Results 2,801-2,820 of 4,414 for speaker:Sean Barrett

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Sale of IBRC Mortgage Loan Book: Discussion (26 Feb 2014)

Sean Barrett: Mr. Wallace should have ruled out all accountancy firms associated with the bankrupt banks for a start. Is that not a conflict of interest?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Sale of IBRC Mortgage Loan Book: Discussion (26 Feb 2014)

Sean Barrett: With yourselves? With other accountants?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Sale of IBRC Mortgage Loan Book: Discussion (26 Feb 2014)

Sean Barrett: I do not accept that, given that the entire bill to the taxpayer is €64 billion and may end up at €75 billion. The same set of accountants were involved, with PricewaterhouseCoopers auditing the Bank of Ireland, Ernst & Young auditing EBS and Anglo Irish Bank, and KPMG auditing Allied Irish Banks and Irish Life & Permanent, Postbank Ireland Limited and the Irish...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Sale of IBRC Mortgage Loan Book: Discussion (26 Feb 2014)

Sean Barrett: People are their CVs. We had the same problem with Irish Water. An individual applies for a job and he is what is on his CV. When accountancy firms get together, they ignore what is on the CV.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Sale of IBRC Mortgage Loan Book: Discussion (26 Feb 2014)

Sean Barrett: On the contrary, I think those companies are at the core of the collapse of Irish banking. At this stage, their advice is useless given the source. If they had been awake in 2008, along with other firms mentioned, we would not be in this situation. There are a lot of books to be written on the inner circle of closed accountancy firms in this city. I am appalled by what I hear.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Sale of IBRC Mortgage Loan Book: Discussion (26 Feb 2014)

Sean Barrett: Do I take it from what Mr. Wallace has said to my colleague that we will not see the PwC report?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Sale of IBRC Mortgage Loan Book: Discussion (26 Feb 2014)

Sean Barrett: I object to that and I want it noted on the record. Too many redacted documents are coming to committees of the Oireachtas, which is an elected Parliament. We have received them on health and on the insurance industry. We are a Parliament and a Legislature and I think it is unlawful for Mr. Wallace to refuse to disclose information to people who have been elected to represent the people in...

Seanad: Community Courts: Motion (25 Feb 2014)

Sean Barrett: I agree with Senator Conway’s description of the community courts system in New York. I was learning all through Senator Bacik’s account of the system with anger management as an alternative to prison, bringing in more social science expertise and restorative justice. All the ingredients are there to reform the system. Senator O’Donovan said that in Norway 70% of...

Seanad: Order of Business (25 Feb 2014)

Sean Barrett: In view of the debate on post offices in the Dáil this week, I refer to the regret of the Minister, Deputy Rabbitte, that the interest rate on savings paid by post offices was reduced because of pressure from the banks suggesting that post offices were engaged in unfair competition. That should be examined if we are trying to save post offices, because the banks were bailed out by the...

Seanad: An Coimisinéir Teanga a Cheapadh: Tairiscint (20 Feb 2014)

Sean Barrett: Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. Déanaim comhghairdeas le Rónán Ó Domhnaill, atá ainmnithe ag an Rialtas le ceapadh ag an Uachtarán don phost mar Choimisinéir Teanga. Tá díomá orm, áfach, gur éirigh an Coimisinéir Teanga, Seán Ó Cuirreáin, as oifig. Dúirt sé agus é ag éirí...

Seanad: ESB (Electronic Communications Networks) Bill 2013: Second Stage (20 Feb 2014)

Sean Barrett: I welcome the Minister. I noted the reference to the Black Valley. It was former Deputy Peter Barry who was the Minister responsible for connecting the Black Valley with the system. It was one of the last locations to be connected, as Senator Mulcahy pointed out. I welcome the Minister here and I also welcome the Bill. The more competition in telecommunications the better. The networks...

Seanad: Order of Business (20 Feb 2014)

Sean Barrett: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Order of Business (20 Feb 2014)

Sean Barrett: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Order of Business (20 Feb 2014)

Sean Barrett: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Order of Business (20 Feb 2014)

Sean Barrett: I welcome the research broadcast this morning by Mr. Kieran Cuddihy on Newstalk radio because it reflected the issues raised here on Tuesday afternoon about penalty points. We raised, with the Minister, the fact that there were some 318,000 penalty points in 2012 that were attached to people with no licence. Mr. Cuddihy has updated that figure to 445,000. It appears there is a problem in...

Seanad: Order of Business (20 Feb 2014)

Sean Barrett: It shows the good work that we can do to make the country a safer place.

Seanad: Order of Business (20 Feb 2014)

Sean Barrett: I join with Senator Darragh O'Brien in congratulating the Irish cricket team which is an all-Ireland team that has done very well. I presume that another all-Ireland team will do equally well in Twickenham on Saturday and we will be congratulating them next week. Go raibh maith agat.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Service Reform: Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (19 Feb 2014)

Sean Barrett: Yes. Let us have tendering in this instance. It seems to be an obvious example of where one would do it. The Minister referred to pyrite, but according to Oireachtas briefing notes, householders in Canada with pyrite problems contacted their house insurance providers in the first instance. The insurance providers recovered moneys from the construction industry which, in turn, recovered...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Service Reform: Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform (19 Feb 2014)

Sean Barrett: I welcome the Minister. The Seanad had the benefit of his wisdom recently and was very supportive of him. It appears that the way public life is reported in Ireland is that an argument on how universal health insurance might or might not be financed is based not on the issues, but on whether Ministers A an B play golf on the same golf course. I welcome what I have read about this plan....

Seanad: Address to Seanad Éireann by the Pope: Motion (19 Feb 2014)

Sean Barrett: I second the motion and commend Senator Norris on all the work he has put into this. I welcome the decision of the Committee on Procedure and Privileges to also endorse what is proposed here. As Senator Norris was concluding his remarks about the possibility of a visit to Northern Ireland, I was reminded that just very recently, at St. Anne's Cathedral in Belfast, the papal nuncio and my...