Results 22,941-22,960 of 26,766 for speaker:David Cullinane

Seanad: Order of Business (20 Jan 2015)

David Cullinane: The Senator may not have someone to second the amendment so I am taking the opportunity to propose it in the first instance. The other issue I wish to refer to is the housing crisis. We raised this matter on the Order of Business on several occasions in the run up to Christmas. I commend the Leader on the range of issues on which the House will take statements in the coming days. These...

Seanad: Order of Business (20 Jan 2015)

David Cullinane: Where is the Minister?

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Regional Airports (20 Jan 2015)

David Cullinane: I welcome the Minister's response and acknowledge the subvention that has been made by the State to the airport over a long number of years. Perhaps I can take the Minister back to the point I made about the promises made under Transport 21 and the €22.5 million. Everybody accepts at this point in time that is not attainable but an application has been made to the new Waterford City...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Regional Airports (20 Jan 2015)

David Cullinane: It is nice to be making history today with the first Commencement matter. I welcome the new changes. I welcome the Minister, Deputy Donohoe, to the House as well. We were going to discuss this issue before Christmas, but the Minister had other arrangements on the day I tabled the motion. I thank him for coming to the House to discuss it on our first day back. I support regional airports...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Regional Airports (20 Jan 2015)

David Cullinane: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (Resumed) (22 Dec 2014)

David Cullinane: The guillotine is coming.

Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (Resumed) (22 Dec 2014)

David Cullinane: I agree with the previous speakers that this debate has been an absolute farce. No amendments have been accepted. This is a progressive amendment, an amendment one would have thought the Government would have accepted because then it might have been able to save face. However, it will face it down also. It is outrageous that a company of this size, that will deal with such a volume of...

Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (Resumed) (22 Dec 2014)

David Cullinane: No, I will not; the people will. They will judge the Government on its performance, not just the Minister of State personally. I am talking about the entire Government.

Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (Resumed) (22 Dec 2014)

David Cullinane: The Government will be judged on its performance.

Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (Resumed) (22 Dec 2014)

David Cullinane: Irish Water is a noose around all of their necks; that is the reality and it was entirely of their own making. The Government had three chances to get it right; it is déjà vu. We are 12 months on from the first scene when the Government had to put up its hands and admit that it had made an absolute mess of it. It came back a second time, but it also made a mess of it. It has now...

Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (Resumed) (22 Dec 2014)

David Cullinane: That is more nonsense, which shows how undemocratic the whole thing is. The Government is hiding and running scared on this issue. It does not want any scrutiny whatsoever when it comes to this disaster of a company and those who will pay the biggest price - apart from the politicians who have stood over it - are the unfortunate people who will have to pay for water a second time. We...

Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (Resumed) (22 Dec 2014)

David Cullinane: I will not be registering.

Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (Resumed) (22 Dec 2014)

David Cullinane: It does; it excludes people who are not registered.

Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (Resumed) (22 Dec 2014)

David Cullinane: I am not missing the point at all and fully understand that the Bill is indicating that this is an extra layer of complaints procedure. It is being called a "dispute resolution service". I fully understand that after the so-called customer has exhausted every other opportunity, this added layer is being permitted. The point is it is only being permitted for those who are registered, as the...

Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (Resumed) (22 Dec 2014)

David Cullinane: No. She is not.

Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (Resumed) (22 Dec 2014)

David Cullinane: Exactly. That is the point.

Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (Resumed) (22 Dec 2014)

David Cullinane: A person can only use that resolution process if he or she is a customer. That is the point.

Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (Resumed) (22 Dec 2014)

David Cullinane: The point is that only people who are deemed to be customers of Irish Water can use the dispute resolution service. We do not agree with that because we believe the Minister is deeming everybody now to be a customer and unless people register, they cannot use it. We are not talking about any and every complaint. Section 8(1) states: "Subject to this section, the Commission shall provide a...

Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (Resumed) (22 Dec 2014)

David Cullinane: It is not available to non-customers.

Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (Resumed) (22 Dec 2014)

David Cullinane: There is a clear distinction between a customer who walks into a shop, purchases something and makes a complaint where an extra process is put in place to allow the customer who purchased the goods to be part of that, and people who might generally be in a position to make a complaint about any aspect of the shop itself. Everybody will be deemed customers of Irish Water. Whether they are...