Results 6,841-6,860 of 7,278 for speaker:Dick Roche

Confidence in Government: Motion (resumed) (10 Jun 2009)

Dick Roche: Thank you.

Confidence in Government: Motion (resumed) (10 Jun 2009)

Dick Roche: It is worth reminding ourselves of the facts. The reality is that there is a major economic crisis that is not unique to Ireland. Every major economy in the world has gone through this crisis, which requires specific and detailed handling. The United States, Japan, the United Kingdom and the entire eurozone face a crisis. As a small open economy we know we too have to deal with the...

Confidence in Government: Motion (resumed) (10 Jun 2009)

Dick Roche: The purpose of this motion of confidence is to focus on the performance of the Government and to measure whether, having examined that performance, Dáil Éireann retains its confidence - as the Constitution requires - in the Taoiseach and his Ministers. It also gives us an opportunity to examine the alternatives and what they have to offer. Last week we voted in town and county council...

Confidence in Government: Motion (resumed) (10 Jun 2009)

Dick Roche: Labour and Fine Gael are expressing diametrically opposite positions-----

Confidence in Government: Motion (resumed) (10 Jun 2009)

Dick Roche: -----on stabilising the public finances-----

Confidence in Government: Motion (resumed) (10 Jun 2009)

Dick Roche: -----and on dealing with the banking crisis. Deputy Shatter and his colleagues in the Labour Party are diametrically opposed.

Confidence in Government: Motion (resumed) (10 Jun 2009)

Dick Roche: Let us look at a few of them. The two parties are putting forward-----

Confidence in Government: Motion (resumed) (10 Jun 2009)

Dick Roche: -----alternative and divergent policies. Deputy Shatter knows that well. He will not shout me down. Let us look at some of the differences-----

Confidence in Government: Motion (resumed) (10 Jun 2009)

Dick Roche: -----between Fine Gael and its friends in the Labour Party. A modern state requires a banking sector.

Confidence in Government: Motion (resumed) (10 Jun 2009)

Dick Roche: A modern state requires a functioning banking sector. Deputy Shatter knows that as well as I do.

Confidence in Government: Motion (resumed) (10 Jun 2009)

Dick Roche: Thank you very much, a Chathaoirligh. As we all know, the Government's policies for the restructuring of the banking sector are vital. They are critically important policies. We are all agreed we must restructure the banking sector. There is an extraordinary divergence between the policies of the two main Opposition parties.

Confidence in Government: Motion (resumed) (10 Jun 2009)

Dick Roche: The Labour Party wants to nationalise.

Confidence in Government: Motion (resumed) (10 Jun 2009)

Dick Roche: It is proposing that we go the route of Iceland and that we make the taxpayers of this country responsible for everything.

Confidence in Government: Motion (resumed) (10 Jun 2009)

Dick Roche: If anything, the policies on banking proposed by the Fine Gael Party are even more bizarre. They want us to effectively follow the Lehman route, to simply default. What would do that for this country? The divergence becomes apparent when one examines the differences between the two parties on the issue of public finance.

Confidence in Government: Motion (resumed) (10 Jun 2009)

Dick Roche: Fine Gael has put forward specific policies-----

Confidence in Government: Motion (resumed) (10 Jun 2009)

Dick Roche: -----on public expenditure, every one of which the Labour Party disagrees with.

Confidence in Government: Motion (resumed) (10 Jun 2009)

Dick Roche: Fine Gael is suggesting a cut in public service pay. Does the Labour Party agree with that? I do not believe it does. It has also suggested a freeze on public service increments. Does the Labour Party agree with that? No, it does not.

Confidence in Government: Motion (resumed) (10 Jun 2009)

Dick Roche: Fine Gael has suggested that the national pay agreement for civil servants, teachers, nurses and council workers be suspended. Is that Labour Party policy? I suspect it is not.

Confidence in Government: Motion (resumed) (10 Jun 2009)

Dick Roche: Fine Gael suggests that we should cut 15,000 jobs in the Civil Service. Is that what Deputy O'Sullivan is proposing? I suspect it is not. It suggests we should have an embargo on the filling of vacancies and should cut overtime and certified sick leave. When I put these issues to a Fine Gael Deputy on my own local radio station yesterday he denied these were Fine Gael policies. If one...

Confidence in Government: Motion (resumed) (10 Jun 2009)

Dick Roche: -----as the puppet master Mr. Flannery suggests, add to the mix the Sinn Féin party-----