Results 1,141-1,160 of 6,295 for speaker:Michael D'Arcy

Seanad: Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland Bill 2014: Second Stage (15 Jul 2014)

Michael D'Arcy: I welcome the Minister and the Bill he is presenting to the House today. We have all been calling for initiatives to ensure more funding is put into the market more quickly, which is what this legislation seeks to do. The only criticism I have is that it would have been better to have enacted these provisions sooner. The SBCI will essentially function as a wholesale bank, sourced from the...

Seanad: National Treasury Management Agency Bill 2014: Second Stage (15 Jul 2014)

Michael D'Arcy: It does not seem long ago since the Minister of State, Deputy Harris, and I started the European election campaign in the mart in Carnew. I congratulate him on his appointment and wish him the best of luck in his term of office. It is perhaps the most important junior Ministry in the State. The Bill is hugely important. As Senator Hayden said, we must acknowledge the success of the NTMA....

Seanad: National Treasury Management Agency Bill 2014: Second Stage (15 Jul 2014)

Michael D'Arcy: The Minister of State's staff were ready to go.

Seanad: National Treasury Management Agency Bill 2014: Second Stage (15 Jul 2014)

Michael D'Arcy: Tomorrow.

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Vaccination Programme (17 Jul 2014)

Michael D'Arcy: I also wish the Minister the best of luck in his new portfolio, as he has a substantial job to do in that Department. I wish the raise the issue of those people, particularly children, who have been affected by narcolepsy following the State ‘flu vaccination. A link has been associated with the Pandemrix swine ‘flu vaccination and the condition. I am disappointed with the...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Vaccination Programme (17 Jul 2014)

Michael D'Arcy:  Approximately 1 million vaccinations were administered and an enormous supply of vaccines was made available to the State from the companies in question.  The Government gave a blanket guarantee on the basis that the vaccine was administered off-licence, even though it was administered off-licence at a time when concerns were growing in the Scandinavian countries in regard to the...

Seanad: Order of Business (17 Sep 2014)

Michael D'Arcy: I want to raise the issue of the OECD report, that is, the base erosion and profit shifting, BEPS, report, that was published this morning. It is important we understand that it is part of a process that will not conclude until this time next year, and why should we move at an early stage until we know exactly where we are moving? The important point to remember about the taxation issues...

Seanad: Betting (Amendment) Bill 2013: Second Stage (24 Sep 2014)

Michael D'Arcy: As other speakers have said, this Bill is certainly welcome. It has been a long time coming. I will not go over ground already covered by other contributors, but the sooner the gambling control Bill comes before us the better. I have to be blunt in saying that online betting, poker and casinos are doing terrible damage to young males in particular. There is a considerable amount of...

Seanad: Order of Business (25 Sep 2014)

Michael D'Arcy: On Tuesday, I raised the issue of diesel laundering. The office of the Leader kindly sent me a copy of the debate that took place in the Dáil, including a statement by the Minister, on petrol stretching. In the statement, the Minister said he was satisfied with the progress by the Revenue Commissioners in tackling fuel fraud and with the excellent co-operation between the Revenue...

Seanad: Order of Business (1 Oct 2014)

Michael D'Arcy: I raise an issue I raised a number of weeks ago, namely, the pressure being applied in an unfair and unreasonable manner on Ireland’s corporation tax structures. The final OECD base erosion and profit shifting, BEPS, report is due in September 2015, 11 months from now, and there is a concerted effort internationally between the G20, the OECD and, in the past week, the British Prime...

Seanad: Order of Business (1 Oct 2014)

Michael D'Arcy: The lads are very quiet. Have they no response?

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed) (2 Oct 2014)

Michael D'Arcy: I welcome the good news about the unemployment rate which is down to a little over 11% from a high of 15%. However, the members of the public would not forgive us if we decided to take our foot off the accelerator. We must ensure that we refocus and re-energise our efforts to make sure that we get that figure down to single digits and that the country gets closer to full employment. I...

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed) (2 Oct 2014)

Michael D'Arcy: No Fianna Fáil Members opened their mouths during the interregnum between Governments when Fianna Fáil stuffed State boards. It was deemed to be acceptable because it was an action by Fianna Fáil. I do not agree with Fine Gael stuffing State boards and I only believe that suitably qualified people should be on State boards as this is the Fine Gael way. The approach taken by...

Seanad: Order of Business (8 Oct 2014)

Michael D'Arcy: I wish to raise the matter of motor taxation prior to next week’s budget announcement. An unfair anomaly has appeared during the years and now there is an opportunity to remove it. To my surprise, I have been informed that 60% of people tax their car every three months. For those who choose to tax their car for three months rather than half yearly or for the year, there is an...

Seanad: Budget 2015: Statements (14 Oct 2014)

Michael D'Arcy: I offer hearty congratulations to Senator Craughwell. I wish him well in his period in Seanad Éireann. Every budget is about choices, and sometimes the choices are difficult. We were hopeful that the most difficult choices would have been made and that we will never have to revert to those choices and the boom and bust politics of the past because that is the reason so many people...

Seanad: Budget 2015: Statements (14 Oct 2014)

Michael D'Arcy: I will be obliged to motor through some of my points. The windfall tax of 80% was of no benefit as 80% of nothing is nothing. I am certainly delighted to see the reduction of the capital gains tax rate back to normality, that is, to 33%. As for the people who will be removed from the universal social charge net, by my calculations this will affect more than 330,000 people on the very first...

Seanad: Budget 2015: Statements (14 Oct 2014)

Michael D'Arcy: I am aware of that.

Seanad: Budget 2015: Statements (14 Oct 2014)

Michael D'Arcy: I welcome the reduction of the levy to 0.15% and that this will also be extinguished. I am always amazed by that figure and Senator Darragh O'Brien is correct to state that €2 billion was taken from people's pension pots. However, we chose to ignore that and commentators throughout the State chose to ignore a €2 billion deduction. However, as the Minister, Deputy Noonan, has...

Seanad: Budget 2015: Statements (14 Oct 2014)

Michael D'Arcy: I will finish my time.

Seanad: Budget 2015: Statements (14 Oct 2014)

Michael D'Arcy: If the Chair does not mind, I will finish now. The DIRT refund scheme is a benefit. Last week, the Central Bank made an impact on the commercial banks to ensure the mayhem and the carnage does not-----