Results 2,401-2,420 of 4,465 for speaker:Jim Walsh

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Oct 2010)

Jim Walsh: I agree with Senator Twomey. It is essential that the Government is open and honest with the Opposition parties and that a consensus develops. I note the Senator is now privy to the seriousness of the matter, having accompanied the Fine Gael finance spokesperson in the Dáil to the discussion. It is equally important that Senator Twomey and members of the Opposition in general also be open...

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Oct 2010)

Jim Walsh: I ask the Leader to arrange a debate on competitiveness. I am of the view that an issue arises in the context of the minimum wage, which is an inhibition to job creation in certain sectors of the economy. Members who are in contact with business people will be well aware that the joint labour council agreements which apply across many industries are a major obstacle to competitiveness....

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed) (14 Oct 2010)

Jim Walsh: I concur with those who welcomed the Taoiseach's letter to the leaders of the Opposition parties. I also pay tribute to the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government who showed enlightenment and courage in the face of ridicule during the past week. He took an initiative which was necessary, namely, putting the dire situation in which we find ourselves above party politics...

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Oct 2010)

Jim Walsh: Who wrote that for the Senator?

Seanad: Public Service Agreement 2010-2014: Statements (13 Oct 2010)

Jim Walsh: I welcome the Minister of State and congratulate him, acknowledging the challenge he faces. I know well he is up to it and I wish him well because it is a difficult task. I am not a fan of the Croke Park agreement. I can see the benefit in having consensus and in working with the unions to achieve a transformation in the public service. However, while the social partnership model which...

Seanad: Public Service Agreement 2010-2014: Statements (13 Oct 2010)

Jim Walsh: I would not hold them accountable. Whoever is in charge of such staff should be identified and dispensed with. It is their responsibility to identify areas where there is such waste and where it is not being tackled. I understand why the Croke Park agreement includes an incentive that some of the savings will be repaid to those whose salaries were reduced and who are earning under...

Seanad: Public Service Agreement 2010-2014: Statements (13 Oct 2010)

Jim Walsh: Also, what proportion of the savings has been committed to for repayment in order to replenish those wages? The area which needs to be considered and which identifies itself easily when we look back over the past decade is that of overstaffing. From 1998 to 2008, the public sector increased from approximately 220,000 on the public service payroll to 370,000, an increase of 150,000. The cost...

Seanad: Public Service Agreement 2010-2014: Statements (13 Oct 2010)

Jim Walsh: In Ireland, the salary is €117,000 but when it is related to the other figures on a PPP basis it is €103,000. That is not sustainable in any economy.

Seanad: Order of Business (13 Oct 2010)

Jim Walsh: There has been much discussion about achieving consensus. There was a need over the last two years for much greater cohesion in the political system to tackle the situation in which we find ourselves. Nobody really believes that any area of expenditure will not be put under the microscope if we are to extricate ourselves from our fiscal difficulties. The forthcoming budget will be...

Seanad: Order of Business. (29 Sep 2010)

Jim Walsh: I used to be opposite Senator O'Reilly on the communications and energy portfolio. I disagree with his call for an emergency debate on electricity prices. It would be fair to point out that there have been reductions in recent years. While the point he raised about the PSO is an interesting one, it has been debated in the House previously. Some have called for a specialisation of the...

Seanad: Order of Business. (29 Sep 2010)

Jim Walsh: The cost went from €9 billion to €20 billion.

Seanad: Order of Business. (29 Sep 2010)

Jim Walsh: There was a consensus in the Opposition that insufficient money was being spent on it and that it should have been further increased.

Seanad: Order of Business. (29 Sep 2010)

Jim Walsh: Nobody on the opposite side is in a position to throw stones. It has to be tackled collectively.

Seanad: Order of Business. (29 Sep 2010)

Jim Walsh: We cannot pass on to the next generation inflated salaries, guaranteed jobs and a pension scheme that one cannot buy in the private sector. That cannot be passed on to people in the private sector - the productive sector - who are struggling to meet their mortgages and the cost of living. It is time we faced up to the issue and held a proper debate on it.

Seanad: End of Life Care: Motion (29 Sep 2010)

Jim Walsh: Hear, hear.

Seanad: End of Life Care: Motion (29 Sep 2010)

Jim Walsh: I thank Senator Ó Brolcháin for affording me the opportunity to make a short contribution to this debate. I concur with what he said about pairing. It is a pity Members of the Opposition and Opposition parties do not reflect the regard the President has for the Seanad. They should reflect on this point. There is nothing to be gained from disrupting the business of this House because...

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2009 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil]: Report and Final Stages (14 Jul 2010)

Jim Walsh: We move on to group 9 which relates to An Bord Pleanála membership, oral hearings and fees. Amendments Nos. 62 to 64, inclusive, 66, and 67 are the pertinent amendments.

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2009 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil]: Report and Final Stages (14 Jul 2010)

Jim Walsh: We have moved to group 9 and must deal with that group.

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2009 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil]: Report and Final Stages (14 Jul 2010)

Jim Walsh: We cannot move back to group 7. I was not in the Chair at the time.

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2009 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil]: Report and Final Stages (14 Jul 2010)

Jim Walsh: Perhaps it is an issue that could be taken up with the broadcasting unit. We have moved on to group 9 and must deal with that group.