Results 2,601-2,620 of 4,414 for speaker:Sean Barrett

Seanad: Health (General Practitioner Service) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (9 Jul 2014)

Sean Barrett: I welcome the Minister of State. I agree with virtually everything Senators Crown, Gilroy and Colm Burke have said. The general practitioner service is the part of the health service that works. In a situation in which well over 90% - I am sure the Minister of State can correct me on the number - of people who attend accident and emergency departments are never admitted to hospital, does...

Seanad: Competition and Consumer Protection Bill 2014: Second Stage (8 Jul 2014)

Sean Barrett: Senator Quinn mentioned some of the ridiculous advertising campaigns which were a waste of public money. He mentioned the advice to shop around. The other one we all remember was the man on the top deck of a bus with a strong Dublin accent saying he did not know what a tracker mortgage was. He must have been either working in a bank or working for the Financial Regulator; they were the...

Seanad: Competition and Consumer Protection Bill 2014: Second Stage (8 Jul 2014)

Sean Barrett: I welcome the Minister. It is a fair while since we first discussed competition policies when we would get together in economic gatherings, etc.

Seanad: Competition and Consumer Protection Bill 2014: Second Stage (8 Jul 2014)

Sean Barrett: I thank the Chair for that compliment. I presume I am doing it in competition with other speakers. Competition depends on new entrants and start-ups and on ease of entry and exit. We depend on the incumbents not to collude. In general, I think of the incumbents as the potentially evil people in the "victimless crime" that was referred to by the Minister at the outset. I note Dr. Vincent...

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed) (8 Jul 2014)

Sean Barrett: I welcome the ambassador of the United Kingdom to the House. I also welcome the invitation that has been extended to President Higgins from the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Ireland to attend next year's parade in Rossnowlagh. I hope the processing of that invitation in the normal way will enhance relationships and promote friendships, which is what happened during President McAleese's...

Seanad: Health Service Executive (Financial Matters) Bill 2013: Second Stage (3 Jul 2014)

Sean Barrett: I welcome the Minister to the House and wish him well in his mammoth task. It is probably the most difficult task in Irish public life to reform the health service. I note from the first page of the Minister's speech that we are on a journey to the dissolution of the HSE. Our briefing document from the Oireachtas includes the steps mentioned by Senator Crown towards more freedom for...

Seanad: Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission Bill 2014: Committee Stage (3 Jul 2014)

Sean Barrett: I agree with the Minister and Senator Zappone. There is the other aspect to imposing these requirements regarding the positive duty. Let us make it a dialogue going both ways. There is a positive duty on public bodies to have regard to human rights. I would accentuate the positive. We received a briefing recently from An Garda Síochána and the garda giving the briefing to...

Seanad: Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission Bill 2014: Committee Stage (3 Jul 2014)

Sean Barrett: I appreciate the comments of the Minister and Senator Ó Clochartaigh. We must always be vigilant in our duties and obligations under the Good Friday Agreement and St. Andrews Agreement. Had this House been abolished last year, my constituents in Northern Ireland would never again have had a vote in the Oireachtas. Some were annoyed by this, but it did not happen. This is an example...

Seanad: Defamation (Amendment) Bill 2014: First Stage (3 Jul 2014)

Sean Barrett: I second the proposal.

Seanad: Order of Business (3 Jul 2014)

Sean Barrett: I thank the Cathaoirleach for reminding me. I second Senator Crown's amendment in respect of No. 11 on the Order of Business.

Seanad: Order of Business (3 Jul 2014)

Sean Barrett: In the post-troika era as the Government plans a reshuffle and the programme for the remainder of its term of office, I ask that we debate in the House the role of the Comptroller and Auditor General. It is not just that he should investigate financial mishaps after they happen, he also has a role as a national auditor. I hope the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Brendan...

Seanad: Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Fund Bill 2014: Second Stage (2 Jul 2014)

Sean Barrett: I welcome the Minister of State. I congratulate Senator Marc MacSharry on the work he has done in drafting the Bill which deals with a very important issue. Anything we can do to prevent people from committing suicide is absolutely vital. I support the provision under which it is proposed to raise €200 million in funding for the National Office for Suicide Prevention. Like previous...

Seanad: Health (General Practitioner Service) Bill 2014: Second Stage (2 Jul 2014)

Sean Barrett: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Health (General Practitioner Service) Bill 2014: Second Stage (2 Jul 2014)

Sean Barrett: I think Senator Crown is known to have thoughts on these matters.

Seanad: Health (General Practitioner Service) Bill 2014: Second Stage (2 Jul 2014)

Sean Barrett: I welcome the Minister of State and wish him the best of luck in the next week and in his subsequent career. I do not welcome the Bill. It harkens back to the era of bribing people with their own money. It was reported in the Irish Examinerlast Thursday that the Department of Health has a reported overrun of €158 million. Why on earth are Ministers in that Department extending...

Seanad: Education (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Second Stage (1 Jul 2014)

Sean Barrett: I welcome the Minister. I endorse and agree with all the compliments paid to him by Senator D'Arcy. Before I address the Bill, let me address two developments that have caused great satisfaction. The Minister will remember that on the Adjournment last year, reference was made to two mistakes on the leaving certificate mathematics paper. Former Senator Deirdre Clune was an engineer, the...

Seanad: Education (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Second Stage (1 Jul 2014)

Sean Barrett: The House shares those sentiments. The other great improvement this year concerns SUSI. Some 165,000 students are now happier because of a system that works. I acknowledge that there are always matters to be evened out. The Ombudsman is examining 55 complaints. Some 21 were resolved, with ten in favour of the student. Some 165,000 students could have applied for the payments. The...

Seanad: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Second Stage (1 Jul 2014)

Sean Barrett: The issues dealt with in the Bill are extremely important. Reading the explanatory memorandum I note the tenancy warning as an alternative to evictions. FLAC has made the point to the Minister that evictions should be the last resort, particularly in a country with a strong attachment to history and what happened when people were evicted in large numbers. One of the reports on Irish housing...

Seanad: Order of Business (1 Jul 2014)

Sean Barrett: I thank the Deputy Leader. I am happy to hear it. On a happier note, I congratulate Mr. Jean-Claude Juncker on becoming President of the European Commission with the support of the Taoiseach. There are interesting links between Ireland and Luxembourg as two small countries in the European Union. During the occupation of Luxembourg the arch duke joined the Irish Guards regiment of the...

Seanad: Order of Business (1 Jul 2014)

Sean Barrett: I express some concern about the wording of No. 1, a motion on the draft protection of young persons in employment regulations. We all support the motion and nobody supports it more staunchly than the Deputy Leader. However, the title of the draft regulations contains the words "Exclusion of Workers in the Fishing and Shipping Sectors". Fishing is an extremely dangerous activity, as we...