Results 1,621-1,640 of 4,465 for speaker:Jim Walsh
- Seanad: Unemployment: Motion (1 Jul 2009)
Jim Walsh: Cuirim fáile roimh an Aire Stáit go dtà an Seanad chun an obair thábhachtach seo a phlé. Molaim Páirtà an Chomhaontais Ghlais as an rún seo a ardú. Tá sé oiriúnach an ábhar a ardú ar an clár mar is ábhar tábhachtach é. I compliment the Green Party, particularly Senators Dan Boyle and Déirdre de Búrca, on putting forward this motion. It is essential that the Oireachtas,...
- Seanad: Enforcement of Court Orders (Amendment) Bill 2009: Second Stage (7 Jul 2009)
Jim Walsh: I welcome the Minister of State to the House again. This short but none the less important Bill has arisen because of the case taken by Ms McCann against the Monaghan District Court justice with regard to an infringement of her constitutional rights and in particular the fact that the Enforcement of Court Orders Act 1940 was incompatible with the Constitution. The High Court decision was on...
- Seanad: Enforcement of Court Orders (Amendment) Bill 2009: Second Stage (7 Jul 2009)
Jim Walsh: I welcome the change in section 6(3) from the discretionary "may" to the mandatory "shall". On section 6(7), FLAC makes the point that the inclusion of mediation is obviously very welcome, but that there might be some reference to MABS to give some direction to the court on where the mediation process might be assisted. Further onuses placed on the creditors showed that the debtor has no...
- Seanad: Oireachtas (Allowances to Members) and Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices Bill 2009: Second Stage (7 Jul 2009)
Jim Walsh: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Mansergh. Those of us who have served with him are aware of his prowess, his commitment to democracy and to Members. I make the distinction of welcoming the Minister rather than the Bill.
- Seanad: Oireachtas (Allowances to Members) and Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices Bill 2009: Second Stage (7 Jul 2009)
Jim Walsh: I listened with interest to the Minister's speech. I agree with him that because of the huge change in our fiscal fortunes there is a need for us to address this area in the interests of the overall economy. Several efforts have been made over the past six months to get to grips with this, but even so we are still facing a budget deficit of some â¬20 billion or â¬22 billion. There is...
- Seanad: Order of Business (8 Jul 2009)
Jim Walsh: I listened carefully to what Senator O'Toole had to say this morning about balance, particularly concerning the electricians' strike that is currently taking place. The Senator is absolutely right that we need to be balanced and measured. We all wish that the negotiations now being entered into will find a resolution. That is not to say that I do not have strong views on the restoration of...
- Seanad: Enforcement of Court Orders (Amendment) Bill 2009: Report and Final Stages (8 Jul 2009)
Jim Walsh: Attachment to income is a good principle and one which Senators discussed on Second Stage. It is a less costly way to address the issue of debt than imprisonment. Senator Quinn cited a case of a person who was imprisoned for a debt of â¬1,700 at a cost of some â¬23,000. From the perspective of the State, an attachment to earnings procedure is clearly a good idea. Where a debtor is liable...
- Seanad: Telecommunications Services: Motion (8 Jul 2009)
Jim Walsh: I welcome the Minister as we debate this issue again, which demonstrates the importance of and our interest in the topic. Within the last few weeks we had an interesting debate about the connection between ICT, green energy and the smart economy that is being rolled out by the Government to cut back on CO2 emissions. During that debate, we heard how through the smart transport system people...
- Seanad: Telecommunications Services: Motion (8 Jul 2009)
Jim Walsh: I understand there is an agreement that neither the amendment nor the motion will be pressed.
- Seanad: Telecommunications Services: Motion (8 Jul 2009)
Jim Walsh: No, it is not being pressed.
- Seanad: Telecommunications Services: Motion (8 Jul 2009)
Jim Walsh: That is fine.
- Seanad: Defamation Bill 2006 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] : Report and Final Stages (9 Jul 2009)
Jim Walsh: This Bill was recently passed by the Dáil. It would be helpful if in respect of future amendments from the Dáil Senators could be circulated with a background note setting out the reasons for the amendments and so on.
- Seanad: Defamation Bill 2006 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] : Report and Final Stages (9 Jul 2009)
Jim Walsh: I am not speaking about the list of amendments, which we received only this morning.
- Seanad: Defamation Bill 2006 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] : Report and Final Stages (9 Jul 2009)
Jim Walsh: I am making the point that it would be helpful if we could in future be given an information note in regard to the amendments. Often, reading the Dáil debate does not clarify the purpose of amendments. I am merely suggesting that - I know the Clerk does not agree with this - it would be helpful if in future we were given a background note explaining the reasons for the amendments.
- Seanad: Defamation Bill 2006 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] : Report and Final Stages (9 Jul 2009)
Jim Walsh: We had a long debate on this Bill on a couple of occasions, first when it was aborted with the 2007 general election and then subsequently when it was reintroduced by the current Government. Concerns were expressed in this regard and it is imperative that the review takes place within the five years. It should happen as cases evolve. I was appalled, but not surprised, at the reaction of the...
- Seanad: Defamation Bill 2006 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] : Report and Final Stages (9 Jul 2009)
Jim Walsh: I am not sure these amendments do anything to safeguard the public from irresponsible journalism. There are, as Senator Mullen said, many good journalists and it would be wrong to taint everyone with the same brush, as is the case for all professions. However, there are irresponsible elements within the media who seem to be able to function unfettered. Our duty is to ensure they cannot do...
- Seanad: Defamation Bill 2006 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] : Report and Final Stages (9 Jul 2009)
Jim Walsh: Are we in a "Questions & Answers" situation?
- Seanad: Defamation Bill 2006 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] : Report and Final Stages (9 Jul 2009)
Jim Walsh: Carry on.
- Seanad: Defamation Bill 2006 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] : Report and Final Stages (9 Jul 2009)
Jim Walsh: They were all from the same sources.
- Seanad: Defamation Bill 2006 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] : Report and Final Stages (9 Jul 2009)
Jim Walsh: The Minister has had the opportunity of getting some relief from the drudgery of debate for the past 90 minutes. Unfortunately, the rest of us have had to suffer it here. It is interesting that a topic such as this has taken up so much time and focus. The Minister suggested he had three options for dealing with the issue: dropping the Bill, legislating or holding a referendum. I am sorry...