Results 1,561-1,580 of 9,393 for speaker:Alex White

Seanad: Central Bank Reform Bill 2010: Committee and Remaining Stages (6 Jul 2010)

Alex White: What the Minister says is useful and helpful, apart from the conclusion. It seems the first reason, namely, sensitivity of information and the third, the risk of an inadvertent revelation of sensitive information, are the same so there are two rather than three reasons. The fact that there is sensitive information within the Central Bank which people might seek is not of itself a reason for...

Seanad: Central Bank Reform Bill 2010: Committee and Remaining Stages (6 Jul 2010)

Alex White: On the face of it, there is nothing wrong with what Senator MacSharry has proposed, but the difficulty is that the machinery to be extend to the credit union movement will have been brought into operation. I support the amendment because once the measures are extended in an extensive, if not a draconian, way to the operations of the credit union movement, it will be nigh on impossible to...

Seanad: Order of Business (7 Jul 2010)

Alex White: I too am delighted that we have reached this day when we will debate and hopefully pass the civil partnership legislation in the next two days. My party has long supported this legislation and this change to our law. It will be a progressive change. It is enlightened legislation. My party as a whole will support the Bill with a heart and a half. We will try to amend it in some respects...

Seanad: Order of Business (7 Jul 2010)

Alex White: Set one up.

Seanad: Order of Business (7 Jul 2010)

Alex White: On a point of order, is that amendment in order? Is it not a matter which is exclusively in the remit of political parties? It is not a matter for the Seanad. As far as the Seanad is concerned, every vote is a free vote and every Member exercises a free vote. The issue of party discipline and decisions is peculiarly and exclusively a matter for parties and not the Seanad.

Seanad: Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Bill 2009: Second Stage (7 Jul 2010)

Alex White: I am grateful for the opportunity to speak on Second Stage of this hugely important and momentous legislation. As my colleagues, Senators Hannigan and Bacik, have indicated, the Labour Party enthusiastically supports the Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations for Cohabitants Bill 2009. We will try to amend it in some areas and, while we can to some extent predict the...

Seanad: Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Bill 2009: Second Stage (7 Jul 2010)

Alex White: It is a complete fabrication. The opponents of this legislation are creating a class of people that they posit will have a difficulty. There is no evidence that such a difficulty would ever be felt by people or has been expressed. It has been wholly contrived and fabricated to try to create a basis for objection to the legislation on equality grounds. Examples have been given, including...

Seanad: Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (7 Jul 2010)

Alex White: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Commission of Investigation (Banking Sector) Order 2010: Motion (8 Jul 2010)

Alex White: The more information and analysis we have the better. I acknowledge that the Regling-Watson and Honohan reports are extremely rigorous and helpful in making an assessment or analysis of what has occurred. Although I have never heard of the gentleman who has been appointed to lead the commission, I have no reason to believe Senator MacSharry is incorrect when he says he is a person of...

Seanad: Commission of Investigation (Banking Sector) Order 2010: Motion (8 Jul 2010)

Alex White: Senator Ross is also not a member. It is an important exercise. There was much debate about this issue a few months ago and I recall the Taoiseach being anxious to say he would be available to come to the committee to answer questions. However, because of the way the terms of reference have been drawn up, they do not suggest the Taoiseach will be going before the committee or will be...

Seanad: Commission of Investigation (Banking Sector) Order 2010: Motion (8 Jul 2010)

Alex White: He is still around and will still feature in all of this as our former Taoiseach. While I do not want to personalise the issue, I raise his involvement for one reason only, that he himself said this recently when asked about his role in what had occurred: 'Even the self-criticisms in it I accept also, which was mainly the tax incentives. We probably should have closed those down a good bit...

Seanad: Death of Former Member: Expressions of Sympathy. (13 Jul 2010)

Alex White: On behalf of the Labour Party, I extend sympathy to the late Nuala Fennell's family and remember her here today. It is appropriate that we remember her as a great campaigner. I remember her as a great social reformer. The first time I came across her, as was the case for many people, was when she started to write in newspapers and the women's press which at the time was not particularly...

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Jul 2010)

Alex White: I do not have a difficulty with debating the ESRI report and it is a pity we do not have time to do so prior to the end of the term. We are very fortunate to have an organisation such as the ESRI which does not seek to massage information or present it in a particular way that would be of value politically either to the Government or to anyone else. In that context, I respectfully disagree...

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Jul 2010)

Alex White: -----rather than simply having a Minister come in and do a set speech after which we speak, which apparently constitutes a debate? I would have no problem if the Labour Party's comprehensive jobs policy were tabled for debate and scrutinised and criticised if necessary by people on the opposite side so we could use this forum in a genuine way to see how best we can look to the future and...

Seanad: Death of Former Member: Expressions of Sympathy (14 Jul 2010)

Alex White: On behalf of the Labour Party, I join others in paying tribute to the late Joe Doyle, a former Deputy and Senator. I note the presence of members of his family. I convey my sympathy to the Fine Gael Party on the loss of a truly great representative. He was a local representative, a Member of the Oireachtas and Lord Mayor of Dublin. As I am a latecomer to this business, I did not know Joe...

Seanad: Order of Business. (29 Sep 2010)

Alex White: On the point about confidence and people's confidence in the future, unfortunately we must record the fact that whatever about the mood in this House and the mood in Leinster House, there is a palpable mood of despondency and fear throughout the country that has not changed since the House last sat. If anything, it has got worse. We have a responsibility to address this. The principal...

Seanad: Order of Business. (29 Sep 2010)

Alex White: What sort of nonsense is that and what way is that to treat Parliament and the people? The Government should level with the people. Let us have the facts. We can take it and the people can take it. The Government would be much better off to level with the people and give them the facts, however negative they are, so that the people can be part of this great confidence building exercise in...

Seanad: Credit Institutions (Eligible Liabilities Guarantee) (Amendment) Scheme 2010: Motion (29 Sep 2010)

Alex White: It is not irresponsible to oppose, to test government policy or to seek to amend it. The opposition at any period of a country's history performs a major task for the body politic, to which Senator Boyle refers, precisely by being in a position to test, criticise, query and, if it judges it to be appropriate or necessary, oppose. It is for a government to ensure its policies are...

Seanad: Credit Institutions (Eligible Liabilities Guarantee) (Amendment) Scheme 2010: Motion (Resumed) (29 Sep 2010)

Alex White: I will keep to my time. I have five minutes more.

Seanad: Credit Institutions (Eligible Liabilities Guarantee) (Amendment) Scheme 2010: Motion (Resumed) (29 Sep 2010)

Alex White: Innocent children are being lied to. There must be some level of judgment that a government can exercise or is required to exercise when it is told something by a financial institution rather than simply accepting it. Senator Ross made another point. Even if we were to go along with the notion that the Government and we were lied to, how could it ever speak to those people again, if I could...