Results 401-420 of 1,934 for speaker:Tom Shehan

Seanad: Order of Business (22 Feb 2012)

Tom Shehan: What about water harvesting?

Seanad: Order of Business (16 Feb 2012)

Tom Shehan: I can only imagine how positive will be Senator Cullinane's reaction to what he termed a "progressive" property tax.

Seanad: Order of Business (16 Feb 2012)

Tom Shehan: Yes. Approximately two weeks ago, I raised the issue of the payment system relating to the household charge. I have been contacted by many people seeking to discover where and how they can pay this charge. Advertisements relating to the charge have not appeared on local radio stations or in local newspapers. People have written cheques but they do not know where to send them. Will the...

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Feb 2012)

Tom Shehan: Giving away our sovereignty was the retrograde step.

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Feb 2012)

Tom Shehan: Under the new personal insolvency Bill, insolvency trustees are to be appointed. I have checked with all third level colleges and have not come across any course one could take which would qualify one as an insolvency trustee. I ask that the Leader seek clarification from the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Shatter, on what qualifications will be required in this regard and if...

Seanad: Bretton Woods Agreements (Amendment)(No. 2) Bill 2011: Second Stage (14 Feb 2012)

Tom Shehan: I compliment Senators Mooney and Barrett on their positive attitude and approach to this agreement. I never realised there were so many economists and economic academics in the country. The majority seem to survive on one-upmanship in the context of who will be first out with the bad news. If they continue to dish out enough bad news, eventually they will get something right.

Seanad: Bretton Woods Agreements (Amendment)(No. 2) Bill 2011: Second Stage (14 Feb 2012)

Tom Shehan: That is my point. I do not know who is paying for all the economic academics. I was asked earlier to put this agreement in a nutshell. I replied that the country would be in a bad way without it. Under the proposed changes, it is positive that the management of the IMF will be directly elected. Second, Ireland will benefit by way of an interest rate reduction. Some have given figures of...

Seanad: Bretton Woods Agreements (Amendment)(No. 2) Bill 2011: Second Stage (14 Feb 2012)

Tom Shehan: Terms and conditions apply.

Seanad: Croke Park Agreement: Statements (9 Feb 2012)

Tom Shehan: I will start by quoting from a speech that the Minister of State, Deputy Brian Hayes, gave himself, as follows: We can get the number of public servants out of the system to get a small public sector. We are doing that with the co-operation of the unions, but the second aspect is whether or not we get the buy-in on reforms on things like rostering and a change in work practices. What I am...

Seanad: Croke Park Agreement: Statements (9 Feb 2012)

Tom Shehan: I am sceptical about the Croke Park agreement. Senator Byrne asked for alternatives and said that people of my opinion were creating a crisis mode. I have a serious problem with the scenario of jobs for life. I have seen people in the public sector who are not up to the job. They may suffer from burn-out or just not be capable of carrying out a job out of work, yet it is impossible to get...

Seanad: Croke Park Agreement: Statements (9 Feb 2012)

Tom Shehan: Some ground has been made up. The Minister of State asked for an alternative idea and I referred to a 5% pay cut on salaries over €65,000. Through better procurement, the Minister of State has had made savings but there is more fat and room for more savings. I suggest that officials from the Department of Finance could go into the credit unions as special managers and carry out the work...

Seanad: Croke Park Agreement: Statements (9 Feb 2012)

Tom Shehan: In an interview in the Irish Independent in December, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform was "critical of a culture of inertia and lack of ambition among some higher grade public sector workers that was hampering the determination of younger lower grade civil servants to change the public sector ethos." In the same article, he also identified a degree of inertia at middle...

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Feb 2012)

Tom Shehan: Those are wise words.

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Feb 2012)

Tom Shehan: We need a half-day or a full-day debate on mental health services. In February 2011 there was a national recruitment campaign for mental health CNM2-grade positions. Interviews were carried out for a week with approximately 400 to 500 people placed on 11 panels for the delivery of mental health services. My information is that nobody from outside the Dublin area has been recruited from...

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Feb 2012)

Tom Shehan: We need an open debate on the delivery of mental health services throughout the country. In my area the delivery of mental health services is falling apart.

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Feb 2012)

Tom Shehan: So the Senator engages with our site on a regular basis.

Seanad: Investment in Education: Motion (8 Feb 2012)

Tom Shehan: The Minister of State, Deputy Cannon, and Minister of Education and Skills, Deputy Quinn, do not want to introduce cuts but must do so because savings have to be made. Pay and pensions account for 80% of the overall education budget, with the remaining 20% allocated to run education services. As pay and pensions are protected by the Croke Park agreement, only 20% of the budget is available...

Seanad: Investment in Education: Motion (8 Feb 2012)

Tom Shehan: I am stating what I have seen in my parish where parents pass the two-teacher schools and bring their children to the four-teacher and eight-teacher schools for greater inclusion, team games, sports and the quality of the education they receive. That is what people have told me and I am relaying it to the House. As I said, the Minister does not want to do this but savings must be made....

Seanad: Investment in Education: Motion (8 Feb 2012)

Tom Shehan: When is it proposed to sit again?

Seanad: Aerfort na Gaillimhe (8 Feb 2012)

Tom Shehan: Is that agreed? Agreed.