Results 30,901-30,920 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (15 Dec 2010)

Joan Burton: Question 49: To ask the Minister for Defence if, arising from the Budget 2011 announcement, he will outline the acquisition of replacement equipment and the building and maintenance projects that will be deferred or cancelled; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47260/10]

Written Answers — Defence Forces Recruitment: Defence Forces Recruitment (15 Dec 2010)

Joan Burton: Question 55: To ask the Minister for Defence the number of civilian posts that are likely to be shed as a result of the Budget 2011 decision to reduce the number of such posts; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47259/10]

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (15 Dec 2010)

Joan Burton: Question 104: To ask the Minister for Finance if, in the case of post-1995 public servants, the State pension will be taken into account for the purposes of the reductions to public service pensions as announced in the 2011 budget; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47448/10]

Credit Institutions (Stabilisation) Bill 2010: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (15 Dec 2010)

Joan Burton: I wish to ask the Minister some questions in respect of the Labour Party amendment No. 1. Although the Minister explained his thinking on section 53, I am not convinced that this section does not give the Minister extraordinary powers that are outside the scope of the Constitution and I refer specifically to Article 15 of the Constitution. When the Minister spoke before the adjournment of...

Credit Institutions (Stabilisation) Bill 2010: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (15 Dec 2010)

Joan Burton: We want to hear about the revival of Anglo Irish Bank.

Credit Institutions (Stabilisation) Bill 2010: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (15 Dec 2010)

Joan Burton: We are anxious for a vote.

Credit Institutions (Stabilisation) Bill 2010: Committee Stage (15 Dec 2010)

Joan Burton: I move amendment No. 1: In page 9, subsection (1), to delete line 13 and substitute the following: "2.-----(1) Nothing in section 53 shall be construed as enabling orders to be made under this Act which purport to have the effect of making or changing laws, within the meaning of subsection 2 of section 1 of Article 15 of the Constitution. (2) In this Act-----." The purpose of this amendment...

Credit Institutions (Stabilisation) Bill 2010: Committee Stage (15 Dec 2010)

Joan Burton: I am addressing what the Minister is proposing to do but what he has not actually addressed.

Credit Institutions (Stabilisation) Bill 2010: Committee Stage (15 Dec 2010)

Joan Burton: I will read the substance of the amendment again. It states: Nothing in section 53 shall be construed as enabling orders to be made under this Act which purport to have the effect of making or changing laws, within the meaning of subsection 2 of section 1 of Article 15 of the Constitution. It is the Labour Party's view that the powers the Minister is seeking to confer on himself in section...

Credit Institutions (Stabilisation) Bill 2010: Committee Stage (15 Dec 2010)

Joan Burton: -----is override.

Credit Institutions (Stabilisation) Bill 2010: Second Stage (15 Dec 2010)

Joan Burton: Today's stopgap Bill is too little, too late. It is too late because the horse has bolted since the expiry of the original bank guarantee, and too little because it does nothing to address the treatment of liabilities other than subordinated bondholders. It fails to address the issue of senior bondholders now out of the guarantee, the debts for whom amount up to €20 billion. Had a...

Credit Institutions (Stabilisation) Bill 2010: Second Stage (15 Dec 2010)

Joan Burton: The Bill also covers the credit unions. Given the importance of the credit unions in the fabric of Irish community, social, family and business life I am disappointed that the Minister has not explained the implications for the credit union movement of its inclusion in the Bill. I made recommendations to the Minister in a previous debate, which he promised to consider, regarding proper...

Credit Institutions (Stabilisation) Bill 2010: Second Stage (15 Dec 2010)

Joan Burton: I am pleased someone from the United States Embassy committed this in cables from the ambassador because the tone of the cables represents exactly the type of advice and brush-off that the Department of Finance gave to people such as myself when we questioned the notion that nothing was wrong other than a little liquidity problem in the Irish banks that would right itself by the subsequent...

Order of Business (15 Dec 2010)

Joan Burton: The Labour Party objects to this Bill being taken today. This Bill could probably teach the North Koreans a lesson in ministerial powers, because-----

Order of Business (15 Dec 2010)

Joan Burton: Outside of totalitarian regimes, I do not believe there has been a proposal to give powers like this to a Minister for Finance. We have received legal advice from a number of sources which agree that section 53 is more than likely unconstitutional, because it seeks to replace the law-making powers of the Oireachtas within the Constitution and transfer them to the Minister for Finance.

Order of Business (15 Dec 2010)

Joan Burton: The later Schedules to this Bill provide for the disemboweling of the National Pensions Reserve Fund in two parts; one for the banks and one for spending-----

Order of Business (15 Dec 2010)

Joan Burton: You are interrupting me when I am speaking. The second power in respect of the National Pensions Reserve Fund is a power to the Minister for Finance to devote what he can of that fund to capital expenditure. It is a Fianna Fáil election slush fund.

Order of Business (15 Dec 2010)

Joan Burton: It is proposed to turn-----

Order of Business (15 Dec 2010)

Joan Burton: May I finish speaking?

Order of Business (15 Dec 2010)

Joan Burton: I made two points about this Bill. Section 53 is clearly unconstitutional because it provides most extraordinary powers to the Minister for Finance.