Results 1,981-2,000 of 4,465 for speaker:Jim Walsh

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Dec 2011)

Jim Walsh: They are just being rubber-stamped; they are not being analysed. We are all members of committees and know that.

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Dec 2011)

Jim Walsh: Previously, Senator Mullins and others raised the issue of investigation by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland, BAI, into the abuse of privilege by RTE's "Prime Time Investigates" programme when it libelled Fr. Kevin Reynolds. I am disturbed that the Minister's initiative to order an independent inquiry by the BAI's complaints commission has been siphoned off to a former reporter with the...

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Dec 2011)

Jim Walsh: My comments have been brief. I want to read Des 'Lee' McAlea's plea at the Miami Showband press conference.

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Dec 2011)

Jim Walsh: He pleaded with the Taoiseach and the Irish Government to get the British Government to release the papers relating to the Dublin and Monaghan bombings.

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Dec 2011)

Jim Walsh: The men, women, children and unborn child who were murdered in the bombing and their families deserve justice.

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Dec 2011)

Jim Walsh: Will the party leaders table a motion on the Dublin and Monaghan bombings? This necessary step is long overdue.

Seanad: Fiscal Responsibility (Statement) Bill 2011: Second Stage (14 Dec 2011)

Jim Walsh: I have listened to quite an amount of the debate on the monitor and it has been good, constructive and positive. This is needed because the difficulties we are in, some of which are domestic and others of which are global, have their genesis in a failure of regulation and a failure to have in place effective medium to long-term good, intuitive fiscal policies. Countries right across Europe,...

Seanad: Fiscal Responsibility (Statement) Bill 2011: Second Stage (14 Dec 2011)

Jim Walsh: This Bill goes a little bit of the way by introducing transparency, which I welcome. I commend Senator Barrett on the Bill and those who assisted him in drafting it.

Seanad: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (7 Dec 2011)

Jim Walsh: While my party has agreed to support the Bill, I am not happy with it. Section 2 repeals the provision allowing for the automatic entitlement of newly appointed judges to an usher and a crier. If new judges can do without their criers, why do existing judges need them? I ask the Minister of State to comment on the other staff put at judges' disposal, such as drivers, and whether the regime...

Seanad: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (7 Dec 2011)

Jim Walsh: I ask the Minister of State why the provision is not being extended to existing judges. We face a financial and fiscal crisis and we should do all we can to address it, particularly in areas that will not impact on the provision of services.

Seanad: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (7 Dec 2011)

Jim Walsh: How much?

Seanad: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (7 Dec 2011)

Jim Walsh: That is nine times the saving we achieved by closing our embassy to the Vatican.

Seanad: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (7 Dec 2011)

Jim Walsh: What about drivers?

Seanad: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (7 Dec 2011)

Jim Walsh: I thank the Minister for his response in that regard, and I welcome the fact that he is moving in that direction. It strikes me that what we need to do throughout society is to attack abuses of privilege, of which there are many. Some of the cuts we are carrying out - I mentioned the closure of the embassy to the Vatican, but there are others on the social welfare side - will not yield...

Seanad: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (7 Dec 2011)

Jim Walsh: This is a throwback to the monarchy. These people may have their grand notions or whatever else. We need to tackle that and we need to do it in a fair and effective way. When we come to salaries, I will talk about that aspect of it also. My understanding is that all of these people also have drivers. If one goes down to the Four Courts, one will see the crier walking with his staff in...

Seanad: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (7 Dec 2011)

Jim Walsh: I opposed this Bill on Second Stage, but my party has decided to support it, so obviously I am bound by that. Some time ago I carried out an exercise in which, as well as obtaining some information from independent sources, I asked the Oireachtas Library and Research Service - which is a very good service - to do a range of comparisons across many public service positions. I discovered, to...

Seanad: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (7 Dec 2011)

Jim Walsh: I will be brief because I have no wish to cut across others. Sinn Féin Members have tabled several amendments and I have no wish to delay. However, I will put three points to the Minister. I have argued these points with my party in the past decade or more. We need to tackle exorbitant legal fees, which amount to profiteering on an alarming scale. This must be done because it is part of...

Seanad: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (7 Dec 2011)

Jim Walsh: The Minister of State might have some influence.

Seanad: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (7 Dec 2011)

Jim Walsh: I support the right of Senator Cullinane to table an amendment such as this and it is appropriate that we discuss it. He is correct in focusing on issues of privilege. Those of us in this House are fortunate enough to have jobs which are fairly decently paid. Equally, we have to be balanced in what we say. The crisis means people have lost their jobs. Their livelihoods have been...

Seanad: Order of Business (7 Dec 2011)

Jim Walsh: Yes.