Results 35,321-35,340 of 35,959 for speaker:Pearse Doherty

Seanad: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Bill 2009: Motion for Early Signature (18 Dec 2009)

Pearse Doherty: The Government has cut the pay of public sector workers who will return to work in the first week of January, whereas Deputies and Senators will not return to the House until the third week of the month, having taken their holidays one week before everyone else.

Seanad: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Bill 2009: Report and Final Stages (18 Dec 2009)

Pearse Doherty: I move amendment No. 1: In page 9, to delete lines 43 to 46, and in page 10, to delete lines 1 to 17. This amendment is opposing section 6 of the Bill. I can understand the rationale behind the text in question, which allows the Minister to exempt a particular class of public servants from the provisions of section 2. One would like to think the Minister would, in the new year, exempt large...

Seanad: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Bill 2009: Report and Final Stages (18 Dec 2009)

Pearse Doherty: I thank the Minister of State for his reply. As I noted at the outset, I acknowledge the reason this section has been included in the legislation. Unfortunately however, this comes down to the issue of trust as this provision confers on the Minister the power to alter the relevant provisions dealing with the cuts and allows him to exempt groups. As I noted previously, the problem is that...

Seanad: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Bill 2009: Committee Stage (18 Dec 2009)

Pearse Doherty: On that point, I agree with my colleague, Senator Alex White. The Minister of State has indicated that an additional cut will apply to the Taoiseach's pay. Having read the legislation, I have not found this cut. It should be in the legislation in black and white. Will another voluntary cut be made to make up the difference? I fundamentally oppose the section. As the Minister of State is...

Seanad: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Bill 2009: Committee Stage (18 Dec 2009)

Pearse Doherty: This measure is not aimed at chairpersons of State boards who earn up to €500,000 or other public sector workers on high salaries but people in our constituencies. To amplify my earlier point, based on the most accurate information the Department can furnish, two thirds of public sector workers in County Donegal earn less than €20,000 per annum. The measures proposed will reduce their...

Seanad: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (18 Dec 2009)

Pearse Doherty: I am sure the Minister of State is well aware of the number of people earning under €30,000 and under €100,000. It is important to correct the information presented in this House. It is not the case that hundreds are on large salaries; thousands are on large salaries. Some 15,000 public sector workers earn over €100,000 per annum. Some are earning up to €500,000 and it is...

Seanad: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (18 Dec 2009)

Pearse Doherty: Section 2 deals with the cuts we will impose on public sector workers. I appeal to the Minister of State that it is not about making savings in the public sector. Sinn Féin has never argued for cuts of €1.3 billion. I urge the Minister of State to amend this section accordingly. Sinn Féin does not believe that €1.3 billion of savings should be made in the public sector. We disagree...

Seanad: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (18 Dec 2009)

Pearse Doherty: I apologise, but I want to go back through my earlier point. Perhaps the way in which I articulated it was not clear enough or the Minister of State has deliberately not understood my comments. I will try to make it simple. Regarding the cuts in section 2 specifically, I want the Minister of State to clarify something for me. From the figures furnished to us by his Department, two thirds...

Seanad: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (18 Dec 2009)

Pearse Doherty: This is crucial. I have to cast a vote on this legislation.

Seanad: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (18 Dec 2009)

Pearse Doherty: To be fair, the Minister of State has asked me to refer to a table that is dealing with self-employed people.

Seanad: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (18 Dec 2009)

Pearse Doherty: We are dealing with legislation-----

Seanad: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (18 Dec 2009)

Pearse Doherty: I understand that. The Cathaoirleach is chairing proceedings in a very fair way. This is about fairness. The core of this legislation is what is in these tables. It is a simple question I have asked. I need to understand, with regard to the difference in pay between this month and next month as a result of this section, whether the person earning under €20,000 who is outside the tax...

Seanad: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (18 Dec 2009)

Pearse Doherty: The Minister of State is embarrassed to stand up and say that. This legislation is completely unjust and unfair. It is attacking the lowest income earners. It is not about their income. I understand they will take a larger decrease in terms of euro but in terms of percentage, when we compare one pay cheque against the next, the fact is the higher income earner is paying tax at the higher...

Seanad: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (18 Dec 2009)

Pearse Doherty: Will the higher income earner pay less or more in percentage terms?

Seanad: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (18 Dec 2009)

Pearse Doherty: That is not the question I asked.

Seanad: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (18 Dec 2009)

Pearse Doherty: That is not the question I asked.

Seanad: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (18 Dec 2009)

Pearse Doherty: The Minister of State is ashamed to answer the question I have asked him.

Seanad: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (18 Dec 2009)

Pearse Doherty: He should acknowledge that the higher income earner will take less of a percentage decrease than the person on €20,000 in Donegal.

Seanad: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (18 Dec 2009)

Pearse Doherty: The Minister of State should not answer a question I did not ask him.

Seanad: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (18 Dec 2009)

Pearse Doherty: To be fair, he has replied to questions I never asked. He and the Government are ashamed to acknowledge that the higher income earners will take less of a decrease than lower income earners.