Results 9,581-9,600 of 26,902 for speaker:Richard Boyd Barrett

Finance Bill 2015: Second Stage (4 Nov 2015)

Richard Boyd Barrett: I want to focus on a few points. First, I would not underestimate how outraged people are about the decision of Bank of Ireland to essentially exclude most of its customers from doing business in its branches. This sums up everything that we have done wrong and it will be a constant theme in all the points I want to make about this Bill. What people find infuriating is that this is a case...

Travellers' Rights: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members] (4 Nov 2015)

Richard Boyd Barrett: Two minutes is not enough time to do justice to this subject. The utterly unspeakable tragedy that occurred in Carrickmines must be the catalyst, if all of the tears are not to be crocodile tears, for radical, urgent and immediate change in how we treat Travellers. In considering my contribution to this debate and in putting forward amendments, I thought that the first people I should...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Living Wage (4 Nov 2015)

Richard Boyd Barrett: 19. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation if he will report on all meetings with trade unions and other stakeholders in relation to establishing a living wage; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38006/15]

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Employment Rights (4 Nov 2015)

Richard Boyd Barrett: 32. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the progress in dealing with the widespread problem of low pay and zero hour contracts; the specific measures he is proposing to deal with this phenomenon; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37998/15]

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Rent Controls (5 Nov 2015)

Richard Boyd Barrett: 14. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government given the escalating housing and homelessness crisis resulting from unaffordable and escalating rents, and the inadequate supply of social housing, if he has progressed any specific proposals on rent controls; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38233/15]

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Homeless Accommodation Provision (5 Nov 2015)

Richard Boyd Barrett: 43. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government his views that there is now a housing accommodation and homelessness emergency affecting a vast number of our citizens, including those on housing lists, persons in homeless services, travellers, asylum seekers in direct provision and other persons threatened with homelessness because of rising rents or mortgage arrears...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Trade Agreements (10 Nov 2015)

Richard Boyd Barrett: 93. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he will advocate an ethical labelling policy given that, despite the spin from vested interests, the diamond market continues to be a major source of revenue for rogue regimes in Israel, Zimbabwe, and Angola, that stand accused of grievous human rights violations, including war crimes and crimes against humanity,...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources: Trade Issues (10 Nov 2015)

Richard Boyd Barrett: 105. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he will impress upon the European Commission, which represents Ireland and all other European Union member states in the Kimberley process certification scheme, the urgent need to reform the definition of a conflict diamond in order that all blood diamonds, including blood diamonds which generate revenue for...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Bill 2015: Committee Stage (10 Nov 2015)

Richard Boyd Barrett: To amplify the same argument, there is no emergency anymore. In fact, the only emergency is in the areas of housing and health. One could argue there is also an emergency in terms of poverty and deprivation, given that these conditions have increased exponentially. Any of the crises that has developed is linked, at least, to income cuts, of which the FEMPI legislation was a significant...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Bill 2015: Committee Stage (10 Nov 2015)

Richard Boyd Barrett: The Minister should look at the facts. A useful document was handed to me.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Bill 2015: Committee Stage (10 Nov 2015)

Richard Boyd Barrett: That is fair enough. However, given that most of the amendments have been ruled out of order because they would impose a charge on the Exchequer and that we will be unable to speak to them, we might as well set out our stall.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Bill 2015: Committee Stage (10 Nov 2015)

Richard Boyd Barrett: That is true. IMPACT Dún Laoghaire branch produced a leaflet with a table showing how much public sector workers at different pay levels had lost during the emergency years annually and overall. A worker on €30,000 lost €16,000; a worker on €40,000 lost €27,000; and a worker on €50,000 lost €38,000. Under the Lansdowne Road proposals provided...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Bill 2015: Committee Stage (10 Nov 2015)

Richard Boyd Barrett: I will correct the Minister's interpretation of what I said. I was not applauding the Government for getting us to where we are now. I made exactly the opposite point, which was-----

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Bill 2015: Committee Stage (10 Nov 2015)

Richard Boyd Barrett: No. I am saying it has nothing to do with the wage gouging and income gouging that the Government engaged in.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Bill 2015: Committee Stage (10 Nov 2015)

Richard Boyd Barrett: No. It relates to the ups and downs of the global economy, and-----

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Bill 2015: Committee Stage (10 Nov 2015)

Richard Boyd Barrett: The measures the Government took under the guise of financial emergency measures made the situation worse, prolonged the crisis and worsened the impact of the crisis on the economy and our citizens. My take is that it made things worse. The reason Greece is worse is not because the Greeks did not do that but because they did. They had even more extreme emergency income and wage gouging and...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Bill 2015: Committee Stage (10 Nov 2015)

Richard Boyd Barrett: I gave the figures. To cut a very long story short, at the end of the period envisaged in this legislation covered by the Lansdowne Road agreement between now and 2018, someone who was earning €30,000 in 2009 will still be earning less than they earned in 2009. It is the same for those on €40,000 or €50,000. At the end of this so-called restoration of pay they will be...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Bill 2015: Committee Stage (10 Nov 2015)

Richard Boyd Barrett: We are not drifting.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Bill 2015: Committee Stage (10 Nov 2015)

Richard Boyd Barrett: I am responding to the Minister's-----

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Bill 2015: Committee Stage (10 Nov 2015)

Richard Boyd Barrett: It turns on the question of whether it is an emergency. The Minister has not responded to this. Is it an emergency? Are we in the emergency, out of the emergency or on the way out of the emergency? If the Minister is claiming we are out of the emergency, why do we have an emergency Bill? Why is the Minister retaining a range of the elements he put in place for cutting wages with most of...