Results 1,661-1,680 of 1,934 for speaker:Tom Shehan

Seanad: Ombudsman (Amendment) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (17 Oct 2012)

Tom Shehan: I compliment and thank the Minister on bringing this progressive legislation before the House. I call on the Minister to be mindful of the comments of the former Minister for the Public Service, John Boland, in 1984 to the effect that it would be unthinkable for an agency or Department not to take on board the recommendations of the Ombudsman.

Seanad: Mortgage Credit (Loans and Bonds) Bill 2012: Second Stage (17 Oct 2012)

Tom Shehan: I had not intended to speak on the Bill but I have been moved to do so by Senator White's contribution. At the time of the Peter Bacon report, which was taken from the 2006 census, we had 215,000 unoccupied houses, 65,000 of which were second homes and holiday homes. There were 150,000 unoccupied houses in the country in 2006, yet Government policy was to build 90,000 units per annum. We...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Review of Irish Coast Guard Service: Discussion (24 Oct 2012)

Tom Shehan: Despite its apparent remit, I have found very little reference in the entire report to the concept of value for money. In that regard, will Mr. Mullen indicate - I realise it is a very blunt question - whether Valentia Island and Malin Head are giving value for money? In the meeting I had with the Minister, he raised the issue of oil pollution prevention and response, an issue that is...

Seanad: Credit Union Bill 2012: Second Stage (4 Dec 2012)

Tom Shehan: While the credit unions are deserving of all the plaudits and plámás they are getting today, what they really need is protection from the Central Bank and Mr. Matthew Elderfield, whose reputation precedes him. Having made inquires, I am aware of what happened under his watch to the credit union movement in another jurisdiction. The Minister of State stated in his speech:The report is...

Seanad: Order of Business (6 Dec 2012)

Tom Shehan: It is a Second Stage speech.

Seanad: Order of Business (6 Dec 2012)

Tom Shehan: I ask the Leader to invite the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Deputy Deenihan, to come to the House next week for a debate on the proposal to designate special areas of conservation and the impact on the Porcupine Basin where it is proposed to drill ten wells in the next year to a year and a half.

Seanad: Houses of the Oireachtas Commission (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2012: Second Stage (13 Dec 2012)

Tom Shehan: Now.

Seanad: Order of Business (23 Jan 2013)

Tom Shehan: One can call Sherry Fitzgerald Coghlan.

Seanad: Order of Business (23 Jan 2013)

Tom Shehan: I would like to speak about the adverse effect that bank charges are having on start-up businesses. I have seen a document that outlines the charges that have to be paid by a new business that wants to install a Visa machine. A once-off registration fee of ¤175 has to be paid. The business will be charged between 25 cent and 35 cent per transaction, with an additional 2 cent per...

Seanad: Water Services Bill 2013: [Seanad Bill Amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (13 Mar 2013)

Tom Shehan: Will there be a contingency fund to deal with emergencies such as the cryptosporidium problem we had in Galway a number of years ago if, God forbid, something like that were to happen again?

Seanad: Water Services Bill 2013: [Seanad Bill Amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (13 Mar 2013)

Tom Shehan: I have a question along the same lines as Senator Wilson. What is the definition of the workings or functions of the authority? The Minister of State referred to 30% unpaid water rates in the current system. With all due respect, if 30% of ¤500 million in water charges is uncollected, the issue will have to be ironed out from the very start. The authority would be run to the ground very...

Seanad: Adjournment Debate: Garda Investigations (17 Apr 2013)

Tom Shehan: I urge the Senator to be more prescriptive when tabling his Adjournment requests. There was no reference to what he raised in the Chamber. He has abused his privilege in naming persons in the Chamber when he did not refer to them in his request. The Chair did not have prior notice of a reference to an individual; it only had reference to a school.

Seanad: National Lottery Bill 2012: Second Stage (24 Apr 2013)

Tom Shehan: I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I have reservations about this Bill. There are no specific amounts in the Minister's information. The lotto has raised €4 billion in 26 years. Gross turnover last year was more than €700 million. Be it true or just speculation, it is expected that the national lottery licence will be sold for 20 years for an up-front payment of...

Seanad: National Lottery Bill 2012: Second Stage (24 Apr 2013)

Tom Shehan: The up-front payment is €500 million. The annual levy will merely offset the costs of the regulator's office. I would turn the screw in this regard. There should be an additional benefit to the State other than the levy. Will it be a percentage or will it be a set fee? A percentage of the profits would be the best way to go rather than applying a set fee. We have to build a...

Seanad: Financial Stability and Reform Bill 2013: Second Stage [Private Members] (24 Apr 2013)

Tom Shehan: I congratulate Senator Barrett on his initiative. I always admire the way he goes about doing these things. Unlike other economists who use gobbledygook language, Senator Barrett presents matters in simple language which is easy to understand. We have to be careful, however. SMEs are currently suffering greatly. I have spoken to people in that sector and, to be honest, many SMEs are not...

Seanad: Financial Stability and Reform Bill 2013: Second Stage [Private Members] (24 Apr 2013)

Tom Shehan: The Senator is correct. When one takes out the second homes, there were about 150,000 unoccupied houses. The Government policy was to build 90,000 units per annum. Young people considering mortgages were told to hurry up or they would never get on the property ladder. While the banks played their part, Government policy also played a big part. One has to assume that there is no great...

Seanad: Financial Stability and Reform Bill 2013: Second Stage [Private Members] (24 Apr 2013)

Tom Shehan: One has to have confidence but if they are not, then that is an opinion. Are we going too far? Could what happened that September night recur? We all lived through the Celtic tiger but when speaking privately with family and friends we said it could not last. It was a regular subject of conversation that it would not and could not last. One way or another, however, we all bought into the...

Seanad: Financial Stability and Reform Bill 2013: Second Stage [Private Members] (24 Apr 2013)

Tom Shehan: It might depend on who is in government.

Seanad: Order of Business (30 Apr 2013)

Tom Shehan: I will be brief. Tomorrow the carbon tax increases will come into effect. I would like to ask at this late hour if the Minister for Finance would consider extending the deadline for a fortnight due to the harsh weather that we are experiencing. By that time, temperatures should have risen. It is lovely outside today but last night it ranged from 3° to 4° Celsius where I come...

Seanad: National Lottery Bill 2012: Committee Stage (30 Apr 2013)

Tom Shehan: As I understand it, there are actuaries working in the Department of Finance. Has an actuarial valuation of the national lottery been carried out? I ask that question based on the assumption that between €400 and €600 million will be achieved from the sale of the lease for 20 years. A turnover of €762 million with a net profit of €240 million does not add up....