Results 241-260 of 4,414 for speaker:Sean Barrett

Seanad: Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Bill 2015: Report and Final Stages (25 Nov 2015)

Sean Barrett: I move amendment No. 23:In page 18, line 36, to delete “as soon as may be” and substitute “not later than 10 days”. The purpose of this amendment is to quantify the time involved. I accept the Minister of State’s wish to have these matters dealt with speedily but the term “as soon as maybe” does not mean anything and is rather loose.

Seanad: Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Bill 2015: Report and Final Stages (25 Nov 2015)

Sean Barrett: “As soon as maybe” in this case means “30 days”. I have no problem with that. While my amendment provides for a better formulation, I hope that anyone who comes to refer to it will know it means 30 days.

Seanad: Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Bill 2015: Report and Final Stages (25 Nov 2015)

Sean Barrett: The Minister of State said it did.

Seanad: Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Bill 2015: Report and Final Stages (25 Nov 2015)

Sean Barrett: I move amendment No. 31:In page 21, line 8, to delete “may” and substitute “shall”. This has arisen in other legislation where the word "may" is used when the intention of the House is to use the word "shall". As drafted, section 14(6)(b) states, “the Minister may, in any year, present to Dáil Éireann an annual sectorial adaptation transition...

Seanad: Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Bill 2015: Report and Final Stages (25 Nov 2015)

Sean Barrett: If I was the Minister with responsibility for tackling the problem of smoky chimneys, I might think this measure was discretionary and that I did not have to answer anything the Minister of State, Deputy Paudie Coffey, had requested because it is stated in the legislation that I "may" submit a report. However, a Minister with responsibility for tackling that problem should have to come - no...

Seanad: Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Bill 2015: Report and Final Stages (25 Nov 2015)

Sean Barrett: Professor John Sweeney, emeritus professor of geography in Maynooth, stated: "The most likely outcome from Paris is, therefore, an agreement that will be marketed as a political triumph, but falls short of the radical change of hearts and minds necessary to protect the world from 2oC warming over the next four decades." Therefore, no Minister should be able to take solace from the inclusion...

Seanad: Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Bill 2015: Report and Final Stages (25 Nov 2015)

Sean Barrett: I move amendment No. 33:In page 21, between lines 11 and 12, to insert the following:"(7) If the Government do not accept an assessment of the Climate Change Advisory Council, the Minister shall, within 2 months of being given a copy of the assessment, prepare and lay before both Houses of the Oireachtas a statement of the Government's reasons for not accepting it.". This amendment is to be...

Seanad: Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Bill 2015: Report and Final Stages (25 Nov 2015)

Sean Barrett: I have to press the amendment. What is before the House is a most reasonable request.

Seanad: Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Bill 2015: Report and Final Stages (25 Nov 2015)

Sean Barrett: I have no problem with the Government saying there is a mistake in an equation on page 42 or something like that, or it believes that the advise seriously exaggerates a certain problem. However, let us have the dialogue. Therefore, I will press the amendment.

Seanad: Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Bill 2015: Report and Final Stages (25 Nov 2015)

Sean Barrett: Is it possible to make a comment on the Bill?

Seanad: Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Bill 2015: Report and Final Stages (25 Nov 2015)

Sean Barrett: I thank the Minister of State. I note there will be demonstrations on climate change worldwide on Sunday, with the Dublin demonstration taking place at 2 p.m. I hope the Paris conference succeeds but I wish the Irish Government had done more and that it did not balk at complying with regulations and so on. The Canadian Minister for Environment and Climate Change, Ms Catherine McKenna,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Conviction Rates for Drink Driving: Discussion (25 Nov 2015)

Sean Barrett: I welcome our visitors. Like Deputy O'Donovan, I too was otherwise engaged earlier. Previously, when the then Minister Deputy Varadkar appeared before the joint committee, we discussed the issue of carrying the driving licence when driving. The advice was that a constitutional right would be infringed if there was a requirement to carry a driving licence when driving. That escapes me,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Conviction Rates for Drink Driving: Discussion (25 Nov 2015)

Sean Barrett: There is a mixture of despair and cynicism as a result of a driving offence case being dropped because the person had not been informed in the Irish language, even though one might not be an Irish speaker. We must tighten the law because as has been said earlier one of the major sources of income for the Irish legal profession is looking at the rights of people to behave in that way,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Conviction Rates for Drink Driving: Discussion (25 Nov 2015)

Sean Barrett: Chairman, this presents problems and I could name dual carriageways, that are almost up to motorway standards with a 60 km/h limit. That brings the issue of speed limits into discredit because motorists cannot understand a speed limit of 80 km/h on small roads when the speed limit on a dual carriageways, almost built to motorway standard, was recently reduced to 60 km/h with no explanation....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Conviction Rates for Drink Driving: Discussion (25 Nov 2015)

Sean Barrett: I thank Mr Naughton for his response..

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Nov 2015)

Sean Barrett: I echo Senators Cahill and Ó Clochartaigh in praising the work of the First Minister, Mr. Peter Robinson, in bringing the peace process forward in this country. In addition to going to Clontibret, as Senator Wilson stated, I met him twice in Dublin Castle so he comes South on more peaceful visits. At the installation of President Michael D. Higgins, I, like Senator Cahill, found him to...

Seanad: Gradam an Uachtaráin Bill 2015: First Stage (19 Nov 2015)

Sean Barrett: I second the proposal.

Seanad: National Cultural Institutions (National Concert Hall) Bill 2015: Committee Stage (Resumed) (19 Nov 2015)

Sean Barrett: What the Minister has said is at odds with section 18(9) which provides that the chief executive officer may not question or express an opinion on the merits of any policy of the Government or a Minister of the Government or the merits of the objectives of such a policy. I am in favour, in particular where the arts are concerned, of the maximum amount of expression. If all we need to do is...

Seanad: National Cultural Institutions (National Concert Hall) Bill 2015: Committee Stage (Resumed) (19 Nov 2015)

Sean Barrett: Some commentators have expressed surprise that RTE is not mentioned in section 28. Section 28(11) provides that the board of the NCH shall consider, on an annual basis, whether its subsidiary, partnership or other such corporate vehicle formed under this section should continue in existence. An annual basis might not be enough if one wished to have a series of symphony concerts with the...

Seanad: National Cultural Institutions (National Concert Hall) Bill 2015: Committee Stage (Resumed) (19 Nov 2015)

Sean Barrett: Long may that continue.