Results 1,321-1,340 of 4,717 for speaker:Martin Mansergh

Seanad: Totalisator (Amendment) Bill 2005: Second Stage. (2 Mar 2005)

Martin Mansergh: I missed Senator Ryan.

Seanad: Totalisator (Amendment) Bill 2005: Second Stage. (2 Mar 2005)

Martin Mansergh: Unlike the previous debate on the Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2005, I am glad I have the benefit of following Senator Ryan having listened to the wisdom of his views. I welcome the Minister and was glad to hear him give an overview of the importance of the racing and greyhound industry. In general, I commend Members who bring forward Private Members' Bills. In fact, the Minister, as...

Seanad: Totalisator (Amendment) Bill 2005: Second Stage. (2 Mar 2005)

Martin Mansergh: Racecourses are fairly boring places unless one has an interest in the outcome. What the Minister said about family groups is absolutely right. I am sure there are cases of people in their late teens going in groups and these days the money they have is probably mostly money they have earned. However, I can think of many other ways in which that money might be spent which could create more...

Seanad: Food Safety: Statements. (3 Mar 2005)

Martin Mansergh: I welcome the Minister of State and his official. Food safety is important from the points of view of the health of individuals, agriculture and the food industry. In the past ten to 15 years, food scares in Ireland and among our EU partners have had an adverse impact on certain categories of food. In using the word "scare" I do not necessarily mean the cases in question have been without...

Seanad: Food Safety: Statements. (3 Mar 2005)

Martin Mansergh: Next Tuesday at 2.30 p.m.

Seanad: Order of Business. (9 Mar 2005)

Martin Mansergh: I was absolutely taken aback by last night's IRA statement, which can only be described as surreal. Sinn Féin and the IRA were also linked 80 years ago in the same way they are now. The republican political leadership met in August 1924 and Deputy Seán McEntee said that although Sinn Féin claimed to be the de jure Government, he could not stand over the army, meaning the IRA, exercising...

Seanad: Health (Amendment) Bill 2005: Second Stage (Resumed). (9 Mar 2005)

Martin Mansergh: I welcome the Minister of State and his officials. I also welcome the Bill. The Minister of State will not take it amiss if I say that some issues progress by trial and error and this is probably one of them. One would hope to arrive at the right result in the end. The Bill falls into two parts. There is first the question of legitimising the charging of patients for care and maintenance....

Seanad: Health (Amendment) Bill 2005: Second Stage (Resumed). (9 Mar 2005)

Martin Mansergh: Donogh O'Malley made the announcement——

Seanad: Health (Amendment) Bill 2005: Second Stage (Resumed). (9 Mar 2005)

Martin Mansergh: If we could revise history in that regard, Donogh O'Malley took the political responsibility and was backed by Seán Lemass. It is people who do things, not those who argue for things, who move on. It is right that people over the age of 70 should have financial worries taken from them. That is a good reform. I have heard that the matter might be re-examined. I deprecate that because it is a...

Seanad: Order of Business. (22 Mar 2005)

Martin Mansergh: I wish to express concern about the scale of the job losses being proposed by Bank of Ireland at the same time it announces record profits. As a customer of Bank of Ireland for some 40 years, I naturally have concerns for the people who have helped and served me. I deplore the macho management style which seems to measure success by the number of people that can be got rid of or fired. I...

Seanad: Order of Business. (22 Mar 2005)

Martin Mansergh: We live in a partnership culture and this kind of measure should not be proposed without some consultation. Like most Members, I would hesitate to interfere unduly in the affairs of a private company. However, even private companies have social responsibilities.

Seanad: Finance Bill 2005 [Certified Money Bill]: Second Stage. (22 Mar 2005)

Martin Mansergh: I welcome the Minister of State and his official. This is one of the less controversial Finance Bills because the budget very unusually imposed no new taxation and this was welcome. This Bill underpins what continues to be a very strong economy. I do not think any of us should start taking for granted a strong economy or indeed the political conditions and the confidence that lead to it. I...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2005 [Certified Money Bill]: Second Stage. (22 Mar 2005)

Martin Mansergh: The figure is now 1.9 million.

Seanad: Finance Bill 2005 [Certified Money Bill]: Second Stage. (22 Mar 2005)

Martin Mansergh: Senator Browne is——

Seanad: Finance Bill 2005 [Certified Money Bill]: Second Stage. (22 Mar 2005)

Martin Mansergh: Deputy Sargent does it.

Seanad: Order of Business. (23 Mar 2005)

Martin Mansergh: I would welcome a discussion on the so-called Bolkestein directive in order to clarify it in our minds. Competition in the overpriced services sector is important but we must have an assurance that people from abroad working here have the proper verifiable social protection. This is an issue of much concern in Ireland and not just France. We must be cautious, pragmatic and principled about an...

Seanad: Order of Business. (23 Mar 2005)

Martin Mansergh: It is coming from Garda management.

Seanad: Finance Bill 2005 [Certified Money Bill]: Committee and Remaining Stages. (23 Mar 2005)

Martin Mansergh: We all welcome the provision of information about the cost of tax reliefs and their benefits. Some progress has already been made. A review of tax reliefs is currently taking place and I am sure detailed information will be provided. The five-year limit set out in the recommendation would put tax reliefs onto a very Procrustean bed. There are so many types of reliefs——

Seanad: Finance Bill 2005 [Certified Money Bill]: Committee and Remaining Stages. (23 Mar 2005)

Martin Mansergh: It is a reference from Greek mythology. Procrustes was a giant of ancient legend who kept an inn. If guests were too tall for the beds in the inn, parts of their anatomy would be chopped off. If guests were too short for the beds, they were stretched to the full length of the beds.

Seanad: Finance Bill 2005 [Certified Money Bill]: Committee and Remaining Stages. (23 Mar 2005)

Martin Mansergh: A Procrustean bed means a very inflexible arrangement. People need to be able to plan into the future regarding tax. Some tax reliefs are introduced for a specified period of time, for example, two, three or four years. Sometimes, these reliefs are extended for a further period. Other reliefs are clearly intended to be permanent or semi-permanent features of the tax system. It may not be in...