Results 1,821-1,840 of 19,173 for speaker:Shane Ross

Seanad: Confidence in Government: Motion (8 Dec 2010)

Shane Ross: Are they not Fianna Fáil people? Yes, they are.

Seanad: Confidence in Government: Motion (8 Dec 2010)

Shane Ross: The Government has never lost its knack of appointing its friends to State boards. When it nationalised Anglo Irish Bank, it appointed Mr. Aidan Eames, a fund-raiser, to the board. The situation was far too serious for such individuals to be appointed to boards and for Fianna Fáil to appoint ex-Ministers, able though they might have been. It should have appointed individuals without a...

Seanad: Confidence in Government: Motion (8 Dec 2010)

Shane Ross: Well read.

Seanad: Confidence in Government: Motion (8 Dec 2010)

Shane Ross: What is the Minister's understanding of the situation?

Seanad: Confidence in Government: Motion (8 Dec 2010)

Shane Ross: The most notable characteristic of this debate has been the guerilla warfare from the Fianna Fáil benches. I presume they will be able to indulge themselves a lot more in this in the months to come, but from this side of the House. I have been disappointed with this debate. I have been disappointed with the fact that I have not noticed a particularly sturdy defence being put up by the...

Seanad: Confidence in Government: Motion (8 Dec 2010)

Shane Ross: The Minister was very keen on giving us a lecture on banking. I am grateful to the Taoiseach for the fact that the limit of the Minister's ambitions appear to be the Department of Defence, because the Minister does not know an awful lot about banking. Senator Cassidy knows more about banking but that is because he read it from a script. The Minister said something interesting. He said...

Seanad: Confidence in Government: Motion (8 Dec 2010)

Shane Ross: Does he not know that the Government appoints cronies to the board of the regulator? Does he not know that? Does he not know why or on what criteria they are appointed? Does the Minister not know that one of the greatest abuses in this country is the cronyism to which he refused to respond, except to say that if the Government did that, it would be guilty of political interference? The...

Seanad: Confidence in Government: Motion (8 Dec 2010)

Shane Ross: That is what Fianna Fáil is good at and that is why Fianna Fáil should be out of office. It has been in power for too long. There are semi-State companies in this country, FÁS being one of them, which are political protectorates of Fianna Fáil. That is one of the reasons the party is unsuited to be in office. CIE is a political protectorate of Fianna Fáil. Let us look at the boards...

Seanad: Confidence in Government: Motion (8 Dec 2010)

Shane Ross: Fianna Fáil has appointed its own people whose loyalty is to one Taoiseach or Minister and not to the country. The Minister then comes to this House and says to me there are reasons I can understand why boards of State bodies cannot give evidence to Oireachtas committees. I do not know those reasons and I ask the Minister to explain them to me. I will give him one minute of my time now to...

Seanad: Confidence in Government: Motion (8 Dec 2010)

Shane Ross: The Minister said I knew the reasons but I do not.

Seanad: Confidence in Government: Motion (8 Dec 2010)

Shane Ross: Yes, but I am asking him a question and offering him the opportunity to answer me. With the agreement of the House, I would like to offer the Minister the chance to tell me why the boards of these bodies will not come to explain themselves.

Seanad: Confidence in Government: Motion (8 Dec 2010)

Shane Ross: Will the Minister take that opportunity or not? He is very good at interrupting.

Seanad: Confidence in Government: Motion (8 Dec 2010)

Shane Ross: Can I give him an opportunity to interrupt me? Everyone else is interrupting so he can go ahead.

Seanad: Confidence in Government: Motion (8 Dec 2010)

Shane Ross: No explanation for this cronyism is being offered. The only explanation is because they will spill the beans on how the semi-States are being run in the interests of Fianna Fáil and not in the interests of the nation. That is the explanation and Fianna Fáil will continue to make these appointments. We can look forward in the next few weeks to several appointments of this sort before...

Seanad: Confidence in Government: Motion (8 Dec 2010)

Shane Ross: I cannot hear Senator Cassidy.

Seanad: Confidence in Government: Motion (8 Dec 2010)

Shane Ross: It is not a point of order. He says this is his second point of order in 25 years. Why is he making things up?

Seanad: Confidence in Government: Motion (8 Dec 2010)

Shane Ross: It is not a point of order; I can say that now.

Seanad: Confidence in Government: Motion (8 Dec 2010)

Shane Ross: I know what he is going to say and it is not a point of order.

Seanad: Confidence in Government: Motion (8 Dec 2010)

Shane Ross: That is not a point of order.

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Dec 2010)

Shane Ross: I am grateful to Fianna Fáil whose carry on with the Green Party has probably ensured we will not have a Seanad election until May, which will be extraordinarily welcome. I encourage Fianna Fáil to continue its game and let the Green Party run rings around them in order that we can campaign.