Results 661-680 of 3,241 for speaker:Brian Ó Domhnaill

Seanad: Order of Business (20 Jul 2015)

Brian Ó Domhnaill: Is the Leader sure they are seagulls?

Seanad: Personal Insolvency (Amendment) Bill 2014: Committee and Remaining Stages (20 Jul 2015)

Brian Ó Domhnaill: May I just say, with regard to the submission of amendments at this stage, Fianna Fáil submitted amendments-----

Seanad: Personal Insolvency (Amendment) Bill 2014: Committee and Remaining Stages (20 Jul 2015)

Brian Ó Domhnaill: I suggest we suspend for a few moments to allow them to be circulated. I do not think there will be an issue.

Seanad: Personal Insolvency (Amendment) Bill 2014: Committee and Remaining Stages (20 Jul 2015)

Brian Ó Domhnaill: This amendment is at the heart of the issue of personal insolvency or indebtedness. The Bill provides that a debtor makes a declaration in writing that he or she has co-operated for a period of at least six months with the creditor who is a secured creditor and the mortgage is a secured debt. The difficulty here is that the banks are holding all the cards when it comes to the...

Seanad: Personal Insolvency (Amendment) Bill 2014: Committee and Remaining Stages (20 Jul 2015)

Brian Ó Domhnaill: The Sinn Féin amendment has merit. Presuming that the legislation will be signed into law by the President in the next number of weeks if approved by the House, it means one's mortgage has to be at least in excess of seven months in arrears for one's debt to qualify as a relevant debt. Therefore, anyone who has gone into arrears since January is excluded. What is the reason for this?...

Seanad: Civil Debt (Procedures) Bill 2015: Committee and Remaining Stages (20 Jul 2015)

Brian Ó Domhnaill: This section, on statements of means, also boils down to ability to pay. Questions have been raised by organisations such as FLAC about how the District Court will determine whether a person can afford to pay the debt on enforcement and the various types of enforcement procedure, including deduction from salary through the PAYE or social welfare system. A debtor in employment, for example,...

Seanad: Civil Debt (Procedures) Bill 2015: Committee and Remaining Stages (20 Jul 2015)

Brian Ó Domhnaill: I move amendment No. 1: In page 11, to delete lines 19 to 30 and substitute the following: “(3) For the purposes of making an order under this section, the court shall be guided by the Insolvency Service of Ireland reasonable living expenses as required under section 23 of the Personal Insolvency Act 2012.”. This amendment relates to the attachment of earnings order...

Seanad: Civil Debt (Procedures) Bill 2015: Committee and Remaining Stages (20 Jul 2015)

Brian Ó Domhnaill: I agree with the Minister of State. The court may well determine more favourably in respect of a debtor. However, there is no minimum threshold within the legislation and I would like to see something that would protect the debtor. We would accept as a minimum floor or threshold the reasonable living expenses outlined in the Insolvency Service of Ireland's guidelines. I appreciate where...

Seanad: Civil Debt (Procedures) Bill 2015: Committee and Remaining Stages (20 Jul 2015)

Brian Ó Domhnaill: This issue will have major consequences for employees. Given that the attachment of earnings order applies to PAYE workers, it will cause difficulties in the general workforce. This has been examined in other jurisdictions - for example, in the US, European countries and in the United Kingdom. The conclusions drawn from those examinations show the potential for an attachment of earnings...

Seanad: Order of Business (17 Jul 2015)

Brian Ó Domhnaill: I add my condolences on the death of the former Member of this House and of Dáil Éireann, former Senator Fitzgerald, who passed away. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam uasal. I wish to refer to an issue which was highlighted last night on the “Prime Time Investigates” programme, but which has been under review by the Committee of Public Accounts and the Comptroller...

Seanad: Order of Business (17 Jul 2015)

Brian Ó Domhnaill: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Order of Business (17 Jul 2015)

Brian Ó Domhnaill: It is outrageous.

Seanad: Civil Debt (Procedures) Bill 2015: Second Stage (17 Jul 2015)

Brian Ó Domhnaill: I welcome the Minister, Deputy Fitzgerald, to the House for the Second Stage of this Bill. I acknowledge the work of Minister Fitzgerald and her officials in bringing forward the Bill. In the general scheme of things, we should welcome bringing striking a balance and bringing Ireland into line with other international jurisdictions in terms of what was outlined in the 2009 FLAC document,...

Seanad: Personal Insolvency (Amendment) Bill 2014: Second Stage (16 Jul 2015)

Brian Ó Domhnaill: Gabhaim buíochas leis an Leas-Chathaoirleach as an deis labhairt ar an mBille seo. I welcome and acknowledge the Minister of State. This Bill will bring legal clarity and end the ambiguities in the Personal Insolvency Act 2012. Fianna Fáil welcomes that aspect of this Bill and we will not delay its passage through the House. However, this legislation is nothing short of a missed...

Seanad: Environment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (16 Jul 2015)

Brian Ó Domhnaill: I am sure the people of Clifden miss Senator Keane.

Seanad: Environment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (16 Jul 2015)

Brian Ó Domhnaill: Clifden’s loss is Dublin’s gain, as Senator O’Brien has pointed out to me.

Seanad: Environment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (16 Jul 2015)

Brian Ó Domhnaill: I am flabbergasted by this section. Section 47 and some of the following sections give Irish Water unprecedented powers as a utility company. Every household in the country will be asked to work for Irish Water by notifying it under a statutory obligation. There is no legal obligation on households at the moment to register with Irish Water until this Bill is passed by the Oireachtas, and...

Seanad: Environment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (16 Jul 2015)

Brian Ó Domhnaill: -----or any Minister can give a commitment that Irish Water will not be sold. Irish Water is being established on the principle of setting it up as a viable and financially independent enterprise, which would be very valuable on any international market. We have seen what happened in Britain. It has been referred to here many times. Similar utilities were set up there in the 1980s and...

Seanad: Environment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (16 Jul 2015)

Brian Ó Domhnaill: Is the Senator referring to Enda Kenny?

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Jul 2015)

Brian Ó Domhnaill: Ba mhaith liom tagairt a dhéanamh ar maidin do chur i láthair a bheidh ar siúl in Óstán Buswells ag a haon a chlog inniu, eagraithe ag na 13 bhunscoil ar na hoileáin amuigh ón chósta, cúigear nach bhfuil ach aon oide acu agus ochtar a bhfuil dhá mhúinteoir acu. Léireoidh mé an fhadhb atá ag cuid de na scoileanna. The...