Results 1,661-1,680 of 4,414 for speaker:Sean Barrett

Seanad: Fines (Payment and Recovery) Bill 2013: Report and Final Stages (8 Apr 2014)

Sean Barrett: I thank the Minister of State for his reply.

Seanad: Fines (Payment and Recovery) Bill 2013: Report and Final Stages (8 Apr 2014)

Sean Barrett: I second the amendment.

Seanad: Fines (Payment and Recovery) Bill 2013: Report and Final Stages (8 Apr 2014)

Sean Barrett: I agree with Senator Conway's remarks. He made a wise decision and he always adds to debates in the House. The object, as I understood it, was to reduce the incidence of imprisonment and we all support that. It is singularly expensive and it also introduces people to what is called the "university of crime". The Minister of State referred to the attachment sections and any prospective...

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Apr 2014)

Sean Barrett: Referring to the Grant Thornton report, today's edition of The Irish Timescarries the headline: "A failure to attract international students at the root of third level crisis, says report". Attracting foreign students is very difficult to do. A major effort to attract foreign students to the United Kingdom brings in about 11% of the student fees. There are problems given that India has...

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Apr 2014)

Sean Barrett: I echo all the sentiments expressed about Jody Blake. When she left Golden in Tipperary she ushered in a golden era in the Seanad. I thank her very much for all her kindness to us all. This week, most generous tributes were paid by Queen Elizabeth in her speech at Windsor Castle to Daniel O'Connell as a parliamentarian. This parliamentary tradition is extremely important in this country....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Mortgage Arrears Resolution Process: (Resumed) Bank of Ireland (10 Apr 2014)

Sean Barrett: I welcome the visitors this afternoon. I have a few questions, particularly with regard to measures to prevent a recurrence of what has happened since 2008, and indeed the period before. What is the bank's current loan-to-value ratio? What is the current multiple for loans in terms of the income of the borrower? What percentage of the loan book is in property, compared to what it was at...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Mortgage Arrears Resolution Process: (Resumed) Bank of Ireland (10 Apr 2014)

Sean Barrett: For clarification, what does the figure of €92.8 billion refer to?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Mortgage Arrears Resolution Process: (Resumed) Bank of Ireland (10 Apr 2014)

Sean Barrett: Is that 92.8% in property?

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Apr 2014)

Sean Barrett: Will the Leader arrange a debate on the report of the Commission for Economic Development of Rural Areas, CEDRA, which was published yesterday? The commission is chaired by Mr. Pat Spillane and it was worrying to hear him say on radio this morning that he reckoned that of 64 GAA clubs in County Kerry, only 15 could mount a minor side of 15 players. Those are areas we must address - rural...

Seanad: Merchant Shipping (Registration of Ships) Bill 2013: Second Stage (15 Apr 2014)

Sean Barrett: I welcome the Minister. I thought Senator O'Sullivan was going to launch into a version of "Pirates of Penzance" when he gave his romantic view of the sea. A line from the song could go something like this "stick to your desk and never go to sea, and you can be the leader of the Queen's Navee". I thank the Minister for his presentation. Would registering small craft have an impact on...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Irish Stability Programme Update: Minister for Finance (15 Apr 2014)

Sean Barrett: I welcome the Minister. When will we have page 47, the blank page, and what is the Minister thinking of putting into it? It is the summary of progress on Ireland's national reform programme.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Irish Stability Programme Update: Minister for Finance (15 Apr 2014)

Sean Barrett: I raise it because the reform agenda is still hugely important. The Chairman might-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Irish Stability Programme Update: Minister for Finance (15 Apr 2014)

Sean Barrett: On the reform of banking, Mr. Boucher and co. were before the committee last week and they are still talking about 90% loan to value and 4.5% loan to income. Both of those are too high. Again, we have the ingredients for a property bubble, and we need controls on the way those institutions operate. What worries me when I see large property supplements in papers is that many of these...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Irish Stability Programme Update: Minister for Finance (15 Apr 2014)

Sean Barrett: I do not want to keep the Minister from his next appointment but-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Irish Stability Programme Update: Minister for Finance (15 Apr 2014)

Sean Barrett: On the tax revenue increasing from €37.8 billion to €48.1 billion, that is €10.4 billion in extra taxes. The net current expenditure goes down by 3.3%. That is as a result of what the Minister said about people on medium incomes paying the top rate of tax. The adjustment is still being driven overwhelmingly by €10 billion extra in tax between 2013 and 2018.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Irish Stability Programme Update: Minister for Finance (15 Apr 2014)

Sean Barrett: The same number who are paying more tax.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Irish Stability Programme Update: Minister for Finance (15 Apr 2014)

Sean Barrett: I thank the Minister.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Broadcasting Rights: Gaelic Athletic Association (15 Apr 2014)

Sean Barrett: Go raibh maith agat, a Chathaoirligh. I welcome the ard-stiúrthóir and the uachtarán of the GAA. Is the TG4 coverage on Saturdays set to continue? The delegation has told us that RTE has got the 31 matches that it sought and the 100 live GAA matches will continue over three years. The delegation did say the figures clearly. Can it confirm the figures? I second what...

Seanad: Order of Business (16 Apr 2014)

Sean Barrett: I join the Cathaoirleach in welcoming the Lord Mayor to the House. The post dates back to 1229, which is 15 years short of 800 years. I welcome the Lord Mayor's interest in programmes such as the vibrant villages series, to which Senator Bacik referred, and his support for a plebiscite for a directly-elected Lord Mayor. I thank him for being a generous host to Senator Whelan and other...

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2014: Second Stage (16 Apr 2014)

Sean Barrett: I, too, welcome the legislation. The Minister has summarised it very well that there is an alternative view of bankruptcy as a protection or remedy rather than a punishment. We had many late-night discussions on the issue of insolvency with the Minister for Justice and Equality and it was interesting to see how the matter had evolved. We must question what caused the bankruptcy. Was there...