Results 6,101-6,120 of 6,728 for speaker:John Curran
- Written Answers — Commemorative Events: Commemorative Events (12 Dec 2007)
John Curran: Question 82: To ask the Minister for Defence if his Department and the Defence Forces intend to commemorate and celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of Ireland's first participation in 1958 on a UN peacekeeping mission; if he will ensure that both veteran organisations are fully involved in these commemorations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33993/07]
- Written Answers — Defence Forces Strength: Defence Forces Strength (12 Dec 2007)
John Curran: Question 89: To ask the Minister for Defence the number of existing members of the Defence Forces who have been commissioned as officers both through the cadet school and through commission from the ranks competitions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33994/07]
- Written Answers — Citizenship Applications: Citizenship Applications (12 Dec 2007)
John Curran: Question 179: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform when he expects a decision to be made regarding an application for citizenship by a person (details supplied) in Dublin 22. [34486/07]
- Social Welfare Bill 2007: Second Stage (Resumed) (12 Dec 2007)
John Curran: And voting.
- Social Welfare Bill 2007: Second Stage (Resumed) (12 Dec 2007)
John Curran: I would like to share time with Deputies Moynihan and Flynn.
- Social Welfare Bill 2007: Second Stage (Resumed) (12 Dec 2007)
John Curran: I welcome the opportunity to contribute to the debate on the Social Welfare Bill 2007. I compliment the Ministers for Finance and Social and Family Affairs on the measures they have proposed in these more challenging economic times, when we are looking at an economic growth rate of approximately 3%. The social welfare budget will increase next year by almost â¬1 billion, to approximately...
- Financial Resolution No. 5: General (Resumed) (11 Dec 2007)
John Curran: Our national debt is one of the lowest in Europe.
- Financial Resolution No. 5: General (Resumed) (11 Dec 2007)
John Curran: This is not a hairshirt budget.
- Financial Resolution No. 5: General (Resumed) (11 Dec 2007)
John Curran: We are not.
- Financial Resolution No. 5: General (Resumed) (11 Dec 2007)
John Curran: He will be able to sit and listen.
- Financial Resolution No. 5: General (Resumed) (11 Dec 2007)
John Curran: That is the problem.
- Financial Resolution No. 5: General (Resumed) (11 Dec 2007)
John Curran: I am sure the Deputy will stay in the Chamber to hear it.
- Financial Resolution No. 5: General (Resumed) (11 Dec 2007)
John Curran: I welcome the opportunity to contribute to this debate. I compliment the Minister for Finance, Deputy Cowen, on delivering a balanced budget in more difficult economic times than in recent years. It was a prudent budget which maintains public services while providing for significant growth in our capital programme. Listening to the delivery of the Budget Statement and reading the reports...
- Financial Resolution No. 5: General (Resumed) (11 Dec 2007)
John Curran: It is important that they hear our views on where we see Ireland. It is certainly not the picture that the Deputies tried to portray earlier. Deputy Ring referred in his comments to the budgets of 1995 to 1997 and made a big issue of delivering a budget surplus. He was critical of the Government's borrowing of â¬5 billion.
- Financial Resolution No. 5: General (Resumed) (11 Dec 2007)
John Curran: I will go back to 1995 and 1997 in a moment, but to put it in context, the reason we are borrowing this moneyââ
- Financial Resolution No. 5: General (Resumed) (11 Dec 2007)
John Curran: The reason we are borrowing â¬5 billion is to maintain a significant capital programme. We will not have stop-start development of infrastructure. The money we are borrowing is about 0.9% of GDP. Before Deputy Ring leaves, there is one comment I want to make which he might find interesting. He comes in hereââ
- Financial Resolution No. 5: General (Resumed) (11 Dec 2007)
John Curran: I will let the Deputy go after this.
- Financial Resolution No. 5: General (Resumed) (11 Dec 2007)
John Curran: I do not have a prepared script, but I have been making notes on comments made earlier.
- Financial Resolution No. 5: General (Resumed) (11 Dec 2007)
John Curran: Deputy Ring made a big issue of the fact that in the period 1995 to 1997 the coalition Government returned a budget surplus. It did so but, to its shame, it did it by abandoning those in need. It delivered the most miserable social welfare increasesââ
- Financial Resolution No. 5: General (Resumed) (11 Dec 2007)
John Curran: ââat that time.