Results 841-860 of 9,393 for speaker:Alex White

Seanad: Order of Business (24 Feb 2009)

Alex White: Whatever strategy the Government devises to address the public finances and economic downturn, it is clear taxation will feature as part of it. Will the Leader establish from the Minister for Finance when it is intended the Commission on Taxation will bring forward its report? While the basis upon which the commission was set up was laudable, namely, to look at the balance of various...

Seanad: Order of Business (24 Feb 2009)

Alex White: It is essentially a political question. Therefore, let us have the proposals to debate. Senator Fitzgerald called for the Government to come forward with proposals on job creation. It is unfortunate that we must read about such proposals in the newspapers rather than hear about them in the House. Rather than come into the Houses with her proposals, apparently the Tánaiste and Minister for...

Seanad: Order of Business (24 Feb 2009)

Alex White: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Order of Business (25 Feb 2009)

Alex White: I previously called for a debate in this House on the incredible disparity between prices here and those in the North and Great Britain. I and others asked for this debate to be arranged a couple of weeks ago but there is no sign of it. Surely it is a very urgent issue, sufficiently urgent to have the Minister in the House to explain what action, if any, is being taken by her to address the...

Seanad: Order of Business (25 Feb 2009)

Alex White: Senator O'Toole is absolutely right, although I slightly disagree with him about whether President Obama said anything of substance. He said one thing of considerable substance, which applies to us here. He said that a day of reckoning had arrived in the American economy in regard to decisions that had been put off there for many years, which people were now having to face up to making....

Seanad: Order of Business (25 Feb 2009)

Alex White: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed) (25 Feb 2009)

Alex White: The Leader was born with it.

Seanad: Banking Sector: Motion (25 Feb 2009)

Alex White: I am glad to have the opportunity to support the Fine Gael motion. I have noticed repeatedly on Private Members' business and across the board that Senators on the Government side of the House frequently complain about the Opposition's refusal to be positive and co-operative. Senator Boyle got particularly exercised in this regard this evening in his contribution. Senator Hanafin mentioned...

Seanad: Banking Sector: Motion (25 Feb 2009)

Alex White: Leaving aside anything to do with the legal profession, I have been dealing with motions and amendments to motions since I became involved in student politics. Then, the view was always taken that if one was to amend a motion and suit it to one's own argument and point of view, it would not be done with a blunderbuss or hatchet. One would go through it and select the parts one agreed with...

Seanad: Banking Sector: Motion (25 Feb 2009)

Alex White: Of course, one subcontracts many of these matters so one does not have to make a decision. President Obama can make an executive decision that there will be a maximum pay of $500,000. He just made a decision.

Seanad: Banking Sector: Motion (25 Feb 2009)

Alex White: Then he made two decisions. Let us have a decision from the Government.

Seanad: Banking Sector: Motion (25 Feb 2009)

Alex White: Some of the younger guys were the worst.

Seanad: Order of Business. (27 Feb 2009)

Alex White: I have no difficulty supporting the call by Senator Norris for a regular debate on the economy. Perhaps it is something we could deal with at the Committee on Procedure and Privileges——

Seanad: Order of Business. (27 Feb 2009)

Alex White: ——if we have a meeting of that body soon. I will vary Senator Norris's suggestion. I am not sure whether it would serve us to have a debate along the lines of an extended Order of Business on the subject of the economy. While it is valuable for us all to speak, very often motivated by the events of the particular day or crisis, it would be much better to have such a debate structured...

Seanad: Order of Business. (27 Feb 2009)

Alex White: On a genuine point of order, because the Leader has raised this point on a number of occasions, there is a provision that Members may not physically read a newspaper in the House but the suggestion that one cannot read a newspaper before one comes in and quote from it is absurd.

Seanad: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages. (27 Feb 2009)

Alex White: I move amendment No. 1: In page 4, before section 1, to insert the following new section: 1.—(1) This Act shall expire on the day that is 2 years from the date of its passing unless renewed by resolution of both Houses of the Oireachtas. (2) Any such renewal shall be expressed to be for a period not exceeding 2 years.". This amendment seeks to ensure the Bill will expire unless it is...

Seanad: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages. (27 Feb 2009)

Alex White: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages. (27 Feb 2009)

Alex White: It is country music the Senator should watch out for.

Seanad: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages. (27 Feb 2009)

Alex White: I will be brief. The meat of the amendment concerns the question of a sunset clause. With respect to the Minister of State, section 13 of the Bill does not meet the point. I read that section, which relates to review, as the Minister of State raised it and it is a rather questionable provision in the legislation. I query the constitutionality of at least dealing with pay or taxation...

Seanad: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages. (27 Feb 2009)

Alex White: I move amendment No. 2: In page 4, line 32, to delete "as amended by" and substitute "inserted by". This is not a drafting amendment. The Chapter concerned is inserted by the 2007 Act, not amended by it. It is an issue that has arisen before in legislation and is a point that comes up over and over again.