Results 61-80 of 4,414 for speaker:Sean Barrett

Seanad: Order of Business. (21 Sep 2011)

Sean Barrett: On the "Today in Parliament" programme on the adjoining island, Mr. Sean Curran presents in the morning an account of what the UK Parliament is doing. Such a programme would be most useful. We should reach out to people who require a printed document and to morning people, whom I am sure would be delighted to be informed about the deliberations in this House and the Dáil.

Seanad: Arts Plan: Statements (21 Sep 2011)

Sean Barrett: I welcome the Minister. He is bringing the great work he does in County Kerry to a national scale. One must commend the Taoiseach on his choice of Senators, for example, Senator Mac Chongail.

Seanad: Arts Plan: Statements (21 Sep 2011)

Sean Barrett: I have many important matters to raise, but I will try to adhere to the six minutes the Acting Chairman has given me. In the college where I grew up, the two people we most admired were Brendan Kennelly and Brian Boydell. Other people had fancier titles, but those two gentlemen's representation of the arts inspired us all. Consider the North-South problems we have dealt with in recent...

Seanad: Reporting of Lobbying in Criminal Legal Cases Bill 2011: Second Stage (21 Sep 2011)

Sean Barrett: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Reporting of Lobbying in Criminal Legal Cases Bill 2011: Second Stage (21 Sep 2011)

Sean Barrett: We are approaching the third anniversary of the most successful lobbying ever accomplished in any country, namely, the bankrupting of this country by the banks. I would like to see the Government treat the matter more urgently. We cannot allow that to continue, given the damage it has done to everybody in society. This Bill attempts to bring situations like that out into the open. We do...

Seanad: Twenty-Ninth Amendment of the Constitution (Judges' Remuneration) Bill 2011: Second Stage (21 Sep 2011)

Sean Barrett: I welcome the Minister to the House. I do not claim any expertise in legal matters but I do have some questions to pose. Could the legal advice that the referendum is necessary be placed in the Oireachtas Library, as constitutional lawyers may wish to consult it at some future stage? In his speech the Minister said he was not aware of any judge making a voluntary contribution in respect of...

Seanad: European Financial Stability Facility and Euro Area Loan Facility (Amendment) Bill 2011: Second Stage (22 Sep 2011)

Sean Barrett: It is only a small difference between Kerrymen and Dublinmen this week so we understand.

Seanad: European Financial Stability Facility and Euro Area Loan Facility (Amendment) Bill 2011: Second Stage (22 Sep 2011)

Sean Barrett: I welcome the Minister of State and thank him for his speech. It was terrific to have a copy of it. He stated: "Now is a time for euro area member states to contribute to ensuring financial stability within the euro area." Reading the Bill, all I could do was to assent grudgingly. I realise opposition might be futile, but we will return to this in a few months because we are papering over...

Seanad: European Financial Stability Facility Bill and Euro Area Loan Facility (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages. (22 Sep 2011)

Sean Barrett: I echo Senator O'Brien's thanks to the Minister for his response to the issues raised. The term "eurosceptic" is an issue. There should be two definitions for that term. One should relate to being eurosceptic with regard to the currency - I am in that category - and the other to being eurosceptic with regard to the European Union. I am not in that category but we must distinguish between...

Seanad: European Financial Stability Facility Bill and Euro Area Loan Facility (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages. (22 Sep 2011)

Sean Barrett: That should include the ability to leave it.

Seanad: An Bille um an Tríochadú Leasú ar an mBunreacht (Fiosruithe Thithe an Oireachtais) 2011: An Dara Céim / Thirtieth Amendment of the Constitution (Houses of the Oireachtas Inquiries) Bill 2011: Second Stage (22 Sep 2011)

Sean Barrett: As the Minister came to the House early I might finish early and donate some time to other Members. I agree with virtually everything that has been said on all sides of the House on this matter, where people have caveats and where they strongly support it. My heart is enthusiastic, my head supports it but my wallet is a bit worried and if I wore a wig of the legal kind I would be delighted...

Seanad: An Bille um an Tríochadú Leasú ar an mBunreacht (Fiosruithe Thithe an Oireachtais) 2011: An Dara Céim / Thirtieth Amendment of the Constitution (Houses of the Oireachtas Inquiries) Bill 2011: Second Stage (22 Sep 2011)

Sean Barrett: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Road Traffic (No. 2) Bill 2011: Second Stage (27 Sep 2011)

Sean Barrett: I join other Senators in welcoming the Minister. We have made great strides, for which I commend the Minister and his predecessors. However, if we were starting from scratch and knew an activity would entail the deaths of nearly 200 people every year, we would be stopped in our tracks. We have ignored this problem. As the Minister pointed out, the figure used to be over 600 people killed...

Seanad: Road Traffic (No. 2) Bill 2011: Second Stage (27 Sep 2011)

Sean Barrett: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Road Traffic (No. 2) Bill 2011: Second Stage (27 Sep 2011)

Sean Barrett: I forgot to mention that there are 450,000 people on provisional licences as against 2 million full licences. Does that not suggest that drivers spend an inordinate amount of time on a provisional licence? One would expect a person to be on a provisional licence for a year and then drive on a full licence for 30 years. Perhaps we might discuss that on Thursday. I forgot to alert the...

Seanad: Order of Business (28 Sep 2011)

Sean Barrett: I express my support for the Minister of State, Deputy Penrose, on the NAMA matter that has been raised by Senators Keane and Paul Coghlan. The last thing this country needs is for a State agency to start pumping up house prices, while suggesting there will be a few euro in it for the Department of Finance in the form of VAT receipts. That is what got us into this mess and one should note...

Seanad: Order of Business (29 Sep 2011)

Sean Barrett: I compliment Senator Michael Mullins on the power of his oratory yesterday. He called for a reduction in air travel tax and the Government in the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland responded immediately by cutting the tax on flights between Belfast and New York. We worry sometimes that the proceedings in this House get no coverage but they are obviously listened to avidly in Westminster...

Seanad: Road Traffic (No. 2) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (29 Sep 2011)

Sean Barrett: I move amendment No. 1: In page 3, line 26, to delete "10" and substitute "2". I welcome the Minister back to the House. The amendment refers to the interval within which one has to present one's driving licence to the Garda. We discussed the issue briefly on Tuesday with the Minister and he was interested in the proposition. I asked some senior counsel about it and they told me it was...

Seanad: Road Traffic (No. 2) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (29 Sep 2011)

Sean Barrett: I believe the solution is to withdraw the amendment and substitute "N", with N being a number greater than two or less than ten. I am sure the Minister will find the correct number that satisfies us. One of the functions of this House is to establish the rationale behind the ten-day rule in the first place, which has been useful. The case for two days would be that Senator Heffernan...

Seanad: Road Traffic (No. 2) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (29 Sep 2011)

Sean Barrett: I move amendment No. 3: In page 6, line 14, after "unauthorised" to insert "and reported to An Garda Síochána". This amendment deals with the defence that a person's car was stolen at the time or taken without permission. I am trying to give protection to the Minister and society at large that if a person wanted to use that defence it would help if he or she informed the Garda rather than...