Results 1,861-1,880 of 7,765 for speaker:Maurice Cummins

Seanad: Harbours (Amendment) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (22 Oct 2008)

Maurice Cummins: It is not definite.

Seanad: Harbours (Amendment) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (22 Oct 2008)

Maurice Cummins: I was chairman of the Waterford Harbour Commissioners when it had 26 representatives on its board. The Harbours Act 1996 reduced that membership to 12 members, correctly because it was to become a commercial body. Of the 12, three were local authority members, one each from Waterford City Council, Waterford County Council and Kilkenny County Council. The Minister of State claimed the...

Seanad: Harbours (Amendment) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (22 Oct 2008)

Maurice Cummins: There has been much debate about fairness recently with the medical cards for those over 70 and so on. There is no fairness in a section that will exclude local authority members. I am calling for fair play for local authority members. Will the Minister change the term "may" to "shall" for a start and return to having three local authority members on a port company's board?

Seanad: Harbours (Amendment) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (22 Oct 2008)

Maurice Cummins: Were there were local authority members on those boards making those recommendations?

Seanad: Harbours (Amendment) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (22 Oct 2008)

Maurice Cummins: It is not necessarily right.

Seanad: Harbours (Amendment) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (22 Oct 2008)

Maurice Cummins: Rightly so.

Seanad: Harbours (Amendment) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (22 Oct 2008)

Maurice Cummins: Perhaps we should suggest that members of these board be elected rather than selected. Then we would see how many of the experts will want to go on to the board if they must put their names before the people, which we and local authority members must do every five years. It is a dreadful attack on local authority members. It is an attack on the public who put members on the boards to...

Seanad: Harbours (Amendment) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (22 Oct 2008)

Maurice Cummins: Will the Minister clarify his comments? He said that local authority members were there when these reports were being compiled. Did these consultants speak to local authorities about representation on these boards?

Seanad: Harbours (Amendment) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (22 Oct 2008)

Maurice Cummins: That is probably the reason they are doing so well.

Seanad: Harbours (Amendment) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (22 Oct 2008)

Maurice Cummins: I move amendment No. 2: In page 10, line 4, after "the" where it secondly occurs to insert "written". This amendment seeks to insert the word "written" before the word "consent". It is a reasonable request and I hope the Minister of State will accept the amendment.

Seanad: Harbours (Amendment) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (22 Oct 2008)

Maurice Cummins: We realise that most of it is done in writing but we are proposing the insertion to emphasise that it should be done. It does not make any difference whether it has been done previously in other Bills. It is a fair request to ask the Minister to insert the term "written consent". If it is what happens, why not insert it?

Seanad: Harbours (Amendment) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (22 Oct 2008)

Maurice Cummins: No. The Minister of State will come back to the issue on Report Stage. I withdraw the amendment.

Seanad: Harbours (Amendment) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (22 Oct 2008)

Maurice Cummins: I welcome the provisions in section 9. Greater flexibility must be provided to port companies to borrow funds to finance projects. This is an important section and its provisions would be welcomed by the port companies as it would give them greater flexibility where borrowings and investments are concerned. I presume they would need ministerial consent for larger amounts than those...

Seanad: Harbours (Amendment) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (22 Oct 2008)

Maurice Cummins: I welcome the amendment. The reduction to four months will be beneficial to everyone in that reports and financial accounts will become available at an earlier date.

Seanad: Harbours (Amendment) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (22 Oct 2008)

Maurice Cummins: The reports of the companies are available in the Oireachtas Library.

Seanad: Harbours (Amendment) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (22 Oct 2008)

Maurice Cummins: Will it be the number of employees directly employed by a port company? Some companies may have subsidiaries or there may be individuals, such as stevedores or whomever, involved in contract work. Will the latter be included in the figures or will it just be direct employees of a port company? This issue is particularly relevant in the context of voting strength and representation.

Seanad: Order of Business (29 Oct 2008)

Maurice Cummins: It is the same as in County Waterford.

Seanad: Harbours (Amendment) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (29 Oct 2008)

Maurice Cummins: No. Does the Minister of State have something to say?

Seanad: Harbours (Amendment) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (29 Oct 2008)

Maurice Cummins: I know.

Seanad: Harbours (Amendment) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (29 Oct 2008)

Maurice Cummins: I take Senator O'Donovan's comments on board. I also seek clarification on the issue of casual labour at Fenit. Similar casual labour occurs in most commercial ports in that people can work on a weekly or monthly basis to deal with, for example, timber and other bulk products. Will such people be classified as workers of the port authority or as various employees of the various stevedores...