Results 2,861-2,880 of 4,414 for speaker:Sean Barrett

Seanad: Road Traffic (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (5 Feb 2014)

Sean Barrett: I move amendment No. 3: In page 9, between lines 17 and 18, to insert the following:“(iii) the driver of a mechanically propelled vehicle that is in a public place shall not hold or have on or about their person tobacco or a similar product while in the said vehicle except when it is parked. The penalties as for mobile phone use at subparagraph (ii) shall apply, (iv) in column (5), by...

Seanad: Road Traffic (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (5 Feb 2014)

Sean Barrett: I move amendment No. 2:In page 7, between lines 3 and 4, to insert the following:“Amendment of the Act of 2010 6. Section 40 of the Act of 2010 is amended by substituting for subsection (4) the following: “(4)(a) Where a person of whom the production of a driving licence or learner permit is demanded under this section refuses or fails to produce the licence or permit there and...

Seanad: Road Traffic (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (5 Feb 2014)

Sean Barrett: I thank the Minister. The data prepared by the research service showed that 40% of accidents involved people with no licence, which is what made me believe there were flaws in the current system. I believe we handed that advice to the Minister at the end of the proceedings on the previous occasion. Is the Garda advice that 40% is not serious? I believe we found that 10% were novices -...

Seanad: Road Traffic (No. 2) Bill 2013: Committee Stage (5 Feb 2014)

Sean Barrett: I second the amendment.

Seanad: Standing Orders: Motion (5 Feb 2014)

Sean Barrett: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Kehoe. I am glad that the position regarding the two CPPs has been clarified. Should the Oireachtas, in its wisdom, decide that this House and its Members should have a role to play in respect of this matter, then I would welcome that. I appreciate what Senator Byrne, who is a person with legal training, said. The Senator always places his...

Seanad: Order of Business (5 Feb 2014)

Sean Barrett: It is reported that this week the IMF will declare that the Central Bank is, "materially non-compliant in its supervision of foreign banks". Parliament in its role as the watchdog must be concerned. Our banking problems started when the German authorities assumed that the DEPFA Bank was being regulated by us and we assumed that it was being regulated by the Germans. The Germans paid up but...

Seanad: Order of Business (4 Feb 2014)

Sean Barrett: I welcome the holding by the Royal Irish Academy of a symposium on bicameralism today. I hope the House will be able to debate the papers and proceedings from this meeting when they are published. Senators Paul Coghlan and I have been to the wicket already. Senator Maurice Manning is acting as an umpire and Senator Zappone will speak later at this highly commendable endeavour. I am...

Seanad: Humanitarian Situation in Syria, South Sudan and Central African Republic: Statements (30 Jan 2014)

Sean Barrett: I welcome the Minister of State. I agree with all of what my colleagues have been saying on this topic and about the Minister of State. A few months ago, some students of mine and I met the Minister of State on the plinth and they received an instant tutorial on whatever he was working on. They will remember it for a very long time. I thank the Minister of State for that. His enthusiasm...

Seanad: Order of Business (30 Jan 2014)

Sean Barrett: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Order of Business (30 Jan 2014)

Sean Barrett: I echo the calls for debate. We must establish why the political parties, Government and opinion polls were so wrong. People wanted the Seanad's unique contribution to governance to be retained and not to have it dominated, as heretofore, by the political parties.

Seanad: Order of Business (30 Jan 2014)

Sean Barrett: I join in the tributes to former Senator John Carty and the condolences to his relatives. I also sympathise with Deputy Michael McGrath on the passing this week of his brother in Cork. As my group leader is in hospital, he was not present yesterday during the debate to which Senator Ivana Bacik has referred. The Minister of State, Deputy Paul Kehoe, spoke exactly as a representative of the...

Seanad: Order of Business (30 Jan 2014)

Sean Barrett: The voting record shows it.

Seanad: Order of Business (30 Jan 2014)

Sean Barrett: That is what the Members opposite did. How can they interpret a mandate they never got? The position they advocated was rejected, particularly in the Dublin area and overwhelmingly in all middle-class and working-class constituencies. The Senators opposite ought to reflect on that. It was an overwhelming rejection of the way the Dáil operates. Against us were Fine Gael, the Labour...

Seanad: Seanad Reform: Motion (29 Jan 2014)

Sean Barrett: The same is true of Senator Coghlan.

Seanad: Freedom of Information Act 1997 (Prescribed Bodies) Regulations 2014: Motion (29 Jan 2014)

Sean Barrett: I welcome the Minister to the House, as well as his amendment to the freedom of information legislation. Irish Water, which has had a dreadful start, needs to be brought under the freedom of information legislation. It should also come under the remit of the Comptroller and Auditor General as to how it spends money. I must commend the chairman of the Oireachtas environment committee,...

Seanad: Freedom of Information Act 1997 (Prescribed Bodies) Regulations 2014: Motion (29 Jan 2014)

Sean Barrett: We tried to have the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform’s guidelines for capital projects included in the legislation. However, we ran into the proverbial brick wall. Why is an energy regulator regulating water? Is it not a specialised field? Water engineers in the United Kingdom wanted to spend €27.4 billion between 2000 and 2015 on water services which was cut back...

Seanad: Order of Business (28 Jan 2014)

Sean Barrett: The report on the fatal air crash at Cork Airport on 10 February 2011 was published today. It made strong criticisms of the Spanish authorities as the plane that crashed was licensed there. The report referred to inadequate command training, as well as inadequate checking and oversight of the operation by both Flightline, the Spanish airline involved, and the Spanish aviation authorities....

Seanad: European Parliament Elections (Amendment) Bill 2013: Second Stage (23 Jan 2014)

Sean Barrett: I welcome the Minister and thank and wish Senator Rónán Mullen well in his endeavours. It is a pity we are continuing the process of reducing the number of MEPs from Ireland. We have lost about a third as I understand we had 16 at one time. The number is being continuously reduced. We need that representation and support in the European Parliament. John Bruton, the previous...

Seanad: Order of Business (23 Jan 2014)

Sean Barrett: I support what Senator Darragh O'Brien said about the anniversary of the murder of Garda Adrian Donohoe. I extend our sympathies to the people of Lordship and Ballymascanlon and to the Garda and hope people will come forward to the Garda and the PSNI, because it is a joint investigation, to bring the perpetrators to justice. I wish to express concern over the banking inquiry. As reported...

Seanad: Standards in Public Office Commission Membership: Motions (22 Jan 2014)

Sean Barrett: I welcome the Minister and thank him for his nominations. One could conclude from the appointments that the number of surnames in Ireland is limited as it is proposed to replace two Smiths with two O'Keeffes.