Results 2,821-2,840 of 3,550 for speaker:Dominic Hannigan

Seanad: Compulsory Retirement from the Irish Army of Lieutenant Dónal de Róiste: Motion (10 Mar 2010)

Dominic Hannigan: I intend to, but I want to make the point that as a result of that I am unable to stay to speak for the eight minutes I have been allotted. Consequently, I will have to be brief because of the way the business has been ordered.

Seanad: Compulsory Retirement from the Irish Army of Lieutenant Dónal de Róiste: Motion (10 Mar 2010)

Dominic Hannigan: I will now turn to the issue in hand. I wanted to make that point and I am grateful to the Acting Chairman for allowing me to so do. I thank the Minister of State for a comprehensive summary of the situation. I have gained a lot of knowledge from listening to his contribution and from his explanation of this case. Some 30 years on it is difficult to look at a case afresh and to work out...

Seanad: Order of Business. (10 Mar 2010)

Dominic Hannigan: I welcome the publication, tomorrow, of the Government's innovation taskforce report and have seen reports of what it will contain. One recommendation is that we improve our broadband capacity which still lags behind international averages. The report also discusses mathematics and how we can encourage more people to study the subject. One suggested proposal is that we increase the number...

Seanad: Dog Breeding Establishments Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (9 Mar 2010)

Dominic Hannigan: I reiterate the comments made by other Senators on both sides of the House. As somebody who has visited greyhound tracks at home and abroad, I can attest to the entertainment provided by racing. We must be careful about any law that could potentially damage the economic viability of the industry. I fully recognise we must ensure animal rights remain the priority in legislation. Having...

Seanad: Order of Business (4 Mar 2010)

Dominic Hannigan: It is important to have a full and frank debate on the national pensions framework, which was published yesterday and provides food for thought. It is vital to get all sectors of society to buy into Ireland's future pension commitments. Those of us who are realistic accept the need for an increase in the retirement age. At present, for every six workers there are two people on pensions,...

Seanad: Order of Business (4 Mar 2010)

Dominic Hannigan: As this will kick in in 2014, many people in their early 60s woke up this morning to discover they will not be able to retire for another year. We need to look at that again. It is already clear, from the debate in the media and in this House, that we will have a robust exchange of views on this issue. That is very welcome because it is vital that we get this right for all of our futures....

Seanad: Order of Business (4 Mar 2010)

Dominic Hannigan: -----children to enjoy books and to read more. Figures suggest that one in five students in this country leaves secondary school at the age of 15. One of the main reasons for that is the literacy problem. Approximately 500,000 Irish people have such problems. That is why it is important to support this endeavour. We have to recognise the good work that is done by libraries in Dublin and...

Seanad: Tourism Industry: Statements (4 Mar 2010)

Dominic Hannigan: I thank the Leader for organising this debate. It is not often he is thanked from all sides of the House but he has clearly gone out of his way to ensure this important debate is held. I also thank the Minister of State for his attendance at such short notice. This week saw the announcement that there were 435,000 of our fellow citizens without work. We must focus on the areas in which we...

Seanad: Tourism Industry: Statements (4 Mar 2010)

Dominic Hannigan: Perhaps we should establish an embassy there. It is time to try to put in place local organisations in other countries in order that we can sell our country, increase tourism and increase the number of jobs.

Seanad: Prohibition of Depleted Uranium Weapons Bill 2009: Second Stage (3 Mar 2010)

Dominic Hannigan: I welcome the Minister of State. I commend Senators Boyle and O'Malley and former Senator de Búrca for initiating the Bill. As countries and legislatures across Europe and the world attempt to clean up the financial and economic mess we have witnessed over the past three years, it is important, at the same time, that we do not lose sight of the fact that pressing global issues predated the...

Seanad: Dog Breeding Establishments Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (3 Mar 2010)

Dominic Hannigan: Is the Minister willing to table amendments to that effect?

Seanad: Dog Breeding Establishments Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (3 Mar 2010)

Dominic Hannigan: We have probably spent the guts of an hour debating this point. It would be easy for the Minister to dispose of it by telling us whether the existing regulations and inspections will be superseded. If not, why not and why do these additional regulations need to be put in place? If the Minister provides a clear and precise answer, we will probably be able to move on.

Seanad: Order of Business (3 Mar 2010)

Dominic Hannigan: Today's announcement that the unemployment figures for February remained roughly the same as January's is cold comfort to the many people who have lost their jobs over the past year. If there is any doubt about how desperate people are to retain their jobs, one need look no further than Naas, County Kildare, where Green Isle Foods workers are on hunger strike in an effort to get their jobs...

Seanad: Order of Business (2 Mar 2010)

Dominic Hannigan: We are often criticised for concentrating on the here and now; therefore, I welcome the report published today by Engineers Ireland on how Ireland will change in the next 20 years. It considers population growth and predicts the island's population will double from 4 million to 8 million, 4 million of whom will be living along the east coast between Dublin and Belfast. It also considers...

Seanad: Dog Breeding Establishments Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (25 Feb 2010)

Dominic Hannigan: Was section 7 dealt with?

Seanad: Dog Breeding Establishments Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (25 Feb 2010)

Dominic Hannigan: I agree with the amendment because three months is very restrictive, especially given the need in some instances to put in place finance for the upgrade of premises or to obtain planning permission. As the Minister knows, that process can often take many months. There is no real difficulty in accepting the amendment to extend the period to 12 months but if the Minister is unable to accept...

Seanad: Dog Breeding Establishments Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (25 Feb 2010)

Dominic Hannigan: On a point of order, the Minister indicated that the legislation has been planned for five years. Is it not the case that he wrote a letter in which he stated that he intends to exempt the Hunt Association of Ireland, HAI, from the provisions of the legislation?

Seanad: Dog Breeding Establishments Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (25 Feb 2010)

Dominic Hannigan: I move amendment No. 4: In page 8, between lines 16 and 17, to insert the following subsection: "(6) Without prejudice to the executive function of determining any additional conditions specific to a particular registration, the determination of conditions of a general character to apply to any registration in the functional area of the local authority is a reserved function.". The amendment...

Seanad: Dog Breeding Establishments Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (25 Feb 2010)

Dominic Hannigan: I move amendment No. 5: In page 8, subsection (7), line 23, to delete "may" and substitute "shall". Section 8(7) states that a local authority may refuse to register a premises or dog breeding establishment under the section. The reason we think it should be compulsory is because the section later refers to such refusal being necessary to ensure the safeguarding of animal welfare. If it is...

Seanad: Dog Breeding Establishments Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (25 Feb 2010)

Dominic Hannigan: Not the members though.