Results 121-140 of 190 for speaker:Mark Dearey

Seanad: Public Service Agreement 2010-2014: Statements (13 Oct 2010)

Mark Dearey: The division that has opened up between the public and private sectors is of concern, but understandable. The deal contains a provision to focus savings on public servants earning less than €35,000 per year, but many in the private sector would aspire to that figure. As an employer and without breaching confidentiality too much, my staff would be happy to get €35,000, but they do not....

Seanad: National Spatial Strategy Report: Statements (14 Oct 2010)

Mark Dearey: Not the Green Party.

Seanad: National Spatial Strategy Report: Statements (14 Oct 2010)

Mark Dearey: The Minister is welcome. In 2002 I recall large towns throughout Ireland holding their breath wondering if theirs would be chosen as a gateway, the general welcome it received in my own town when it was chosen and the dismay in towns elsewhere that theirs was not. There was the compensation of being chosen as a hub and if a town was not so chosen, it could be something else. At the time I...

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Oct 2010)

Mark Dearey: I call for a debate on the national minimum wage. I do not refer to the amount per se but to the fact that it is acting as a barrier to employment creation for a cohort of those seeking jobs. The last increase in the minimum wage was on 1 July 2007 when it went from €8.30 to €8.65, a 35 cent increase. While that may not seem much, for every 100 hours of employment an employer provides,...

Seanad: Seanad Electoral (Panel Members)(Amendment) Bill 2008: Second Stage (20 Oct 2010)

Mark Dearey: I welcome the Minister of State. The Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Gormley, has been told many times that something will not happen or cannot be done, most recently in regard to the prospects for talks on achieving a political consensus. Unlike Guinness Light, he showed in that instance that it could be done. I do not know who is the longest serving...

Seanad: Seanad Electoral (Panel Members)(Amendment) Bill 2008: Second Stage (20 Oct 2010)

Mark Dearey: Perhaps my optimism has not been chastened by experience.

Seanad: Seanad Electoral (Panel Members)(Amendment) Bill 2008: Second Stage (20 Oct 2010)

Mark Dearey: That is good to hear, as I am also an optimist. I accept the Minister's bona fides on the issue of Seanad reform and I am well aware of his frustration at how slowly it is happening. There are many wider issues to be considered, many of which were outlined by Senator O'Toole. The first steps to be taken should include providing for the inclusion of the institutes of technology. This...

Seanad: Small and Medium Enterprises: Motion (20 Oct 2010)

Mark Dearey: I support the amendment, though not necessarily because a loan guarantee, of itself, is a bad idea. Clearly that is not the case. There are many countries which have loan guarantee schemes in place. However, I am of the view that a loan guarantee scheme should be an action of last resort which should only be introduced when all other efforts to try to re-establish a vibrant and viable SME...

Seanad: Order of Business (21 Oct 2010)

Mark Dearey: The ESRI report is unhelpful. I heard on a radio programme this morning a great deal of backtracking from its contents. For instance, an acknowledgement was made that the political context is that we must reduce the public deficit to 3% by 2014. It is of dubious merit to produce a set of hypotheses that were immediately regarded as unrealisable. I wonder what effect the report would have...

Seanad: Order of Business (27 Oct 2010)

Mark Dearey: I welcome this morning's encouraging announcement by the Irish Exporters Association of an increase in exports. They highlight that fact that, aside from the currency issue which is an assist, competitiveness has been cited as one of the key reasons our exports are growing. We are regaining the competitiveness that we lost during the good times. We are also regaining our focus as a nation...

Seanad: National Housing Development Survey Report: Statements (27 Oct 2010)

Mark Dearey: I wish to pick up on some of the themes addressed by Senator Hannigan. I welcome his support and that of his party for this document which establishes baselines. With the problems we encountered associated with the financial crash, the property crash that followed and the legacy of ghost estates, the starting point is the question of how many and where? While the figures associated with...

Seanad: National Housing Development Survey Report: Statements (27 Oct 2010)

Mark Dearey: The real blame lies with a planning law that was all about driving development. In so many ways it was a developer's charter. There was a lack of adherence to superior planning documentation and national strategic planning documentation. I find it difficult to believe that such legislation found its way onto the Statute Book, that one could have a statutory basis for the national spatial...

Seanad: Order of Business (3 Nov 2010)

Mark Dearey: I assure Senator Healy Eames that this Government and the Greens within it certainly appreciate the importance of education and the need for it to be at the heart of any economic recovery and the need to keep the cost of entry into third level education as low as is humanly possible. There is no doubt that the registration fee increases have made it difficult for some and that further...

Seanad: Order of Business (3 Nov 2010)

Mark Dearey: I think the Senator will find that part of the political process is to enunciate our position. That is my duty and I am doing it now. I thank the Senator for her advice. I ask the Leader to invite the Minister for Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs, Deputy Pat Carey, to the House to talk about the essential area of support for people in receipt of the addiction services around the...

Seanad: Seanad Reform: Motion (3 Nov 2010)

Mark Dearey: I would like to be able to answer Senator Fitzgerald's question. I find myself speaking on the issue of Seanad reform while still learning what the Seanad is about. Perhaps getting the perspective of a Seanad novice might not do any harm in this debate, coming as I did to the House in February this year. A number of things struck me. The first was the resonance the Fine Gael leader's call...

Seanad: Seanad Reform: Motion (3 Nov 2010)

Mark Dearey: A certain amount of time filling takes place and there is a leisureliness to the way matters are conducted in the Chamber. I say this with the greatest of respect. I do not understand why we are not dealing with more legislative proposals.

Seanad: Seanad Reform: Motion (3 Nov 2010)

Mark Dearey: I excuse myself on the basis I am still a relative novice here. I hope Members will excuse me.

Seanad: Seanad Reform: Motion (3 Nov 2010)

Mark Dearey: Not forever, but for six months, perhaps.

Seanad: Seanad Reform: Motion (3 Nov 2010)

Mark Dearey: There are occasions when we give our opponents a stick to beat us with and these are errors we could avoid. Even in the restricted context of the present situation, we could generate a much more positive impression of the Seanad. Overall, the wider framework of political reform is the context in which a much more radical overhaul of Seanad procedures and functions should be considered. In...

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Nov 2010)

Mark Dearey: I, too, call for a debate on the economy following the visit of Commissioner Rehn. I remind the House that he has said political consensus would be helpful in the situation in which we find ourselves. We all have a duty to take on board what that means. However it is implemented, consensus will help Ireland's recovery. To rubbish it is premature and irresponsible given that the call was...