Results 741-760 of 19,173 for speaker:Shane Ross

Seanad: Order of Business. (25 Jan 2006)

Shane Ross: The trades unions represent only one third of the workforce. The employers who will be feted in Government Buildings represent nobody but the banks and semi-State organisations. The farmers' representatives have a claim to represent somebody and Father Seán Healy will represent a self-appointed voluntary pillar. This represents the sidelining of the Senate and the Dáil while a new programme...

Seanad: Appropriation Act 2005: Statements. (26 Jan 2006)

Shane Ross: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Appropriation Act 2005: Statements. (26 Jan 2006)

Shane Ross: I find myself in agreement with virtually everything said by Senator Mansergh, bar his final remarks. My read on the situation is that despite his reservations about Deputy Rabbitte's intervention in the immigration issue, they would sit comfortably in the next Cabinet if all goes according to plan for both parties and I see no great difficulty in that. I welcome the Minister to the House....

Seanad: Appropriation Act 2005: Statements. (26 Jan 2006)

Shane Ross: I am sorry. Cerebral people such as Senator Mansergh always dismiss——

Seanad: Appropriation Act 2005: Statements. (26 Jan 2006)

Shane Ross: ——slogans and easy answers with a wave of their hand, describing them as simplistic. I am a simplistic person.

Seanad: Appropriation Act 2005: Statements. (26 Jan 2006)

Shane Ross: I am quite disingenuous as well. However, I have consistently examined this simplistic argument between Boston and Berlin. The reason people do not like coming down on one side or the other is that we are unapologetically in the Boston camp. We are not good Europeans in the sense that we kowtow to European diktats, as we did previously. In fact, ours is an American led economy within the...

Seanad: Appropriation Act 2005: Statements. (26 Jan 2006)

Shane Ross: They had done it badly before, but they have done it well for the past ten years. Fianna Fáil was not in Government for the past 20 years.

Seanad: Appropriation Act 2005: Statements. (26 Jan 2006)

Shane Ross: Fianna Fáil was not in Government for all of that time.

Seanad: Appropriation Act 2005: Statements. (26 Jan 2006)

Shane Ross: I pay tribute to a great member of Fianna Fáil, Donogh O'Malley. In 1969 the Government of which he was a member introduced free secondary education, the bedrock of the well-educated population we have today. That decision was one of the most foresighted decisions as demonstrated by the numbers educated over the past 20 years. These people are better educated than many in Europe, they speak...

Seanad: Appropriation Act 2005: Statements. (26 Jan 2006)

Shane Ross: I forgot about the spending side, which is what this debate should be about. The Chair should have picked me up on this and then my contribution would have been relevant.

Seanad: Appropriation Act 2005: Statements. (26 Jan 2006)

Shane Ross: On the issue of spending, I plead with the Minister to find the money to alleviate the incredible problems of motorists on the M50. If this needs €400 million or €500 million, it will be well worth it in the long term because the damage being done to the economy through the delay to industry and individuals is immeasurable. Will the Minister of State give us some reassurance that the...

Seanad: Order of Business. (1 Feb 2006)

Shane Ross: I support the call by Senator Jim Walsh to invite the Minister for Transport to the House to discuss tolls. It would be appropriate that he would do so. He should be available; he is in the other House and I suspect he will be finished answering questions in about 20 minutes. I can think of no better or more important place for him to come than here.

Seanad: Order of Business. (1 Feb 2006)

Shane Ross: Judging by his willingness to appear at extraordinarily short notice for the media on Friday night, no doubt he will consider this House of equal importance and come here to address us on this issue. No doubt, when he comes he will also welcome the fact that the Taoiseach has done a very dramatic U-turn on the issue of the West Link toll plaza.

Seanad: Order of Business. (1 Feb 2006)

Shane Ross: Only a year ago the Taoiseach said the toll plaza would not be bought out, that the State could not afford it. It would be very useful to have a debate on that U-turn and why it happened. It would also be useful to look at the history of this contract. I will not give a history lesson but Fianna Fáil should stop rewriting history. It keeps saying it was a coalition Government that produced...

Seanad: Order of Business. (1 Feb 2006)

Shane Ross: ——and Mr. George Redmond who also could not wait to sign it.

Seanad: Order of Business. (1 Feb 2006)

Shane Ross: Mr. Flynn has many great qualities but he did not——

Seanad: Order of Business. (1 Feb 2006)

Shane Ross: ——join the Labour Party.

Seanad: Order of Business. (1 Feb 2006)

Shane Ross: When the Minister, Deputy Cullen, comes here the House should note the absence of Mr. Flynn's membership of the Labour Party. It is important that we debate the complete lack of clarity about what is coming up and not just what has happened.

Seanad: Order of Business. (1 Feb 2006)

Shane Ross: It is all very well announcing what is considered to be good news but having nothing to put in its place is unforgivable.

Seanad: Order of Business. (1 Feb 2006)

Shane Ross: What we need——