Results 661-680 of 2,017 for speaker:Paul Bradford

Seanad: Animal Health and Welfare Bill 2012: Report and Final Stages (18 Jul 2012)

Paul Bradford: Amendments Nos. 37 and 38 have been ruled out of order.

Seanad: Local Government Reform (17 Jul 2012)

Paul Bradford: I welcome the Minister and I am glad my colleague, Senator Landy, is also raising the subject of local government reform. We are speaking with less than two years to go until the local government elections. While the timescale is getter shorter it still gives the Minister, the Government and the House an opportunity to make final decisions on the structures, role and size of local...

Seanad: Local Government Reform (17 Jul 2012)

Paul Bradford: The Minister indicated that 21% of councillors responded to the survey. On a lighter note, he will recall that when our mutual friend, the late Senator Jackie Daly, conducted a similar survey on local government and I believe he received a 100% response.

Seanad: Local Government Reform (17 Jul 2012)

Paul Bradford: And 100% support. On the action programme which the Minister will publish in the near future, the Minister indicated that it will allow for an input before the drafting of legislation. Will the action programme contain his decisions regarding the structures of local government, the number of town and county councillors and so forth, or is the action programme the first part of a phase that...

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment)(No. 2) Bill 2012: Second Stage (12 Jul 2012)

Paul Bradford: I welcome the Minister to the House, but I will take the road less travelled on the legislation and the constitutional convention. There is no point in saying something that is completely contradictory to what I have been saying over the past few months. I have a difficulty with the concept of a constitutional convention. I concede that it is the electoral register side of the convention...

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment)(No. 2) Bill 2012: Second Stage (12 Jul 2012)

Paul Bradford: If it is decided that party whips are obliged to select their team, many of the questions will already be answered. If random is good enough for the public, random must be good enough for the politicians. I know that is the not the Minister's decision, but I would like the idea to go back that if the public membership of the convention must be selected at random, then Oireachtas Members...

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment)(No. 2) Bill 2012: Second Stage (12 Jul 2012)

Paul Bradford: Muckross House.

Seanad: European Arrest Warrant (Application to Third Countries and Amendment) and Extradition (Amendment) Bill 2011: Second Stage (10 Jul 2012)

Paul Bradford: I welcome the Minister to the House. He is becoming the most frequent ministerial visitor and is bringing forward a substantial amount of legislation. I expected a ten to 15 minute contribution from Senator Denis O'Donovan and would have had time to pause, think and, perhaps, write but I have been left in the lurch by the Senator. The Minister concluded his contribution with a reference to...

Seanad: Wildlife (Amendment) Bill 2012: Order for Second Stage (4 Jul 2012)

Paul Bradford: I move: "That Second Stage be taken now."

Seanad: Wildlife (Amendment) Bill 2012: Second Stage (4 Jul 2012)

Paul Bradford: I welcome the Minister to the House. My colleague, Senator Noone, who is my party's spokesperson in this area, has asked me to apologise for her absence and to express her full support for this Bill. The Minister has given a full explanation of the reason this technical legislation is before the House. He has assured us that more substantial primary legislation will be introduced within a...

Seanad: Rent Supplements: Motion (4 Jul 2012)

Paul Bradford: I support the comments made by my colleague, Senator Conway, and formally second the Government amendment. Without trying to sound patronising I believe the motion tabled by the Sinn Féin Senators is very thoughtful and very well researched. I have no personal difficulty with it. However, the fact the Minister for Social Protection is before the House this afternoon to speak about housing...

Seanad: Rent Supplements: Motion (4 Jul 2012)

Paul Bradford: We ruined our country once through house prices and I find it utterly unbelievable that colleagues of mine on the Government side of the House have welcomed the stir in the market and the increase in house prices . Surely the Government must aspire politically to more than wanting to preside over another housing boom. Our aspiration should be a robust housing policy which makes housing...

Seanad: Order of Business (28 Jun 2012)

Paul Bradford: I wish to address two matters. Previously, there was a call for a debate on the situation in the Middle East which I ask the Leader to try to arrange as soon as possible. Two or three weeks ago there were claims about certain comments apparently made by the Israeli deputy ambassador which caused difficulty for some Members. There were disputes over whether they were accurate. However,...

Seanad: Order of Business (27 Jun 2012)

Paul Bradford: I normally agree with much of what is said by the previous speaker, but on this occasion I think he doth protest too much on the question of Oireachtas salaries and expenses. To provide clarification and to put an end to the circus of some people attempting to be holier than holy, I repeat the request I made in the House some months ago that the Minister for Finance write to each Member...

Seanad: Order of Business (27 Jun 2012)

Paul Bradford: If a Member wishes to receive his or her full salary, that is fine and, if not, he or she should not.

Seanad: Order of Business (27 Jun 2012)

Paul Bradford: Prior to the intervention of the previous speaker, I wanted to comment briefly on the debate begun by Senators Bacik and Mullen on the abortion issue. Perhaps I am moving in the wrong social circles, but I have not yet received any complaints on the advertising. I appreciate that abortion is a sensitive subject, but that does not mean we can ignore the reality of what the subject is all...

Seanad: European Communities (Amendment) Bill 2012: Second Stage (26 Jun 2012)

Paul Bradford: I am glad to have an opportunity to say a few words on this Bill. I have listened with interest to the wide-ranging views of speakers over the past half-hour, and one of the messages that comes through clearly is the need to maintain a substantive debate on the future of Europe and Ireland's place in Europe. This is a specific Bill, but the ongoing project of European development needs a...

Seanad: Order of Business (26 Jun 2012)

Paul Bradford: I am not sure if the Reclaim the Future people are in some way related politically or otherwise to the Reclaim the Streets people but I welcome the fact the group is presenting an economic alternative. I suggest to the Leader that we would have a thorough debate at the earliest opportunity on the current state of the country from an economic perspective and the possible options which will be...

Seanad: Order of Business (21 Jun 2012)

Paul Bradford: I join my colleagues who are reflecting in a very rueful fashion on the publication of the report into the child care scandal and the very grave cases which have now been highlighted. We must all work with the Minister, Deputy Fitzgerald, to ensure that whatever legislation, management systems and reviews are required will not just be reflected upon but acted upon in the very near future....

Seanad: Criminal Justice (Amendment) Act 2009: Motion (20 Jun 2012)

Paul Bradford: I welcome the Minister and agree with his assessment of the need to keep this legislation in place. The debate on the 2009 Act took place in an atmosphere of deep public concern about criminal gangs and activity throughout the country. The Government responded in accordance with the will of the people by putting in place tough legislation to stem the tide of criminality. Unfortunately,...