Results 2,781-2,800 of 4,465 for speaker:Jim Walsh

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2009: Second Stage (Resumed) (28 Oct 2009)

Jim Walsh: Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire go dtí an Teach chun an Bhille tábhachtach seo a phlé. I commend the Minister, Deputy Gormley, on his propensity for attending the Seanad and listening to debates when legislation from the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government is being considered here. He has displayed a strong inclination for taking on board the comments and...

Seanad: Death of Former Member: Expressions of Sympathy (22 Oct 2009)

Jim Walsh: Ba mhaith liom aontú leis an comhbhrón do chlainne Tony Kett. I feel proud but sad to be able to pay tribute to Tony. He was, as has been said by many Members, a friend and colleague over a long number of years. I first got to know him in 1997 when we were both elected to the House and I got to work closely with him. I was chairman of the Local Authority Members Association at the time...

Seanad: Proposed Postcodes: Statements (21 Oct 2009)

Jim Walsh: I am at variance with some of the comments made earlier on the Order of Business to the effect that this is so unimportant that it should not be debated in the Chamber. There are implications and ramifications. It does not reflect well on the people who have been putting forward various arguments for Seanad reform, however, to see the Opposition seats vacant for a debate on a topic which...

Seanad: Order of Business (21 Oct 2009)

Jim Walsh: To an extent Senator Harris has stolen my thunder because I was about to state this House had been established by the State's founding fathers to include minorities and particularly in order that the voice of the Protestant religion, as well as Unionist voices, would be heard here. Therefore, it is compatible with this intention for Members collectively to support the call made by the...

Seanad: Order of Business (8 Oct 2009)

Jim Walsh: I raise the issue of education. There was an excellent wide-ranging conference at Farmleigh involving the diaspora and successful business entrepreneurs, both Irish and others with strong Irish connections. A heavy emphasis was laid on education and developing a new vision for education. Could we have a debate with the Minister present who might outline to us some of the ideas and...

Seanad: Order of Business (8 Oct 2009)

Jim Walsh: I concur with some of the other Members that this issue is having a corrosive effect on politics. The downside to it is that many able people from different walks of life, and particularly the business community, would not touch politics with a barge pole because of-----

Seanad: Order of Business (8 Oct 2009)

Jim Walsh: -----the denigration. I ask that we would have a debate to allow us make longer contributions on this matter.

Seanad: Order of Business (7 Oct 2009)

Jim Walsh: I ask the Leader to arrange a debate on the recent OECD report which highlighted the high salaries in the public service. There are also high salaries in the private sector. For the past 12 months I have felt that we must collectively resolve the question of the inflated salaries and wages being paid throughout society. If we try to protect them, as trade unions appear to be doing, the...

Seanad: Order of Business (23 Sep 2009)

Jim Walsh: I join Senator Mullen in extending sympathy to Kathy Sinnott and the wider Sinnott family on their tragic loss. The Sinnott family are from Wexford. It is a terrible tragedy to lose a son, especially in the circumstances. I support the calls by Senator Fitzgerald and others for a debate on the report of the Comptroller and Auditor General. He gets a lot of credit for some of the reports...

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Jul 2009)

Jim Walsh: I support Senator Mullen's comments-----

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Jul 2009)

Jim Walsh: -----regarding the European Court of Human Rights. We have also mentioned the European Court of Justice in this House before now. All of these bodies intrude into domestic situations here. I am always flabbergasted by people, whom one would regard as logical and sensible, who argue for human rights on the one hand, but have no difficulty at all in abrogating the rights of people to the...

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Jul 2009)

Jim Walsh: I support Senator Ned O'Sullivan's comments on Shannon Development, a company that has done remarkable work. It has an outstanding track record in the mid-west. While I would be fully in favour of abolishing many of the quangos such as the Human Rights Commission, the Equality Authority - which, thankfully, has gone - and others-----

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Jul 2009)

Jim Walsh: -----we should be looking at ones that will generate jobs and economic development. They need to be protected in the current climate.

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Jul 2009)

Jim Walsh: One of our national newspapers has a misleading headline this morning. It stated that the economy was going to shrink by 11% over the next 18 months, but that has no basis in fact. If one reads the article, it properly states that the governor of the Central Bank has stated that the economy will contract this year by about 8% and by perhaps 3% next year. In fact, it has already contracted...

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Jul 2009)

Jim Walsh: There needs to be some injection of reality into decisions by those bodies.

Seanad: Criminal Justice (Amendment) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (14 Jul 2009)

Jim Walsh: Is Senator Bacik seriously arguing that an accused who may have been charged in this instance with being the leader of a criminal gang-----

Seanad: Criminal Justice (Amendment) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (14 Jul 2009)

Jim Walsh: Yes, the suspect is going to face charges of a very serious nature. Are we going to indulge in technicalities? This is the kind of thing that brings the whole law into disrepute. Many people are aghast at some of the technicalities that are used by lawyers. Instead of looking at that, we need to look at what people want, which is justice. We should not just think of the human rights of...

Seanad: Criminal Justice (Amendment) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (14 Jul 2009)

Jim Walsh: I did not personalise the debate at all.

Seanad: Criminal Justice (Amendment) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (14 Jul 2009)

Jim Walsh: She must be fair in her comments. I stuck to the issues, on which I have a deep conviction.

Seanad: Criminal Justice (Amendment) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (14 Jul 2009)

Jim Walsh: I asked a question of the Senator.