Results 19,781-19,800 of 24,361 for speaker:Jerry Buttimer

Seanad: Credit Union Restructuring Board (Dissolution) Bill 2019: Second Stage (24 Nov 2020)

Jerry Buttimer: Ar dtús báire, cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. This is important legislation and I am pleased to speak on it as a former member of the board of supervisors of a credit union in Bishopstown. The credit union movement has gone through gargantuan change in the past decade, some of which I would question in terms of its progress or lack thereof. I listened to Senator...

Seanad: Finance (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2020: Second Stage (24 Nov 2020)

Jerry Buttimer: I thank the Minister of State for being here to take this very important legislation. It is a pity that the backdrop to this debate on the proposed reform of the credit union movement is Covid-19.The explanatory memorandum to the Bill speaks about the provision for the holding of certain meetings of the credit unions by remote meeting. I pose my question in terms of the audit committee, the...

Seanad: Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund Regulations 2020: Motion (25 Nov 2020)

Jerry Buttimer: I welcome the Minister to the House and I support this motion. As we have heard, horse and greyhound funding is controversial. I understand and appreciate the sentiments of some of my colleagues. It is important, however, to put this debate in context. Sport Ireland has allocated €85 million for sport in our country, which all of us herald, promote and support. We are announcing...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Broadband Connectivity and Telecommunications Issues: Eir (25 Nov 2020)

Jerry Buttimer: I welcome Ms Lennon and Mr Storey to the meeting. I thank them for their presentations and for taking the questions. Any of the comments I make are not personal to the witnesses. It is fair to say that of all the utility companies, Eir is the one that exercises people a lot. I believe it needs to address huge areas arising from today's meeting. In light of Deputy Lowry and the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Broadband Connectivity and Telecommunications Issues: Eir (25 Nov 2020)

Jerry Buttimer: I say that in the context of Eir raising €298 million in revenue and earnings of €142 million. In my humble opinion as a customer of Eir, customer service and customer care are absolutely diabolical. I say that as a customer. A person dials a number and is asked to please punch in his or her number so Eir can remember for further queries. It does not happen in my case. That...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Broadband Connectivity and Telecommunications Issues: Eir (25 Nov 2020)

Jerry Buttimer: They are very good, but the customer service wait time is inordinate. In light of what Deputy Lowry said, Eir needs to leave here today, not in a combative mood with us, but to restore its credibility, its customer care and service, and its image, because customer care and image is about service provision: Eir TV not working, calls dropping, and services not being strengthened. I believe...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Broadband Connectivity and Telecommunications Issues: Eir (25 Nov 2020)

Jerry Buttimer: I thank Ms Lennon and I welcome that. She might give us an update on the roll-out of 5G, please. In terms of the broadband gaps that Deputy Lowry mentioned, I live in urban Cork and there are huge deficiencies in terms of broadband connectivity in places like Lehenaghmore, Monkstown and Ballinora. That is why it is important we see a re-evaluation of the relationship with National...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Broadband Connectivity and Telecommunications Issues: Eir (25 Nov 2020)

Jerry Buttimer: I thank Ms Lennon for her clarification on Sligo. It is important because people are incensed about it. I have had contacts from councillors from Laois, Cork, Leitrim, Dublin, Tipperary and Kerry just about Eir and customer relationships. I appeal to Ms Lennon: the staff when one gets through are phenomenal people, they deserve our thanks, but we, as citizens and customers, should not...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Broadband Connectivity and Telecommunications Issues: Eir (25 Nov 2020)

Jerry Buttimer: It is a very reputable firm.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (26 Nov 2020)

Jerry Buttimer: I join Senator Gavan in paying tribute to the late Diego Maradona. I am of the generation that admired his skills and we extend our deepest sympathies. I concur wholeheartedly with Senator Craughwell's point that there is a cohort of local authority members who are being, to borrow Senator Dooley's phrase, hollowed out by Covid-19. There is an obligation on us, a Chathaoirligh. Perhaps...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (26 Nov 2020)

Jerry Buttimer: I am being very careful. I am mindful that I am not going to have a row with you now. I am being very careful.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (26 Nov 2020)

Jerry Buttimer: I understand. I am being very careful in what I am saying. However, millions of euro were stolen by a person who is in jail today. The point I wish to make about the DPP, the Garda and Revenue is that if the information is correct, and we have only one side-----

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (26 Nov 2020)

Jerry Buttimer: I hope you understand, a Chathaoirligh, by my term and my demeanour that I am not trying to bring the House into disrepute in any shape or form.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (26 Nov 2020)

Jerry Buttimer: I will conclude by saying there is a real need for the DPP, Revenue and the Garda to explain and not to hide behind saying they do not comment on individual cases. How can a person, for 20 years plus, go unchecked by the organs of the State? I am only an ordinary person, but I can imagine how those people feel and the impact it has had on their lives.

Seanad: Reopening Ireland (Department of Health): Statements (26 Nov 2020)

Jerry Buttimer: I thank the Leader for having this debate, which I requested. I am glad it is broken up into two parts. Conscious of the 2,033 people who have died and the thousands of people who have tested positive, I am mindful of the gargantuan work being undertaken in our hospitals and in community care settings by our public servants.This debate is important. Earlier this week, I was walking in the...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (1 Dec 2020)

Jerry Buttimer: We might have had our argument last week but I thank you, a Chathaoirligh, for picking both Senator Warfield and me for our Commencement matter on World AIDS Day. It is about global solidarity and shared responsibility. This morning the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council praised the Government's temporary supports and stimulus package in budget 2021. Its chairperson, Sebastian Barnes, however,...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Sexually Transmitted Infections (1 Dec 2020)

Jerry Buttimer: Míle Buíochas, a Chathaoirligh Gníomhaigh. I welcome the Minister of State to the House today, World AIDS Day. This is a worldwide health day with the theme of global solidarity and shared responsibility in fighting the stigma of HIV and AIDS in our country and in the world. I tabled this matter and I thank the Cathaoirleach for allowing both myself and Senator Warfield to...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Sexually Transmitted Infections (1 Dec 2020)

Jerry Buttimer: I thank the Cathaoirleach Gníomhach and the Minister of State.It is important that we live up to our expectations around fast-track cities, that there is a combined collaborative approach and that we continue to be to the forefront in responding to HIV and AIDS. The funding of €450,000 announced last summer needs to be matched in future years. I hope that community-based...

Seanad: Technological Universities Agenda: Statements (2 Dec 2020)

Jerry Buttimer: Ar dtús báire, cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire. Is lá iontach é inniu mar tá ollscoil nua á socrú i gCorcaigh agus i dTrá Lí. I welcome the Minister to the House and I congratulate him on is appointment. Today is an important day in the framework of the evolution of technological universities, with the dissolution of IT Tralee and of Cork IT...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Chairs Designate of the Road Safety Authority and Dublin Port: Discussion (2 Dec 2020)

Jerry Buttimer: I welcome the witnesses to the meeting and am happy to support their ratification in the roles. I ask about waiting times for driving tests, particularly around Cork. There was a list of 5,936 in October for the three Cork test centres so could that be addressed by the Road Safety Authority? It is important. The RSA's advertising campaign was brilliant and it resonated with people....