Results 24,561-24,580 of 27,055 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Seanad: Order of Business (6 Dec 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: The Labour Party was not even able to push for a 3% increase in the USC for those earning more than ¤100,000, which would have brought in ¤200 million. What did it do instead? It cut child benefit by ¤10----

Seanad: Order of Business (6 Dec 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: That party failed miserably. I am looking for more than a debate. I am tabling an amendment to the Order of Business.

Seanad: Order of Business (6 Dec 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose that the Minister for Social Protection - or social destruction - Deputy Joan Burton come to the House. The reason is that she hid a supplementary budget yesterday.

Seanad: Order of Business (6 Dec 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose that the Minister, Deputy Burton, should come to the House and explain how she, a Labour Party Minister, can stand over the cuts she introduced and also why she found it fit to use budget day to cover up a supplementary budget, an overspend of ¤670 million. We will deal with the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Alan Shatter, in a couple of minutes because he hid further...

Seanad: Order of Business (6 Dec 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: I move that the Minister, Deputy Joan Burton, should come to this House to explain the rationale for cutting the respite care grant and child benefit, to name but two.

Seanad: Order of Business (6 Dec 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: I would like her to explain, as all of us would-----

Seanad: Order of Business (6 Dec 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: I hope Senator Bacik will agree to this amendment because we were promised an open and transparent budgetary process, which we did not get. What did we get? The Minister for Social Protection, who cannot manage her own area, stands over a ¤10 cut to child benefit and cuts to the respite care grant.

Seanad: Order of Business (6 Dec 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: You made Fine Gael do that, did you?

Seanad: Order of Business (6 Dec 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: You pushed the party to do that and grasp its wealthy friends.

Seanad: Order of Business (6 Dec 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: Where did you read that?

Seanad: Order of Business (6 Dec 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: Last year you had the most regressive budget ever and you have followed it with another one.

Seanad: Order of Business (6 Dec 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: You should be ashamed of yourself.

Seanad: Order of Business (6 Dec 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: Brilliant.

Seanad: Order of Business (6 Dec 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: She could have come today.

Seanad: Budget 2013: Statements (5 Dec 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: I would like to share time with Senator Mooney.

Seanad: Budget 2013: Statements (5 Dec 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: There are a couple of positive elements to this budget. I welcome the decision not to increase the level of excise on petrol and diesel. I disagree with what Senator Zappone said about private pension reform. As someone who worked in the industry for 15 years, I believe it is a good thing to cap what one can fund from a private pension without reducing the pension tax relief for most...

Seanad: Budget 2013: Statements (5 Dec 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: I do not think we need pension pots of ¤1.2 million anymore. The State cannot afford it. I would be worried about the Government's growth projections for the future. I think hauliers should be happy with the diesel rebate. We should be straight about the fact that the property tax will crucify Dublin and other urban areas. It was a plank of Labour Party policy that there was to be no...

Seanad: Budget 2013: Statements (5 Dec 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: The bottom line for today is that low-income and middle-income earners in urban areas have been absolutely nailed by the Government. I welcome the small number of positive measures in the budget, but the main thing is that people who are paying their taxes and working to live will have to do so even further. It is a regressive budget. We should discuss it next week in the cold light of...

Seanad: Budget 2013: Statements (5 Dec 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Budget 2013: Statements (5 Dec 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: Hear, hear. Well said.