Results 2,941-2,960 of 4,717 for speaker:Martin Mansergh

Seanad: Order of Business. (21 Mar 2006)

Martin Mansergh: Caveat emptor.

Seanad: Order of Business. (21 Mar 2006)

Martin Mansergh: I salute the sporting successes of the last week, in particular, the outstanding performance of the Irish equestrian industry at Cheltenham. It is a vindication of the policy framework to support the industry established in 1969 by one of our great Ministers for Finance, Mr. Charles J. Haughey.

Seanad: Order of Business. (21 Mar 2006)

Martin Mansergh: I look forward to any comments the Leader may make about Tipperary-trained racehorse, War of Attrition, and the illusion of its owner that he might have died and gone to heaven. On behalf of Senator Bradford and myself, it is an honour to have been nominated to this House by the Irish Thoroughbred Breeders Association. I hope that in any reform of the Seanad the nominating bodies will...

Seanad: Use of Irish Airports: Motion. (8 Mar 2006)

Martin Mansergh: And the Senator's party will behave in exactly the same way when it is in Government.

Seanad: Use of Irish Airports: Motion. (8 Mar 2006)

Martin Mansergh: We are a disciplined party.

Seanad: Use of Irish Airports: Motion. (8 Mar 2006)

Martin Mansergh: Free party — that is a cop-out.

Seanad: Use of Irish Airports: Motion. (8 Mar 2006)

Martin Mansergh: I will cut to the chase. I accept the bona fides behind the original drafting of the motion——

Seanad: Use of Irish Airports: Motion. (8 Mar 2006)

Martin Mansergh: ——and that it was meant to extend the role of the Seanad and so on but to conclude the point just made, this is strictly an Opposition motion. I do not believe that the parties opposite, if they were in Government, would put forward or support this motion. I have an old-fashioned, de Valerian view, namely, that sensitive matters of foreign policy are for the Government to decide and it...

Seanad: Use of Irish Airports: Motion. (8 Mar 2006)

Martin Mansergh: ——cut across by the Oireachtas. The Senators opposite should read the Official Report of the debates on the aspects of the Constitution dealing with foreign policy. The Government should determine foreign policy and if the Senators opposite do not like the foreign policy, from time to time elections are held in which they can elect a different Government.

Seanad: Use of Irish Airports: Motion. (8 Mar 2006)

Martin Mansergh: Which country is searching those planes?

Seanad: Use of Irish Airports: Motion. (8 Mar 2006)

Martin Mansergh: No. He was right.

Seanad: Use of Irish Airports: Motion. (8 Mar 2006)

Martin Mansergh: What about the work permits for 40 million Poles?

Seanad: Use of Irish Airports: Motion. (8 Mar 2006)

Martin Mansergh: Perhaps the Senator will talk to his leader.

Seanad: Decentralisation Programme: Statements. (8 Mar 2006)

Martin Mansergh: I welcome the Minister of State and his officials to the House. I congratulate them on the work they are doing in making this a reality. A reference was made to "brass neck". With the amount of Opposition and media flak around, the Minister of State might well need such a brass neck. He is doing very well and is showing much steadiness under fire, for which I compliment him. The Minister of...

Seanad: Decentralisation Programme: Statements. (8 Mar 2006)

Martin Mansergh: I did not interrupt the Senator's speech once, although I might have been tempted to do so.

Seanad: Decentralisation Programme: Statements. (8 Mar 2006)

Martin Mansergh: The situation is presented as if the glass is 98% empty, instead of looking at all the positive progress. My criticism is not only of the Opposition; it is also of the Dublin-based media which has presented a grossly distorted view of what is happening. Decentralisation may not be happening quite as fast as originally planned, but according to the newspapers, nothing has happened and the...

Seanad: Decentralisation Programme: Statements. (8 Mar 2006)

Martin Mansergh: This was subsequently put into the programme for Government. The manifesto stated that decentralisation would be to those towns which had some difficulty in attracting industry. There was only one passing reference to decentralisation in the national spatial strategy, which was mainly about the location of private services, industrial investment and so on. If one were to take the national...

Seanad: Decentralisation Programme: Statements. (8 Mar 2006)

Martin Mansergh: What would an alternative Government do about decentralisation? Would it be committed to seeing the plans carried through? Would it call the whole thing to a halt? Such a scenario happened twice before. In 1981, a decentralisation programme was announced, but it was cancelled by the former Minister, Mr. John Bruton, whose brother is the finance spokesperson of Fine Gael. In 1982,...

Seanad: Decentralisation Programme: Statements. (8 Mar 2006)

Martin Mansergh: It had nothing to do with the 1977 election manifesto.

Seanad: Decentralisation Programme: Statements. (8 Mar 2006)

Martin Mansergh: Decentralisation saves money.