Results 801-820 of 996 for speaker:John Gerard Hanafin

Seanad: Order of Business (25 Feb 2010)

John Gerard Hanafin: Yesterday, the restraint unions in general have shown was quite properly raised on the Order of Business. It is only right that restraint should be shown. The unions have been asked to undertake a task of bearing the responsibility of ensuring that the economy does not crumble. In fairness, notwithstanding a few exceptions, this has been upheld and it would be worthwhile for this House to...

Seanad: Order of Business (25 Feb 2010)

John Gerard Hanafin: The European Union has insisted that shares be taken rather than cash. With this in mind, the subject is worthy of debate.

Seanad: Order of Business (2 Mar 2010)

John Gerard Hanafin: I ask the Leader for a debate on the current situation in the public service in which there is industrial action. Unfortunately, this week there seems to have been an escalation. Heretofore, there was a manageable and coherent strategy but this week there is a move towards party political bias in the public service. I ask the public service to seriously consider what it is trying to...

Seanad: Order of Business (3 Mar 2010)

John Gerard Hanafin: I ask the Leader to allow a debate, as has been called for this morning, on the political format because there have been suggestions of cronyism, a lack of vision and jobs for the boys from the Opposition benches, in particular from Fine Gael. There are many new Members here. I ask if that is the same Fine Gael who, on leaving Government in 1997, filled every committee, sub-board and chair——

Seanad: Order of Business (3 Mar 2010)

John Gerard Hanafin: They filled every single board they could fill. They were ringing around the country looking for members——

Seanad: Order of Business (3 Mar 2010)

John Gerard Hanafin: ——to see if they were interested in taking up the positions, leaving a scorched earth policy for the incoming Government.

Seanad: Order of Business (3 Mar 2010)

John Gerard Hanafin: That is the reality of what happened.

Seanad: Order of Business (3 Mar 2010)

John Gerard Hanafin: The question is if that is the same Workers Party which did a reverse take-over of the Labour Party. That was quite an achievement for a socialist party.

Seanad: Order of Business (3 Mar 2010)

John Gerard Hanafin: There are important matters to be debated, including banking, and an excellent suggestion was made earlier.

Seanad: Order of Business (3 Mar 2010)

John Gerard Hanafin: I commend Senator Butler for putting forward the suggestion. Many foreign banks have pulled out of this country. We have banks that have large assets abroad. I share the view that those assets should be sold and that money brought back to Ireland. We should include in that the National Treasury Management Agency. Any funds we have abroad should be brought home to be invested in Ireland....

Seanad: Order of Business (4 Mar 2010)

John Gerard Hanafin: I ask the Leader for a debate on pensions, particularly in the light of the announcement made yesterday. I welcome that announcement, as hundreds of thousands will be allowed to qualify for a pension. It is difficult to say who will be the best people to manage the scheme. Those involved will receive an annual statement and be directly involved in the investment. There are only three...

Seanad: Order of Business. (9 Mar 2010)

John Gerard Hanafin: Like previous speakers, I wish to raise with the Leader the question of the Intoxicating Liquor Act. I am very much in favour of keeping the status quo. I am quite mindful that we have pluralism in this country but notwithstanding that, when in Rome we do as the Romans do. If we went to the UK or Denmark and there was a jubilee for the monarch, we would show respect for that. It is not...

Seanad: Order of Business. (10 Mar 2010)

John Gerard Hanafin: I ask the Leader for a debate on the HSE and, in particular, to focus on the possibility of reintroducing the health boards. At present the people feel they are dealing with a monolithic organisation and perhaps it is time to look again at the real value of the health boards with which the people felt a real connection. I am conscious that at that time councillors from all political parties...

Seanad: Order of Business. (11 Mar 2010)

John Gerard Hanafin: As the third most globalised economy, after the city state of Singapore and the special administrative area of Hong Kong, Ireland has a major interest in the upturn in the global economy. There are clear signs that the global economy is moving forward, especially with the February import and export figures from China and the feeling that this is a major contributor to world economic...

Seanad: Order of Business. (23 Mar 2010)

John Gerard Hanafin: I also raise the issue of the way that the public has been treated in the Passport Office. No doubt whatever aims the people who work in the Passport Office may have had, have been negated in full by the strong reaction from the public and I suggest that this is not the way forward to achieve their aims. When this economy was doing quite well, there was benchmarking. Given the severe...

Seanad: Order of Business. (23 Mar 2010)

John Gerard Hanafin: It is shameful to imply that doing business with Fianna Fáil is taking 30 pieces of silver.

Seanad: Order of Business. (23 Mar 2010)

John Gerard Hanafin: Shameful.

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed). (24 Mar 2010)

John Gerard Hanafin: I ask the Leader to allow us to look at the way the Committee on Procedure and Privileges allows us to do our business. Last year we took radical steps to ensure the public finances and the banks were returned to a stable position and the full focus of the Government was on jobs. It is important, as mentioned by Senator Walsh, that the Seanad should now focus exclusively on jobs this year...

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed). (24 Mar 2010)

John Gerard Hanafin: That is right. I am asking the Leader to address the Committee on Procedure and Privileges with this in mind in order to have a full and ongoing debate on job creation as a priority this year.

Seanad: Finance Bill 2010 (Certified Money Bill): Second Stage. (24 Mar 2010)

John Gerard Hanafin: I wish to share time with Senator Larry Butler, with the permission of the House. The debate on the benefits of the Finance Bill 2010 has been well answered at an international level. It is very easy to make a decision when there is no choice. The Government took long hours, days, weeks and months, to ensure the tough decisions were fair. It is no surprise that the effective cut in pay of...