Results 3,061-3,080 of 4,465 for speaker:Jim Walsh

Seanad: Morris Tribunal: Statements (30 Oct 2008)

Jim Walsh: Senator Regan rejects Mr. Justice Morris's report.

Seanad: Morris Tribunal: Statements (30 Oct 2008)

Jim Walsh: I welcome the Minister of State to the House to debate this important report from Mr. Justice Morris. There have been eight reports, many of which have been debated previously in this House. Many changes in practice within the Garda Síochána have ensued as a consequence of these reports. As the Minister of State said, Mr. Justice Morris deserves credit. The tribunal was long and...

Seanad: Morris Tribunal: Statements (30 Oct 2008)

Jim Walsh: I do not think there was any spin on this. Mr. Justice Morris, in his report, is critical of the false allegations made anonymously through two Dáil Deputies, which impacted on the careers of two senior assistant commissioners of the Garda Síochána. I know Deputy Howlin much better than former Deputy Higgins. We come from the same constituency. He is a conviction politician and I...

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed) (29 Oct 2008)

Jim Walsh: I am getting the same vibes as Senator Healy Eames, which is that a small minority of teachers have stated they certainly should forgo the scheduled increases. I have told them this should not apply simply to teachers but throughout the public service. I agree with Fine Gael in respect of a pay pause for two years in the public service. However, this will not be sufficient. Senator...

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed) (29 Oct 2008)

Jim Walsh: If we failed——

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed) (29 Oct 2008)

Jim Walsh: I am on record in this House——

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed) (29 Oct 2008)

Jim Walsh: I am on the record of this House over a long period, as stating the benchmarking process was not sustainable. It was done at a time when public finances seemed to indicate it was okay to so do. It is not okay now and this must be recognised.

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed) (29 Oct 2008)

Jim Walsh: The public pay bill should be reduced from its current value of €19 billion to approximately €15 billion, thus saving €4 billion, and another €4 billion should be taken from the rest of current expenditure by cutting the waste which can be seen by all in every nook and cranny. Such waste occurs in every big organisation and I do not suggest this pertains solely to the public sector...

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed) (29 Oct 2008)

Jim Walsh: Unfortunately, the young people who are now in school will be consigned to a lifetime of unemployment or emigration. I do not want to see that happen again in my lifetime. Rather than taking the soft options——

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed) (29 Oct 2008)

Jim Walsh: ——I want us to make the hard decisions that are evident and necessary. It behoves us all to do that.

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed) (29 Oct 2008)

Jim Walsh: I support Senator Mullen's call for a debate on embryonic stem cell research. I, too, was appalled at what happened in UCC. I acknowledge what Senator O'Toole has said regarding our failure to bring legislation through these Houses. I am not persuaded by the spokesman for UCC who argued that it is an acceptable procedure because the embryo is destroyed prior to the removal of the stem cell...

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed) (29 Oct 2008)

Jim Walsh: We need a debate and we need action.

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed) (29 Oct 2008)

Jim Walsh: Senator Buttimer has already intervened.

Seanad: Order of Business (23 Oct 2008)

Jim Walsh: I support Senator Callely's call for the Leader to endeavour to determine, perhaps in conjunction with the leaders of other parties, what initiatives might be brought forward to promote indigenous business and industry. At a time of severe economic difficulty, we must get back to basics. Doing so represented one of the cornerstones of the approach in the past. We should consider what we...

Seanad: Order of Business (23 Oct 2008)

Jim Walsh: It is against the wishes of the employees and will give rise to job losses. We need our ideology to favour pragmatism at this difficult time. There is an air of unreality in the comments made in the debate on financial issues in recent weeks. I commend Senator Norris on his insight in stating it is time for authoritative action to be taken, particularly in the face of sectional interests....

Seanad: Order of Business (23 Oct 2008)

Jim Walsh: It is in our interest to put the national interest first. The Government parties have no option but to do that.

Seanad: Order of Business (23 Oct 2008)

Jim Walsh: The Opposition Members do in that they can either promote themselves, their parties——

Seanad: Order of Business (23 Oct 2008)

Jim Walsh: ——or the national interest. The choice is theirs.

Seanad: Broadband Infrastructure Bill 2008: Second Stage (22 Oct 2008)

Jim Walsh: Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire go dtí an Teach anocht chun an ábhair tábhachtach seo a phlé. I compliment Senator Ross and his independent colleagues on bringing forward a Private Members' Bill. Members bringing forward Bills has been a feature of the House in recent years. It is opportune that a Bill has been tabled on this subject as it allows us to discuss an important infrastructural...

Seanad: Credit Institutions (Financial Support) Act 2008: Motion (17 Oct 2008)

Jim Walsh: In July, I attended a gathering where a former senior bank executive painted a bleak picture of the overall banking situation. It set off alarm bells when he referred to the fact that the global climate had all of the ingredients present in 1929-33 during the Great Depression. Given what has unfolded, it was an insightful analysis. If this were known to someone formerly with the banks, the...