Results 3,061-3,080 of 3,550 for speaker:Dominic Hannigan

Seanad: Seanad Reform: Motion (11 Mar 2009)

Dominic Hannigan: I am not sure whether another day or another report would help. I spoke about Seanad reform here in November 2007, and while the world outside has changed a great deal since, very little has changed as regards the way we do our business. My opinion remains the same as it was then. During the week Senator O'Toole praised the work we do here and mentioned legislation such as the Charities...

Seanad: Seanad Reform: Motion (11 Mar 2009)

Dominic Hannigan: I would like to share time with Senator Kelly, with the permission of the House. I welcome the Minister. Like many Senators before me, I welcome the opportunity to debate this motion and commend Senator O'Toole for bringing it forward. Senator Ormonde spoke about the need for a longer debate on this issue. We have been debating it for the last 60 years, so we need to see some finality.

Seanad: Irish Language: Statements (11 Mar 2009)

Dominic Hannigan: Is mian liom fáilte a chur roimh an Aire. Tá Seachtain na Gaeilge ar siúl faoi láthair. Cuirim fáilte roimh an díospóireacht atá ar siúl sa Teach inniu. Tugann an ócáid seo deis dom mo obair bhaile a dhéanamh. Téann mé go dtí rang Gaeilge gach seachtain sa Teach seo. An tseachtain seo caite, d'iarr an múinteoir orainn Gaeilge a labhairt sa Seanad. B'fhéidir nach bhfuil...

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed). (11 Mar 2009)

Dominic Hannigan: Is mian liom fáilte a chur roimh an díospóireacht a bheidh ar súil tráthnóna. Níl a lán ama againn ach beidh seans againn oráid a dhéanamh. Like Senator Butler, I also seek a review of the national development plan and wish to see job creation schemes put first. However, it is important not to simply end up with a series of white elephants and to avoid going down the famine road....

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed). (11 Mar 2009)

Dominic Hannigan: While not dwelling on that point, my question is serious. In many of the new towns and villages that have sprung up and have been developed over the past ten years, there are no facilities for young people. They are moved on from dwelling to dwelling or from street to street with nowhere to go and nowhere to hang out in the absence of cafés and youth centres. This issue must be addressed,...

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed). (11 Mar 2009)

Dominic Hannigan: I seek a review and a debate on that issue.

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed). (11 Mar 2009)

Dominic Hannigan: On a point of order, the Electoral (Amendment) Bill was also guillotined.

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed). (11 Mar 2009)

Dominic Hannigan: It is not just one Bill, that is the point.

Seanad: Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission: Motion (10 Mar 2009)

Dominic Hannigan: I thank Senator Bacik for sharing time. I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Conor Lenihan. I am pleased to have an opportunity to discuss this issue, if for no other reason than to recognise the distinguished work of Mr. Justice Kevin Haugh whose untimely death led to the vacancy on the board of the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission. As the first person to chair the commission...

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Mar 2009)

Dominic Hannigan: As a graduate of the faculty of engineering and architecture at UCD, I am well aware of the problems facing many graduates in the construction industry. They are borne out in today's figures for CAO applications, which show a considerable decrease in the number of people applying to study architecture and engineering in college. Last week, I called for a debate on the issue of apprentices in...

Seanad: Order of Business (5 Mar 2009)

Dominic Hannigan: Senators spoke about the job losses we are experiencing. Last night, 30 apprentices from SR Technics, a firm in north County Dublin which is under threat of closure, visited the House. These apprentices are halfway through their courses, which they will not be able to complete if the company decides to pull out of the country. I am aware that many apprentices throughout the country face a...

Seanad: Order of Business (5 Mar 2009)

Dominic Hannigan: I support Senators' calls for a debate in advance of the forthcoming mini-budget. The House must have a detailed discussion on tax rates. Many people are calling for a widening of the tax band. As my colleague in the other House, Deputy Burton, has discovered, many people can afford to pay a little more. They should be asked to come forward to the table. For instance, the 30,000 people...

Seanad: Order of Business (26 Feb 2009)

Dominic Hannigan: This issue is about fairness and not about public versus private sector workers, as has been stated by Senators McCarthy, Norris and O'Reilly. It is about whether people are paying their fair share and the workers outside Leinster House are representative of the least well-off sectors of our society. It is vital that we take them along with us but we will not do so in the current strife...

Seanad: Middle East Conflict: Motion (26 Feb 2009)

Dominic Hannigan: As we discuss this topic here, talks are continuing on the formation of a new government in Israel. This comes just weeks after one of the worst series of atrocities carried out against the Palestinian people in the past 40 years. We in the Labour Party have consistently condemned the actions taken, which are contrary to the principles of international law. Anyone who has read our party...

Seanad: Development of the West: Statements (24 Feb 2009)

Dominic Hannigan: I welcome the Minister to the House and commend Senator Doherty for the significant amount of work and commitment that has gone into the recent report on awakening the west. It is clear, concise, realistic and full of recommendations that would make a considerable impact if enacted. I am pleased to be able to debate some of the issues. Rather than dealing with all of the issues, many of...

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Feb 2009)

Dominic Hannigan: I join Senator Leyden in calling for action on the whole issue of electricity prices and the ESB. Prices can be reduced. Last year the ESB made hundreds of millions of euro in profits. People desperately need cuts in their monthly bills and they would certainly welcome it. The fact that electronic billing has been introduced will obviously cut ESB costs so it can afford to reduce prices....

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Feb 2009)

Dominic Hannigan: It must be done now.

Seanad: Garda Investigations (18 Feb 2009)

Dominic Hannigan: I welcome the Minister of State. I wish to raise the issue of the failure of the Garda Síochána to return the personal effects of a gentleman who was murdered in Gorey in 1994. I supplied the name of the gentleman to the Seanad Office. In the years since the murder, the Garda held on to the personal effects of the victim, specifically items of clothing and a wristwatch. The...

Seanad: Garda Investigations (18 Feb 2009)

Dominic Hannigan: I appreciate the Minister of State's response, including his offering of condolences. I think he said at the end that an apology will be made for the mistakes that were made in this case. That would go a long way. I would like to clarify one aspect of the response. I agree totally that evidence needs to be retained when a murder investigation is under way. In this instance, however, the...

Seanad: National Insulation Programme: Motion (18 Feb 2009)

Dominic Hannigan: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Seán Power, to the House. I also welcome this sensible cost-effective creative scheme, which nobody in this House should oppose. Beyond that, this motion is a waste of time. As Senator O'Toole mentioned, we have been talking about this for a long time. Indeed, we have probably debated this matter to death, not just in this House but in the other...