Results 3,961-3,980 of 4,414 for speaker:Sean Barrett

Seanad: Ombudsman (Amendment) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (4 Oct 2012)

Sean Barrett: I thank the Minister. My fear is that the broad power of the Minister under section 4(1A)(1)(b)(ii)-----

Seanad: Ombudsman (Amendment) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (4 Oct 2012)

Sean Barrett: I was asking what the Ombudsman could do if we did not have the exemption status. According to the section to which I refer, she could investigate any entity that is financed wholly or partly, whether directly or indirectly, by means of moneys provided from the Exchequer. Taxpayers have that entitlement. That is my concern about exemptions. They know where one is when they are looking for...

Seanad: Ombudsman (Amendment) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (4 Oct 2012)

Sean Barrett: The decision on that issue has to be reviewed somewhere. We are trying to develop tourism, through The Gathering etc., and in a strange process, we increase airport charges at the same time.

Seanad: Ombudsman (Amendment) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (4 Oct 2012)

Sean Barrett: The regulator in that case acted at the behest of the airport authority and to the detriment of the rest of us in the country. That is what I say to a 41% increase in charges. If there is a general power that anybody who looks for public money under section 4 is reviewable, we should specify the exemptions - the concept of which is wrong anyway - in a section of the Act rather than have a...

Seanad: Ombudsman (Amendment) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (4 Oct 2012)

Sean Barrett: I move amendment No. 2: In page 3, lines 26 and 27, to delete ?or an exempt agency?.Seeing the two Wexford men on the other side of the House, I am reminded of the line, ?To burst in twain the galling chain and free our native land?. That is the objective we all have and I am here to assist the Minister to make a major breakthrough in our democracy. No agencies should be exempt from...

Seanad: Ombudsman (Amendment) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (4 Oct 2012)

Sean Barrett: While cheerleading is not allowed in the House, the Minister would enjoy my support if he were to reduce the six month period. I suggest a period of three months should apply. Perhaps he will consider before Committee Stage whether the legislation can be commenced sooner, but we will leave the matter to his judgment.

Seanad: Ombudsman (Amendment) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (4 Oct 2012)

Sean Barrett: I do not agree with the decision to group 15 amendments together. Amendment No. 33 amounts to three pages of legislation, while amendment No. 34 amounts to four pages. Each of the amendments in the group raises serious issues and teasing them out individually would help in the preparation of the Bill. Too much is being swept into one set of amendments in which different issues arise. If,...

Seanad: Ombudsman (Amendment) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (4 Oct 2012)

Sean Barrett: I agree with the Minister that the Second Stage debate was very useful. The observation was made during that debate that this type of legislation is necessary because Sir Humphrey is not a natural democrat. In these grim times, when so much of the reform is stymied by a regrettable lack of funding, it is important that we examine every opportunity to enhance accountability and scrutiny in...

Seanad: Order of Business (4 Oct 2012)

Sean Barrett: Senator Ivana Bacik referred to the Ombudsman (Amendment) Bill which we will be discussing presently. I agree that it was a terrific debate last week, when we heard phrases such as "pane of glass" and so on. Unfortunately, the Bill that will be before us later will mean that 110 agencies will be exempt, whereas the number was 60 before we started the debate. We all praised the Ombudsman,...

Seanad: Order of Business (4 Oct 2012)

Sean Barrett: We had measures to abolish the Seanad and get rid of the stresses on accountability and checks and balances, but how, in one week, did an extra 50 agencies manage to exempt themselves to avoid the attention of the Ombudsman? I want to know who has been going up the back stairs of Government Buildings. This is lobbying at its worst.

Seanad: Radical Seanad Reform Through Legislative Change: Statements (3 Oct 2012)

Sean Barrett: I thank Senators Katherine Zappone and Feargal Quinn for bringing this proposal before the House. I also thank the Leader, the Cathaoirleach and the Leas-Chathaoirleach for their contributions. Although I have no direct experience of anything that went before, this Seanad, which contains 42 new Members, has proved its worth in the past 18 months. This country was not bankrupted by Members...

Seanad: Order of Business (3 Oct 2012)

Sean Barrett: In today?s Irish Independent it is pointed out that in the first nine months of the year taxation rose from ¤26.1 billion to ¤28.5 billion. I make that a rise of approximately 9.2%. At the same time current Government expenditure rose by ¤125 million. Those numbers are extremely serious in the context of the Leader organising pre-budget debates. It means the entire burden of adjusting...

Seanad: Thirty-First Amendment of the Constitution (Children) Bill 2012: Second Stage (2 Oct 2012)

Sean Barrett: I welcome the Minister. I echo and support everything said about her in bringing forward this legislation, including her clarity, thoughtfulness and coolness in the way she has presented it. This debate could become somewhat fraught, but I do not think it will under the Minister?s guidance. The Minister was a Member of this House, as was the late Mr. Gordon Wilson. At the time when he...

Seanad: Order of Business (2 Oct 2012)

Sean Barrett: Yesterday, the Irish Independent carried a story on its front page which indicated that health insurance premiums would increase by ¤200 this year to cover the costs of looking after old people. I ask the Leader to raise with the Minister some of the efficiency issues Senators discussed with him last week. The Milliman review, which examined the issue of ageing by comparing data for 2010...

Seanad: Smarter Travel: Statements (27 Sep 2012)

Sean Barrett: The Acting Chairman mentioned that the Minister of State was a Member of this House before. As I am a new Member, our paths did not cross. These are most exciting developments and I wish the Minister of State well. The energy in his script is impressive and pleasant to see. I wonder what we can do about schools. AA Roadwatch tells us that traffic is lighter when schools are on holidays...

Seanad: Order of Business (27 Sep 2012)

Sean Barrett: A headline today, which is meant to cheer us in some way, indicates that house prices have shown the biggest monthly gain in five years, with hopes of recovery for homeowners. This is nothing of the sort as the increase is 0.5%. This issue should be debated as part of the Leader's preparation for the budget, as it will be the base for the property tax. This must be weighed against people...

Seanad: Life-Limiting Health Conditions in Children: Motion (26 Sep 2012)

Sean Barrett: I support the motion and regret the terms of the Government amendment to it. Less than a couple of hours ago, the Minister for Health was impressing Members hugely in this Chamber. It was a great debate in which he thanked Members, they thanked him and a spirit of camaraderie, friendship and so on obtained. He proposed to abolish the Health Service Executive, is working to this end and...

Seanad: School Transport: Statements (26 Sep 2012)

Sean Barrett: I welcome the Minister. I note from his speech that the cost of the school transport scheme is ¤170 million per annum and that some 114,000 pupils are availing of it. If my arithmetic is correct, this amounts to an individual cost of ¤1,400 per year. I know schemes other than that of the Department with a different limit and in respect of which the catchment area is half suburban and...

Seanad: Health Service Executive (Governance) Bill 2012: Second Stage (26 Sep 2012)

Sean Barrett: I have had discussions with the Minister in the House on this issue and I am glad to conclude in the time limit. Milliman pointed out - I know the Minister sent it back into VHI - that people were being kept in hospital for 11.6 days when the average length of stay according to best practice was 3.7. We will end up with a hugely expensive system if we keep people in hospitals for an...

Seanad: Health Service Executive (Governance) Bill 2012: Second Stage (26 Sep 2012)

Sean Barrett: I welcome the Minister. As I said the last time he was here, he occupies probably the most demanding post in Irish public life. Perhaps "disagencification" might be the word for this in that we are trying to get rid of agencies and restore ministerial responsibility which, as the previous speaker said, we were discussing with the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform earlier. Looking...