Results 69,141-69,160 of 74,100 for speaker:Bernard Durkan

Finance Bill 2006: Second Stage (Resumed). (8 Feb 2006)

Bernard Durkan: I said €1.8 billion. I am surprised the Government found the €1.8 billion. I am surprised this was not overlooked as well, on the basis that it was only a small sum of money when there was a great deal of money around.

Finance Bill 2006: Second Stage (Resumed). (8 Feb 2006)

Bernard Durkan: The Minister of State should be ashamed of himself. He has come to the House and has the effrontery to suggest that the Government had done well and had a good surplus of money, even though it did not know it was there. This is like the postman going out to deliver letters but discovering his bag is empty one day and he has a full bag another day. The Government should be careful; it will do...

Finance Bill 2006: Second Stage (Resumed). (8 Feb 2006)

Bernard Durkan: I wish to emphasise the failure of the Government to deliver on its projects, failure to deliver on time, failure to deliver within price and failure to deliver to the people to whom it made wild promises. The Government should be given time to apologise to the people. Just as in American football, there should be time out allowed for the Government to issue a profound apology to the people...

Finance Bill 2006: Second Stage (Resumed). (8 Feb 2006)

Bernard Durkan: The Government could not even leave the Kinnegad motorway alone. It has immediately established toll booths, in case the motorway might work. There are now more tolls. The motorist who contributes €5.2 billion to the Exchequer every year gets nothing in return. He cannot park and if he parks where he should not park, his car will be clamped. He cannot drive anywhere because somebody will...

Finance Bill 2006: Second Stage (Resumed). (8 Feb 2006)

Bernard Durkan: The Government is deluding itself——

Finance Bill 2006: Second Stage (Resumed). (8 Feb 2006)

Bernard Durkan: Is the Government sure it has not been eating magic mushrooms? It is delirious, delusional and hallucinating. It does not know what the people are thinking. They should come up close and ask the questions because the people will tell them very quickly. I note the new rules governing the right of Revenue to make inquiries and this is to be welcomed. I participated in the DIRT inquiry and I...

Finance Bill 2006: Second Stage (Resumed). (8 Feb 2006)

Bernard Durkan: Every budget is the best budget ever.

Finance Bill 2006: Second Stage (Resumed). (8 Feb 2006)

Bernard Durkan: Hear, hear. Come on the old conventions around Mullingar.

Finance Bill 2006: Second Stage (Resumed). (8 Feb 2006)

Bernard Durkan: The Deputy is right about that.

Finance Bill 2006: Second Stage (Resumed). (8 Feb 2006)

Bernard Durkan: The Ministers in front are getting embarrassed. Deputy Kelly is making them blush with all the accolades.

Finance Bill 2006: Second Stage (Resumed). (8 Feb 2006)

Bernard Durkan: I am not sure about that. When we did not have it, we spent it better.

Finance Bill 2006: Second Stage (Resumed). (8 Feb 2006)

Bernard Durkan: Hear, hear.

Finance Bill 2006: Second Stage (Resumed). (8 Feb 2006)

Bernard Durkan: Deputy Kelly left out a few.

Finance Bill 2006: Second Stage (Resumed). (8 Feb 2006)

Bernard Durkan: The Government will know if people are happy on election day.

Finance Bill 2006: Second Stage (Resumed). (8 Feb 2006)

Bernard Durkan: We have no doubt about that. We are waiting with bated breath, and it is not only our breath that will be bated.

Finance Bill 2006: Second Stage (Resumed). (8 Feb 2006)

Bernard Durkan: Deputy Kelly needs protection.

Finance Bill 2006: Second Stage (Resumed). (8 Feb 2006)

Bernard Durkan: We are artistic people.

Finance Bill 2006: Second Stage (Resumed). (8 Feb 2006)

Bernard Durkan: There are some inside the House also. Has Deputy Kelly sought the Equity card?

Finance Bill 2006: Second Stage (Resumed). (8 Feb 2006)

Bernard Durkan: It was unfortunate that the budget debate disappeared from the clár very quickly, denying some of us an opportunity to speak. I am worried by the failure to correctly identify the total amount accruing from Revenue towards year end. As a result, ten days after the budget we discovered the Government was much better off — in the region of €1.8 billion — than we thought it was. If the...

Finance Bill 2006: Second Stage (Resumed). (8 Feb 2006)

Bernard Durkan: Part of the budgetary system is to be able to identify and judge with reasonable attitude where one is going, how one has performed and how one is likely to perform for the next 12 months. Every other country in the world does it well. I do not know of any other country in the European Union, including those that recently joined, where one can be that far out and still have credibility.