Results 501-520 of 996 for speaker:John Gerard Hanafin

Seanad: Order of Business (4 Nov 2008)

John Gerard Hanafin: I ask the Deputy Leader to arrange a debate at the earliest opportunity on the subject of buying Irish. We are heading into the Christmas purchasing season and there are many products, including high ticket items such as laptops and computers which are manufactured in this country by American companies. Given a choice and all things being equal, it makes perfect sense for people to make a...

Seanad: Order of Business (5 Nov 2008)

John Gerard Hanafin: I agree with the calls for realism in the debate on the economy. Most people recognise that certain action must be taken but whenever action is taken objections are made without reasonable alternatives being put forward. That debate will be ongoing until such time as we get through the current difficulties in the world economy. I share the views of those who spoke earlier. There is no...

Seanad: Order of Business (6 Nov 2008)

John Gerard Hanafin: I ask the Leader to request the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Deputy Mary Coughlan, to come to House to debate, before Christmas, the promotion of a Buy Irish campaign within the confines of EU rules. There are many positive things we can do. I am encouraged that the price of oil is falling, interest rates are falling — there is a cut of 0.5% due by the ECB...

Seanad: Order of Business (13 Nov 2008)

John Gerard Hanafin: Given that the price of oil has dropped significantly and given that there is a real need to ensure the public finances are kept in order and we reduce our carbon footprint, would it not now be appropriate to consider increasing further the tax on petrol? This is because the tax on petrol was the most acceptable part of the budget, notwithstanding the fact that some people drew attention to...

Seanad: Order of Business (18 Nov 2008)

John Gerard Hanafin: I share in the calls for a debate on the economy, with particular emphasis on the banks. Like other Senators, I was happy to stay up all night to put through the emergency legislation to ensure stability in the banking sector. All Irish banks have remained solid and the banks state that they do not need recapitalisation, but, unfortunately, the banks are retrenching very significantly.

Seanad: Order of Business (18 Nov 2008)

John Gerard Hanafin: In business terms, liquidity is considered to be life blood. Liquidity is being removed from the marketplace by the banks. Under no circumstances do I want to see a situation where, having provided stability for the banks, they increase the number of repossessions. That is particularly poignant at Christmas. They should work with customers and show them the same support that we, on behalf...

Seanad: Order of Business (18 Nov 2008)

John Gerard Hanafin: I am aware of two medium to large sized businesses where the owners are telling department heads to purchase nothing for January and that only what is in stock is to be sold over Christmas because they do not want to receive bills in January. That was not the reason we stayed up all night, put emphasis on ensuring stability and took the risk for the State. The last thing we want is for the...

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Nov 2008)

John Gerard Hanafin: I share the views in support of ethical research. It does us no harm to remind ourselves frequently that there have been no successes with embryonic stem cell research. All the research to date has indicated that the adult stem cells are the ones that are producing successful results. We hear of the new alchemists spending millions of taxpayers' money throughout the world trying to find...

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Nov 2008)

John Gerard Hanafin: Hear, hear. Senator Bacik was outrageous.

Seanad: Order of Business (20 Nov 2008)

John Gerard Hanafin: I join with those who call for a debate on transport. It is entirely practical and proper that in these times we should have maximum flexibility. If the Irish Exporters Association tells us we can become more competitive by having rail transport directly to the ports by night then we should take it on board. We are told that in the first nine months of this year exports increased by 4%....

Seanad: Order of Business (26 Nov 2008)

John Gerard Hanafin: Will the Leader request the Minister for Finance to come to the House to discuss the issue of the recapitalisation of the banks? The banks have stated clearly they do not need recapitalisation, but commentators suggest they might need it. There is a question of what type of recapitalisation might be required and who would provide the capital. I am aware there is talk of some hedge funds...

Seanad: Order of Business (26 Nov 2008)

John Gerard Hanafin: The Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment should come before the House because a serious issue has developed as a result of cost differentials north and south of the Border. Although no VAT is levied on food, it is significantly cheaper north of the Border. Two further changes have taken place recently in respect of goods north of the Border. First, VAT rates have...

Seanad: Stem-Cell Research (Protection of Human Embryos) Bill 2008: Second Stage (26 Nov 2008)

John Gerard Hanafin: While we may disagree on the detail, there is one fact we all share, which is we were all embryos at one stage. With that in mind I am conscious that life did not start in the reproductive process with the embryo, but human life did. That is what makes the embryo something that of its own right has dignity. It must have respect or we would cross a Rubicon over which we could never go back....

Seanad: Stem-Cell Research (Protection of Human Embryos) Bill 2008: Second Stage (26 Nov 2008)

John Gerard Hanafin: That embryo-destructive research is wrong in principle because it attacks the life of a human being at the earliest stage of his or her development is also backed up by the absolute inability of embryonic stem cells to have any successful clinical application. It is saddening to think of how much money, like the alchemists of the Dark Ages, has been wasted when so much could have been...

Seanad: Order of Business (27 Nov 2008)

John Gerard Hanafin: I join other speakers who spoke about the recapitalisation of the banks. I am conscious of the fact that Bank of Ireland has a very successful bond issue. The triple A rating granted to that issue stemmed from the fact that the Government had given the bank a guarantee. The banks are clear that they do not require recapitalisation but the fact that there is no liquidity in the market and...

Seanad: The Economy: Statements (5 Dec 2008)

John Gerard Hanafin: Economists predicted many more recessions than have materialised. There were three recessions in the last decade. That period witnessed the crash following the tragedy of 11 September 2001, the bursting of the dot com bubble and the results from criminal misselling of mortgages, called sub-prime loans, in the amount of €1 trillion in the USA, which put the whole financial system in...

Seanad: The Economy: Statements (5 Dec 2008)

John Gerard Hanafin: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Dec 2008)

John Gerard Hanafin: I support the call for a debate on the meat industry at the earliest opportunity. I am conscious of the fact that, before biotechnology, nanotechnology and our strong manufacturing base and tourism industry, this is and will continue to be an agricultural country. The potential loss of exports is serious and goes to the heart of the economy and our way of life. We should ensure greater...

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Dec 2008)

John Gerard Hanafin: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Dec 2008)

John Gerard Hanafin: The Opposition is quiet now.