Results 1-20 of 1,246 for in 'Dáil debates' speaker:Gerald Nash

Departmental Funding (23 Mar 2011)

Gerald Nash: I thank the Ceann Comhairle for allowing me to raise this important issue for the people of the north east, an issue of which the Minister of State, Deputy O'Dowd, is well aware. It will be greatly appreciated by those who depend on the services and supports provided by the Drogheda-based Dignity 4 Patients that my colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Shortall, is available this evening...

Moriarty Tribunal Report: Statements (Resumed) (30 Mar 2011)

Gerald Nash: I will edit as I go along. I thank the Acting Chairman for the opportunity to speak on this particularly important report. The report of the tribunal exposes a political culture and a modus operandi which, over a decade and a half ago, led to the awarding of what was effectively a licence to print money in circumstances that, quite frankly, were ethically and morally dubious. The programme...

Suicide Prevention: Statements (Resumed) (14 Apr 2011)

Gerald Nash: I welcome the opportunity to make a contribution on this important debate. I wish my colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, well in the task ahead. I know she has a deep personal interest in this matter. I also pay tribute to the groundbreaking work done by Deputy Dan Neville over the years on highlighting this issue. I recall approximately 15 or 16 years ago when I was...

EU-IMF Programme: Statements (4 May 2011)

Gerald Nash: In January 2010, the then Minister for Finance, Deputy Brian Lenihan, assured the Dáil that our economic future is bright. In his speech he guaranteed that the national minimum wage was untouchable as it had been introduced "to protect the weak in our labour market". Before the year was out, Fianna Fáil slashed the minimum wage from €8.65 to €7.65, a reduction of almost 12%. It...

Order of Business (24 May 2011)

Gerald Nash: Will the Taoiseach inform the House when the Government intends to publish the Duffy Walsh report into the review of employment regulation orders and joint labour committees? Will the Taoiseach indicate whether the Government intends to invite trade union representatives, employers and relevant social partner bodies to discuss the details contained in the report? Will the Taoiseach indicate...

Finance (No. 2) Bill 2011: Second Stage (resumed) (25 May 2011)

Gerald Nash: I beg the indulgence of the Ceann Comhairle for a moment. Since this is the first time I have spoken in the Chamber for several days I wish to acknowledge the passing of the former Labour Party Deputy for Louth, Michael Bell, who died last Friday. As Deputies will be aware, the late Michael Bell represented the constituency of Louth for 20 years from 1982 to 2002. I express my deepest...

Order of Business (2 Jun 2011)

Gerald Nash: Wrong.

Order of Business (2 Jun 2011)

Gerald Nash: We could set up a committee.

Ambulance Service (7 Jun 2011)

Gerald Nash: I am disappointed the Minister for Health is not available to respond to this matter. I am also that none of the Ministers of State at the Department of Health appear to be available either. Notwithstanding that, I am sure that the Minister who is here this evening to respond will do so to the best of his ability. I want to put on the record the fact that it is unacceptable to me that...

Order of Business (Resumed) (9 Jun 2011)

Gerald Nash: No.

Water and Sewerage Services (16 Jun 2011)

Gerald Nash: I welcome the opportunity to speak on this important motion. It is not illogical to hold a fluid position on water charges but Sinn Féin's contortions are reminiscent of the great Houdini's water tricks. The party has consistently resisted the introduction of water charges in this jurisdiction even though it has adopted a more Jesuitical approach across the Border. For four years, the...

Water and Sewerage Services (16 Jun 2011)

Gerald Nash: For four years he threatened to rule out water charges on a permanent basis but he did not do so.

Water and Sewerage Services (16 Jun 2011)

Gerald Nash: I would like to proceed without interruption.

Water and Sewerage Services (16 Jun 2011)

Gerald Nash: Northern Ireland was treated to an annual series of denials of the inevitable until the poisoned chalice was handed over to a hapless member of the Ulster Unionist Party and Sinn Féin washed its hands of the issue. The dogs in the street know that Stormont will soon be introducing water charges with the agreement of Sinn Féin for the same reason as they are being introduced here, namely,...

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2011: Second Stage (Resumed) (5 Jul 2011)

Gerald Nash: I wish to share time with Deputies Kevin Humphreys, White and Moloney. During the last election all parties represented in the House spoke of the need for electoral reform. As reflected in the electoral outcome it is clear there is an appetite for political change. I welcome the proposals outlined in the Bill but I would be concerned were we to consider the job complete if and when the...

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2011: Second Stage (Resumed) (5 Jul 2011)

Gerald Nash: When we are discussing local elections and local authorities we tend to stick rigidly to maps drawn 500 years ago by an English Queen. While county boundaries determine the colour of the jersey one wears on Sunday, they should not act as impediments to the development of places such as my home town of Drogheda, which I represent and which is seriously constrained by the position in which it...

Industrial Relations (Amendment) Bill 2011: Second Stage (Resumed) (20 Jul 2011)

Gerald Nash: As a contribution to the challenge we face over the need to protect and secure the wages and conditions of those employed in areas governed by the JLC and ERO system, I welcome the publication of this Bill and the opportunity to speak on its provisions. Elements of the Bill attract my support and that of the Labour Party and Government in general. The basic principals are philosophically...

Order of Business (15 Sep 2011)

Gerald Nash: The Tánaiste is only too well aware of the uncertainty and anxiety experienced by many thousands of lower paid workers in sectors of the economy such as the hospitality sector when Mr. Justice Feeney struck down the statutory wage-setting mechanism as unconstitutional. The many thousands of citizens who depend on the joint labour committee system for a fair and decent wage for them and...

Employment and National Internship Scheme: Motion (27 Sep 2011)

Gerald Nash: I welcome the opportunity to respond to the motion. The second paragraph lays an implicit charge of dishonesty at the Government's door. Even on a cursory analysis, this charge does not amount to much. It is more of the unfortunate, empty rhetoric and bogus claims we have come to expect from Members on the benches opposite, albeit with some notable exceptions. From day one of this national...

Employment and National Internship Scheme: Motion (27 Sep 2011)

Gerald Nash: What we get from the Members opposite is more akin to the constant cries of "We are doomed" by Private Frazer in "Dad's Army". I accept that the Opposition has a duty to perform. All I ask is that it do so constructively and honestly. Even a cursory perusal of the motion leads me to the sad conclusion that a large number of Members on the benches opposite, with some exceptions, inhabit...