Results 21-40 of 40 for feel "party:" . (isset($parties[ucfirst("$a[1]")]) ? $parties[ucfirst("$a[1]")] : "$a[1]") speaker:Derek McDowell

Seanad: Order of Business. (27 Oct 2004)

Derek McDowell: ...shown to be fundamentally flawed, I wonder if it is possible for the President designate to come back to the Parliament with a Commission in the next three or four weeks. Like Senator Norris, I feel it is worth asking why virtually all the Irish MEPs were willing to vote for the proposed Commission. I suspect that the views which have been expressed by Mr. Buttiglione would find little...

Seanad: Medical Cards: Motion (13 Oct 2004)

Derek McDowell: ...people and persuaded them to vote for the Government. It was an important undertaking and promise on behalf of the Government parties. That in a sense emphasises the level of betrayal people feel and the hypocrisy in which the Government has engaged. It is regrettable. Speakers on the Government side such as Senator Minihan said they could not rush into this, being only seven years in...

Seanad: State Airports Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (14 Jul 2004)

Derek McDowell: ...the drawing up of the business plans. I assume that is what will happen because we will not amend the Bill. The boards must know what is expected when drawing up the business plans. I want to feel confident that the business plans will look credible in a year's time and I am not confident about that at the moment. Looking dispassionately at Shannon Airport, as the consultants have, it is...

Seanad: State Airports Bill 2004: Second Stage. (13 Jul 2004)

Derek McDowell: ..., with little input from Ireland, and the US authorities. It is well outside the scope of Aer Rianta. An independent company operating from Shannon will have no impact on it. While one intuitively feels there is scope for improvement at Shannon, I do not see how a totally independent company, as opposed to independent management which takes a certain amount of independent initiative, will...

Seanad: Barron Report: Statements. (7 Jul 2004)

Derek McDowell: ...It is an issue with which I have some difficulty. I have no problem, in principle, and I am sure nobody else does, with the notion of a victims' forum that would allow for views to be exchanged, a feeling of solidarity among victims to be nurtured, for support, counselling and so on. Something along the lines of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission that was held in South Africa...

Seanad: Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (6 Jul 2004)

Derek McDowell: ...well, then we have stasis within the service, which is not healthy. People are not incentivised to perform well. I know that many people within the Civil Service unions have doubts about this, feeling that it would vest undue discretion in managers at various points in the service and that if one is doing a certain job one should get a certain level of pay. However, most neutral observers...

Seanad: Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) Bill 2003: Second Stage. (30 Jun 2004)

Derek McDowell: ...here. Perhaps too little of that argument has been made by those of us who represent Dublin constituencies. Those on the Government benches will be aware that many civil servants living in Dublin feel under-represented, or not represented, by what is being said on the issue in these Houses in recent months by those of us on the Opposition benches genuflecting towards decentralisation and...

Seanad: Twenty-seventh Amendment of the Constitution Bill 2004: Second Stage (Resumed). (30 Apr 2004)

Derek McDowell: ...I acknowledge, as everyone does, that the Minister is not a racist, the basic tenet or purpose of this amendment is to give succour to those who are or to those who will seek to stir up racist feelings in our society. Racism is not an easy issue or something one is born with. It is not something in one's head in that some people are racist and others are not. We are all capable of racist...

Seanad: Disabilities Bill: Motion. (28 Apr 2004)

Derek McDowell: ...and is a way of articulating and giving a voice to the increasing frustration of the advocacy groups which went along with the consultation process in a spirit of good faith but which are feeling increasingly disappointed and frustrated that it has not produced the results which we all hoped for and anticipated. Amendment put.

Seanad: Finance Bill (Certified Money Bill) 2004: Second Stage. (23 Mar 2004)

Derek McDowell: ...redistributive. Harder choices must now be made and the Minister has clearly taken the decision not to make changes. This is interesting and instructive in itself. Based on previous experience, I feel the Minister and I share a similar view on tax breaks. If it can be shown that breaks are filling a need and provide a value added element, then I believe they are good. My real difficulty is...

