Results 8,041-8,060 of 9,393 for speaker:Alex White

Seanad: Power Sharing Agreement in Northern Ireland: Motion (17 Feb 2010)

Alex White: I wish to share time with Senator Hannigan.

Seanad: Power Sharing Agreement in Northern Ireland: Motion (17 Feb 2010)

Alex White: I welcome the past two week's developments in the North, especially what has been achieved in policing and justice. No society can hope to attain any form of normality or legitimacy without control of something as basic and fundamental as policing and justice issues. They go to the heart of the kind of consensus that any society needs to have and the type of contract people have with each...

Seanad: Order of Business (16 Feb 2010)

Alex White: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Order of Business (16 Feb 2010)

Alex White: I have no objection to the House discussing the emergency funding for Greece today but in the current circumstances I would much prefer to discuss the position in Ireland. Given all the calls made on the Order of Business by Members on both sides of the House for debates to be held on issues of importance, I am curious to know why the Leader responded so quickly to the brief reference made...

Seanad: Youth Unemployment: Motion (10 Feb 2010)

Alex White: What about Senator O'Malley?

Seanad: Youth Unemployment: Motion (10 Feb 2010)

Alex White: On a point of order, if I have two minutes, I will be happy to give at least one to Senator O'Malley.

Seanad: Youth Unemployment: Motion (10 Feb 2010)

Alex White: I thank all of my colleagues who participated in this important debate. I also thank the Minister of State for attending, being attentive and what he had to say in responding to the debate. As Senator O'Malley said, job creation should be at the core of the economic debate we need to have. However, one could be forgiven for thinking otherwise in observing the Government's communication of...

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Feb 2010)

Alex White: The events of recent days give rise to very important issues which go beyond the personalities concerned. I agree with Senators O'Toole and Harris on the importance of having a debate on the nature and quality of representation and what we can expect from politicians and people in public life. I have just come from a meeting of the Joint Committee on the Constitution which is wrestling with...

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Feb 2010)

Alex White: This is an opportunity for us to ask questions of the Leader——

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Feb 2010)

Alex White: You will not be surprised to hear that there are many questions on my mind today after the events of the last 24 hours. I am sure there are questions on the minds of colleagues in front of me.

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Feb 2010)

Alex White: I am tempted to ask the Leader when he thinks there might be a by-election held in the other House to fill the seat that was so quickly vacated in the last 24 hours in Dublin South. However, I should pass on that as it is a matter for the other House.

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Feb 2010)

Alex White: I may be ex-RTE, but I have passed the eight month test in politics.

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Feb 2010)

Alex White: In the course of debates about NAMA, the Minister for Finance was keen to tell us how supportive the IMF was of the project. Why did he not inform the Houses that the IMF was of the solemn view that the NAMA project would not have any impact and would not lead to a significant increase in lending by Irish banks? There have been many references to the quality of the debate in these Houses,...

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Feb 2010)

Alex White: Of course, he did not give us that information because it did not suit his purposes to tell us. It is a dereliction of duty to these Houses not to tell us what the IMF has said just because it does not suit the Government's case, especially since the Government is so quick to invoke the IMF in its support. That is wrong. Why is a freedom of information request by a newspaper required to...

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Feb 2010)

Alex White: That was the case made over and over again. I do not see why those on the Independent benches are so quick to defend the Minister for Finance.

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Feb 2010)

Alex White: The case was made as recently as yesterday by the Minister for Finance when he said the purchasing of bad loans by NAMA would increase to ensure the banks could get back to lending. That was the case being made and there is an attempt being made to resile from that position.

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Feb 2010)

Alex White: That is outrageous. On a point of information, it is 16 years since I was an employee of RTE.

Seanad: Order of Business (3 Feb 2010)

Alex White: I agree with Senator Coghlan's call for a debate on the waste management issue. I am not sure if what Senator Boyle said is particularly helpful in terms of the ESRI report. It is true the ESRI is an economic research body, but for anyone to suggest that the management of waste and environmental matters is not an economic issue is absurd. Of course it is an economic issue, and it is quite...

Seanad: Order of Business (3 Feb 2010)

Alex White: It is actually not rightly so. The Fianna Fáil Senator is quick to jump in, and in doing so makes my point for me.

Seanad: Order of Business (3 Feb 2010)

Alex White: When we are talking about bonuses for senior civil servants, the reform of local government or all the other issues of concern to the public, the debate should be held in the Houses of the Oireachtas and not behind closed doors so that we do not have to tune into "Morning Ireland" to find out what was happening from some poor soul who was at the meeting. I will finish with the issue of reform...