Results 1,161-1,180 of 25,732 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Seanad: Order of Business (6 Dec 2011)

Darragh O'Brien: The Government cancelled language classes for 500 primary schools.

Seanad: Order of Business (6 Dec 2011)

Darragh O'Brien: On the instruction of Government.

Seanad: Order of Business (6 Dec 2011)

Darragh O'Brien: I hope it does not rain at the weekend.

Seanad: Order of Business (6 Dec 2011)

Darragh O'Brien: Yes.

Seanad: Local Government (Household Charge) Bill 2011: Second Stage (6 Dec 2011)

Darragh O'Brien: They were abolished in 1977.

Seanad: Local Government (Household Charge) Bill 2011: Second Stage (6 Dec 2011)

Darragh O'Brien: I do not. I was three at the time.

Seanad: Local Government (Household Charge) Bill 2011: Second Stage (6 Dec 2011)

Darragh O'Brien: The second home tax.

Seanad: Local Government (Household Charge) Bill 2011: Second Stage (6 Dec 2011)

Darragh O'Brien: The Senator's party opposed it before the election. Carry on anyway. We are used to this.

Seanad: Local Government (Household Charge) Bill 2011: Second Stage (6 Dec 2011)

Darragh O'Brien: Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. There was a reference earlier to the manner in which the Bill is being brought through. Will the Minister of State accept amendments after Second Stage for Committee Stage? This should not be taken out of my time because it is a procedural question. The problem is that the Bill was introduced quickly and we had a deadline of 10 p.m. this morning.

Seanad: Local Government (Household Charge) Bill 2011: Second Stage (6 Dec 2011)

Darragh O'Brien: I thank the Minister of State and I appreciate it. I ask the Minister to indicate in his summation the other exemptions he will examine. I agree with Senator Landy on OAPs, the unemployed, people with medical cards, those in negative equity and people in receipt of family income supplement. The comments of the Minister of State on the amendments we will table on Committee Stage will frame...

Seanad: Local Government (Household Charge) Bill 2011: Second Stage (6 Dec 2011)

Darragh O'Brien: Will they be dispersed on the basis of payment?

Seanad: Local Government (Household Charge) Bill 2011: Second Stage (6 Dec 2011)

Darragh O'Brien: The Bill will address the general point. I ask the Minister of State to deal with shared and affordable housing. Social housing is exempt, which is right. Unfortunately Deputy Penrose is no longer Minister of State. I raised the issue of arrears on shared ownership and affordable housing with him, which are over 18.5% on average and over 20% in some local authorities, with him. They do...

Seanad: Local Government (Household Charge) Bill 2011: Second Stage (6 Dec 2011)

Darragh O'Brien: We are getting there. Perhaps I am a bad teacher. If we are going to charge people an additional fee for paying the fee in a post office or local authority we should make it easy for them to pay. There should not be a surcharge. We should incentivise prompt payment upfront . If a senior citizen wants to pay the €100 fee at the start of the year he or she should not be penalised for...

Seanad: Budget 2012: Statements (6 Dec 2011)

Darragh O'Brien: They will not.

Seanad: Budget 2012: Statements (6 Dec 2011)

Darragh O'Brien: The Minister of State referred to a number of changes, on the reform side, in the context of how the budget has been presented. Those in Fine Gael should be particularly pleased about the fact that the junior partner in the Government was given responsibility for doing the dirty work. Earlier today, another man from the Labour Party went overboard. It is good to see the Labour Party...

Seanad: Budget 2012: Statements (6 Dec 2011)

Darragh O'Brien: I hope not.

Seanad: Budget 2012: Statements (6 Dec 2011)

Darragh O'Brien: I would expect nothing less from Senator Gilroy.

Seanad: Budget 2012: Statements (6 Dec 2011)

Darragh O'Brien: I wish to begin by commenting on a number of positive measures in order to try to make my colleagues from the Labour Party somewhat more comfortable.

Seanad: Budget 2012: Statements (6 Dec 2011)

Darragh O'Brien: I wish to cover three matters relating to the two parts of the budget introduced yesterday and today. The first of these is the fact that savings in respect of public procurement are crucial and I am glad the Government has set targets in this regard. What is required to push this through is a body with real powers, the National Procurement Agency, and I am of the view that the latter will...

Seanad: Budget 2012: Statements (6 Dec 2011)

Darragh O'Brien: I will leave it to the Leader to identify those because I am hard pressed to find them. As I stated on the Order of Business - this is a matter which the Government should address - one of the major difficulties with the budget is the proposed cut to the disability allowance, particularly in respect of younger people. The proposal in this regard cannot remain as it stands. The reduction in...