Results 501-520 of 784 for speaker:Jimmy Harte

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2012: Committee Stage (19 Dec 2012)

Jimmy Harte: There are many views in the House on how that can be done. The Minister has grappled with this problem for months, as has the Government. It is a difficult task for anyone but it is a very easy task to challenge the Senators here. I take exception to someone saying; "where are all the Labour Senators today?". I could very well throw back the commment: "where are a lot of the Senators most...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2012: Committee Stage (19 Dec 2012)

Jimmy Harte: On the section, respite care is very important for a family who needs it. Equally the whole package is important to the family. To protect the whole package, if reductions in some parts are needed we have to move with them. I want to be judged on this not tomorrow or next weekend but in two or five years time when the public will judge us and say that this was a good Government because...

Seanad: Finance (Local Property Tax) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (20 Dec 2012)

Jimmy Harte: On valuation of the property, in my experience open market value would be defined as sale within a reasonable time, perhaps three or four months. Like other Senators, I had queries from constituents who asked how would one value a property that was valued at ¤500,000 five years ago. There are two ways of valuing a property. One is comparable valuation where the house next door was sold,...

Seanad: Finance (Local Property Tax) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (20 Dec 2012)

Jimmy Harte: This amendment seeks to provide that account be taken of any outstanding liabilities. In other words, where a property is valued at ¤100,000, on which the mortgage is ¤90,000, the remaining ¤10,000 will be the amount on which property tax liability will be based, which sounds straightforward. However, there are many properties worth ¤2 million to ¤3 million, on which the mortgages are...

Seanad: Finance (Local Property Tax) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (20 Dec 2012)

Jimmy Harte: I am a director of the North West Simon Community in Donegal and we have approximately 40 housing units. I agree completely with the Minister on the need for everyone to contribute something. It may not be palatable to say a voluntary housing group must pay. I take it properties in County Donegal will probably be at the low end of the ¤90,000 to ¤100,000 range. It is fair that everyone...

Seanad: Finance (Local Property Tax) Bill 2012: Committee Stage (20 Dec 2012)

Jimmy Harte: It may not be palatable to say a voluntary housing group must pay. I take it properties in County Donegal will probably be at the low end of the ¤90,000 to ¤100,000 range. It is fair that everyone should pay something and if the figure will be only ¤90 in County Donegal, it will not be an inordinate amount of money. The Simon Community, Respond! and other groups are always fund-raising...

Seanad: Order of Business (22 Jan 2013)

Jimmy Harte: Along with other Members I extend my sympathies at this sad time to the McEntee family and to the family of Senator Clune following the death of her mum. I would like a debate on the issue of medical card reviews that are taking place around the country and particularly in an area of Donegal. I have been contacted by several doctors who maintain that the medical card reviews are mitigating...

Seanad: Order of Business (23 Jan 2013)

Jimmy Harte: Will the Leader invite the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to the House to clarify where the 11 million burgers that have been withdrawn will end up? According to a newspaper report today, the ABP Food Group does not know how the burgers will be destroyed or where they will end up. In the same report Professor Patrick Wall, a food specialist at UCD, refers to the fact that he...

Seanad: Community Development: Motion (Resumed) (23 Jan 2013)

Jimmy Harte: I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I am sorry that the Minister of State for Arts, Heritage and Gaeltacht Affairs, Deputy McGinley has left because he is a fellow Donegal man and would have shared my concern about the recent spate of burglaries in Donegal and their fall-out. I am from the rural part of the county and now live in an urban part, Letterkenny. Donegal, like many...

Seanad: Community Development: Motion (Resumed) (23 Jan 2013)

Jimmy Harte: Sinn Féin is on the policing boards and is campaigning in Fermanagh and Tyrone to close the stations. Rural stations, much like those beside which I grew up, Lifford, Raphoe, St. Johnston and Convoy serve the same type of community but on the other side of the Border Sinn Féin is very enthusiastic about community policing which I applaud.

Seanad: Community Development: Motion (Resumed) (23 Jan 2013)

Jimmy Harte: There is a soundbite in the South that the Garda stations must be kept open. There is no future in gardaí sitting in the station. The future is in the gardaí being on the street. This has been proved this week in Donegal where the gardaí made many arrests in connection with the robberies of the past two weeks, much to the disgust of certain politicians such as the Deputy who predicted...

Seanad: Community Development: Motion (Resumed) (23 Jan 2013)

Jimmy Harte: It is important that the police get out on the street and know the people. Years ago the rural garda did not have a mobile phone, or maybe not even a telephone in the station. He did not have a car, he had a bicycle and a torch. Now they have facilities and do not have to be in the station.

Seanad: Community Development: Motion (Resumed) (23 Jan 2013)

Jimmy Harte: They have cars. In Donegal-----

Seanad: Community Development: Motion (Resumed) (23 Jan 2013)

Jimmy Harte: There will be 170 new cars.

Seanad: Community Development: Motion (Resumed) (23 Jan 2013)

Jimmy Harte: I am glad that Senator Ó Clochartaigh has raised the issue of the Garda cars because the PSNI is cutting its police cars and is now down to 300 vehicles, with the support of Sinn Féin.

Seanad: Community Development: Motion (Resumed) (23 Jan 2013)

Jimmy Harte: It has 300 left.

Seanad: Community Development: Motion (Resumed) (23 Jan 2013)

Jimmy Harte: It has 40% fewer stations than it had five years ago.

Seanad: Community Development: Motion (Resumed) (23 Jan 2013)

Jimmy Harte: It has 40% fewer.

Seanad: Community Development: Motion (Resumed) (23 Jan 2013)

Jimmy Harte: I have no issue with Senator Ó Clochartaigh but I want to state a few facts. Everyone has a role in policing in the community, from taxi drivers to the postman, the garda, the teacher and the ordinary guy in the street. Everyone has eyes and ears and people are beginning to realise this. They have mobile phones and if they see a suspicious car they can photograph the licence plate and...

Seanad: Order of Business (29 Jan 2013)

Jimmy Harte: Like my colleagues, I extend my sympathy to the Henry, de Buitléar and Donohoe families on the immeasurable grief they are going through this week. The Donohoe family will have a person missing from the Christmas table, and the children will not have a Dad at their birthday parties or for Christmas morning. Everyone in the country must be feeling as I feel about his death. It is something...