Results 1,841-1,860 of 4,414 for speaker:Sean Barrett

Seanad: Court of Appeal Bill 2014: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Jul 2014)

Sean Barrett: I agree with Senator Walsh in regard to the retirement age. I do not know whether there is truth in what used to be said, namely, that mathematicians peak early and lawyers much later. Perhaps some of these 70 year olds are just coming to their peak. Life expectancy here is heading towards 100 years for females. The explanatory memorandum in referring to section 17 refers to the "usual...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Pre-Budget Submissions: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jul 2014)

Sean Barrett: I welcome the visitors. Recently in the Seanad we found that out of the first 5,000 houses offered by NAMA to local authorities, only 1,000 were taken up. It seems amazing that four fifths of housing that exists has not been taken. When the then Minister of State with responsibility for this area, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan, was in the Department, there was an amazingly slow turnover of local...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Pre-Budget Submissions: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jul 2014)

Sean Barrett: I have just come here from the Seanad and I am the one person who voted against-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Pre-Budget Submissions: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jul 2014)

Sean Barrett: If all the Senators had been present for the vote on the extension of the universal medical card scheme, there would have been 59 votes to my one vote. It will cost the best part of €100 million for the two schemes - the over-70s, regardless of income, and children under six, regardless of their families' income. That means that the rich get richer, yet we still give them medical...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Pre-Budget Submissions: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jul 2014)

Sean Barrett: The other point that arose was about water charges. We tried to establish the price of water and the generous free allowance. There should be some consumer representation, and some people wanted the local authorities that had been performing that job up to now just to have representation. I believe the meters will cost €600 million. In the UK, only a third to 40% of premises are...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Pre-Budget Submissions: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jul 2014)

Sean Barrett: Moneylenders were mentioned. I believe Ms Fahy said these were quite popular guys in their local communities. The Seanad passed legislation on friendly societies which went to the Dáil and has not come back yet. The view on friendly societies in legislation was more or less dismissive: no new ones could be founded and those that did not already have loan funds would not be allowed to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Pre-Budget Submissions: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jul 2014)

Sean Barrett: Does the system operate on the basis that if I get money on Wednesday, for example, it will cost me, say, €30 until I get paid on Friday?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Pre-Budget Submissions: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jul 2014)

Sean Barrett: Of course.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Pre-Budget Submissions: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jul 2014)

Sean Barrett: Does Ms Fahey agree that the huge interest rates being charged on some loans are a cause for serious concern?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Pre-Budget Submissions: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jul 2014)

Sean Barrett: Yes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Pre-Budget Submissions: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jul 2014)

Sean Barrett: Thank you, Chairman. I have one final question for Ms Fahey. The shops run by the Society of St. Vincent de Paul are playing a vital role. I presume footfall and the number of shops have increased in recent years. How are the shops coping as they seek to assist people through a sixth year of recession?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Pre-Budget Submissions: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jul 2014)

Sean Barrett: The Senator will have to explain herself.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Pre-Budget Submissions: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jul 2014)

Sean Barrett: I welcome the witnesses. My colleague, Ronan Lyons of Daft.ie, states the problem is the construction industry in Ireland still operates at a higher cost than does its counterpart in Germany. In effect, what one is trying to do, after a massive decline in income, is to make this product affordable. Do the witnesses have views on whether this is because the construction industry had a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Pre-Budget Submissions: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jul 2014)

Sean Barrett: They tell me it is higher than in Germany.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Pre-Budget Submissions: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jul 2014)

Sean Barrett: Why then, if Ronan Lyons's numbers are right, is Ireland more expensive to build a house than Germany? The rest of the Irish economy must compete with Germany straight up.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Pre-Budget Submissions: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jul 2014)

Sean Barrett: Senator Hayden is always raising the NAMA stock in the Seanad. We have the numbers. A total of 5,000 were offered and only about 1,000 were taken up. My impression of NAMA is that it is there to keep asset prices up to make banks look better. If the prices had fallen, we would not have this problem. I have paid enough for banks already without having a property price still distorted by...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Pre-Budget Submissions: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jul 2014)

Sean Barrett: There was a case in Tuam-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Pre-Budget Submissions: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Jul 2014)

Sean Barrett: I think houses were sold recently in Tuam for €20,000, which is even lower than the numbers Mr. Davitt mentioned. That is fine. Compared to living in Salthill, one can live in Tuam and visit Salthill with the money one has saved. Why is Longford regarded as Siberia? All the NAMA houses are in the wrong place. Those commuting distances from Longford to the M50 would not be large...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Concert Licensing: GAA and Aiken Promotions (16 Jul 2014)

Sean Barrett: I welcome the witnesses. I am sorry about all of this. The last time Mr. Duffy was here we had the controversy about Sky Sports. We were on the same side then.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Concert Licensing: GAA and Aiken Promotions (16 Jul 2014)

Sean Barrett: There were a few guys against him. To take up Senator Coghlan's point, Clones will host its last match of the season on Sunday. It is a magnificent stadium which gets two or three matches a year. It is not too far from Mr. Aiken's home. Perhaps it could all be shifted up there where people would not object. I understand Mr. Duffy is cross on this occasion. We saw Wexford last Saturday...