Results 25,421-25,440 of 27,055 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Seanad: Order of Business (21 Mar 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: The Deputy Leader will have informed the Leader that there was no Minister present to hear our Private Members' motion last Wednesday. All sides of the House agreed this was a very unwelcome departure and not good enough. Has the Leader had a response from the Chief Whip or the Taoiseach's office in regard to this? Can he confirm to me and my colleagues on all sides of the House that this...

Seanad: Order of Business (21 Mar 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: I am proposing an amendment to the Order of Business that the Minster for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Hogan, attend the House to answer if he will extend the final date of payment of the household charge to the end of April, to explain why a public information campaign on the charge has been such an abject failure and why hundreds of thousands people still do not...

Seanad: Order of Business (21 Mar 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: He should have got Deputy Ó Snodaigh to do them.

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Mar 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: I ask the Deputy Leader how many Ministers are here this week. Earlier in the week those of us in this House mentioned the importance of the events held on St. Patrick's Day and the week in which it falls. The two Houses are sitting this week, but yesterday, for the first time I can recall, the sitting in this House had to be suspended because there was no Minister available to take a...

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Mar 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: There was a common trend yesterday. The Seanad adjourned early yesterday and Private Members' business was delayed in Dáil Éireann for 15 minutes because a Minister could not be found. The Government also lost a vote called by the great Deputy Peter Mathews at the finance committee as Fine Gael could not find enough Deputies to vote for it.

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Mar 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: Where is everyone? Why not adjourn the House for the week and be done with it? The common theme running through all three issues that arose yesterday was the mortgage crisis. In Private Members' business, when we discussed the Government report card, the first item related to the thousands of people in mortgage arrears, an issue I will discuss further in a moment. Private Members'...

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Mar 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: Given that we had to conclude business early yesterday, I ask the Cathaoirleach to indulge me. I understand this is the first time this has happened and I want a commitment from the Leader that it will not happen again. It shows utter disregard for all Senators, especially the Fianna Fáil Party group, nine of whose 14 members contributed in detail yesterday on the fiscal compact. My party...

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Mar 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: It would have been good to discuss the issue in the House last night.

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Mar 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: I am not misrepresenting anything.

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Mar 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: I have a copy of his comments.

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Mar 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: He referred to people with investment properties.

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Mar 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: He did not make any sense.

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Mar 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: We are in the Republic of Ireland.

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Mar 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: This is a Second Stage speech.

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Mar 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: It was not the Minister's idea, it was there well before he took office.

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Mar 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: Is the Senator kidding? How long has she been in the Seanad?

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Mar 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: I thank Senator Bacik.

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) (Political Funding) Bill 2011: Report and Final Stages (15 Mar 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: Having followed earlier contributions on the monitor, I believe there is nothing to be feared from this welcome amendment and the Bill is appropriate legislation in which to insert it. Vouching expenses and recording legitimate expenditure is perfectly correct. I was one of 12 Members of the previous Dáil who was subject to an audit by Mazars. I ask the Minister to examine the costs...

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) (Political Funding) Bill 2011: Report and Final Stages (15 Mar 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: The Fine Gael Party has still not done so this year.

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) (Political Funding) Bill 2011: Report and Final Stages (15 Mar 2012)

Darragh O'Brien: I will not get into the issue of lunches in New York and various other matters for which records are not available.