Results 5,441-5,460 of 6,295 for speaker:Michael D'Arcy

Seanad: National Lottery: Motion (23 May 2012)

Michael D'Arcy: On a point of order, I ask Senator David Norris to withdraw his sneering remark, please.

Seanad: National Lottery: Motion (23 May 2012)

Michael D'Arcy: Senator Daly's language gives the game away.

Seanad: Statute Law Revision Bill 2012: Committee and Remaining Stages (23 May 2012)

Michael D'Arcy: I am loath to repeat what has been said, but a body of work of this quantity and displaying such a level of expertise must be acknowledged. I am sure officials spent many a long, dark and lonely night battling the difficulties presented not only by archaic language but also by archaic print and binding. The Bill is reflective of an ongoing task of legacy work that requires a great deal of...

Seanad: Order of Business (23 May 2012)

Michael D'Arcy: There is a great deal of grandstanding this morning.

Seanad: Order of Business (23 May 2012)

Michael D'Arcy: In 2005, when schools were designated for support under the Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools, DEIS, programme, there were a number which, despite meeting the criteria for inclusion, were not awarded that status. Many of the areas in which these schools are located have been suffering even greater economic and social deprivation since. The Minister for Education and Skills did...

Seanad: Order of Business (23 May 2012)

Michael D'Arcy: However, I am concerned that the schools which did not attain DEIS status in 2005, despite meeting all of the criteria, are now being subjected to the same cutbacks as schools which are much less disadvantaged. The consequence of this is that students who need more support will receive much less. The Minister must come to the House to discuss what might be done for this cohort of students....

Seanad: Mortgage Arrears: Statements, Questions and Answers (15 May 2012)

Michael D'Arcy: I wish to share my time with Senator Healy Eames. I shall use seven minutes.

Seanad: Mortgage Arrears: Statements, Questions and Answers (15 May 2012)

Michael D'Arcy: I want to inform the Minister of State that my first meeting today was with banks on behalf of two people who face a repossession. I am not sure whether he deals with such people directly or has such cases on his books. I am sure that everyone of us have some of those citizens of the country to deal with. I do not like to use the term "repossession" if one can find a position that is...

Seanad: Sale of State Assets: Statements, Questions and Answers (19 Apr 2012)

Michael D'Arcy: The three companies most often quoted in dispatches are ESB, Bord Gáis Éireann and Coillte. Has the Minister considered taking from all three companies the renewables part of their generating capacity and merging this into one clean, green company? I know there are a number of green equity funds who would be prepared to invest in that scale of a company. Such a merger might not be that...

Seanad: Sale of State Assets: Statements, Questions and Answers (19 Apr 2012)

Michael D'Arcy: As I have said previously in this House, honesty is one of the things that is badly required in this country. It is disturbing that on a number of occasions, people have stood up in the Seanad and Dáil Chambers to try to rewrite history. It has always been the case that the positions are taken before advances are made and one moves on. The position that one initially took does not change,...

Seanad: Sale of State Assets: Statements, Questions and Answers (19 Apr 2012)

Michael D'Arcy: There was no equivocation about that. I ask the Senator not to change that circumstance, which was quite clear. The result achieved by the Government means that some money will be used to pay off debt and the rest of it will be used for job creation. Everybody in this Chamber and the other Chamber agrees that the Government achieved a good result which will benefit unemployed people by...

Seanad: Sale of State Assets: Statements, Questions and Answers (19 Apr 2012)

Michael D'Arcy: Careful. Senator Gilroy could get a response.

Seanad: Sale of State Assets: Statements, Questions and Answers (19 Apr 2012)

Michael D'Arcy: From a Kerryman, it is probably €1.5 billion.

Seanad: Treaty on Stability, Coordination and Governance in the Economic and Monetary Union: Statements (14 Mar 2012)

Michael D'Arcy: It is good to be here speaking about the important legislation that will be brought before the House shortly. It is also welcome that a referendum will be held on the issue. I was always of the opinion that, regardless of whether the legal advice was such a referendum was required, politically it was the right approach to adopt. The people should have the opportunity to speak on these...

Seanad: Treaty on Stability, Coordination and Governance in the Economic and Monetary Union: Statements (14 Mar 2012)

Michael D'Arcy: It is my pleasure to be associated with the welcome extended to them.

Seanad: Treaty on Stability, Coordination and Governance in the Economic and Monetary Union: Statements (14 Mar 2012)

Michael D'Arcy: I wish to be associated with the Senator's words of welcome to our good friends from the United States. I think it was Tip O'Neill who coined the famous phrase that "all politics is local". Certainly, our version is more local than most. I have heard people talking about the austerity programme and the 3% budget deficit limit. We must examine a couple of the issues surrounding the 3%...

Seanad: Euro Area Loan Facility (Amendment) Bill 2012: Second Stage (8 Mar 2012)

Michael D'Arcy: I thank the Minister for attending. I thank Senator O'Brien for his broad speech on finance but he did not say much about the Bill.

Seanad: Euro Area Loan Facility (Amendment) Bill 2012: Second Stage (8 Mar 2012)

Michael D'Arcy: The big issue for people to realise is the legality of funding and how it works for countries in a bailout programme, including ourselves. Ireland paid €357 million to Greece prior to our entering our own programme. I do not have a lot to say and will not repeat what the Minister said earlier. The Bill shows the difference. It struck me that when we entered our programme we were...

Seanad: Action Plan for Jobs 2012: Statements, Questions and Answers (6 Mar 2012)

Michael D'Arcy: You are a tough Acting Chairman. What is the Minister's opinion on foreign direct investment jobs? The previous Government's policy of gateways and hubs effectively meant that some portions of the country were abandoned. We saw that the assessment of the number of jobs was done on a regional basis and then on a county by county basis. In my county there has not been a substantial job...

Seanad: Bretton Woods Agreements (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (23 Feb 2012)

Michael D'Arcy: I thank all sides of the House. The Bill was dealt with in a speedy and professional manner which is how all legislation and also the Order of Business should be dealt with. This was not the case this morning. We have a unique relationship with the IMF at this moment. Perhaps it is not quite unique as there are three of us in the programme. The IMF is proving to be the more flexible of...