Results 24,061-24,080 of 26,610 for speaker:David Cullinane

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Nov 2013)

David Cullinane: I welcome back Ms Blake; it is great to see her back. On behalf of the Sinn Féin Party, I offer my condolences to Senator Coghlan on the passing of his mother. I also wish Senator Jimmy Harte a speedy recovery and we in Sinn Féin send our best wishes to his party colleagues. We are all friends of Jimmy and we want to see him back on his feet as quickly as possible. He is in all...

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Nov 2013)

David Cullinane: Hear, hear.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Not-for-Profit Sector: Discussion (19 Nov 2013)

David Cullinane: I can quote an anecdotal story that supports the second point about engaging with local authorities. I do not know if Mr. Coughlan is familiar with the Dunhill Ecopark in County Waterford, which does much good work. Initially it found it difficult to get support. Now that it is successful, the local authority is asking what support it can give. We should look to those centres and projects...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Not-for-Profit Sector: Discussion (19 Nov 2013)

David Cullinane: I welcome the witnesses to the meeting. I am hugely supportive of the social economy and the notion of social entrepreneurship. I do not believe it is recognised to the extent it should be in terms of its potential. We would possibly all accept that. Last year, on behalf of the committee I drafted an economic development strategy for the southeast, much of which was based on...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Harbours and Piers Development (14 Nov 2013)

David Cullinane: I thank the Minister of State for his reply. I welcome the fact that €800,000 was made available under the capital programme to extend and widen the slipway. The real issue is the €4 million necessary to dredge the harbour and dispose of the spoil material. I accept that the project must be conducted in an appropriate manner due to the presence of TBT. The Minister of State...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Harbours and Piers Development (14 Nov 2013)

David Cullinane: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Tom Hayes, and thank him for taking this Adjournment matter. I have tabled a number of matters on this issue in recent years and it is important to get an update from the Department on the current position. The Minister of State will know there is a need to dredge the harbour at Dunmore East. It is accepted this needs to happen because the lack of...

Seanad: Companies (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2013: Second Stage (14 Nov 2013)

David Cullinane: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, to the House. I support the Bill. Company Bills are a bit like buses. One can wait for hours and no bus comes and then two come at the same time. The more substantial companies Bill, which I also support, is working its way through Committee Stage currently. I must refer to the different approach being taken by the Government to its...

Seanad: Electricity Transmission Network: Motion (13 Nov 2013)

David Cullinane: I welcome the Minister, Deputy Pat Rabbitte's return to the House to again discuss an issue raised on the Adjournment some weeks ago. I commend Senator Rónán Mullen for the pragmatic wording of the motion which should be supported. As I said previously, I have no objection in principle to the Grid Link project for the south-east or other EirGrid projects across the island. It is...

Seanad: Order of Business (13 Nov 2013)

David Cullinane: That is not fair.

Seanad: Order of Business (13 Nov 2013)

David Cullinane: I support the amendment to the Order of Business and join the calls for a debate on health care. There are many issues to be discussed with the Minister for Health. The rising cost of private health insurance, for example, has been raised by several colleagues. Those rising costs must be seen in the context of the Government's plan to build the system of health care delivery around...

Seanad: Order of Business (12 Nov 2013)

David Cullinane: I again call for a debate on unemployment, specifically in the context of the Action Plan for Jobs. The Leader will agree that we continue to face many challenges and that we still have a great deal of work to do in order to create the jobs that are needed in the State. Job retention which is as important as job creation is an issue on which we must also focus. The Leader will be aware of...

Seanad: Order of Business (12 Nov 2013)

David Cullinane: Fianna Fáil.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Progress Update: Discussion with Microfinance Ireland (12 Nov 2013)

David Cullinane: Do the delegates have a target for next year in terms of how much money they hope to lend and the number of jobs they hope to create? It is easy to have five and ten-year targets, but is there a specific target for 2014?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Progress Update: Discussion with Microfinance Ireland (12 Nov 2013)

David Cullinane: What level of information is coming back to Microfinance Ireland from its customers?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Progress Update: Discussion with Microfinance Ireland (12 Nov 2013)

David Cullinane: I welcome the group representatives to the meeting. Along with my party, I supported the establishment of Microfinance Ireland for good reasons because the Minister had set some very ambitious targets. The ten-year strategy includes a target of €90 million, an additional lending to 5,500 micro-enterprises and the creation of 7,700 jobs. I would love to believe that we will reach the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Progress Update: Discussion with Microfinance Ireland (12 Nov 2013)

David Cullinane: That seems to be working in other countries so why are we not using these newer models instead of sticking with more traditional types of lending?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Progress Update: Discussion with Microfinance Ireland (12 Nov 2013)

David Cullinane: That still does not explain why some counties have a much smaller take-up. There must be some reason for that.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2013: Fifth Stage (7 Nov 2013)

David Cullinane: I thank the Minister for her presence in the Chamber yesterday. It was a very long day but we had some very good discussions on many issues. At times the debate became party political but, in the round, we tried to confine our contributions to the many amendments being discussed. It was a constructive debate. I concur with Senator Darragh O'Brien that we must remember that we are here...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2013: Fifth Stage (7 Nov 2013)

David Cullinane: Let us be honest, Fianna Fáil's track record on their budgets-----

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2013: Fifth Stage (7 Nov 2013)

David Cullinane: -----before it came into office tells me that if it was in the position that the Government is in the cuts would be the same or harsher.