Results 3,661-3,680 of 5,046 for speaker:Paschal Mooney

Seanad: Whistleblower Legislation: Motion (29 Jun 2011)

Paschal Mooney: The Chair notes the Senator's comments but it is not a point of order.

Seanad: Whistleblower Legislation: Motion (29 Jun 2011)

Paschal Mooney: I am most reluctant, as always, to interrupt the Senator in his prime but he has now exceeded his time.

Seanad: Whistleblower Legislation: Motion (29 Jun 2011)

Paschal Mooney: Does the Minister wish to make his contribution?

Seanad: Whistleblower Legislation: Motion (29 Jun 2011)

Paschal Mooney: Yes, although I regret that I was not able to respond as quickly as I should have because I was otherwise engaged. For the sake of clarity, Senator Norris's proposals are just that; as I explained earlier to Senator Ó Clochartaigh, only one amendment can be before the House at any one time and the Chair has not received any indication of further amendments and we do not recognise them. It...

Seanad: School Transport: Statements (28 Jun 2011)

Paschal Mooney: I welcome the Minister of State. The last Government initiated these changes to the school transport scheme under the value for money initiative to improve the efficiency of the service. The Government is now implementing the measures it opposed last December. Likewise, it has refused to reverse decisions taken by the Fianna Fáil-Green Party Government in respect of a cap on special needs...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (28 Jun 2011)

Paschal Mooney: I had not intended contributing on this section, mainly because I would have been interested to hear the Minister's comments on other sections. My good friend and colleague, Senator Bradford, either by accident or design has now effectively talked out the Bill on just one section. We are all entitled to make contributions. The Government which had Mr. Charlie McCreevy as Minister for...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (28 Jun 2011)

Paschal Mooney: That is a debate for another day.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (28 Jun 2011)

Paschal Mooney: No economic stimulus has worked anywhere. That is the point I am making.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (28 Jun 2011)

Paschal Mooney: Issues have been addressed in this debate and Sinn Féin has put down an amendment. It is interesting that several bodies and institutions which represent the aged seem to have a very serious problem with the issue. There is also the problem of the gap year going forward. Perhaps the Government should consider contracts entered into by employers insisting that people leave at 65 years of...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (28 Jun 2011)

Paschal Mooney: I hope the decision made by the Government to guillotine the debate on the Bill will be a salutary lesson for those on this side of the House that it is something inherently anti-democratic. On a Bill with 43 sections, we have reached section 6.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (28 Jun 2011)

Paschal Mooney: This is the first example for new Members of the House of just how inherently anti-democratic is the guillotine process.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (28 Jun 2011)

Paschal Mooney: It never happened during the last Seanad.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (28 Jun 2011)

Paschal Mooney: It rarely happened. It was a matter of principle. The previous Leader of the House said it was a matter of principle not to guillotine debates.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (28 Jun 2011)

Paschal Mooney: One cannot argue one side and then the other.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (28 Jun 2011)

Paschal Mooney: This section relates to the jobs initiative in the context of halving the lower 8.5% rate of employers' PRSI where reckonable earnings in a week do not exceed €356. The lower 8.5% rate comprises a social insurance contribution of 7.8% and the national training levy of 0.7%. The section provides for the halving of the social insurance contribution and the national training levy. The...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (28 Jun 2011)

Paschal Mooney: I confess I admire the Minister's bravura in the context of indicating that if this initiative does not work by 2013 she expects industry to hand it back gladly. As this Government is finding out and as the last Government found out much to its electoral cost and otherwise, when one gives something to people and then tries to take it back, human nature being what it is, the people take to...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (28 Jun 2011)

Paschal Mooney: I am grateful to the Minister for her clarity. I can understand the reasons and motivation behind Senator Healy Eames's amendment. I pose the question in the context of the Minister's emphasis, and rightly so, on consumer confidence. As the Minister will be aware, as late as this morning or yesterday, the latest consumer confidence index shows a 2% drop from 58% down to 56%. I understand...

Seanad: Order of Business (28 Jun 2011)

Paschal Mooney: The Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources has issued licences to two companies, in what is referred to as the Lough Allen basin but takes in the counties of Cavan, Leitrim, Sligo and Roscommon, in order to involve themselves in exploratory mining to assess the natural gas potential of the acreage in the area. Already, this has generated considerable concern especially...

Seanad: Order of Business (28 Jun 2011)

Paschal Mooney: One last thing and most important of all, in support of Senator Norris, I second the motion, primarily on the basis of principle. As the Cathaoirleach is aware, the former Leader of the House made it a point of principle that during Government time there would be no guillotines.

Seanad: Order of Business (28 Jun 2011)

Paschal Mooney: I second the amendment to the Order of Business.