Results 561-580 of 1,886 for speaker:Fergal Browne

Seanad: Finance Bill 2006 [Certified Money Bill]: Second Stage. (28 Mar 2006)

Fergal Browne: I remind Senator Minihan that in the years 1994-97 we had the first budget surplus, unemployment was consistently falling and the economy was very well managed. There is no point in the Government giving the impression it knows all the answers because it does not. It has regularly squandered public money. The PPARS system was a fiasco and Fine Gael had to highlight that before the Government...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2006 [Certified Money Bill]: Second Stage. (28 Mar 2006)

Fergal Browne: I did. There is a great deal of squandering of public money.

Seanad: Finance Bill 2006 [Certified Money Bill]: Second Stage. (28 Mar 2006)

Fergal Browne: If the Government had not wasted so much money in the past few years and had managed the economy properly it could now be introducing major tax cuts. Unfortunately, this Government does not seem to realise that money squandered could be tallied with the benefits which it could give to taxpayers, and the improved public services it could fund. Up to €0.5 billion has been spent on the Dublin...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2006 [Certified Money Bill]: Second Stage. (28 Mar 2006)

Fergal Browne: The Senator will have enough.

Seanad: Finance Bill 2006 [Certified Money Bill]: Second Stage. (28 Mar 2006)

Fergal Browne: Will the people believe it?

Seanad: Finance Bill 2006 [Certified Money Bill]: Second Stage. (28 Mar 2006)

Fergal Browne: Will they believe it?

Seanad: Finance Bill 2006 [Certified Money Bill]: Second Stage. (28 Mar 2006)

Fergal Browne: What was the average price of a house at that time?

Seanad: Finance Bill 2006 [Certified Money Bill]: Second Stage. (28 Mar 2006)

Fergal Browne: Will the Senator be fair and compare like with like? What was the average price of a house at that time?

Seanad: Cancer Services: Motion. (22 Mar 2006)

Fergal Browne: I welcome the Minister of State and his officials to the House. First, I want to compliment the former Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Martin, on the excellent decision to introduce the smoking ban. The more one travels abroad, the more one realises what a positive decision it was and how generations to come will thank their lucky stars, especially passive smokers who do not want to...

Seanad: Cancer Services: Motion. (22 Mar 2006)

Fergal Browne: I am learning slowly.

Seanad: Cancer Services: Motion. (22 Mar 2006)

Fergal Browne: In 1997, the full implementation of the national cancer strategy, including centres of excellence in Dublin, Cork, Galway and eight regional centres, was promised in the Fianna Fáil manifesto. By 2001 its full implementation had been watered-down. The Fianna Fáil manifesto stated it would implement, as a matter of urgency, cervical smear testing for GMS patients for screening as well as...

Seanad: Cancer Services: Motion. (22 Mar 2006)

Fergal Browne: The point I make is about exercise. Unfortunately, we have more golf courses than playgrounds which suits me but not many of the children in the country. We need better sporting facilities. We cannot tell people to avoid going into pubs without giving them an alternative. Communities lack basic sporting facilities. We must keep in mind that we need to take a multi-faceted approach.

Seanad: Order of Business. (21 Mar 2006)

Fergal Browne: I join the other Senators who asked for an urgent debate on the sugar beet industry. Unfortunately, in January 2005 a motion on the issue was put down in this House, but the required cross-party support to strengthen the Minister's hand going into tough negotiations was not forthcoming. Our prediction then proved completely correct. The danger is now that not only has the beet industry been...

Seanad: Order of Business. (21 Mar 2006)

Fergal Browne: That does not happen in any other sector. I would welcome news of a potential takeover of Greencore, as any company would be better than Greencore. It is regrettable that we have such a weak Minister for Agriculture and Food, who has not stood up to promote the industry.

Seanad: Order of Business. (21 Mar 2006)

Fergal Browne: She was warned in October 2004 about the beet industry and still did nothing.

Seanad: Order of Business. (21 Mar 2006)

Fergal Browne: She sat idly by, going for the short-term easy option rather than a long-term solution.

Seanad: Order of Business. (21 Mar 2006)

Fergal Browne: James Dillon, the former Minister for Agriculture, would be turning in his grave over the short-sightedness of the current Minister.

Seanad: Order of Business. (21 Mar 2006)

Fergal Browne: It is worth noting that Finland had two factories, one of which is still open. It is regrettable and disgraceful that the sugar beet industry could be wiped out under Fianna Fáil. It was established by Cumann na nGael and wiped out overnight by Fianna Fáil.

Seanad: Order of Business. (21 Mar 2006)

Fergal Browne: Correctly so.

Seanad: Order of Business. (21 Mar 2006)

Fergal Browne: She was unaware of the outcome of one particular meeting in Brussels.