Results 701-720 of 4,717 for speaker:Martin Mansergh

Seanad: European Parliament Elections (Amendment) Bill 2003: Second Stage. (12 Feb 2004)

Martin Mansergh: I agree entirely.

Seanad: European Parliament Elections (Amendment) Bill 2003: Second Stage. (12 Feb 2004)

Martin Mansergh: The Dáil constituency of Tipperary South includes part of Waterford.

Seanad: Order of Business. (18 Feb 2004)

Martin Mansergh: I have much sympathy with the point made by Senator Norris, even though I would remind him that his colleague on the Independent benches very much deprecates self-congratulation.

Seanad: Order of Business. (18 Feb 2004)

Martin Mansergh: I support what Senator Finucane said. Some people have tried to justify paramilitary campaigns and activities in regard to civil rights. They are the absolute antithesis of civil and human rights.

Seanad: Order of Business. (18 Feb 2004)

Martin Mansergh: The point has been made about dormant accounts. For 17 years, I have heard allegations about different schemes and slush funds. When grants are announced, I do not hear the Opposition saying which grants to which worthy community projects should be rescinded.

Seanad: Order of Business. (18 Feb 2004)

Martin Mansergh: I have forgotten my final point.

Seanad: Order of Business. (18 Feb 2004)

Martin Mansergh: The Tánaiste dealt with that issue this morning.

Seanad: Civil Registration Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (18 Feb 2004)

Martin Mansergh: There is no dispute about the principle of consultation on the operation of the office. As Senator Henry explained, there are two dimensions to the legislation, the strict original purpose and the social dimension of family history and research. There is merit, however, in the Minister's approach of keeping the system on an informal basis. There is no dispute about the principle but once a...

Seanad: Civil Registration Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (18 Feb 2004)

Martin Mansergh: There are advantages in informality and there will be more constructive co-operation than if people are invested with statutory powers.

Seanad: Civil Registration Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (18 Feb 2004)

Martin Mansergh: We need to make a distinction in this regard. The GRO has a fundamental importance in that it provides documentation which gives all of us various rights during our lives such as access to birth and marriage certificates. It also has a subsidiary role, the genealogical one. I would be concerned if that role were formalised in the way suggested as that would result in the priorities being...

Seanad: Civil Registration Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (18 Feb 2004)

Martin Mansergh: Without prejudice to the merits of this amendment, I am irresistibly reminded of Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest, in which a baby was found in a handbag in a London railway station. That is the way it was worded.

Seanad: Revenue Commissioners: Motion. (18 Feb 2004)

Martin Mansergh: I move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after "Seanad Éireann" and substitute the following: "notes the increasing success of the Revenue Commissioners in recent years in tackling tax evasion generally and the establishment by the Revenue Commissioners of a dedicated Investigations and Prosecutions Division in 2003, commends the Minister for Finance and the Government for the additional...

Seanad: Revenue Commissioners: Motion. (18 Feb 2004)

Martin Mansergh: While I support the Government amendment, I welcome this important Labour Party motion. I do not necessarily agree with the thrust of every recommendation it makes but this is a matter well worth airing. I would like to pick up on a point made by Senator Higgins. I strongly believe that the Ombudsman's recommendations should be observed and carried out by the Revenue Commissioners or any...

Seanad: Revenue Commissioners: Motion. (18 Feb 2004)

Martin Mansergh: I would prefer to take money from these people than spend it on them. However, I accept in that in certain limited instances it may be a case of pour encourager les autres. The idea of jailing large numbers of people would, in financial terms, be totally counter-productive. The naming and shaming of tax evaders is quite effective.

Seanad: Revenue Commissioners: Motion. (18 Feb 2004)

Martin Mansergh: Let us take as a model the health campaigns in respect of tobacco and state that tax evasion can seriously damage your reputation and your pocket. I have a number of reservations which I will try to express reasonably quickly. There is no doubt that officials of banks and other financial institutions encouraged people — they often germinated the idea in those people's minds in the first...

Seanad: Civil Registration Bill 2003: Committee Stage (Resumed). (18 Feb 2004)

Martin Mansergh: I thank the Minister and her officials for finding a resolution to the problem. It was threatening to create difficulty and a bit of embarrassment for one or more religious bodies. I congratulate the Minister on finding a satisfactory solution for all concerned.

Seanad: Civil Registration Bill 2003: Committee Stage (Resumed). (18 Feb 2004)

Martin Mansergh: The English language is being misinterpreted because I read this section, as would any court of law, as "may" meaning "has a right to" or "shall be entitled to". I accept that "may" has two meanings but it is clear in this context that "may" means "has a right to" and I cannot conceive of any court interpreting it any other way.

Seanad: Civil Registration Bill 2003: Committee Stage (Resumed). (18 Feb 2004)

Martin Mansergh: Any library, archive or office where one consults material, has rules and conditions governing the use of it. Otherwise one might, in theory, have a right to consult such records at midnight or at 3 a.m. When people are consulting records of this kind they normally agree to abide by whatever conditions are in place. Such conditions will not obstruct them from getting access to the record...

Seanad: Civil Registration Bill 2003: Committee Stage (Resumed). (18 Feb 2004)

Martin Mansergh: It is a great credit to Albert Reynolds.

Seanad: Civil Registration Bill 2003: Committee Stage (Resumed). (18 Feb 2004)

Martin Mansergh: To clarify a point raised by Senator Brian Hayes, there are obviously certain circumstances in which historians or researchers will want or need to consult the original. I remember a debate 20 years ago about whether the reputed grandfather of President Ronald Reagan was listed as "John Regan" or "John Ryan" in the parish register at Kilbehenny, I believe. Obviously, one needed to look at the...