Results 1,041-1,060 of 34,778 for speaker:Seán Fleming

Sale of State Assets: Statements (13 Oct 2011)

Seán Fleming: I welcome the opportunity to speak on this issue. I am disappointed the Minister is not here, but I am sure he will be back to take questions. It is a sad day. It is sad that we are here to talk about selling shares in the ESB, EirGrid, Bord Gáis, Coillte and Bord na Móna. Each of these is a strategic asset. The Minister will almost try and tell us that the provision of light, heat,...

Sale of State Assets: Statements (13 Oct 2011)

Seán Fleming: They will have no job at the end of it. That is the same thing to me. I am shocked that the Labour Party has been snookered into this. The Minister, who is a shareholder, is selling these assets. Another Labour Party Minister, the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Deputy Rabbitte, will be the front line Minister for the sale of some of these assets and we have a...

Sale of State Assets: Statements (13 Oct 2011)

Seán Fleming: Selling the ESB is the first nail in the coffin of the Labour Party in this Government. That should have been the red line issue on going into Government, but there was no red line because the Labour Party was so eager to get into government. It is not necessary to sell these assets. I accept from this side that mistakes were made in the past with selling the likes of Eircom, but it is...

Sale of State Assets: Statements (13 Oct 2011)

Seán Fleming: The Government should sell the banks - that is constructive.

Sale of State Assets: Statements (13 Oct 2011)

Seán Fleming: We are too strategic.

Sale of State Assets: Statements (13 Oct 2011)

Seán Fleming: The Minister replied to a parliamentary question that the Department was considering possible candidates for further asset sales to inform further decisions. I agree with remarks on Coillte made by the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. I fully understand the Fine Gael position but I cannot fathom the Labour Party's support for it, it has walked away from its people. I accept...

Sale of State Assets: Statements (13 Oct 2011)

Seán Fleming: Yes, but the Government is looking at assets that will generate revenue further down the road and getting their value now for the taxpayer to invest. I appeal to the Minister when he is looking at assets to look at the State's financial assets. We own 99% of AIB. The chief executive of the bank was before the Oireachtas committee recently and he said they want to dispose of some of it to...

Sale of State Assets: Statements (13 Oct 2011)

Seán Fleming: We can. Perhaps the Minister thinks we should not have nationalised it and it should have been closed down. If he wants to say that, that is fine. There are shares to be sold in AIB and there are shares being sold in Bank of Ireland. If the sale of assets in such a bank is worth a lot to the Exchequer, could that money not be used to fund the economic development programme we all want to...

Sale of State Assets: Statements (13 Oct 2011)

Seán Fleming: I am bemused at the Minister's answer that we would not realise the value of the State's shares in the banks at present. Is the Minister not aware that during the summer - this arose at the meeting of the Committee of Public Accounts and in a response to a question to the Minister for Finance last night - the Government sold €1.123 billion worth of Bank of Ireland shares and that the...

Sale of State Assets: Statements (13 Oct 2011)

Seán Fleming: I am not a bit confused because this is black and white. The Government claims the State cannot realise the value of its shares but it is doing the opposite. I am glad the Government got €1.123 billion and reduced the State share-holding in Bank of Ireland. There was nothing in the emorandum of understanding we signed last December about using the proceeds of State assets. The...

Sale of State Assets: Statements (13 Oct 2011)

Seán Fleming: They are State assets.

Sale of State Assets: Statements (13 Oct 2011)

Seán Fleming: Why not use those proceeds for job creation not for writing down debt?

Sale of State Assets: Statements (13 Oct 2011)

Seán Fleming: Perhaps 40%.

Written Answers — Appointments to State Boards: Appointments to State Boards (18 Oct 2011)

Seán Fleming: Question 69: To ask the Taoiseach his role in relation to appointments to all State boards and agencies; his views on introducing a cap or ceiling to the number of boards on which one person can serve; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29982/11]

Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme) and Remuneration Bill: Second Stage (19 Oct 2011)

Seán Fleming: I welcome the opportunity to speak on Second Stage of this Bill. We generally need new legislation in this area. The principles of the Bill are generally welcome on this side of the House, as are many of the specifics. On Committee Stage, we would like the Minister to agree to our detailed amendments or take on board the principles thereof and have his departmental staff agree on a...

Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme) and Remuneration Bill: Second Stage (19 Oct 2011)

Seán Fleming: I understand it cannot go down but over a period of between 30 and 50 years one could be left behind so we must work on that. I suggest some hybrid but I have no wish to defeat the purpose of the Bill by having a hybrid too much in favour one way or the other. At the end of the lifetime of the scheme, perhaps in 40 years time, it is expected that the new scheme will reduce annual...

Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme) and Remuneration Bill: Second Stage (19 Oct 2011)

Seán Fleming: I understand that but the numbers of people in that category are rather small relative to the 300,000 or more public servants and these people will receive a defined benefit pension. It is important to make the point because people are utterly confused and there was spin from the Minister's Department when we asked a parliamentary question on the matter. I have examined the reply provided...

Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme) and Remuneration Bill: Second Stage (19 Oct 2011)

Seán Fleming: I refer to new Secretaries General, some four of whom have been appointed since the Minister came to office. I will not name them but the Minister knows them. Some vacancies are scheduled to arise as well. I see no justification for those special arrangements. The Minister has talked the talk about this change.

Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme) and Remuneration Bill: Second Stage (19 Oct 2011)

Seán Fleming: However, he is walking the walk for the future. I understand that the Secretaries General in place are in place but vacancies will arise in the immediate future. I cannot understand it. No one in Ireland, not one among 3.5 million people, except those getting these payments would agree with the new people getting them other than the few people involved and the few people around them who...

Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme) and Remuneration Bill: Second Stage (19 Oct 2011)

Seán Fleming: That is good.