Results 521-540 of 1,591 for speaker:Eugene Regan

Seanad: Order of Business (18 Nov 2008)

Eugene Regan: I will come to that.

Seanad: Order of Business (18 Nov 2008)

Eugene Regan: One might ask who is this person: Ireland has used our exceptional growth rates to effectively manage the public finances in a way which has reinforced economic prosperity . . . I have made it clear, time and again——

Seanad: Order of Business (18 Nov 2008)

Eugene Regan: It is merely——

Seanad: Order of Business (18 Nov 2008)

Eugene Regan: I intend to identify it. It is——

Seanad: Order of Business (18 Nov 2008)

Eugene Regan: Of course, I respect that. The person who delivered this speech is, in fact, Deputy Brian Cowen, the current Taoiseach, and it was delivered to the Royal Irish Academy last year. The point is that he stated, "As a nation we cannot progress equity without ongoing public investment in areas such as health and education which impact on our most vulnerable citizens." This is just one year out...

Seanad: Agriculture Sector: Statements (18 Nov 2008)

Eugene Regan: In his statement the Minister, Deputy Smith said it was unfortunate that he missed last week's debate. I imagine he means it was fortunate he missed it because it was a very robust debate on the budget. The Minister's statement says precious little about the budget. He speaks about everything but the budget cutbacks in Irish agriculture, with a few general statements on the budget. He...

Seanad: Agriculture Sector: Statements (18 Nov 2008)

Eugene Regan: It is unfortunate the Minister did not set out in the budget any justification or rationale for the measures he adopted. That is the issue of the day. To speak about issues that are, and will be for some time, the subject of ongoing negotiations in Brussels, such as the CAP health check and the WTO, is to avoid the issue and that is what the Minister has done.

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Nov 2008)

Eugene Regan: I refer to the statements by Declan Ganley, the chairman of Libertas, to the Sub-Committee on Ireland's Future in the European Union, which are reported in The Irish Times today where he calls for an EU constitution of no more than 25 pages, presumably like the US constitution. I do not know if this man is for real. God bless America and the American constitution, but Europe is not America...

Seanad: Order of Business (25 Nov 2008)

Eugene Regan: I support Senator O'Toole's statement on hand guns. It is not clear what the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform is proposing. He has intimated some restrictions on legally held hand guns and it would be useful if he came into the House and explained precisely what he proposes to do in this area. The use of hand guns and pistol shooting is a big sport in this country. It is a...

Seanad: Order of Business (25 Nov 2008)

Eugene Regan: The Taoiseach, in his unequivocal support, is also out of touch. On the subject of friends of Fianna Fáil and the Taoiseach, when we introduced the emergency legislation to deal with the bank crisis, it was emphatically stated by the Minister for Finance and the Government that the issue of the recapitalisation of banks did not arise. Then it was subject to analysis and it was suggested...

Seanad: Order of Business (25 Nov 2008)

Eugene Regan: This pertains to a request for the Minister to come to the House for a debate on the economy. Why is this matter so urgent and why is there a particular focus on the Bank of Ireland currently? Is Deputy Bertie Ahern getting a finder's fee for facilitating the introduction of the private equity firms to the Minister for Finance with regard to the recapitalisation of the banks? That is a...

Seanad: Order of Business (25 Nov 2008)

Eugene Regan: It is a legitimate question.

Seanad: Order of Business (25 Nov 2008)

Eugene Regan: That has nothing to do with what I said.

Seanad: Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking) Act 1996: Referral to Joint Committee (25 Nov 2008)

Eugene Regan: On a point of order, four motions are being referred to committee without debate. Perhaps the Leader will consider this. They concern EU legislation in the area of criminal law. On Thursday, the motion on terrorism is to return to the House, again to be taken without debate. We are often criticised for not scrutinising and debating EU legislation and it is suggested that it is introduced...

Seanad: Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking) Act 1996: Referral to Joint Committee (25 Nov 2008)

Eugene Regan: I thank the Leader for that clarification.

Seanad: Order of Business (26 Nov 2008)

Eugene Regan: The lesson from the FÁS debacle is a lesson for the Government. It is the issue of value for money. Although he reversed his opinion yesterday, the Taoiseach, in standing by the expenditure initially, shows he has not appreciated the issue of value for money. The lesson for him and the Government is to stop paying lip service to the issue. They must stop commissioning new reports and...

Seanad: Order of Business (27 Nov 2008)

Eugene Regan: I quoted from it last night.

Seanad: Order of Business (27 Nov 2008)

Eugene Regan: It is always good when a governor from the United States comes to the House and I welcome the Governor of Montana today. Is there any indication of when the Governor of Alaska might visit the House?

Seanad: Order of Business (27 Nov 2008)

Eugene Regan: If Sarah Palin does visit it might be appropriate that it would be when we have the debate on hand gun legislation, which I believe the Minister will put before the Oireachtas. We have had an initiative from the Irish-led Mallabraca consortium to recapitalise Irish banks, which lacked credibility and does not appear to be going anywhere. There is a headline in The Irish Times today, "New...

Seanad: Council Framework Decision on Combating Terrorism: Motion (27 Nov 2008)

Eugene Regan: On a point of order——