Results 601-620 of 1,591 for speaker:Eugene Regan

Seanad: Gun Crime: Statements (18 Dec 2008)

Eugene Regan: I welcome the Minister. I also welcome his exposé on Government policy on tackling gun crime involving both legally and illegally held weapons. The Minister's speech was a clap on the back — we are doing very well, the resources are in place, and if the legislation is not, it is being worked on very diligently. The Minister mentioned the issue of Garda numbers and I appreciate the...

Seanad: Finance (No. 2) Bill 2008 (Certified Money Bill): Second Stage (19 Dec 2008)

Eugene Regan: I was to share time with Senator Coghlan, but he is not here. If he returns to the House I will share time with him.

Seanad: Finance (No. 2) Bill 2008 (Certified Money Bill): Second Stage (19 Dec 2008)

Eugene Regan: The background to the budget and the Finance Bill consists of three problems, namely, our place in Europe in view of the Lisbon treaty referendum, the banking crisis, and the setting of a base for economic recovery. What we have from the Government in these areas is a framework with no specific decisions made. That is the problem we have here. The Government has failed to act. It...

Seanad: Finance (No. 2) Bill 2008 (Certified Money Bill): Second Stage (19 Dec 2008)

Eugene Regan: I will stop there and I apologise to Senator Coghlan as I did not realise the time.

Seanad: Finance (No. 2) Bill 2008 (Certified Money Bill): Second Stage (19 Dec 2008)

Eugene Regan: I apologise for spoiling the time arrangements. I have only a little more to say in my contribution. The framework for economic renewal programme announced yesterday contains many issues and policies that have been announced with great fanfare over recent years, whether that is Transport 21 or the establishment of the new "bord snip", yet none of these measures is new and none of them...

Seanad: Anglo Irish Bank Corporation Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (20 Jan 2009)

Eugene Regan: I understand the motivation for the amendment. When added to all the other legislation that has been put in place, it may be a top-heavy procedure to deal with what should be fairly straightforward questions at this time. The reality is that the Minister failed to carry out any due diligence of the banks before he provided the State guarantee. He failed to carry out any due diligence...

Seanad: Anglo Irish Bank Corporation Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (20 Jan 2009)

Eugene Regan: What changed?

Seanad: Anglo Irish Bank Corporation Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (20 Jan 2009)

Eugene Regan: The Minister of State has said that there was a reputational effect of the disclosures about directors' loans, and particularly the activities of Mr. Seán FitzPatrick, the loans which he secured and the manner in which they were transferred prior to auditing of the accounts. The question is how did that reputational effect manifest itself if not in a run on the bank. If the Minister of...

Seanad: Anglo Irish Bank Corporation Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (20 Jan 2009)

Eugene Regan: Does he know anything?

Seanad: Order of Business (27 Jan 2009)

Eugene Regan: I wish to follow up on what Senator Alex White has said about our various debates on the economy. What the Government has presented in recent months on different aspects of the economy are frameworks. We have had a framework on the recapitalisation of banks. We have had a framework for economic recovery. We now have a framework for discussions, which is essentially an agenda for a...

Seanad: Order of Business (27 Jan 2009)

Eugene Regan: We should not be silent on this matter. We should have a view and should try to influence the process that, hopefully, President Obama will play a part in to ensure peace in the Middle East.

Seanad: Economic Situation: Statements (27 Jan 2009)

Eugene Regan: I wish to share my time with Senator Burke, by agreement.

Seanad: Economic Situation: Statements (27 Jan 2009)

Eugene Regan: I ask the Minister of State and the previous speaker to tell us something we do not know. The Minister of State's presentation threw out a few new figures, several generalities and some literary comments of such a generic nature that they have no relevance to the problems we face. We need the Government to provide directions, decisions and policies. The role of the Opposition is to comment...

Seanad: Economic Situation: Statements (27 Jan 2009)

Eugene Regan: It was well spotted.

Seanad: Economic Situation: Statements (27 Jan 2009)

Eugene Regan: It is significant enough.

Seanad: Order of Business (28 Jan 2009)

Eugene Regan: There has been much talk in this House and in the Lower House by the Minister for Finance and the Taoiseach about patriotism in respect of the economy, the bipartisan approach, the Tallaght strategy and reaching consensus. The outburst by the Taoiseach yesterday in the Lower House has put paid to that. It clearly demonstrates that he has his own view about how things should be done. He...

Seanad: Order of Business (28 Jan 2009)

Eugene Regan: The Taoiseach has his own way of doing things, it appears. On 25 June, there was an editorial in The Irish Times entitled "Is Mr. Cowen up for it?". It is still relevant in the light of what has happened on the first day of this Oireachtas session. With the economy in recession and the Lisbon Treaty receiving intensive care, determined leadership is required to steady nerves and chart a way...

Seanad: Order of Business (28 Jan 2009)

Eugene Regan: Reference was made to the forecast of the ESRI in its medium-term review, which stripped away the possibility of prevarication. Six months later, nothing has changed. Clearly the Taoiseach is not listening to people in these Houses, nor to The Irish Times.

Seanad: Order of Business (28 Jan 2009)

Eugene Regan: Is the reason we have had no decision from the Taoiseach that he has become institutionalised, that he cannot think outside of the institutional box he has grown up with and he cannot think for himself and take decisions? The problem now is that Deputy Brian Cowen is Taoiseach. That is the problem in the economy and in the international reputation of the country. That is the problem we...

Seanad: Order of Business (29 Jan 2009)

Eugene Regan: I wish to address the talks between the Government and the social partners. These talks began as discussions on expenditure cuts and pay. Issues of taxation were left to the Commission on Taxation, which would report later in the year. The Minister for Finance had indicated there was no scope for further increases in taxation in 2009. In a concession in those talks, the emphasis has...