Results 23,121-23,140 of 26,766 for speaker:David Cullinane
- Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (19 Dec 2014)
David Cullinane: The Minister of State, Deputy Coffey, also sat here for God knows how long. How many points were made that the Minister might not even be aware of? That is not the point I wanted to raise at all. Senator Marie-Louise O'Donnell asked a question earlier and I want to address it through the Chair. She read out a section of the Bill relating to the holding of a plebiscite, which is the first...
- Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (19 Dec 2014)
David Cullinane: It does not mean anything. There may not be any vote in the Oireachtas, there may not be any plebiscite, there may not be anything, because it could just be amended if a Government wants to do that. That is the simple reality. Examples were given earlier of industries that were deregulated and it does raise concerns about Irish Water and what could happen there in the absence of a...
- Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (19 Dec 2014)
David Cullinane: I want to say to Senator O'Donnell that I will speak for myself. She can speak for Fine Gael and herself. I speak for Sinn Féin.
- Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (19 Dec 2014)
David Cullinane: I repeat the point I made. The Minister is like a second-hand car salesman-----
- Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (19 Dec 2014)
David Cullinane: -----trying to sell something that is like asking us to buy a pig in a poke. I was here for the 17 hours that we discussed the Water Services Bill and not once in all of the discussions we had at that time - this was only a year ago and we had 17 hours - was the holding of a plebiscite mentioned by the Government. Now it is an issue because they are saying they are listening to the people,...
- Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (19 Dec 2014)
David Cullinane: It can be removed by amending the Bill.
- Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (19 Dec 2014)
David Cullinane: This is filibustering.
- Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (19 Dec 2014)
David Cullinane: Fine Gael should stop filibustering, a Leas-Chathaoirligh.
- Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (19 Dec 2014)
David Cullinane: We could do with a sos.
- Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (19 Dec 2014)
David Cullinane: Does the Senator have it there?
- Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (19 Dec 2014)
David Cullinane: Do please.
- Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (19 Dec 2014)
David Cullinane: I am sure none of us will when the Senator produces it.
- Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (19 Dec 2014)
David Cullinane: Hear, hear.
- Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (19 Dec 2014)
David Cullinane: One of Senator Darragh O'Brien's own colleagues.
- Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (19 Dec 2014)
David Cullinane: Hear, hear.
- Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (19 Dec 2014)
David Cullinane: Absolutely.
- Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (19 Dec 2014)
David Cullinane: Good to hear that.
- Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (19 Dec 2014)
David Cullinane: Exactly.
- Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (19 Dec 2014)
David Cullinane: I respectfully ask the Minister to listen to me. He will have a chance again to respond to me. What Parliament in its right mind would put €90 billion of taxpayers’ money into private banks, not public banks, to pay back private bondholders? We emptied the National Pensions Reserve Fund and borrowed money to put into the banks. Leading up to that, no one would have foreseen...
- Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (19 Dec 2014)
David Cullinane: No, he did not. I will repeat the question and the Minister might respond. I accept that the Labour Party and the Government do not want to privatise water services at this point. What if, at some point in the future because of an economic crisis, a Government was minded to privatise water? Would it be possible for it to do so? Is it possible for a future Government to introduce an...