Results 1,461-1,480 of 4,414 for speaker:Sean Barrett

Seanad: Finance (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (12 Dec 2013)

Sean Barrett: I would like to explain recommendation No. 5. The explanatory memorandum states: "To qualify for this credit, the relevant child must reside with the claimant for the whole or greater part of the year of assessment". One hundred days does not equate to the whole or greater part of the year of assessment. This is why I included 183 days in the recommendation. I do not know why that was...

Seanad: Finance (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (12 Dec 2013)

Sean Barrett: I support section 8 and did so on the night of the budget. This is a subsidy which members of the Houses of the Oireachtas intended to be for sick people but it has been transformed into a provider subsidy, as the Minister has just described. I fear that the same thing has happened with pension subsidies. It is the industry which benefits and not the consumer, the intended beneficiary....

Seanad: Finance (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (12 Dec 2013)

Sean Barrett: -----ends up on the desk of the Minister for Finance. Next year the section might need to be even stronger.

Seanad: Water Services (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (12 Dec 2013)

Sean Barrett: I support Senator Ó Domhnaill's amendment. The ability to pay should be taken into account and is taken into account in the billions of euro of tax money that goes from households into the system. People have a tax free allowance and there was a 20% rate charged on medium incomes and a top rate. The principle enunciated by Senator Ó Domhnaill is a good one. People know there is...

Seanad: Water Services (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (12 Dec 2013)

Sean Barrett: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Water Services (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (12 Dec 2013)

Sean Barrett: I move amendment No. 39: In page 14, line 17, to delete “Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources” and substitute “National Consumer Agency and the Competition Authority”.

Seanad: Water Services (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (12 Dec 2013)

Sean Barrett: Section 20 states: (1) The Minister may give a direction in writing to Irish Water, in relation to the performance by Irish Water of its functions under this Act, requiring it to comply with such policies of the Government as are specified in the direction. (2) The Minister may, by direction in writing, amend or revoke a direction under this section (including a direction under this...

Seanad: Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2013: Second Stage (12 Dec 2013)

Sean Barrett: I welcome the Minister as always. He has the hardest job in public life and Senator John Crown and I try to help him in any way we can. However, Senator John Crown is away. We strongly support the Minister's efforts to counteract tobacco use and wish him well in that regard. The G8 chose dementia as its topic of consultation and perhaps we might have a debate on it in the new year....

Seanad: Order of Business (16 Dec 2013)

Sean Barrett: I note that we were not able to cover more than one fifth of the Finance Bill last week. While I accept that is how it happened, I suggest that we go through the important items in the new year. People on this side of the House wanted to have an input into the budget. For instance, section 42 extends capital gains tax relief for properties from the 2011-13 period to 2014. This seems like...

Seanad: Local Government Reform Bill 2013: Second Stage (16 Dec 2013)

Sean Barrett: I welcome the Minister to the House. I share the concern of some people that this legislation weakens democracy and strengthens bureaucracy, which is something we should always look out for. Despite the transfer of many functions from local government, including the transfer of roads to the National Roads Authority, the transfer of water to Irish Water, the transfer of higher education...

Seanad: Pyrite Resolution Bill 2013: Second Stage (16 Dec 2013)

Sean Barrett: I again welcome the Minister. I commend him on the Bill. At this time of year we remember the late former Minister of State, Shane McEntee. I also commend Senator Darragh O'Brien and others who have worked on this problem. I have all the reservations Senator Hayden has just expressed. There is a repeated trail of people coming into this House visiting their failures on taxpayers and on...

Seanad: Water Services (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (16 Dec 2013)

Sean Barrett: When we reported progress I was speaking on this section. I was addressing the issue of the directions of the Minister when I ran out of time. The Bill reads in section 20: (1) The Minister may give a direction in writing to Irish Water, in relation to the performance by Irish Water of its functions under this Act, requiring it to comply with such policies of the Government as are specified...

Seanad: Water Services (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (16 Dec 2013)

Sean Barrett: I thank the Minister of State. In the case I mentioned, there were two directives. One was to build the new terminal and the other was to raise the money to finance it. The concern is where a Minister gives a directive that is not economically sound, as in the airport case, given we now have a new terminal and 8 million fewer passengers going through Irish airports. That had to be...

Seanad: Water Services (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (16 Dec 2013)

Sean Barrett: I move amendment No. 50: In page 18, line 3, after "Commission" to insert "and the National Consumer Agency".

Seanad: Water Services (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (16 Dec 2013)

Sean Barrett: The items in this section are all consumer items, as Senator Cullinane said. It deals with the billing, payments, information, complaints, codes of practice and so forth. I sought to involve the National Consumer Agency, but that is not acceptable to the Minister of State. We are not sure of the position with freedom of information. I was struck by Senator Keane's remark about writing...

Seanad: Water Services (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (16 Dec 2013)

Sean Barrett: I tabled an amendment, which the Minister of State rejected. It was to include the National Consumer Agency. Individuals or individual members of committees must have some legal basis on which they can take on these powerful monopolies. That is why I tabled amendment No. 50. I would like there to be some protection for the isolated individuals who will be obliged to face up to this huge...

Seanad: Water Services (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (16 Dec 2013)

Sean Barrett: I move amendment No. 57: In page 21, between lines 14 and 15, to insert the following:"(g) the published capital project appraisal procedures of the Minister for Finance and the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform.".This week, the Government will publish its medium-term strategy. I hope that one of the strategy's elements will be to secure the proper evaluation of large public capital...

Seanad: Water Services (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (16 Dec 2013)

Sean Barrett: I thank the Minister of State for informing me that he is already in touch with the Minister concerned. It is reassuring and I am indebted to him for his clarification.

Seanad: Water Services (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (16 Dec 2013)

Sean Barrett: No. The Minister of State has addressed it adequately.

Seanad: Water Services (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (16 Dec 2013)

Sean Barrett: On the section, I wish to express my misgivings about the Minister funding both Irish Water and the commission itself. The section states "The Minister may, for the purposes of this Act and subject to such conditions as he or she may determine, make grants out of moneys provided by the Oireachtas to ... Irish Water, or ... the Commission". My concern is that the commission is meant to be...