Results 861-880 of 5,294 for speaker:Michael McCarthy

Seanad: Order of Business. (15 Feb 2006)

Michael McCarthy: What was the word?

Seanad: Planning and Development (Strategic Infrastructure) Bill 2006: Second Stage (Resumed). (8 Mar 2006)

Michael McCarthy: That was years ago.

Seanad: Planning and Development (Strategic Infrastructure) Bill 2006: Second Stage (Resumed). (8 Mar 2006)

Michael McCarthy: They were led by the Senator's own Minister.

Seanad: Planning and Development (Strategic Infrastructure) Bill 2006: Second Stage (Resumed). (8 Mar 2006)

Michael McCarthy: Will the Senator stop pointing his finger at us? It is intimidating.

Seanad: Planning and Development (Strategic Infrastructure) Bill 2006: Second Stage (Resumed). (8 Mar 2006)

Michael McCarthy: That is ridiculous.

Seanad: Planning and Development (Strategic Infrastructure) Bill 2006: Second Stage (Resumed). (8 Mar 2006)

Michael McCarthy: The Senator is not comparing like with like.

Seanad: Planning and Development (Strategic Infrastructure) Bill 2006: Second Stage (Resumed). (8 Mar 2006)

Michael McCarthy: It has been abandoned.

Seanad: Planning and Development (Strategic Infrastructure) Bill 2006: Second Stage (Resumed). (8 Mar 2006)

Michael McCarthy: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Batt O'Keeffe, to the House. I also welcome the debate on this important Bill. While we are clear what it seeks to do, I am not convinced the legislation will ensure that any major infrastructural projects will be fast-tracked as a result. In particular, I welcome section 9, which provides that developers who are notorious for unfinished estates, can...

Seanad: Social Welfare Law Reform and Pensions Bill 2006: Committee and Remaining Stages. (23 Mar 2006)

Michael McCarthy: I move amendment No. 1: In page 5, before section 1, to insert the following new section: "1.—The Minister shall within 6 months from after the passing of this Act prepare and lay before both Houses of the Oireachtas a report on the effect and operation of means tests overall in the social welfare system and in particular in relation to the carer's allowance.". There has been much debate in...

Seanad: Social Welfare Law Reform and Pensions Bill 2006: Committee and Remaining Stages. (23 Mar 2006)

Michael McCarthy: No.

Seanad: Social Welfare Law Reform and Pensions Bill 2006: Committee and Remaining Stages. (23 Mar 2006)

Michael McCarthy: I move amendment No. 2: In page 5, before section 1, to insert the following new section: "1.—The Minister shall within 6 months from after the passing of this Act prepare and lay before both Houses of the Oireachtas a report on introducing an earnings disregard for the purposes of social welfare benefits for relatives who assist in childminding similar to that for childminders.". The...

Seanad: Social Welfare Law Reform and Pensions Bill 2006: Committee and Remaining Stages. (23 Mar 2006)

Michael McCarthy: I move amendment No. 3: In page 5, before section 1, to insert the following new section: "1.—The Minister shall within 6 months from after the passing of this Act prepare and lay before both Houses of the Oireachtas a report on continued anomalies affecting persons who were recipients of deserted wife's benefit.". This issue was again raised on Committee Stage in the Dáil by Deputies...

Seanad: Social Welfare Law Reform and Pensions Bill 2006: Committee and Remaining Stages. (23 Mar 2006)

Michael McCarthy: I support this amendment. Other methods must be employed to alleviate and eventually eliminate child poverty because, without being flippant, throwing money at the problem will not succeed. Senator Terry has eloquently outlined cases where children attend school without clean, warm clothing, fail to have a warm meal one in every two or three days and lack a sufficient red meat diet. These are...

Seanad: Social Welfare Law Reform and Pensions Bill 2006: Committee and Remaining Stages. (23 Mar 2006)

Michael McCarthy: I thank the Minister for his illustrative examples of the social welfare packages that families could receive. I welcome these measures, as directing such child-centred payments towards the families in question is impressive. While I do not wish to detract from the importance of the figures, is there a concern in the Department of Social and Family Affairs that some of the money might not...

Seanad: Social Welfare Law Reform and Pensions Bill 2006: Committee and Remaining Stages. (23 Mar 2006)

Michael McCarthy: I thank the Minister for making the telling and important point that only 2% of lone parents are teenagers. There has been an orchestrated campaign in this regard led by senior academics and journalists who know better — it is not that they should know better, they do know better. It has been led in many respects by an engineer. Engineers know a lot about a certain subject but a professor...

Seanad: Social Welfare Law Reform and Pensions Bill 2006: Committee and Remaining Stages. (23 Mar 2006)

Michael McCarthy: He might second it.

Seanad: Social Welfare Law Reform and Pensions Bill 2006: Committee and Remaining Stages. (23 Mar 2006)

Michael McCarthy: I support the amendment. No mercy should be shown to those who are found to be in dereliction of their duty to their children. Unfortunately, one could not call such people fathers because that is not how a father would behave. However, there are cases where people do not accept the responsibility that goes with parenthood, do not want to assume their duties and take no responsibility for the...

Seanad: Social Welfare Law Reform and Pensions Bill 2006: Committee and Remaining Stages. (23 Mar 2006)

Michael McCarthy: I, too, want to thank the Minister for the time he has given, and the officials for the amount of work they have put into the legislation. It is very good that we are changing the name of some of the schemes. We will look back in time and wonder how long we could have gotten away with calling the "old age pension" just that, because it is ageist, to say the least. Politically correct terms...

Seanad: State Airports: Motion. (26 Apr 2006)

Michael McCarthy: I second the motion. If we were to talk of political promises made and not fulfilled, and various commitments made by the Government, particularly with regard to the 2002 manifesto, we would be here for the night. It is important to focus on the matter before us. Particularly with regard to the greater Cork region, where Fianna Fáil had its biggest success in the last general election,...

Seanad: Garda Stations. (26 Apr 2006)

Michael McCarthy: I thank the Minister of State at the Department of Finance, Deputy Parlon, for taking time out of his busy schedule to take this Adjournment debate. This issue has been ongoing for some time in west Cork. At the beginning of 2002, members of the Garda Síochána, with the support of the Garda Representative Association, threatened to walk out of the Garda station in Dunmanway which has been...