Results 2,561-2,580 of 4,465 for speaker:Jim Walsh

Seanad: Fines Bill 2009: Report and Final Stages (11 May 2010)

Jim Walsh: I have one brief comment. How will the judge determine the financial position of the person before him or her? Many people who were very wealthy some years ago may now be quite poor and perhaps even in negative equity between their assets and liabilities. How will the judge be aware of that in order to make a determination when it may not be public knowledge? I have a small concern as to...

Seanad: Fines Bill 2009: Report and Final Stages (11 May 2010)

Jim Walsh: I also welcome the passage of the Bill. The Minister has made significant improvements in the imposition of fines. Their indexation is good and probably long overdue. There have been considerable increases in the consumer price index both during times of significant economic growth and at times when such growth did not occur. As a result of their not being index-linked during such...

Seanad: Order of Business. (5 May 2010)

Jim Walsh: It is touching to witness the number of Senators who have called for a debate on Greece. I dare say there are lessons for us in terms of what is happening in Greece but I would have thought we have sufficient difficulties within our own economy for us to concentrate on those initially. I accept that how the Greek situation plays out may well have implications for us through its negative...

Seanad: Order of Business. (5 May 2010)

Jim Walsh: As I understand it, we will gain a premium on the €1.3 billion in terms of the interest between the rate at which we can borrow it and the rate at which it will be loaned to Greece. I seek a debate on competitiveness within the Irish economy. The issue that has arisen in recent weeks has illustrated how the Government, especially the Minister for Finance has approached the difficult...

Seanad: Order of Business. (5 May 2010)

Jim Walsh: Job security is a feature of the public sector that does not exist in the private sector. We need to align the public sector and private sector systems in the interest of the competitiveness of the country and all who work in the economy.

Seanad: Communications (Retention of Data) Bill 2009: Second Stage (29 Apr 2010)

Jim Walsh: Cuirim fáilte roimh an t-Aire Stáit inniu chun an Bille tábhachtach seo a phlé. I welcome the Minister of State to the House. While the Bill is relatively short, it is none the less important as we are transposing EU directives into our own domestic legislation. The primary purpose of the Bill is to put an obligation on providers of publicly available electronic communications services...

Seanad: Communications (Retention of Data) Bill 2009: Second Stage (29 Apr 2010)

Jim Walsh: Dé Céadaoin seo chugainn, ag 2.30 p.m.

Seanad: Inland Fisheries Bill 2009: Report and Final Stages. (29 Apr 2010)

Jim Walsh: I endorse those sentiments. I welcome the amendment and thank the Minister of State for being so amenable. I also welcome his comments yesterday that he regarded the practice as discriminatory in this Bill. I hope other Ministers will follow his example and leadership. Amendment agreed to. Bill, as amended, received for final consideration. Question proposed: "That the Bill do now pass."

Seanad: Inland Fisheries Bill 2009: Report and Final Stages. (29 Apr 2010)

Jim Walsh: The Bill is a fine example of what we could be doing across all Departments. There has been much justified criticism of the increase in the number of State bodies, or quangos as they are often referred to. There are great efficiencies and cost savings to be achieved in tidying up the entire area. I compliment the Minister of State who has done a good job. Inland Fisheries Ireland has a...

Seanad: Order of Business. (28 Apr 2010)

Jim Walsh: Last night's edition of "Prime Time" contained a report on the murder of Eamonn Dunne in Cabra last week. The programme which was excellent clearly illustrated that the gentleman in question was heavily involved in a number of murders that had taken place there and in surrounding areas and caused one to question why he was not already in prison. It emerged on the programme that criminal...

Seanad: Inland Fisheries Bill 2009: Committee Stage. (28 Apr 2010)

Jim Walsh: This is a relatively new initiative. The first appointments by the joint Oireachtas committee were to the board of the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland and RTE. We are now considering appointments to the board of TG4. It is good the joint Oireachtas committee is involved in this. It is a slight departure and places an onus on members to ensure the process of selection is done in a way...

Seanad: Inland Fisheries Bill 2009: Committee Stage. (28 Apr 2010)

Jim Walsh: This is an important point. While I am aware that exclusion from boards is virtually automatic in the case of persons who become bankrupt, subsection 2(b) rolls back the barrier considerably. In the current economic climate ordinary people have extended themselves, primarily due to poor banking practices, and now find themselves stretched. They may, therefore, have to come to an...

Seanad: Inland Fisheries Bill 2009: Committee Stage. (28 Apr 2010)

Jim Walsh: I welcome the clarification provided by the Minister of State. As I, like Senator Twomey, have not read the Bankruptcy Act recently, I am not in a position to interpret it. Legislation should be drafted in the simplest and most understandable manner possible. Perhaps the Minister will consider inserting a reference to the Bankruptcy Act to qualify the literal interpretation of the current...

Seanad: Inland Fisheries Bill 2009: Committee Stage. (28 Apr 2010)

Jim Walsh: I welcome this section which deals with standards of integrity and places a statutory obligation on the employees and chief executive of the company. There is a lacuna in much of our legislation in this area. There is a need to place a statutory obligation on the CEO of and other senior managers in the IFI or similar companies to adhere to good corporate governance practice, especially in...

Seanad: Inland Fisheries Bill 2009: Committee Stage. (28 Apr 2010)

Jim Walsh: I concur with some of Senator Twomey's comments. This House has often debated the issue of the automatic exclusion of people involved in local government. Councillors represent a wide spectrum of society and have diverse expertise. Some of them have served with great distinction in the fisheries sector and many other bodies. This automatic, blanket exclusion of councillors from...

Seanad: Inland Fisheries Bill 2009: Committee Stage. (28 Apr 2010)

Jim Walsh: I am sure everyone in the House will thank the Minister of State for his decision. I thank him personally because, as he mentioned, I had a long conversation with him last night on the issue. At the time he was aware it posed a certain difficulty in that the Bill must now be returned to the Dáil. It is a measure of his responsiveness to reasonable suggestions that he was prepared to...

Seanad: Inland Fisheries Bill 2009: Committee Stage. (28 Apr 2010)

Jim Walsh: I concur with those comments.

Seanad: Inland Fisheries Bill 2009: Committee Stage. (28 Apr 2010)

Jim Walsh: Report Stage will be tomorrow, because of the need for the Government to bring forward a consequential amendment. I thank the Minister of State for accepting the amendment. I know its acceptance is inconvenient for him, but we are grateful to him for accepting it. Hopefully, Report Stage can be rescheduled for tomorrow morning.

Seanad: Order of Business. (27 Apr 2010)

Jim Walsh: I support what Senator Bacik said about a debate on women in politics. Obviously, there is a need to have all sectors of society reflected in politics and making an input in the formulation of policy. However, there is a dearth of business people, male and female, in both Houses, whose absence, unfortunately, has contributed to certain policies that might have been better thought out if...

Seanad: Order of Business. (27 Apr 2010)

Jim Walsh: One party spokesperson mentioned the pension of one individual, but the same party advocated the continuation of the tribunals, at which the lawyers involved can continue to earn €1 million per year for doing precious little.