Results 701-720 of 4,717 for speaker:Martin Mansergh

Seanad: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Bill 2009: Second Stage (17 Dec 2009)

Martin Mansergh: No. That is the sort of thing one or two Fine Gael justice Ministers in the past might have done-----

Seanad: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Bill 2009: Second Stage (17 Dec 2009)

Martin Mansergh: I am replying to Senator Harris, as I replied to Senator Twomey, if that is possible. My hope is, notwithstanding the different currents about which he knows and describes, that nonetheless sense will prevail among the majority of trade unionists. I have no sense in my constituency that the majority of public sector workers want to take a militant path. Many of them may, for reasons of...

Seanad: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Bill 2009: Second Stage (17 Dec 2009)

Martin Mansergh: Yes. I was looking for my note and did not want to sit down before I had replied to them. The Senator raised the issue of the timing of the notification of NAMA to the Commission. There is no formal notification, but consultations are continuing. The notification will deal more with state aid issues rather than the business plan. The documents will, therefore, be different, although they...

Seanad: Appropriation Bill 2009: Second Stage (17 Dec 2009)

Martin Mansergh: I am pleased to appear before the House to discuss public expenditure and in particular the background to the Appropriation Bill 2009 which gives statutory effect to voted expenditure for 2009. Before discussing expenditure in detail it would be useful to put it in context by reviewing briefly the performance of the public finances in 2009. The initial Estimates for 2009 were set out by the...

Seanad: Appropriation Bill 2009: Second Stage (17 Dec 2009)

Martin Mansergh: I thank Senators for contributing very constructively to this debate. As has been stated, the Appropriation Bill is about expenditure, although there is a cross-reference to the financial resolutions passed in the Dáil so, to that extent, Senator Boyle was within his rights, in particular as one of the resolutions referred to the carbon tax. With very few exceptions, it is not the policy of...

Seanad: Appropriation Bill 2009: Second Stage (17 Dec 2009)

Martin Mansergh: I understood the Minister to have urged publicans to pass on the reduction in duty. He did not threaten to reimpose the duty immediately but if after a period, the reduction appears not to have been passed on, he reserves the right to restore the status quo.

Seanad: Appropriation Bill 2009: Second Stage (17 Dec 2009)

Martin Mansergh: I am always amazed at the way Opposition Deputies and Senators try to lead me on to dangerous ground. I am familiar with the problem in my constituency. A wholesaler visited me last Saturday with the problem raised by the Senator but there are no plans for a rebate.

Seanad: Appropriation Bill 2009: Second Stage (17 Dec 2009)

Martin Mansergh: While I accept the problems outlined by the Senator, it is not possible to differentiate geographically in the imposition of taxes but perhaps the situation will provide an incentive for the development of new lines of supply to the county.

Seanad: Appropriation Bill 2009: Second Stage (17 Dec 2009)

Martin Mansergh: Bord Gáis is gradually extending its network nationwide. A few towns in County Tipperary - Cahir and Cashel - are being added to the network and there have been developments in the west and north west. It may just be a question of time.

Seanad: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Bill 2009: Second Stage (17 Dec 2009)

Martin Mansergh: This Bill gives effect to the decision of the Government to reduce the pay of public servants to achieve a saving of approximately €1 billion in the public service pay bill in 2010. The debate on the Bill should be set in context. This is the first time since 1933 that legislative measures have been brought forward by any Government to reduce the salaries of public servants. This is not a...

Seanad: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Bill 2009: Second Stage (17 Dec 2009)

Martin Mansergh: I do.

Seanad: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Bill 2009: Second Stage (17 Dec 2009)

Martin Mansergh: They are in Tipperary North.

Written Answers — Flood Relief: Flood Relief (16 Dec 2009)

Martin Mansergh: The Office of Public Works (OPW) has no responsibility in relation to maintenance of the River Liffey in County Kildare. The removal of debris would be a matter for the Riparian owners in this case. I understand that Kildare County Council is investigating Flooding at the Waterways Estate in Sallins. This will involve consultation with other agencies, including Irish Rail, Waterways...

Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Dec 2009)

Martin Mansergh: It is the Government's intention to apply pay reductions in the public service pay Bill for the purpose of saving money of the order of €1 billion. It is not punitive and does not single out organisations. It is simply a necessity driven by our finances. For that reason, the commercial State-sponsored bodies are not included.

Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Dec 2009)

Martin Mansergh: The pay of those bodies is funded through their own commercial efforts.

Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Dec 2009)

Martin Mansergh: With the exception of chief executives, the Minister for Finance does not control the pay of the staff of those bodies. They have not been covered by the public service element of pay rounds in the past-----

Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Dec 2009)

Martin Mansergh: -----and have taken an independent approach.

Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Dec 2009)

Martin Mansergh: I listened to the debate in total silence.

Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Dec 2009)

Martin Mansergh: They have not been covered by the public service element of pay rounds in the past and have taken an independent approach to controlling their pay bills. The same is true of Anglo Irish Bank, which is run on an arm's length commercial basis by the board.

Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Dec 2009)

Martin Mansergh: Its employees are not public servants. Of course, the top echelons who were involved in the horrendous problems that have been described many times this afternoon and previously are mostly no longer in place. The phrase was used about everyone else in the public service, but employees of Anglo Irish Bank are not in the public service.