Results 5,821-5,840 of 7,975 for speaker:Joe Higgins
- Official Engagements (25 May 2011)
Joe Higgins: What is not clear is why the Taoiseach did not pursue the matter with President Obama on Monday last.
- Order of Business (25 May 2011)
Joe Higgins: Yes, I have been trying for some time to ask a question.
- Order of Business (25 May 2011)
Joe Higgins: I appreciate that. I do not have a dispute with the Ceann Comhairle today. The Taoiseach is not up to speed with the legislative programme of his Ministers. Three weeks ago the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, who is admittedly the Machiavelli of the Government with whom the Taoiseach will have a job keeping up, stated-----
- Order of Business (25 May 2011)
Joe Higgins: -----that water charges or a property tax would not be introduced next year.
- Order of Business (25 May 2011)
Joe Higgins: However, he promised a new household utility charge on a flat rate. When will the legislation giving effect to this charge be brought before the House? Is the Labour Party happy with the charge?
- Order of Business (25 May 2011)
Joe Higgins: With respect, a Cheann Comhairle-----
- Order of Business (25 May 2011)
Joe Higgins: I am sorry to disagree with the Ceann Comhairle. Three weeks ago, the Minister stood opposite and promised the House that a charge would be introduced. The Taoiseach must tell us when it will be introduced.
- Order of Business (25 May 2011)
Joe Higgins: He did not even refer to the charge but raised something else that has been set aside.
- Official Engagements (25 May 2011)
Joe Higgins: Question 2: To ask the Taoiseach if he will report on his recent visit to the United States. [10397/11]
- Official Engagements (25 May 2011)
Joe Higgins: In his discussions in the United States, was the Taoiseach able to cast any light on the claim that the US Government's Financial Secretary had vetoed the idea that â¬30 billion of bondholders' bad gambling debts should not become the responsibility of the Irish people? That was flatly refused by the US Government. Did the Taoiseach get any insight into that in America or from his recent...
- Official Engagements (25 May 2011)
Joe Higgins: Yes.
- Official Engagements (25 May 2011)
Joe Higgins: Did the Taoiseach ask President Obama about it?
- Official Engagements (25 May 2011)
Joe Higgins: We are talking about issues of magnitude.
- Official Engagements (25 May 2011)
Joe Higgins: The Taoiseach has said he discussed the restructuring of banks with President Obama. I ask him to take us briefly through that conversation. Did he explain how German, French and other banks had recklessly gambled tens of billions of euro on Irish properties and then lost? Did he remind the President that his guy, Mr. Geithner, had vetoed the idea that these gambling banks should carry...
- Leaders' Questions (25 May 2011)
Joe Higgins: As the Taoiseach is aware, pyrite is a mineral, an iron sulfide, which, when contained in the crush rock under concrete floors in new homes and exposed to moisture, oxygen and certain other minerals, expands slowly but with incredible force causing devastating structural damage, the splitting of walls and ceilings etc. I wish the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government...
- Leaders' Questions (25 May 2011)
Joe Higgins: I say the Taoiseach is aware because one year ago he visited homes affected by pyrite in County Meath along with the now Minister of State, Deputy McEntee. In a statement with the big headline, "Enda Kenny Visits Pyrite Infected Houses in Meath", the Taoiseach stated: I am shocked at the level of destruction I have seen. These are people's homes and it is an outrage that the current...
- Leaders' Questions (25 May 2011)
Joe Higgins: Does the Taoiseach agree that it is not a private issue and that home owners are the victims of criminal negligence by State authorities and builders? The science of this has been known since the 1950s and 1960s. Standards were introduced in England and Britain in 1975. Will the Taoiseach take charge and alleviate the suffering and stress by immediately establishing a taskforce on pyrite...
- Leaders' Questions (25 May 2011)
Joe Higgins: The Taoiseach described the problems well but he did not give the assurances we need. The victims of pyrite are the same home owners who were caught in the vicious circle of rocketing house prices up to 2007 that made mega-profits for developers. As taxpayers they are now bailing out those same developers since they crashed to the tune of billions or euro. They are in negative equity and...
- Leaders' Questions (25 May 2011)
Joe Higgins: I am asking the Taoiseach not just to study a court case, I am asking for the Minister and the Government to establish a taskforce, with immediate effect, to look into all aspects of this problem. Yes, the Minister should meet those who have been affected but he must come up with a remediation scheme that will allow these structural defects to be repaired without crushing the victims...
- Leaders' Questions (25 May 2011)
Joe Higgins: We know that.