Seanad: Air Navigation and Transport (International Conventions) Bill 2004: Second Stage. (9 Mar 2004)

Derek McDowell: ...improves conditions for passengers and cargo which is positive. This is necessary because the nature of international air travel has changed quite dramatically in recent years. It seems passengers feel the standard of service which they had come to expect is no longer available as of right and necessity. The emphasis in the past five or six years has been on low cost travel and no frills...

Seanad: Public Health (Tobacco) (Amendment) Bill 2003: Second Stage. (4 Mar 2004)

Derek McDowell: ...I agree that 29 March will be a remarkable departure if those who promised to give up smoking on that day do so. That will bring a further improvement in the numbers the Minister outlined, which I feel are already encouraging. He stated that the number of smokers was now down to 25% of the population, a reduction of 15% or 16% in a short period of time. In the past, the numbers dropped...

Seanad: Industrial Relations (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2003: Second Stage. (25 Feb 2004)

Derek McDowell: ...in a workplace who want that right in order to make it work at a practical level. It is a pity we have been unable to secure agreement in this regard and, in default of agreement, that we do not feel able to legislate on the issue. It is incorrect to state that people do not have the right to join a union; they do. It has long been established in law and is also a constitutional right. It...

Seanad: Industrial Relations (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2003: Second Stage. (25 Feb 2004)

Derek McDowell: ...of the process, particularly as it expanded over the years to include the voluntary and community sector, has tended to sideline politicians, whether in Government or Opposition. Many of us feel the need to re-establish a relationship, whether by bringing the process into this House or to the committees. We need to re-establish a better balance. I wish to address the issue of immigrant...

Seanad: Revenue Commissioners: Motion. (18 Feb 2004)

Derek McDowell: ...per year. That does not sound like an aggressive policy of prosecution; it sounds like a lenient policy. If it is the case that the Revenue Commissioners are pursuing a lenient policy and do not feel comfortable or see it as a priority to prosecute, they should say so. They should come out and say their primary purpose is to raise money, to maximise the take to the Exchequer and that when...

Seanad: FÁS Community Employment Schemes: Motion. (28 Jan 2004)

Derek McDowell: ...somewhat bleaker than that, unfortunately. In some parts of this city, volunteerism is dying on its feet. This is partly because people do not have time, partly because people working with children feel under pressure in a way they did not 20 years ago and partly because people are working to a greater extent than once was the case. The level of female participation in the workforce is...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2003 [ Certified Money Bill ] : Committee and Remaining Stages. (26 Mar 2003)

Derek McDowell: That should be done through the social contribution or PRSI system rather than the taxation system. I feel the freedom to say in this House that it would not trouble me if, for example, we looked at the exemption from PRSI or at the €100 threshold in PRSI. However, we should not take income tax from people on the minimum wage. That is the purpose of the recommendations.

Seanad: Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill 2003: Report and Final Stages. (20 Mar 2003)

Derek McDowell: ...we all have an interest in seeing pursued. Last week I sought an assurance from the Minister of State, Deputy Michael Ahern, that tax strategy group papers would be released in future. He did not feel able to give this assurance. Will the Minister assure the House that the new definition of the words "factual information" will include the tax strategy papers?

Seanad: Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (11 Mar 2003)

Derek McDowell: ...the Garda leaking information against him and he has now launched a vicious attack on one of the major offices of State, namely, that of the Information Commissioner. I can understand why he is feeling sore, but he would do us all a favour if he kept it to himself. Section 5 is relatively innocuous, but there are some causes for concern in the way it operates. The section seeks to provide...

Seanad: Order of Business. (18 Feb 2003)

Derek McDowell: ...'s edition of The Irish Times which suggest that up to 50% of young people continue to smoke. It appears most do so somewhat intolerantly of the wishes of others in that the bulk of smokers still feel quite entitled to go into pubs and restaurants and continue smoking, thereby inflicting passive smoking on others. As the debate on the issue has a long way to go, we could perform a service...