Results 821-840 of 1,249 for speaker:Ned O'Keeffe

Written Answers — School Transport: School Transport (30 Oct 2008)

Ned O'Keeffe: Question 254: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if he will arrange for a school bus ticket to issue to a pupil (details supplied) in County Cork. [37680/08]

Financial Resolution No. 15: General (Resumed) (5 Nov 2008)

Ned O'Keeffe: I might not take the 30 minutes. I am delighted to speak on the budget, which was very realistic, well thought-out and planned for the crisis in this country——

Financial Resolution No. 15: General (Resumed) (5 Nov 2008)

Ned O'Keeffe: ——inherited from the western world and, one could say, the events of Wall Street. We could have had a Wall Street crash of 1930s proportion coming along the line. I was shocked listening to the comments of Deputy Kehoe as we have served this country well for the past ten years and I have no doubt we will serve it for another ten or 15 years with the way it is going.

Financial Resolution No. 15: General (Resumed) (5 Nov 2008)

Ned O'Keeffe: We have done well in the education sector. I cannot understand teachers going to meetings now who were around and did well from the Celtic tiger. The debate surrounding the education cuts in the budget is an exaggeration. The Fine Gael spokesperson was not overly enthusiastic about the wages or salaries of teachers. The party's finance spokesperson talked about adjusting to a €4 billion...

Financial Resolution No. 15: General (Resumed) (5 Nov 2008)

Ned O'Keeffe: There is no point in the Opposition making those kinds of charges.

Financial Resolution No. 15: General (Resumed) (5 Nov 2008)

Ned O'Keeffe: If it wants to be realistic and productive——

Financial Resolution No. 15: General (Resumed) (5 Nov 2008)

Ned O'Keeffe: The Opposition was asleep on the medical card issue. It was announced in the budget and the Opposition did not know about it.

Financial Resolution No. 15: General (Resumed) (5 Nov 2008)

Ned O'Keeffe: Fianna Fáil had to educate the Opposition on it, and we put the matter right. One had to admit there was no increase in the medical card scale from 2006 until after the budget.

Financial Resolution No. 15: General (Resumed) (5 Nov 2008)

Ned O'Keeffe: At that stage, the medical card scale was under the €223, which was the maximum pension being paid. We put the matter right. I could consider the whole well-structured budget. I know much about agriculture.

Financial Resolution No. 15: General (Resumed) (5 Nov 2008)

Ned O'Keeffe: I made comments in Cork the other night. I do not run away; I will not do that for anyone.

Financial Resolution No. 15: General (Resumed) (5 Nov 2008)

Ned O'Keeffe: The Deputy is very——

Financial Resolution No. 15: General (Resumed) (5 Nov 2008)

Ned O'Keeffe: I admire the Deputy's memory. It is very good.

Financial Resolution No. 15: General (Resumed) (5 Nov 2008)

Ned O'Keeffe: Agriculture has suffered a minimum of cutbacks and we have been really generous in that area. It has been really well served by Fianna Fáil in Government for many years.

Financial Resolution No. 15: General (Resumed) (5 Nov 2008)

Ned O'Keeffe: Between 1994 and 1997, when the Opposition parties were in Government——

Financial Resolution No. 15: General (Resumed) (5 Nov 2008)

Ned O'Keeffe: ——there were cutbacks. Installation aid, retirement benefits, farm grants and many other schemes were disbanded. The Deputies' memories are very short. There were also 12,000 applications in-house that were not processed and farmers were left without as a result. We have not acted in such a way; we have suspended a scheme until the economy improves and we will look after those people...

Financial Resolution No. 15: General (Resumed) (5 Nov 2008)

Ned O'Keeffe: Do not tell me——

Financial Resolution No. 15: General (Resumed) (5 Nov 2008)

Ned O'Keeffe: The Deputies do not like being told the truth.

Financial Resolution No. 15: General (Resumed) (5 Nov 2008)

Ned O'Keeffe: It is important the Deputies know a bit of the truth. The Opposition often does not know about it. This budget was good and many areas were looked after. I will make a few specific points regarding roads in my own area, where we have done very well in the development of such roads.

Financial Resolution No. 15: General (Resumed) (5 Nov 2008)

Ned O'Keeffe: We have the N73 and N72, taking in Mallow to Fermoy and Mallow to Rosslare, as well as Mitchelstown to Mallow and on to Rathmore, which is the constituency of the Ceann Comhairle. These require upgrading and I appeal to the Minister for Transport, through the Department of Finance, for extra funding for those two routes. They carry significant volumes of traffic, especially during the...

Financial Resolution No. 15: General (Resumed) (5 Nov 2008)

Ned O'Keeffe: However, I know about globalisation in respect of agriculture best and I wish to refer to this subject this evening. We destroyed our agriculture industry in the past ten years because of globalisation. We lost many of our jobs and have displaced many farmers.