Results 961-980 of 8,392 for speaker:Mark Daly

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Oct 2012)

Mark Daly: -----why NAMA is not selling property in an open and transparent manner. Under the legislation, NAMA must sell those properties as if they were State assets, which must be sold by auction or tender. As Senator Paul Coghlan is aware, most of the time we only find out after the event that properties have been sold. In some cases, the people who took out the large loans in the first place are...

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Oct 2012)

Mark Daly: The highest standards of transparency are not being achieved by any measure.

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Oct 2012)

Mark Daly: I call for a debate on the growing democratic deficit in the country. Previously I have spoken on the issue of Seanad reform. We are all awaiting the final report of the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government on local government reform. Ireland has the lowest level of local representation of anywhere in Europe next to the United Kingdom. Yet we are talking about...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Upward-Only Rent Reviews (10 Oct 2012)

Mark Daly: I welcome the Minister of State to the House and thank her for taking this matter in respect of which I seek clarification on upward-only rent reviews. Fianna Fáil has published a Bill dealing with the issue of upward-only rent reviews, which is within the bounds of the Constitution. As the Minister of State will know, upward-only rent reviews are crippling many businesses. Those tenants...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Upward-Only Rent Reviews (10 Oct 2012)

Mark Daly: I thank the Minister of State for her reply. I know she was not involved in making the promises or drawing up the manifesto. However, I am sure she will agree that it is not surprising that people are extremely cynical of all politicians in all political parties about issues such as this one when a commitment on this is contained in party manifestos and in the programme for Government. One...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Upward-Only Rent Reviews (10 Oct 2012)

Mark Daly: I know. However, one must be destitute, in a commercial sense, to be in NAMA and then one might get a rent reduction. There is no legislative requirement for upward-only rent reviews in leases, as was said in the Minister's reply. However, it was stated in the manifesto that there would be legislation against this. I thank the Minister for coming to the House to clarify the issue. It is...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Discussion with Ambassador of Islamic Republic of Iran (10 Oct 2012)

Mark Daly: I welcome Mr. Panahiazar to the meeting. I have to say the Iranian leader's comment that Israel should be wiped off the map was reprehensible, to put it mildly. I would like to hear the ambassador's views on that. It is unacceptable that the leader of a country like Iran, which has such a proud history and culture, said when addressing people at a public forum like the United Nations that...

Seanad: Order of Business (11 Oct 2012)

Mark Daly: I call on the Acting Leader to provide time for a debate on the mortgage issue. Former President Clinton advised the Government at the Irish Global Economic Forum last year that it needed to tackle the mortgage problem here. All we have seen to date from the Government is activity and no action. It has introduced a personal insolvency Bill which, if the banks had drafted it, we would not...

Seanad: Order of Business (11 Oct 2012)

Mark Daly: If it is left up to the banks to declare whether a person is insolvent then no one's problems will be solved.

Seanad: Order of Business (11 Oct 2012)

Mark Daly: It has not been passed yet.

Seanad: Order of Business (16 Oct 2012)

Mark Daly: As my colleagues opposite congratulated Sligo Rovers, I had better strike a balance by congratulating Kenmare GAA Club on its victory in the county junior championship final. Uniquely, the club is in both the all-Ireland hurling final and the club championship final. Very few clubs have managed to achieve this.

Seanad: Order of Business (16 Oct 2012)

Mark Daly: It is relevant in terms of voluntarism, an issue on which I ask the Leader to arrange a debate, as it is at the core of what Ireland is about. All of the people who contribute ensure we have teams such as Sligo Rovers and Kenmare on the field. It is a very important aspect of Irish society.

Seanad: Order of Business (16 Oct 2012)

Mark Daly: Like my colleagues, I call for a debate on a report published only two hours ago. This is quickly becoming one of the most undemocratic countries in Europe. As my colleagues have pointed out, we have the lowest level of public representation per head of population at local level among the EU 15 member states. Up until yesterday in Ireland there was one public representative per 2,600...

Seanad: Order of Business (16 Oct 2012)

Mark Daly: Fundamental change is needed. I ask the Leader to organise an immediate debate on the report, which will increase the democratic deficit by pushing Ireland to the bottom of the European league table in respect of public representation.

Seanad: Order of Business (17 Oct 2012)

Mark Daly: Like others, I ask the Leader to organise a real debate in regard to the mortgage issue and the disturbing case reported in the The Irish Times today of a Garda sergeant and his wife who, as Senator Norris pointed out, have cornflakes days because that is all they can afford to eat. These are the new vulnerable in Irish society. Former President Bill Clinton said in October 2011 that we...

Seanad: Order of Business (17 Oct 2012)

Mark Daly: John Allen asked me to name him on the record of the House. I ask the Leader to organise that-----

Seanad: Order of Business (17 Oct 2012)

Mark Daly: I think that is what the privilege of the House is for.

Seanad: Order of Business (17 Oct 2012)

Mark Daly: If a person asks me to bring his or her case before the House, I will bring it before the House. If he asks me to name him-----

Seanad: Order of Business (17 Oct 2012)

Mark Daly: I am respecting it. It is for that reason I am using it. I thank the Cathaoirleach. I have asked the Leader to organise a debate in regard to those cases and so many other serious cases.

Seanad: Order of Business (18 Oct 2012)

Mark Daly: I support Senator Jim Walsh's call for openness and transparency in the drafting of the Personal Insolvency Bill. As I indicated earlier in the week, if the banks drafted legislation on this issue, one would probably not be able to tell the difference between it and the Personal Insolvency Bill. The Government is duty-bound to find out-----