters in case anybody wishes to...

Seanad: Forfás Consumer Pricing Report 2003: Statements. (2 Jul 2003)

Martin Mansergh: I welcome the Minister of State and his officials. The reduction of the annualised rate of inflation to 3.7% is good news that the trend is positive. Much of this is due to outside factors such as the fall in international oil prices once the uncertainty over the Middle East situation was clarified and also the strength of the euro. The matter was discussed this morning on the Order of...

Seanad: Forfás Consumer Pricing Report 2003: Statements. (2 Jul 2003)

Martin Mansergh: It is high time we stopped it. While various parties have had cosy relationships with lawyers in the past, we must consider the public interest. I cannot see how the public interest is served where the law is, in effect, inaccessible to anyone other than the big battalions, be they individuals or firms. Mention was made by my colleague, Senator Leyden, of the advertisements of a person whose...

Seanad: Common Agricultural Policy: Statements. (2 Jul 2003)

Martin Mansergh: How long do I have?

Seanad: Common Agricultural Policy: Statements. (2 Jul 2003)

Martin Mansergh: Do I have five minutes?

Seanad: Common Agricultural Policy: Statements. (2 Jul 2003)

Martin Mansergh: I welcome the Minister and congratulate him and his team of officials on their success, by no means for the first time, in overcoming difficult negotiating hurdles, to all intents and purposes preserving the interests both of the farming sector and, simultaneously, the country at large. I sometimes believe our farm organisations do not always give the Minister credit, to put it mildly, for...

Seanad: Houses of the Oireachtas Commission Bill 2002: Report and Final Stages. (2 Jul 2003)

Martin Mansergh: I made my views known on this point yesterday. There is an implicit recognition in the legislation in section 9(1), if one is being logical about it, that the deputy chairperson must be a Senator and a fortiori cathaoirleach in all but the most exceptional circumstances. I would have preferred this to have been stated explicitly for the reasons outlined by my colleagues.

Seanad: Houses of the Oireachtas Commission Bill 2002: Report and Final Stages. (2 Jul 2003)

Martin Mansergh: It was clear from the debate yesterday that all who were present had a united view on this issue. I did some research on the Government offices that have number twos. The Attorney General's Office has a Director General and a Deputy Director General. The CSO has two Directors. The Civil Service Commission has a Chairman and two Commissioners. The Department of Communications, Marine and...

Seanad: Houses of the Oireachtas Commission Bill 2002: Report and Final Stages. (2 Jul 2003)

Martin Mansergh: I forgot I was not supposed to mention a Member of the other House. I apologise and withdraw that remark. This is not a matter we will let drop in the future.

Seanad: Nuclear Safety: Motion. (2 Jul 2003)

Martin Mansergh: I welcome the motion and the all-party spirit of it. I have been with this issue off and on for the best part of 20 years. I have a vivid memory from 1986 when Charles Haughey, as Leader of the Opposition in the Dáil, forged by force of character an all-party motion on the closure of Sellafield. Since then, there has been an all-party position on the subject. I commend the efforts of...

Seanad: Order of Business. (3 Jul 2003)

Martin Mansergh: In rare cases.

Seanad: Order of Business. (3 Jul 2003)

Martin Mansergh: I am delighted with the evidence that the Government has appointed forthright, courageous and independent officers. I would be happy to engage in debate on the prisons issue. The standard charge for non-personal FOI requests is €15, which is modest. The number who will want to make further appeals will be limited. One of the jobs of this House is to scrutinise the activities of European...

Seanad: Order of Business. (7 Oct 2003)

Martin Mansergh: There will be no sacking.

Seanad: Order of Business. (8 Oct 2003)

Martin Mansergh: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Order of Business. (8 Oct 2003)

Martin Mansergh: That cannot be allowed.

Seanad: Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse: Statements (Resumed). (8 Oct 2003)

Martin Mansergh: We are discussing a difficult and painful issue, but we should at least give ourselves credit that we have the courage to address such an issue openly without fear or favour. In Northern Ireland, the Kincora scandal was a sort of hugger-mugger security investigation that was never properly aired. Admittedly, that was 20 years ago. Other types of residential institutions, catering more perhaps...

Seanad: Benchmarking: Motion. (8 Oct 2003)

Martin Mansergh: I move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after "Seanad Éireann," and substitute the following: "notes that: (a) the benchmarking exercise under the PPF was an important initiative in developing a better system of pay determination in the public service; (b) payment of the second and third phases of the increases recommended by the public service benchmarking body and of the general round...

Seanad: Benchmarking: Motion. (8 Oct 2003)

Martin Mansergh: Benchmarking has been agreed, is being implemented and is an integral part of the social partnership arrangements which have transformed the economy over the past 16 or 17 years. Needless to say, it will not be up-ended. Benchmarking is an alternative to traditional relativities which were not satisfactory from the perspective of industrial relations. It is, according to the PPF, a "coherent...

Seanad: Benchmarking: Motion. (8 Oct 2003)

Martin Mansergh: In 2002 some 21,000 days were lost through industrial action which was the lowest figure in the past 32 years. The claim that the public is getting nothing in return for the benchmarking deal is not true. Verification groups have been set up and agreements relating to each sector have been made, for example, the standardisation of the school year has been agreed and the Revenue Commissioners...

Seanad: Benchmarking: Motion. (8 Oct 2003)

Martin Mansergh: The OECD was complimentary about the benchmarking process and urged wider use of it. It stated that the use of other market type instruments such as benchmarking and other choice schemes within the public sector is generally limited in Ireland. It also noted that benchmarking of Government agencies, which tend to be exempt from the pressures to perform more efficiently and effectively can be...