Results 5,021-5,040 of 5,587 for speaker:Kevin Humphreys

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Oct 2018)

Kevin Humphreys: The Leader has just spent the past five minutes attacking me.

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Oct 2018)

Kevin Humphreys: I urge the Leader to read the minutes.

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Oct 2018)

Kevin Humphreys: Yesterday, more with anger than any other feeling, I raised the issue of climate change and how the budget ignored it. The Leader's response was to claim that I was for taxation. I am for taxation, and we have to bring in a carbon tax. The Citizens' Assembly said it-----

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Oct 2018)

Kevin Humphreys: -----and yes, Mary Robinson said it. Our own climate change advisory council has also recommended a carbon tax. John FitzGerald of the ESRI came out again yesterday evening to say there was a need for a carbon tax. The Leader it very good at criticising Fianna Fáil for the disaster they left us with our economy but this issue is all on Fine Gael. Fine Gael talks the talk but is not...

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Oct 2018)

Kevin Humphreys: The previous Government had to be dragged into having a climate change advisory council and the then Minister, Phil Hogan, resisted it at every turn, something the people on the committee will be able to tell the Leader. We need action and not words and we do not need the Taoiseach to tell us we are laggards. The action that was expected from the Citizens' Assembly and the climate change...

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Oct 2018)

Kevin Humphreys: That is down to Fine Gael. I will not stand idly by. The Government will have to step up to the mark. No longer can it talk the talk. It must walk the walk. However, it has refused to do that for the past two years.

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Oct 2018)

Kevin Humphreys: I apologise. However, the response I got from the Leader yesterday was disgraceful.

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Oct 2018)

Kevin Humphreys: Up to 2.1 million tonnes of extra carbon will go into the atmosphere on the Government's watch.

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Oct 2018)

Kevin Humphreys: We are the second worst in Europe.

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Oct 2018)

Kevin Humphreys: By 2030.

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Oct 2018)

Kevin Humphreys: That is what I said on yesterday's Order of Business.

Seanad: Order of Business (11 Oct 2018)

Kevin Humphreys: There are very few gentlemen in Fine Gael.

Seanad: Order of Business (11 Oct 2018)

Kevin Humphreys: I wish to echo the comments made by a previous Senator about public transport and certainly in terms of Irish Rail. We do need reliable rail transport. When a person boards a train he or she should have a reasonable expectation to arrive on time no matter whether that is on the northside or southside of the city. Above all what we need is investment in public transport. We need reliable...

Seanad: Order of Business (11 Oct 2018)

Kevin Humphreys: Above all we need a Minister who will concentrate on his brief and provide a proper public transport service for this country. I call on my colleagues in the Government and in Fine Gael to try and ensure that we get Ministers who care about their portfolios and not about everything else. What is happening across this country in areas ranging from carbon tax to public transport to fodder...

Seanad: Order of Business (11 Oct 2018)

Kevin Humphreys: I just did.

Seanad: Order of Business (16 Oct 2018)

Kevin Humphreys: On many occasions we have listened to debates in this House about the importance of broadband in rural Ireland. I have deep concerns about what has happened in recent weeks, which caused the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment to resign, and the Minister of State, Deputy Breen, organised a dinner. He is the Minister of State with special responsibility for trade. It...

Seanad: Order of Business (17 Oct 2018)

Kevin Humphreys: I also want to mention College Green. It is certainly disappointing that a pedestrian plaza will not be developed at that location. I would have liked the plans to have gone much further, including for the Bank of Ireland building there, which has a long history, to be taken into State ownership.. I have always believed that part of the dividend of the bank bailout should have been Bank of...

Seanad: Order of Business (17 Oct 2018)

Kevin Humphreys: I certainly would not like to see any political interference-----

Seanad: Order of Business (17 Oct 2018)

Kevin Humphreys: -----regarding An Bord Pleanála. The terms of reference of An Bord Pleanála include that it must uphold the development plans signed off by local councillors and take into consideration Government policy. Any move to interfere with this would be to go back to the dark ages when it was normal that the largest parties in the State constantly interfered with planning decisions. I...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Rental Sector (18 Oct 2018)

Kevin Humphreys: I welcome the pupils from St. Vincent's school in Marino, who are in the Visitors Gallery. We are talking about an issue that affects every family in the city, if not the country, the housing crisis.I have addressed the Minister of State, Deputy English, on this matter on several occasions. When the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Coveney, had responsibility...