Results 781-800 of 891 for speaker:John Minihan

Seanad: Foreign Conflicts: Motion. (5 Jul 2006)

John Minihan: I welcome the Minister to the House. I also welcome the Government's continuing efforts to bring about dialogue between the parties in the Middle East, particularly in this region. I served three tours of duty in the area. To reinforce what Senator Mooney said, I wore the blue beret and stood beside the Palestinian people under Israeli shelling. Equally I stood side by side with Israelis in...

Seanad: Foreign Conflicts: Motion. (5 Jul 2006)

John Minihan: Members should make no mistake. The Labour Party's motion calls on the Government to reward violence and show that it can be justified. It is a morally bankrupt motion that the end justifies the means and is counter-productive. I find it disturbing, as, I am sure, do the Labour Party's partners in Fine Gael. Turning aside from the motion, I find RTE's constant reference to the "capture" of an...

Seanad: Foreign Conflicts: Motion. (5 Jul 2006)

John Minihan: I did not hear the BBC. I refer to what I heard.

Seanad: Foreign Conflicts: Motion. (5 Jul 2006)

John Minihan: The use of the word "capture" implies a certain legitimacy. It implies that the Israeli soldier, Corporal Gilad Shalit, has, in the words of the Geneva Convention, "fallen into the power of the enemy and as such will be accorded the status of a prisoner of war". While I would like nothing more than this to be the case, I fear that young Corporal Shalit has been kidnapped and will pay the...

Seanad: Hepatitis C Compensation Tribunal (Amendment) Bill 2006: Second Stage. (5 Jul 2006)

John Minihan: I join previous speakers in welcoming the Tánaiste to the House. I support the legislation before us. It is admirable and indeed vital that all possible steps are taken to ease difficulties experienced by persons infected with hepatitis C and HIV through the administering of blood. There is hardly a valid objection to be raised against providing reasonable access to the insurance market for...

Seanad: Current Situation in the Middle East: Statements (Resumed) (18 Oct 2006)

John Minihan: I welcome the Minister to the House. I also welcome the Government's decision to participate in the United Nations mission in Lebanon, UNIFIL II, and its continuing efforts to bring about peace in this region. We last spoke on the Middle East on 5 July. We were concerned that the kidnap of an Israeli soldier, Corporal Shalit, by Hamas supporters based in Gaza would lead to an escalating...

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Oct 2006)

John Minihan: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Order of Business (25 Oct 2006)

John Minihan: I join previous speakers in calling for a debate on the report on salmon conservation published yesterday. The report is welcome and its recommendations should be acted on promptly. I seek a debate on it in the short term given that the salmon season will start on 1 January next and if the lead-in time is to be given to a Government decision, this House could play an active part in debating...

Seanad: Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2006: Second Stage (26 Oct 2006)

John Minihan: I, too, welcome the Minister of State and the legislation before us. The child must be central to any such Bill, and I am delighted we are introducing legislation the emphasis of which is on the welfare of the child. The legal definition of "foster" is to help grow or nurture talents. Foster children are in the legal guardianship of the State or a private adoption or foster agency, yet they...

Seanad: Housing Policy: Motion (1 Nov 2006)

John Minihan: I second the motion.

Seanad: Housing Policy: Motion (1 Nov 2006)

John Minihan: Given that the Senator said nothing about rural planning, I am glad we did. I thought we were having a debate on agriculture.

Seanad: Housing Policy: Motion (1 Nov 2006)

John Minihan: I join previous speakers in welcoming the Minister, Deputy Roche, to the House. I thank him for his contribution to this debate. I echo the words of my colleague, Senator Brennan, in support of the Government's recent action on rural planning. I remind some of the previous speakers that the Progressive Democrats Party is not in favour of unrestricted housing development. It does not...

Seanad: Housing Policy: Motion (1 Nov 2006)

John Minihan: We believe people born and reared in a rural area, including those with no access to family lands, people who have lived in a rural area for seven years or more and have forged strong links with the local community in that time, and emigrants who return to the rural area in which they grew up, as the Minister referred to, should be seen as "local" people. A rural dweller who has no family...

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Nov 2006)

John Minihan: That is not true. He was upholding the law.

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Nov 2006)

John Minihan: I do not agree.

Seanad: Homelessness: Motion (15 Nov 2006)

John Minihan: I welcome the debate on this motion. The issue of homelessness is one in which all Members have a keen interest, especially in the current economic climate. We all hope to arrive at a position where there will no longer be homeless people on our streets. Equally, however, we must acknowledge that there are many and varying reasons for homelessness. In this debate I will concentrate on a...

Seanad: Estimates for Public Services 2007: Statements (23 Nov 2006)

John Minihan: I welcome the Minister of State to the House. The Progressive Democrats believe economic policies can be an instrument of social justice, and I have stated as much before. Contrary to suggestions from some quarters, we do not decouple the economy and society. Our central political economic philosophy is the belief a strong and dynamic economy can deliver for all society, particularly those...

Seanad: Order of Business (29 Nov 2006)

John Minihan: Is it Condoleezza Rice?

Seanad: Tax Code: Motion (29 Nov 2006)

John Minihan: I welcome the Minister of State and his officials to the House and congratulate the Fine Gael Party, despite its pointless call to hear the budget a week early, for continuing to belatedly row in behind the Progressive Democrats and call for stamp duty reform.

Seanad: Tax Code: Motion (29 Nov 2006)

John Minihan: Proposals on stamp duty reform were put forward by the Progressive Democrats, and other parties, despite their initial jitters on the subject, have entered the debate. Following our considerations in September, stamp duty reform became an issue of political prominence and reductions in tax for low to middle income earners remain a priority for my party as we prepare for the next general...