Results 20,341-20,360 of 26,924 for speaker:Richard Boyd Barrett

Protected Disclosures Bill 2013 [Seanad]: Second Stage (Resumed) (20 Feb 2014)

Richard Boyd Barrett: I will make some comments on the Bill but, following what Deputy Flanagan has said, we have to look at a Bill like this, the general thrust of which at least is welcome, in the context in which the Bill is put forward because the objective should be to give support and facilitate people who are blowing the whistle on wrongdoing, malpractice, corruption and other activities that could be...

Protected Disclosures Bill 2013 [Seanad]: Second Stage (Resumed) (20 Feb 2014)

Richard Boyd Barrett: -----and it has taken until now for the issue to be taken seriously. Yesterday, we had the sudden sacking of the confidential recipient. That is good, but major questions remain. That person had been a political donor to the Minister in his election campaign. I do not know the exact nature of their relationship with one another but on the face of it they would seem to know each other...

Protected Disclosures Bill 2013 [Seanad]: Second Stage (Resumed) (20 Feb 2014)

Richard Boyd Barrett: Fair enough, but we need to examine that closely to ensure people do not feel they will face a huge financial loss if they blow the whistle.

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Tax Code (20 Feb 2014)

Richard Boyd Barrett: 30. To ask the Minister for Finance if he will address the growing controversy around Ireland's effective corporate tax rate following the recent academic paper suggesting a 2.2% effective rate here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8363/14]

Written Answers — Department of Finance: NAMA Portfolio (20 Feb 2014)

Richard Boyd Barrett: 28. To ask the Minister for Finance the action he will take to deal with rapidly rising rents in Dublin and other urban centres particularly in terms of reviewing the appropriateness of real estate investment trusts, the private housing and rental market generally and the policies of the National Asset Management Agency; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8364/14]

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Security and Surveillance Issues: Minister for Justice and Equality (19 Feb 2014)

Richard Boyd Barrett: I am trying to ask the questions.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Security and Surveillance Issues: Minister for Justice and Equality (19 Feb 2014)

Richard Boyd Barrett: Can I clarify-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Security and Surveillance Issues: Minister for Justice and Equality (19 Feb 2014)

Richard Boyd Barrett: Can I clarify it? What is indicated here is not definitive and the Minister clung to that phrase that there was "no definitive evidence", but what that hid was that there were substantial concerns on the part of the Ombudsman that they were under surveillance and that surveillance may have been conducted by the Garda. That prompted it to undertake an investigation and to bring in experts...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Security and Surveillance Issues: Minister for Justice and Equality (19 Feb 2014)

Richard Boyd Barrett: The Minister has repeated-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Security and Surveillance Issues: Minister for Justice and Equality (19 Feb 2014)

Richard Boyd Barrett: Yes, the concerns that led to the investigation.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Security and Surveillance Issues: Minister for Justice and Equality (19 Feb 2014)

Richard Boyd Barrett: Come on now.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Security and Surveillance Issues: Minister for Justice and Equality (19 Feb 2014)

Richard Boyd Barrett: The only person recently who has suggested that the Minister is too close to the Garda Commissioner is Mr. Oliver Connolly in the transcript of his conversation with Maurice McCabe. I am not suggesting that; he suggested it in the transcript. Setting that issue aside, does the Minister not think the fact that a security firm that is expert in this area that investigated possible bugging of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Security and Surveillance Issues: Minister for Justice and Equality (19 Feb 2014)

Richard Boyd Barrett: Why not? They could be.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Security and Surveillance Issues: Minister for Justice and Equality (19 Feb 2014)

Richard Boyd Barrett: There could be.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Security and Surveillance Issues: Minister for Justice and Equality (19 Feb 2014)

Richard Boyd Barrett: It is still unexplained.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Security and Surveillance Issues: Minister for Justice and Equality (19 Feb 2014)

Richard Boyd Barrett: The Minister's explanations just do not add up in the context of what we understand him to have known last week as against what he said in the Dáil. When addressing the House, the Minister used the phrases "I understand that no connection between any member of An Garda Síochána with any of these matters arose" and "While no information has been furnished to me by GSOC...

Other Questions: Human Rights Issues (19 Feb 2014)

Richard Boyd Barrett: 8. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he plans to sign a statement of solidarity (details supplied) with the pro-democracy movement in Egypt; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8115/14]

Other Questions: Human Rights Issues (19 Feb 2014)

Richard Boyd Barrett: As part of my question I referred the Tánaiste to a statement that has been put together by activists in Egypt and internationally calling for an end to the brutal repression that is now being undertaken by the Egyptian military regime against pro-democracy activists, students and journalists. Many of the people who led the democratic revolution in Egypt are now in prison, are being...

Other Questions: Human Rights Issues (19 Feb 2014)

Richard Boyd Barrett: Will the Tánaiste answer the question on whether he will sign the statement? We need action and not just words from the international community about what is going on. Democracy activists who were gathered in Tahrir Square to celebrate the third anniversary of the Egyptian revolution were targeted by snipers and 64 people were killed. That is what the el-Sisi military regime is doing...

Other Questions: Human Rights Issues (19 Feb 2014)

Richard Boyd Barrett: I accept that the Government is making some efforts in this regard and is saying the right things, but the problem is that these regimes are not responding. The Tánaiste rightly said in response to Deputy Nulty about Saudi Arabia that there are many regimes in the Middle East that on paper appear to be democratic but in reality are brutally repressive. The Tánaiste even suggested...