Results 581-600 of 14,090 for speaker:Marc MacSharry

Seanad: Role of Broadcasting Authority of Ireland: Statements (18 May 2010)

Marc MacSharry: I am glad to have this opportunity to make a few brief points on the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland. I would like to focus briefly on the area of local radio as the RTE issue has been covered substantially by others. The introduction of local radio licences over a decade or more ago brought official Ireland to the people in the street in a much greater way than did the elitism of RTE...

Seanad: Construction Contracts Bill 2010: Second Stage (19 May 2010)

Marc MacSharry: I move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after "That" and substitute the following: "Seanad Éireann is pleased to note that:- the Government's substantial Public Capital Programme which continues to support employment and to provide the infrastructure required for Ireland's economic and social development; the new forms of public sector construction contracts include effective dispute...

Seanad: Construction Contracts Bill 2010: Second Stage (19 May 2010)

Marc MacSharry: With the permission of the House, I will share time with Senator Butler. I welcome the Minister of State and thank Senator Quinn for bringing forward this legislation. I have an interest of sorts to declare. I am involved in the ownership of an auctioneering practice and, as is customary, declare that interest. I also welcome members of the construction industry and its representative...

Seanad: Construction Contracts Bill 2010: Second Stage (19 May 2010)

Marc MacSharry: At 10.30 a.m. tomorrow.

Seanad: Order of Business (1 Jun 2010)

Marc MacSharry: I join others in condemning the situation in Gaza; it is completely intolerable. As Senator Ó Murchú rightly said, if we were discussing any other country, for instance the situation in Iran springs to mind, even though there is much solidarity shown internationally in respect of the tragedy that has taken place there, the reaction would be much greater. I hope, therefore, the appropriate...

Seanad: Competition (Amendment) Bill 2010: Second Stage (2 Jun 2010)

Marc MacSharry: I join others in welcoming the Minister of State to the House. I welcome this Competition (Amendment) Bill 2010. As the Minister said in his contribution, it is short but important legislation to give the appropriate authority to the Minister to ensure the board of the Competition Authority has the adequate numbers to allow them continue their work. At no time in our history is the issue...

Seanad: Whistleblowing in the Financial Sector: Statements (2 Jun 2010)

Marc MacSharry: I am glad to have an opportunity to make a few points about whistleblowing in the financial sector. I would like to pick up on what Senator Twomey said. It would be extremely foolish for any Minister participating in a debate to dictate the position rather than to listen to suggestions and points that have been thought out by Senators. I hope some of the points we make today can be...

Seanad: Banking Reports: Statements (15 Jun 2010)

Marc MacSharry: I join with others in welcoming the Minister of State. I am glad to have an opportunity to make a few points with regard to the two reports on the banking crisis. We had the opportunity to hear Mr. Regling and Mr. Watson at the Joint Committee on Finance and the Public Service last Friday, and the Governor of the Central Bank today. As with the Minister of State, I wholeheartedly welcome...

Seanad: Banking Reports: Statements (15 Jun 2010)

Marc MacSharry: I do not recall the message being anything other than that Anglo Irish Bank was absolutely systemic to the position in Ireland.

Seanad: Banking Reports: Statements (15 Jun 2010)

Marc MacSharry: A wide variety of characteristics brought about this crisis. I refer to the joint committee's meetings on Friday and this morning. For those Members who missed the former, Senator Ross gave a good account of it in his article in the most recent edition of the Sunday Independent. Those Members who attended the aforementioned meetings would have learned there were substantial international...

Seanad: Order of Business. (22 Jun 2010)

Marc MacSharry: I join Senator O'Toole in seeking a debate on bank regulation and banking generally. As I have said before, we need to constantly dip into and out of this issue given events outside the House. I welcome the recent report by the regulator about the intention to introduce more stringent controls. It will certainly make life potentially difficult for people. It is an awful shame that those...

Seanad: Death of Former Member: Expressions of Sympathy (22 Jun 2010)

Marc MacSharry: I join Senators in paying tribute to the late Peter Callanan who was a great friend to me when I entered the House as a relatively young Senator in 2002. The first thing I learned about Peter was that he was not a member of any clique. We have all observed various cliques around the Houses during the years. The best tribute I can pay is one which previous speakers noted, namely, that Peter...

Seanad: Order of Business (23 Jun 2010)

Marc MacSharry: A debate on taxi regulation would be useful. Senator Norris has raised the anomaly of perfectly fine vehicles having to be struck off, as it were, for use as taxis. The national car test should address this issue, especially as it is permitted to grant limousine licences for vehicles that are much older than ten years. I concur with the Senator on that point. In the light of certain...

Seanad: Health Services (23 Jun 2010)

Marc MacSharry: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Áine Brady. My matter is as follows: the need for the Minister for Health and Children, in light of serious questions which arise from the content of documents released to me under the Freedom of Information Act as directed by the Information Commissioner, Ms Emily O'Reilly, to hold an independent review of governance standards in the HSE and the...

Seanad: Health Services (23 Jun 2010)

Marc MacSharry: It did not at that time meet the standards. That is a fact and a matter of public record. I regret that I and many thousands of people in the north west were vilified by health professionals and, in my view, people who acted in concert to subvert the course of a process that should have been objective, but was completely subjective. These are all matters that are borne out in documentation...

Seanad: Health Services (23 Jun 2010)

Marc MacSharry: Minister, I do not accept anything that was said. The Minister is obviously happy with what she has been told, but I have proof that it is flawed and has been organised and engineered in the same way that Ministers from my party were told by regulators, central bankers and service providers that the banks were well capitalised weeks before the collapse. There is no ambiguity; there cannot...

Seanad: Order of Business (29 Jun 2010)

Marc MacSharry: I join Senator Alex White in calling for that debate so we can have a meaningful input into making the next budget. We should have a series of debates, with suggestions coming forward. A property tax was mentioned and it may be useful to debate the concept of a property tax in this House. If it is being contemplated by the Government, could it be applied in such a way as to ensure the less...

Seanad: Order of Business. (1 Jul 2010)

Marc MacSharry: Last week during a motion on the Adjournment, I was in a position to uncover a level of unhealthy proximity and familiarity between HIQA and the HSE. Documents were finally made available to me as a result of directions by the Office of the Ombudsman. Today, we will see further evidence of this situation, as inconsistencies in HIQA have been found in respect of the 133 nursing homes it has...

Seanad: Order of Business. (1 Jul 2010)

Marc MacSharry: -----which the documents I possess have proven to be inappropriate and could compromise more than people's financial well-being. We also need a debate on how to reform the Health Act 2004 in a meaningful way to bring that budget - €15 billion of the people's money - back under the control of the people, the Houses of the Oireachtas and the Government. I fully agree that we should debate...

Seanad: Central Bank Reform Bill 2010: Second Stage (6 Jul 2010)

Marc MacSharry: I join others in welcoming the Minister, Deputy Brian Lenihan. It is great he is here to take this Bill. I also welcome this opportunity to make a few points on the Bill in the form of a mild rebuttal of the previous speaker's two main objections to it. The Senator's second point related to a letter that was written referring to something last March, which was superseded. It was highly...