Results 1,541-1,560 of 1,591 for speaker:Eugene Regan

Seanad: Order of Business (18 Jan 2011)

Eugene Regan: This is a matter of public record. I am talking about the one o'clock news today on which Deputy McGuinness outlined precisely what happened. This flip-flop by the Minister has no consequence because it really does not matter to this country who is leader of Fianna Fáil, whether it is Deputies Brian Cowen, Micheál Martin or Brian Lenihan.

Seanad: Order of Business (18 Jan 2011)

Eugene Regan: There have been flip-flops by the Minister for Finance of a much more serious nature in the economic sphere and I will cite three. The first was the bank bonuses where he maintained that his hands were tied and that he could do nothing about them, yet he subsequently passed legislation to deal with that issue. The second was that subordinated bondholders could not be touched, yet...

Seanad: Order of Business (18 Jan 2011)

Eugene Regan: What was impossible is now possible. I ask the Leader to invite the Minister for Finance to the House to explain himself on the EU-IMF deal.

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Jan 2011)

Eugene Regan: Fianna Fáil backbenchers now know what it is like to be misled by the Minister for Finance, Deputy Brian Lenihan, as he did on the leadership of Fianna Fáil. They should not be surprised.

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Jan 2011)

Eugene Regan: It is relevant to the question I will ask the Leader.

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Jan 2011)

Eugene Regan: They should hardly be surprised because the Minister misled his own Cabinet colleagues on the EU-IMF bailout and had them making a fool of themselves on national television, denying there was any talk of a bailout. I am thinking of the Ministers, Deputies Dermot Ahern and Noel Dempsey, in particular.

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Jan 2011)

Eugene Regan: The Minister has misled the whole country on the economy since taking office over two years ago. He has misled us on turning the corner, bank bonuses, subordinated debt holders and on the EU-IMF bailout.

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Jan 2011)

Eugene Regan: The Minister should make a statement on the following matter. There were reports last week that the ECB had urged the Government to take emergency measures and bring forward the budget for 2011. A member of the bank stated: Markets waited and waited and since they saw no policy reactions they started to lose confidence in the course of the summer. There was a downgrade in August but there...

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Jan 2011)

Eugene Regan: The Minister should make a statement in this House on the matter to explain himself.

Seanad: Order of Business (20 Jan 2011)

Eugene Regan: We are back to GUBU days with the decision of the Taoiseach on forming a new Government a few weeks out from an election. The Financial Times refers to the Taoiseach as being toast. The Irish Times refers to the Government as heading for the knacker's yard yet every effort is being made to delay the election and to delay the recovery of this economy and the image of this country, both...

Seanad: Order of Business (20 Jan 2011)

Eugene Regan: My question for the Leader follows. Last year, in the middle of the negotiations on the EU-IMF bailout, the Green Party pulled the plug on the Government and called for an election, insisted on an election, before the end of January. Now, the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Gormley, is reported to have led a delegation to meet the Taoiseach yesterday,...

Seanad: Communications (Retention of Data) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (20 Jan 2011)

Eugene Regan: We were wondering about the Minister of State's title.

Seanad: Communications (Retention of Data) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (20 Jan 2011)

Eugene Regan: I dissent from the position adopted on this side of the House. In the interests of law enforcement there must be a reasonable period for the retention of this type of data and the period specified in the Bill is reasonable. It is not just an issue of combating organised crime, which is the most serious type, but also cyber-crime. The EU emissions trading system could be brought down by...

Seanad: Communications (Retention of Data) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (20 Jan 2011)

Eugene Regan: I thank the Minister of State. I am not sure what he is Minister of State for, but I thank him for being present.

Seanad: Communications (Retention of Data) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (20 Jan 2011)

Eugene Regan: I thank him for his very complete responses on all the amendments tabled. I welcome the Bill and agree with its provisions. We are implementing EU law which provides a framework for many of the measures for combating crime. This Bill is one of the key instruments in the interception and retention of data. It is a means of detecting some of the most serious forms of crime. I agree...

Seanad: Order of Business (25 Jan 2011)

Eugene Regan: We have had calls from Government Members since this Seanad commenced for agreements on progressing legislation. They have agreement this week; they have got what they wanted. There is agreement on passing one Bill. It is not an enormous Bill and we have passed lengthier legislation in a week. This Government has been adept at adopting emergency legislation and guillotining Bills. There...

Seanad: Order of Business (25 Jan 2011)

Eugene Regan: The question is coming.

Seanad: Order of Business (25 Jan 2011)

Eugene Regan: The real problem is Fianna Fáil being at joined the hip with this State and believing it is all about Fianna Fáil and the interests of the country are about Fianna Fáil. We have had to wait for Taoiseach after Taoiseach to resign and the present Taoiseach has been hanging on and suggesting we cannot have an election before a certain date.

Seanad: Order of Business (25 Jan 2011)

Eugene Regan: We have called that bluff. We have been misled and the Green Party has been misled over the past number of months that the Finance Bill could not have been passed before Christmas. We have called the Government's bluff in the national interest.

Seanad: Order of Business (25 Jan 2011)

Eugene Regan: Does the Leader agree?