Results 1,881-1,900 of 4,414 for speaker:Sean Barrett

Seanad: National Treasury Management Agency (Amendment) Bill 2014: Committee and Remaining Stages (17 Jul 2014)

Sean Barrett: I move amendment No. 12: In page 29, line 27, after “Reform” to insert “and the Comptroller and Auditor General”.In performing its functions under this Part, the agency shall comply with all guidelines and instructions that the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform may from time to time, with the consent of the Minister, issue to the agency. That is the body...

Seanad: National Treasury Management Agency (Amendment) Bill 2014: Committee and Remaining Stages (17 Jul 2014)

Sean Barrett: I thank the Minister of State and will not press the amendments. What I had in mind is a large single hospital. The unease is not about its medical functions which are widely supported by Senator John Crown and others but the last time we built a huge hospital what did the Comptroller and Auditor General and the Minister of State's predecessors on the Committee of Public Accounts say and to...

Seanad: National Treasury Management Agency (Amendment) Bill 2014: Committee and Remaining Stages (17 Jul 2014)

Sean Barrett: I move amendment No. 15: In page 43, between lines 2 and 3, to insert the following:"(5) The Minister shall notify directions to make investments under this section to the Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform.".This amendment concerns the provision whereby the Minister, following consultation with the Central Bank, can direct the agency to make certain...

Seanad: National Treasury Management Agency (Amendment) Bill 2014: Committee and Remaining Stages (17 Jul 2014)

Sean Barrett: I thank the Minister of State. I will not push the amendment.

Seanad: National Treasury Management Agency (Amendment) Bill 2014: Committee and Remaining Stages (17 Jul 2014)

Sean Barrett: I welcome the Minister of State back to the House and thank him for all his replies this afternoon. There are concerns about section 55, which provides that the appropriate Minister may issue guarantees or indemnities regarding public-private partnerships, PPPs. One misgiving is the issue of letters of comfort, which we discussed with the Minister for Finance, Deputy Noonan, earlier....

Seanad: National Treasury Management Agency (Amendment) Bill 2014: Committee and Remaining Stages (17 Jul 2014)

Sean Barrett: I thank the Minister of State for his reply. Maybe some time in the future entrepreneurship will occur and the private sector take some risk.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Concert Licensing: Dublin City Council (18 Jul 2014)

Sean Barrett: An uncontested judicial review seems to be an absurdity. It is like an uncontested Leinster final. If a matter is to be decided and one party does not turn up, he or she will appeal if he or she loses. We might cross that one off the list. The One Direction concerts went well by all accounts but I note that the events were not discussed until nine days afterwards. While I accept that a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Concert Licensing: Dublin City Council (18 Jul 2014)

Sean Barrett: Did Mr. Keogan mention a period of nine weeks for the post-event evaluation?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Concert Licensing: Dublin City Council (18 Jul 2014)

Sean Barrett: Six weeks are far too long. People will have forgotten about it. Perhaps some of the angst that was discovered would not be captured if people were asked their opinions of the concerts six weeks afterwards. They would have gotten with their lives rather than spend six weeks grumbling about a noisy concert.

Seanad: Situation in Gaza and Ukraine: Statements (31 Jul 2014)

Sean Barrett: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Situation in Gaza and Ukraine: Statements (31 Jul 2014)

Sean Barrett: I welcome the Minister and wish him well in his post, including his role in Northern Ireland matters. I thank the various organisations and individuals who submitted information to Members in advance of this debate. I begin by pointing out that Israel's GDP per head is US$42,000 while the Palestinian figure is US$2,431. That is a differential of 17:1 and, in my view, it holds the key to...

Seanad: Situation in Gaza and Ukraine: Statements (31 Jul 2014)

Sean Barrett: What Mr. Netanyahu outlined would impose an utter inferiority of status on the second part of the proposed two-state entity.

Seanad: Situation in Gaza and Ukraine: Statements (31 Jul 2014)

Sean Barrett: Some historians point out that Mr. Netanyahu has form, having previously opposed the Oslo Accords. The former United States peace envoy, Dennis Ross, has observed: "Neither President Clinton nor Secretary Albright believed that Bibi [Netanyahu] had any real interest in pursuing peace." The opposition leader, Tzipi Livni, said the same. He does not really believe in a two-state solution....

Seanad: Situation in Gaza and Ukraine: Statements (31 Jul 2014)

Sean Barrett: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Order of Business (17 Sep 2014)

Sean Barrett: I thank the Leader for organising the debate on Gaza during the recess. It was very well received. Justine McCarthy said in The Sunday Timesthat sitting beneath the Chamber's Wedgwood blue carved ceiling listening to some of the finest oratory ever to reverberate there, one could only feel grateful to the Irish people for saving the Seanad from extinction.

Seanad: Order of Business (17 Sep 2014)

Sean Barrett: That was a commendable initiative by the officers of the House. Could I also express sympathy to Eileen Paisley and Kathleen Reynolds on the loss of their husbands - two stalwarts of the peace process? We remember Albert Reynolds warmly in my constituency. He received us all in 1992 when it was the 400th anniversary of TCD. He and his family were most kind to us in Dublin Castle at a...

Seanad: Order of Business (17 Sep 2014)

Sean Barrett: People no longer kill each other for political reasons on this island and that is the debt we have to Mr. Paisley. Could I also draw the attention of the House to the statement today that the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport has written to the airport authorities in favour in increasing their charges. You might recall, a Chathaoirligh, that increases took place under the previous...

Seanad: Order of Business (17 Sep 2014)

Sean Barrett: The airport is handling 3.5 million fewer passengers than in 2007. A new terminal was built to handle 15 million passengers. The DAA wants €30 million for a runway and €38 million for seating capacity at terminal 1. The airport needs passengers. The Government helped the DAA by abolishing the travel tax. It looks like the airport authorities have yet again achieved...

Seanad: Order of Business (18 Sep 2014)

Sean Barrett: The Taoiseach will today address the OECD report published this week on base erosion through profit shifting, BEPS, and corporate tax. A Government press release indicates the Taoiseach will defend the 12.5% corporation tax rate, which is very valuable to the country. I support his position in that regard and his view that Ireland is not a brass plate location. However, the important part...

Seanad: Freedom of Information Bill 2013: Second Stage (18 Sep 2014)

Sean Barrett: I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I know of the enthusiasm the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Howlin, has brought to this area. Our briefing note tells us that overall, the Bill has been cautiously welcomed by stakeholders and commentators. The spirit of the Bill is very welcome. In his speech the Minister referred to seven extensions but the Bill refers to...