Results 2,201-2,220 of 4,414 for speaker:Sean Barrett

Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (19 Dec 2014)

Sean Barrett: I will be dealing with Ervia as well. The Title refers to alienating the shareholding Irish Water as well. I am keen to get that clarified between now and Report Stage. The Minister referred to Ervia as a protection against privatisation. The explanatory memorandum refers to "Irish Water as a State-owned company, established as a subsidiary of Bord Gáis Éireann (now Ervia)."...

Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (19 Dec 2014)

Sean Barrett: I move amendment No. 1: In page 4, between lines 2 and 3, to insert the following:“Plebiscite on the dissolution of Irish Water 2. (1) Where the Government has 90 days from the enactment of this Act to cause the initiation in either House of the Oireachtas of proposed legislation to allow the alienation of the shares in Irish Water issued under section 5(4) of the Water Services Act...

Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (19 Dec 2014)

Sean Barrett: This amendment is on the plebiscite for the dissolution of Irish Water. This has been a matter of contention outside of the House. There is a substantial amount of agreement between me and the Minister on the avoidance of the privatisation of the utility. We all interpret that as the wish of the people. The amendment’s purpose is to allow for the alienation of the shares in Irish...

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Dec 2014)

Sean Barrett: I think it was Senator Norris who referred to how Members voted.

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Dec 2014)

Sean Barrett: I agree with Senator Mooney on the proposed British Airways-Aer Lingus merger. The irony is that the British regulatory authorities have ruled against a merger between Ryanair and Aer Lingus. Was this done so that their own national airline can take over Aer Lingus? I hope the Minister, Deputy Donohoe, will protect Ireland's national interests. The current actions by the competition...

Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Second Stage (Resumed) (18 Dec 2014)

Sean Barrett: I welcome the Minister and wish him the best in trying to tidy up this mess. It is a mess that has brought Leinster House into disrepute. Nothing else brought 130,000 people on to the streets. We tried to table amendments with the Minister's predecessor and, as always, the Leader allowed full discussion, but it turned out that he was never formally allocated responsibility for the area, as...

Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Second Stage (Resumed) (18 Dec 2014)

Sean Barrett: -----instead of financing this through progressive taxation.

Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Second Stage (Resumed) (18 Dec 2014)

Sean Barrett: The idea that we were wasting water was spun by the water industry, which implied that lots of little old ladies up and down the country had taps running and so on, and mentioned wastage figures of 52% to 55%. Its own members, the county engineers, were the biggest wasters of all. We know from the Minister's contribution today that the waste within houses was only 6%. Therefore, the figure...

Seanad: Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (18 Dec 2014)

Sean Barrett: I thank the Minister and welcome his description of all of these interesting and exciting events, in terms of setting the system up on a different basis from 2016 onwards. It will not be based on the premise that older people cost more. The requirement for Central Bank authorisation, as described by the Minister, is a first. The Minister also made reference to clinical audits and asked why...

Seanad: Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (18 Dec 2014)

Sean Barrett: I move amendment No. 6: In page 6, between lines 18 and 19, to insert the following:“(4) In prescribing the maximum payments in subsection (1) the Minister shall have regard to average length of stay in hospitals, utilisation management, medically unnecessary admissions, and other excessive costs unrelated to ageing as noted in the Milliman Report (2010).”.I welcome the Minister...

Committee of Inquiry into the Banking Crisis: Context Phase (18 Dec 2014)

Sean Barrett: We have had a tradition over a number of decades where the Secretary General of the Department of Finance moves on to become the Governor of the Central Bank of Ireland. Is that a good idea, given Mr. Wright's knowledge of it? How is the Governor of the Bank of Canada appointed?

Committee of Inquiry into the Banking Crisis: Context Phase (18 Dec 2014)

Sean Barrett: Would the ambition to be the governor restrain contrarian views being expressed within the Department of Finance?

Committee of Inquiry into the Banking Crisis: Context Phase (18 Dec 2014)

Sean Barrett: I thank Mr. Wright again.

Committee of Inquiry into the Banking Crisis: Context Phase (18 Dec 2014)

Sean Barrett: Thank you, Chairman. When we gave up our monetary independence, it should have meant a recognition within the Department of Finance that there would be an enhanced role for fiscal policy. Did Mr. Wright come across any documentation preparing the Department for that context?

Committee of Inquiry into the Banking Crisis: Context Phase (18 Dec 2014)

Sean Barrett: This issue is particularly important in a context where the United Kingdom had decided not to join the eurozone. Did Mr. Wright come across any evidence of doubts in this regard?

Committee of Inquiry into the Banking Crisis: Context Phase (18 Dec 2014)

Sean Barrett: Adding to that, there was a massive flow of capital into Irish banks which then went into the property sector. Does the model envisage the Minister for Finance having to say, "Because there has been a massive monetary stimulus to the economy, I have to run a huge budget surplus and I will be cutting down on education, health and welfare." How do we manage this?

Committee of Inquiry into the Banking Crisis: Context Phase (18 Dec 2014)

Sean Barrett: Mr. Wright was called "Minister", is that not so?

Committee of Inquiry into the Banking Crisis: Context Phase (18 Dec 2014)

Sean Barrett: I thank Mr. Wright. He has said that the Department of Finance is unique in that assistant secretaries do not report directly to the Secretary General. Would that have meant the 58 people who were in charge of financial services had no way of relating to the other 542 members of staff?

Committee of Inquiry into the Banking Crisis: Context Phase (18 Dec 2014)

Sean Barrett: I thank Mr. Wright.

Committee of Inquiry into the Banking Crisis: Context Phase (18 Dec 2014)

Sean Barrett: Page 29 of Mr. Wright's submission states, "it is best practice to maintain a formal written record." Is that an important reform compared with what he found?