Results 521-540 of 704 for speaker:John Kelly

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Jun 2014)

John Kelly: I support Senator Eamonn Coghlan's welcome for Rory McIlroy's decision to declare for Ireland in the Olympics. This is an excellent decision for this country. We have no idea of the talent that exists here, talent like that of Rory McIlroy. A family in my town, Ballaghaderreen, has a few young lads in it and one day the father decided to bring the boys out for exercise and chose golf....

Seanad: Order of Business (24 Jun 2014)

John Kelly: I support everything my colleague, Senator Whelan, said about the wind energy sector and the conflicts of interest that pertain to it and the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland. Both of us have mentioned this in the House on numerous occasions. However, I cautiously welcome the recent announcement by EirGrid about Grid West. Like Senator Whelan, I hope it is not a stunt. One would...

Seanad: Order of Business (26 Jun 2014)

John Kelly: In the two years since I started raising issues related to medical cards no one listened to me. We have seen the results. I propose to raise another issue related to how the primary care reimbursement service, PCRS, operates. I hope I will be listened to on this occasion and action will be taken to address the issue I raise. The PCRS is not a user-friendly system. When it receives an...

Seanad: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Second Stage (1 Jul 2014)

John Kelly: I welcome the Minister to the House again. I raised a number of these points with her in the past but will do so again now. I watched the Minister speak on a television programme last night. It was great politically to throw figures about on the number of people on the housing list but I have said consistently that the figure of 89,000 is most likely not accurate because many people on the...

Seanad: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Second Stage (1 Jul 2014)

John Kelly: Can they transfer from RAS to HAP?

Seanad: Education (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Second Stage (1 Jul 2014)

John Kelly: Can they transfer from RAS to HAP?

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2014: Committee Stage (2 Jul 2014)

John Kelly: Having read the explanatory memorandum, there are a few suggestions I would like to make. Giving the Department of Social Protection more powers to recover overpayments is a good idea, but I have seen situations during the years where the overpayment has not been the person's fault. I know of a case involving a couple who came home from Cyprus to look after a elderly person. They have...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2014: Committee Stage (2 Jul 2014)

John Kelly: Let me make just one point.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2014: Committee Stage (2 Jul 2014)

John Kelly: The couple in question declared everything, but one year later they were told there had been an overpayment. If the Department had taken on board what the couple had declared, they would not have received a payment. I do not think we should give the Department too much power to take money from people where it is its mistake in the first place.

Seanad: Order of Business (3 Jul 2014)

John Kelly: To follow on from Senator Denis O'Donovan's contribution, I know of a case in which an Iraqi-born national who has lived in Saudi Arabia since he was five years of age is trying to do business with a Galway-based company that manufactures affordable housing units, some 65,000 of which are required in Saudi Arabia. The Department of Justice and Equality is refusing this man a visa to come to...

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Jul 2014)

John Kelly: The blame game with regard to the cancellation of the Garth Brooks concerts continues but over the past week, all I heard with regard to the residents around Croke Park was a single word, around which I could not really get my head, namely, "lockdown". I was told it was quite serious and was led to believe that people around that area could not go out and buy a loaf of bread for five days....

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Jul 2014)

John Kelly: Should one build a stadium that has planning permission to host concerts, the problem could then be solved and facilitated. Yesterday, I mentioned to a colleague that this is something Members should debate in this House. Were a stadium in place for which one was not obliged to seek a licence and that came with planning permission to host concerts, no matter how many, one could breathe life...

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Jul 2014)

John Kelly: I ask the Leader to facilitate a debate on this issue at some time after the Seanad returns in September, because this kind of debacle, whereby residents have stopped €50 million from coming into the city of Dublin, is outrageous.

Seanad: Employment Permits (Amendment) Bill 2014: Second Stage (9 Jul 2014)

John Kelly: I welcome the Minister and the legislation. I compliment the Minister on the way he addressed this issue in a very clear and concise way. This legislation is about reform of the way we deal with employment permits and makes it more focused on our ever increasing needs and demands. I will not go into the same level of detail as the Minister but we had four work permits, which will be...

Seanad: Environmental Protection Agency: Motion (9 Jul 2014)

John Kelly: I welcome the Minister to the House. I compliment my colleagues, Senators Landy and Whelan on bringing up this issue. It is very important and in some of the cases cited the issues are very serious. It is quite amazing that the EPA does not seem to have the power to insist on higher standards for the protection of people’s health. The Health Information and Quality Authority, HIQA...

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Jul 2014)

John Kelly: I support Senator Ó Clochartaigh on the cut in funding for the National Deaf Society. It would be a good idea for the Leader to invite the Minister to attend the House for a debate on that matter. Many of these decisions on cuts are just handled by civil servants and then handed to Ministers who follow suit. On many occasions, however, I do not think the cuts are a good idea at all....

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Jul 2014)

John Kelly: I have a question for the Leader, which I want to explain. Some 98% or 99% of credit unions were fully compliant during the Celtic tiger era. They have €10 billion in deposits. Approximately ten credit unions in this country lost the run of themselves. We need a credit union movement which provides full banking services. We should also allow credit unions to lend to small...

Seanad: Order of Business (16 Jul 2014)

John Kelly: I wish to again raise the issue of wind energy and wind farm developments. I see in today's edition of the Irish Independentthat there are proposals to put up 46 wind turbines, each of which is 165 m high, in County Meath. I see the way that Element Power does its business. Instead of community engagement, it goes to the GAA and offers the clubs of County Meath €375,000 to buy them...

Seanad: Order of Business (16 Jul 2014)

John Kelly: I will be at a wedding.

Seanad: Order of Business (17 Jul 2014)

John Kelly: I concur with Senator Keane in respect of the withdrawal of funding from the Irish Deaf Society. I have no doubt that it will be dealt with in the very near future. I wish to raise the issue of discretionary medical cards that the Taoiseach announced would be restored to people from whom they were withdrawn. From what I can see so far, thousands of those medical cards have not been...