Results 1,621-1,640 of 25,732 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) (Political Funding) Bill 2011: Report and Final Stages (15 Mar 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: Yes, but I am glad he is present as many of his ministerial colleagues do not bother coming to the House. What happened yesterday, for example, was an outrage. I ask the Minister to raise the matter.

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) (Political Funding) Bill 2011: Report and Final Stages (15 Mar 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: The Minister is very good and does much work but the fact that the House had to adjourn yesterday because a Minister was not available-----

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) (Political Funding) Bill 2011: Report and Final Stages (15 Mar 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: I am suitably cautioned. That the Independent Senators tabled the amendment demonstrates that they consider it necessary to introduce the proposed change. The issue of expenses is cannon fodder for the media should they wish to spin matters in a certain way. This then feeds into public perceptions. The Oireachtas should avail of all opportunities to make changes of this nature. There is...

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) (Political Funding) Bill 2011: Report and Final Stages (15 Mar 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: As Senator Mac Conghail said, the immediate disclosure is something that would have to be examined, but I do not see any difficulty with that. There is no threshold in the amendment either. It could be helpful. There could be a way whereby when donations or contributions are lodged into the person's separate political account, that information could be forwarded on. I accept there would...

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) (Political Funding) Bill 2011: Report and Final Stages (15 Mar 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: I am glad to hear the Minister was watching it.

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) (Political Funding) Bill 2011: Report and Final Stages (15 Mar 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: Good. I am sure we will be reading a great deal about the forthcoming Fine Gael Ard-Fheis with interest. With regard to the gender motion, I do not believe it goes far enough. That is an amendment Senator Mac Conghail-----

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) (Political Funding) Bill 2011: Report and Final Stages (15 Mar 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: No, it is why some of our delegates did, and they were perfectly entitled to do so. We run a democratic party. It is one member, one vote.

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) (Political Funding) Bill 2011: Report and Final Stages (15 Mar 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: It is not in the big divvy-up way that Fine Gael uses, where it pays for its delegates to come to get the punter it wants on the tickets. That is not the way it will be done in our party. To clarify for the Minister, given that he showed such great interest in how some of our delegates voted, we are 100% in favour of greater female participation in electoral politics, but this Bill does not...

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) (Political Funding) Bill 2011: Report and Final Stages (15 Mar 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: I agree with this amendment. Why does the Bill not deal with local authority elections or Seanad elections? Is the Government pre-empting the judgment of the Irish people on the forthcoming Seanad referendum, meaning that the Seanad is not included in the Bill? I caution the Minister on that as well, because the Government pre-empted the decision of the people before on the investigations...

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) (Political Funding) Bill 2011: Report and Final Stages (15 Mar 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: Senator Keane joined a couple of parties in her time. She has more experience than most of us.

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) (Political Funding) Bill 2011: Report and Final Stages (15 Mar 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: She is not finished yet.

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) (Political Funding) Bill 2011: Report and Final Stages (15 Mar 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: That is fair.

Seanad: Order of Business (21 Mar 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: The Deputy Leader will have informed the Leader that there was no Minister present to hear our Private Members' motion last Wednesday. All sides of the House agreed this was a very unwelcome departure and not good enough. Has the Leader had a response from the Chief Whip or the Taoiseach's office in regard to this? Can he confirm to me and my colleagues on all sides of the House that this...

Seanad: Order of Business (21 Mar 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: I am proposing an amendment to the Order of Business that the Minster for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Hogan, attend the House to answer if he will extend the final date of payment of the household charge to the end of April, to explain why a public information campaign on the charge has been such an abject failure and why hundreds of thousands people still do not...

Seanad: Order of Business (21 Mar 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: He should have got Deputy Ó Snodaigh to do them.

Seanad: Order of Business (21 Mar 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: A pathetic effort.

Seanad: Order of Business (21 Mar 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: A vote there against Government policy.

Seanad: Order of Business (21 Mar 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: They missed the Leader.

Seanad: Order of Business (21 Mar 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: It is.

Seanad: Finance Bill 2012: Second Stage (21 Mar 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: I welcome the Minister of State. There is a lot to be said on Second Stage. We will have an opportunity to go through the sections of the Bill in more detail on Committee Stage tomorrow. The Finance Bill 2012 will bring into effect many of the measures that were voted on in the budget. The ESRI has confirmed that it was probably the most unfair budget that was ever passed. When the...