Results 401-420 of 4,414 for speaker:Sean Barrett

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Construction Contracts (14 Oct 2015)

Sean Barrett: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Oct 2015)

Sean Barrett: I welcome the statement by Professor John McHale of the National University of Ireland Galway, who is also chairman of the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council, in which he expressed caution about the budget. The very large increase in corporation tax revenues this year may not recur. The problem in the past was that non-recurring revenues mostly associated with the construction industry became...

Seanad: Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Bill 2015: Second Stage (14 Oct 2015)

Sean Barrett: I welcome the Minister of State to the House. He was here earlier for a Commencement debate. As Senator Landy has said, the Labour Party produced a climate change Bill in 2009. Our official briefing document refers to how in 2010 the then Minister, John Gormley, stated that his Bill would provide a strong legislative framework to support the transition to a low-carbon, climate-resilient...

Seanad: Order of Business (13 Oct 2015)

Sean Barrett: I echo everything that has been said so sincerely by our colleagues concerning the loss of lives at Carrickmines and Omeath. This is the House of the people and if there is anything that we, the Members, can do for those bereaved people they can call upon us. I am sure there will be expressions of solidarity with them on the days of the funerals. I welcome the fact that the Government is...

Seanad: Budget 2016: Statements (13 Oct 2015)

Sean Barrett: I welcome the Minister of State. The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Howlin, said that the increase in public expenditure will be just under 4% higher than in 2014, and he contrasted that with earlier times of more spendthrift operations. Those of us who sit on the Joint Committee of Inquiry into the Banking Crisis know how much that has cost and I welcome the increase in...

Seanad: Budget 2016: Statements (13 Oct 2015)

Sean Barrett: What was mentioned today was a ratio of 28:1. I do not know what is the difference between the two figures but what we want is 16:1. That is what I commend because all the evidence, as several speakers have said, is that the early years of education are vital and valuable in the development of the next generation. Perhaps the Minister of State will check those figures. On the issue of...

Seanad: Budget 2016: Statements (13 Oct 2015)

Sean Barrett: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Order of Business (8 Oct 2015)

Sean Barrett: I echo Senator Coghlan's comments. I compliment the Labour Party Senators, in particular Senators Whelan and Landy, and the Minister of State, Deputy Ann Phelan, for agreeing to study the question of legal costs and the substitution of a no-fault system for the adversarial system. It is a most interesting matter as we do have high legal costs in Ireland. A figure in the NTMA annual report...

Seanad: Horizon 2020: Statements (8 Oct 2015)

Sean Barrett: I welcome the Minister of State, as I always do when he visits this House. I shall illustrate one programme where Ireland did lead and does lead. I refer to aviation economics which Professors Ryan and McAleese promoted in TCD. We produced in Mr. Michael O'Leary an outstanding student. His business today carries over 100 million passengers and his model is used worldwide. The previous...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Proceeds of Sale of Aer Lingus: Motion (7 Oct 2015)

Sean Barrett: I opposed this deal at all stages. I believe it was extremely misguided on the part of the Government to sell its airline to British Airways, one of the dinosaurs of European aviation. British Airways, Air France and Lufthansa have done nothing for European aviation. If we had wanted to sell it – and I would not agree with the sale – EasyJet would have been a better...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Proceeds of Sale of Aer Lingus: Motion (7 Oct 2015)

Sean Barrett: -----it would be slower than the bus from Lucan to the airport.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Proceeds of Sale of Aer Lingus: Motion (7 Oct 2015)

Sean Barrett: The numbers are there.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Proceeds of Sale of Aer Lingus: Motion (7 Oct 2015)

Sean Barrett: So the Government has €2.6 billion-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Proceeds of Sale of Aer Lingus: Motion (7 Oct 2015)

Sean Barrett: -----and there is no cost-benefit analysis for a metro and there is no evidence that the Government-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Proceeds of Sale of Aer Lingus: Motion (7 Oct 2015)

Sean Barrett: There is no cost-benefit analysis in respect of the proposed project and that is what we are seeking. It goes into the fund to succeed the pension fund. The National Pensions Reserve Fund was raided for over €500 million in order to install water meters. I would hate to-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Proceeds of Sale of Aer Lingus: Motion (7 Oct 2015)

Sean Barrett: Having landed ourselves in this situation, what do we do? I would have spent the money on primary schools, I would have repaired the pension fund, built nursing homes and funded hospitals. It is for these things that there is a real need. Calling it connectivity, with the kind of transport policy we have and the lack of expertise in the Department of Transport - which landed us in this...

Seanad: Order of Business (7 Oct 2015)

Sean Barrett: I endorse what Senator Hayden said. It is really strange that we have to go back to Charles Stewart Parnell to defend tenants' rights. In many cases it is the landlord, not the tenant, who has become financially unstable but it is the tenant who suffers when the landlord changes. I thought we had made progress with the then Minister, Deputy Shatter, on that front and I hope the prospects...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Macroeconomic Forecast for 2016: Department of Finance (6 Oct 2015)

Sean Barrett: I welcome our four visitors. There is the technical exercise which has been operating. There is room for some debates around the numbers but there is broad agreement on them. Looking into them, so much of the growth has happened due to something that is completely outside our control, namely, Mr. Draghi's policy of devaluing the currency. We have been a major beneficiary of that because...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Macroeconomic Forecast for 2016: Department of Finance (6 Oct 2015)

Sean Barrett: We have all these sheltered sector industries and policies. I would like the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council to inquire more into them because if we keep doing those, we could kill the golden goose again despite the favourable international things mentioned by Mr. McCarthy like the accommodative monetary policy and a very favourable exchange rate. This is why I want to see reform if I get...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Macroeconomic Forecast for 2016: Department of Finance (6 Oct 2015)

Sean Barrett: Are there any thoughts on those?