Results 701-720 of 904 for speaker:Ray Butler

Seanad: Order of Business (7 Jul 2016)

Ray Butler: Sinn Féin can sort the whole thing out. It can stop the North-South interconnector. I call on Sinn Féin to get off the fence and stop this once and for all.

Seanad: Social Protection: Statements (12 Jul 2016)

Ray Butler: I welcome the Minister to the Upper House. I am delighted and honoured to have been appointed as Fine Gael spokesperson on social protection by the Taoiseach. I look forward to working alongside the Minister in this challenging and complex area in order to take the necessary strides in closing the gap to achieve a more socially just Ireland for all. As spokesperson, I wish to emphasise how...

Seanad: Order of Business (13 Jul 2016)

Ray Butler: I echo the sentiments of my learned friend across the Chamber about the Minister for Education and Skills coming to the House, especially with families coping with children going back to school soon. I was on the education committee from 2011 to 2016 and we produced a report on school donations from parents with children going back to school, which is a huge issue. Certain schools say that...

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Jul 2016)

Ray Butler: We talked this morning about child protection and child services. I wish to raise the issue of the HSE dentist system for schools. I am sure that many Senators here have had parents contact them, as I have, to discuss children with serious dental problems. They are basically assessed and put on waiting lists for at least five to six years. From 2005 to 2010, things were going well with...

Seanad: Tax and Social Welfare Codes: Motion (19 Jul 2016)

Ray Butler: I move:That Seanad Éireann:- commends the Minister for Social Protection for planning to close the gap between self-employed and PAYE workers; - calls on the Minister to implement a new social welfare stamp for the self-employed; - calls on the Minister to introduce the recommendations of the Mangan Report; - calls on the Minister to legislate in this regard and for all other related...

Seanad: Tax and Social Welfare Codes: Motion (19 Jul 2016)

Ray Butler: I will not delay everyone. This has been a great debate and I thank everyone who contributed to it. I also thank the Minister and I am delighted to hear about what he is doing behind the scenes, which follows on from what Deputy Joan Burton was doing. Senator Martin Conway stated: "Well said." We now have a Minister who is in the real world as regards social protection for the...

Seanad: Order of Business (21 Jul 2016)

Ray Butler: We had a meeting with customs officers recently. The incidence of petrol stretching has increased again. This is because a new dye has been put in diesel and the diesel launderers are finding it very hard to get it out of it. In Meath and Mayo, there has been an epidemic of petrol stretching, resulting in cars being absolutely destroyed. In certain cases, the retailer sorted out some of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection: Pre-Budget Submissions: Discussion (27 Sep 2016)

Ray Butler: I welcome the witnesses and thank them for coming in. Over many years, problems about the living alone allowance have been brought to me. In one presentation we heard: "Catherine told us, 'I cannot afford either life or home insurance. I have to go to bed early to save on heating and electricity. My husband passed away last year and I still have not paid off his funeral expenses.'" The...

Seanad: Order of Business (28 Sep 2016)

Ray Butler: I wish to raise an issue that was a blight on rural Ireland during the crash, namely, legislation regarding quarries. Now that construction has begun again after the crash, nobody has any problem with progress but I have seen three or four quarries in County Meath from which companies just walked away. Along with residents, I viewed one quarry on the border between Longwood and Rathmoylan...

Seanad: Order of Business (6 Oct 2016)

Ray Butler: I wish to talk about a report prepared by IEDR, the dot ie digital health index. It is an interesting report that raises a large number of relevant points. Poor communication is central and fundamental to SMEs. When SMEs were asked what the main barriers were to their getting online, 21% said poor connection was one. In recent months business owners have brought to my attention the fact...

Seanad: Order of Business (12 Oct 2016)

Ray Butler: I wish to speak about the insurance industry. Rises in motor insurance have been highlighted a lot over the past couple of weeks. I would like to talk about my personal experience two years ago when a protestor jumped on my car and falsely accused me of hit-and-run and being drunk at the time. I reported it to the insurance company I was dealing with and lost my no-claims bonus for...

Seanad: Order of Business (13 Oct 2016)

Ray Butler: What we are seeing unfold this morning in Aleppo through media pictures is another modern-day Holocaust in our midst. Russian air forces and Syrian air and army forces are bombarding an area no bigger than the Phoenix Park.

Seanad: Order of Business (13 Oct 2016)

Ray Butler: In one area alone more than 200,000 women and children are caught and they are being slaughtered. If people had seen the pictures on Sky this morning, they would have broken down and cried. It is an absolute disgrace. I call on the Leader and the Government to go to the Russian Embassy in Dublin and tell the relevant people that Ireland will not stand by and watch this unfold.

Seanad: Order of Business (13 Oct 2016)

Ray Butler: Anyone looking at media reports coming out of Aleppo would be horrified by the slaughter of innocents. We can talk and waffle all we want, but we need action. I need all Members to write an e-mail to the Russian Embassy this morning and tell those responsible that we will not stand by and let this happen.

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Oct 2016)

Ray Butler: I support Senator Kelleher's request that the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality should come to the House to speak on the refugee situation. I thank all the Senators here this morning who sent e-mails after I spoke about Aleppo last week. I wrote to the ambassador and have received a response that reads:Dear Senator Mr. Butler, Thank you for your letter. It is very...

Seanad: Order of Business (20 Oct 2016)

Ray Butler: Will the Leader ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government to come to the House to tell us what plans he has for retail development in rural Ireland? We all know that the retail sector has changed in rural areas and that many transactions now take place online, but the big issue is planning permission for out-of-town shopping centres and filling stations where...

Seanad: Order of Business (25 Oct 2016)

Ray Butler: Would the Leader invite the Minister here to discuss water and sewage? We will not say "Irish Water", given that it seems to be gone into the history books.

Seanad: Order of Business (25 Oct 2016)

Ray Butler: In my local town, Trim, planning permission has been given for 365 new houses, which is very welcome. However, last year €1.3 million was allocated for the sewerage plant in Trim. The plant is 35 years old and is creaking. Raw sewage is leaking out of it. The water quality is not great. This €1.3 million has disappeared since Irish Water went off the playing pitch. As we...

Seanad: Order of Business (26 Oct 2016)

Ray Butler: Yesterday, we saw the new leader of the Conservative Party in Britain flexing her muscles in 10 Downing Street, with the new runway at Heathrow being given the go-ahead. In addition, four new nuclear plants are planned for Great Britain.Planning permission was granted yesterday for a nuclear reactor plant in the Hinkley area. We all remember Sellafield and the way the Irish people were...

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Nov 2016)

Ray Butler: I congratulate Mr. Trump and I wish Hillary Clinton all the best in the future. She was a good friend to this country. The media and the polls got it wrong. People laughed on national radio about Mr. Trump and his carry-on but there is a lot of egg on a lot of people's faces. I would like us to open up Spike Island for all the celebrities who supported the Clintons and said they would...