Results 941-960 of 996 for speaker:John Gerard Hanafin

Seanad: National Recovery Plan 2011-2014: Motion (30 Nov 2010)

John Gerard Hanafin: I wish to share time with Senators Ann Ormonde, Larry Butler and Ivor Callely.

Seanad: National Recovery Plan 2011-2014: Motion (30 Nov 2010)

John Gerard Hanafin: I support the Government amendment and in doing so I recognise some interesting points are made in the non-Government motion. These stem from the question of a public private partnership for metro north and the suggestion we examine the offer from Siemens Ireland to install water meters. The details of these proposals would have to be worked out but the proposals themselves are quite...

Seanad: Communications Regulation (Postal Services) Bill 2010: Committee Stage (1 Dec 2010)

John Gerard Hanafin: In supporting my colleagues, it is important that I include the trade unions to give proper recognition to the people who actually know the business. They have 100 years of experience representing their members. We do not want to make the mistakes made in other countries. Owing to our unique position in Ireland, we should take cognisance of the fact that we have a lower population per...

Seanad: Communications Regulation (Postal Services) Bill 2010: Committee Stage (1 Dec 2010)

John Gerard Hanafin: I share the concerns expressed by other Members, in particular about the unintended consequences of the phrase, "except in such circumstances or geographical conditions as the Commission considers to be exceptional". This means the commission could change the intention of the law which states the universal service provider must provide a service five days a week. I know this is not the...

Seanad: Communications Regulation (Postal Services) Bill 2010: Committee Stage (1 Dec 2010)

John Gerard Hanafin: There is a difficulty other than the obvious one with the wording "except in such circumstances or geographic conditions as the Commission considers to be exceptional" which could change the universal service provision. "Geographic conditions" is not an exact term; the word "conditions" is a variable, as in the case of weather conditions. The geography of where one lives remains the same....

Seanad: Order of Business (2 Dec 2010)

John Gerard Hanafin: Like other Senators, I am concerned that it has come to the attention of the Central Bank that bonuses are being paid. What are the bonuses for? There is nothing in the banking system from which to take any good cheer such that anybody should be paid extra for the work he or she is doing. If it was not for the direct indication from the EU that it does not want any default on any bank...

Seanad: EU-IMF Programme for Ireland: Statements (2 Dec 2010)

John Gerard Hanafin: I am conscious that the matter of no issuing of and acceptance of bonds has ever been put to the Houses. Therefore, why this should be any different is beyond me.

Seanad: EU-IMF Programme for Ireland: Statements (2 Dec 2010)

John Gerard Hanafin: The current bond market crisis has passed and we were caught in that storm. There is no doubt that the EU was anxious that we would take the package because it was anxious about the stability of the EU and the eurozone. It is good to note that this morning the Irish bond prices have decreased significantly in line with Portugal and Spain, as the ECB is now buying bonds and giving stability...

Seanad: Communications Regulation (Postal Services) Bill 2010: Committee Stage (Resumed) (7 Dec 2010)

John Gerard Hanafin: In supporting necessary amendments, I am conscious that the amount of capital invested by An Post would indicate that we will have to be careful in how we designate the universal supplier. Seven years would not be sufficient under any banking terms. It would be a most unusual rate of return to get the capital returned over seven years. An Post has made significant capital investment in its...

Seanad: Communications Regulation (Postal Services) Bill 2010: Committee Stage (Resumed) (7 Dec 2010)

John Gerard Hanafin: We all want the same thing and we agree on the principle of quality of service and competition. The anxiety expressed in the amendments is that unless new entrants come to the table with suggestions of how to grow the business, there is an absolute inevitability that there will be a division of the existing business, which is only marginally profitable as it stands, at less than 1% of...

Seanad: Communications Regulation (Postal Services) Bill 2010: Committee Stage (Resumed) (7 Dec 2010)

John Gerard Hanafin: I ask the Minister to take cognisance of the fact that the access rate available to new entrants in the United Kingdom was too low. This has created difficulties for Royal Mail in terms of its profitability and ability to trade out of the current difficulties. With that in mind, we need to get it right first time around. I, therefore, ask the Minister to allow for an appeals mechanism in...

Seanad: Communications Regulation (Postal Services) Bill 2010: Committee Stage (Resumed) (7 Dec 2010)

John Gerard Hanafin: I share Senator O'Reilly's anxieties. New entrants should not be able to access the system below the regional mail centres of Dublin, Cork, Athlone and Portlaoise. An Post is a quality provider and the value and quality of its service is well documented and properly monitored. There was a recent infusion of €150 million in capital funding in the centres which provide 2,000 jobs. The...

Seanad: Communications Regulation (Postal Services) Bill 2010: Committee Stage (Resumed) (7 Dec 2010)

John Gerard Hanafin: I also request the Minister to remove the section as were the worst anxieties realised, it would be unthinkable. Over the past couple of centuries, the postal service has built up the best possible locations for its business, including a national monument in the form of the General Post Office in O'Connell Street. It is unthinkable that anyone could have immediate access to such an...

Seanad: Communications Regulation (Postal Services) Bill 2010: Committee Stage (Resumed) (7 Dec 2010)

John Gerard Hanafin: Again I support Senator O'Toole. While we were speaking in the House, at all times we accepted there would be access. We are really worried about section 29(2), which states that "the Commission may give a direction to a universal postal service provider requiring it to permit access to other postal service providers to its postal infrastructure on such conditions as the Commission may...

Seanad: Communications Regulation (Postal Services) Bill 2010: Committee Stage (Resumed) (7 Dec 2010)

John Gerard Hanafin: I agree with the previous speakers. What we are considering here is a question about the delivery of service and cherry picking. If we are to avoid increases in prices and a zoned method of payment, we will need to ensure there is some commitment from new entrants to provide a service, particularly in recognition of the unique demographics and spatial dispersion of rural Ireland. As we...

Seanad: Order of Business (8 Dec 2010)

John Gerard Hanafin: I agree with the Senators who spoke about cross-party support for the budget. I do so, not just in the light of today, but in taking the long view. I was pleased to see the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Martin, indicate on "Prime Time" that if Fianna Fáil were to go into Opposition, it would support the Government of the day if it were to implement the four year plan. We have taken...

Seanad: Budget Statement 2011: Statements (8 Dec 2010)

John Gerard Hanafin: The necessity of the budget announced yesterday is clearly outlined by the fact that we spend significantly more than we take in. In the good years, when the money was rolling in - we are now being blamed for the expenditure then incurred - it is worth noting that across every Department, the Opposition was looking for extra expenditure. Not only that, but it blamed us for not foreseeing...

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Dec 2010)

John Gerard Hanafin: Like other speakers, I have a huge difficulty with bonuses being paid. The budget has imposed cuts in three main areas because the bulk of public spending is in these areas. These areas include, health, social protection and education, all of which are essential for people. The reason for this is not the finances of the State because they are in a robust state, but the banks. Not alone...

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Dec 2010)

John Gerard Hanafin: I wish to raise the question of a loss of revenue to the Exchequer. There is a serious situation where one third of the cigarettes sold in the State are illegal. They are illegal not only because they are brought in without any duty been paid, but also because they are not the original articles; they are cheap and very dangerous substitutes and people are seriously endangering their health...

Seanad: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Bill 2010: Second Stage (Resumed) (14 Dec 2010)

John Gerard Hanafin: With permission, I will share the time remaining with Senator Larry Butler. In supporting the emergency measures in the public interest, the important words are "in the public interest". There has been a very large shortfall in the amount of taxation. Money is not being spent in the country because people are fearful. Some of that fear was deliberately stoked and other factors were at...