Results 1,401-1,420 of 4,717 for speaker:Martin Mansergh

Seanad: Order of Business. (11 May 2005)

Martin Mansergh: That is correct.

Seanad: Order of Business. (11 May 2005)

Martin Mansergh: It is the European city of culture.

Seanad: Order of Business. (11 May 2005)

Martin Mansergh: Today is the 260th anniversary of the Battle of Fontenoy.

Seanad: Pension Provisions: Statements. (11 May 2005)

Martin Mansergh: I welcome the Minister and his officials and I also welcome the debate. Notwithstanding the statistics that have been cited, we can be quite proud of what we have done in Government over the past 20 or 30 years to improve pensions. In the late 1970s and early 1980s there were significant disproportionate increases in pensions and since 1997 there has again been a policy of detaching pensions...

Seanad: Pension Provisions: Statements. (11 May 2005)

Martin Mansergh: I would be cautious about going down the ESRI route. People have statistical arguments regarding equity and suggest, for example, that Germany is a more equal society than Ireland. They would like to return to 11% unemployment to have more equality. One must think about the macro-economic effects, which translate into human consequences. We are fortunate to have a very buoyant economy in...

Seanad: Pension Provisions: Statements. (11 May 2005)

Martin Mansergh: We should do that soon.

Seanad: Order of Business. (17 May 2005)

Martin Mansergh: Many Members of the House, including the Leas-Chathaoirleach, attended the western rail corridor conference in Castlebar on Friday, 13 May. The report received a very positive response from two Ministers. The issue concerns the national spatial strategy and regional interconnections which has relevance for the south east and the west. It also addresses issues such as depopulation, as do the...

Seanad: Order of Business. (17 May 2005)

Martin Mansergh: ——rather than the people they try to put in jail for not paying such exorbitant debts.

Seanad: Order of Business. (18 May 2005)

Martin Mansergh: I am astounded to hear Senators from the Labour Party suggest that the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children should have no part in making major strategicdecisions.

Seanad: Order of Business. (18 May 2005)

Martin Mansergh: I am being shouted down.

Seanad: Order of Business. (18 May 2005)

Martin Mansergh: This issue should be properly debated because we either have an accountable democracy or we do not.

Seanad: Order of Business. (18 May 2005)

Martin Mansergh: I am being shouted down.

Seanad: Order of Business. (18 May 2005)

Martin Mansergh: Would the Leader agree that a Minister should take the major strategic decisions for the development of the health services because he or she is accountable? I accept that the operational day-to-day matters are the preserve of the Health Service Executive——

Seanad: Order of Business. (18 May 2005)

Martin Mansergh: People like Senator O'Meara attended demonstrations in Tipperary——

Seanad: Constitution for Europe: Statements. (18 May 2005)

Martin Mansergh: I welcome all our MEPs to the House. This debate is a manifestation of one of the most worthwhile aspects of Seanad reform on which I would like to compliment both the Leader and her colleagues. I wish to consider the constitutional treaty from a republican perspective. A united Ireland, like a united Germany, will only happen in a united Europe. A former French socialist Foreign Minister...

Seanad: Tourism Industry: Motion. (18 May 2005)

Martin Mansergh: We must treat surveys with some caution. The Minister of State made the point that this American Express survey is very unscientific. The World Economic Forum global competitiveness report must also be taken with a pinch of salt. We have low unemployment, an excellent financial situation and great strengths in our economy. If one goes back less than 20 years, we had fewer than 2 million...

Seanad: Tourism Industry: Motion. (18 May 2005)

Martin Mansergh: Our hotels have improved their competitiveness vis-À-vis bed and breakfast accommodation. Ten or 15 years ago, hotel accommodation cost much more in real terms than it does today. Unfortunately, that has tended to squeeze out bed and breakfasts. As Senator O'Toole pointed out, a 100 mile or 200 mile journey by rail is much cheaper in Ireland than it is in Britain. We should not paint a...

Seanad: Tourism Industry: Motion. (18 May 2005)

Martin Mansergh: It is because I am not a businessman.

Seanad: Order of Business. (19 May 2005)

Martin Mansergh: I welcome the correct decisions made on air transport yesterday. Amid the party political broadcasts, not to mention the cynical independent comment and the comment of the various interested parties, a major competition issue is being entirely overlooked by promoters of publicly-owned terminals, privately-owned terminals and anything in between. That issue is the cost of access to Dublin...

Seanad: Order of Business. (19 May 2005)

Martin Mansergh: ——as cars should not be the dominant means of transport to Dublin Airport.