Results 8,441-8,460 of 11,441 for speaker:Ivana Bacik

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) (Political Funding) Bill 2011 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil]: Report and Final Stages (20 Jul 2012)

Ivana Bacik: It is good to hear that Fianna Fáil supports this measure, just as it was good to hear Sinn Féin express support for these amendments. Senator Mooney referred to democracy as a fragile flower and the Mahon report showed how close we in Ireland came to seriously destroying that fragile flower. In that context, when considering the findings of the Mahon report, it also is important to...

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) (Political Funding) Bill 2011 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil]: Report and Final Stages (20 Jul 2012)

Ivana Bacik: We are finishing on a good note.

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) (Political Funding) Bill 2011 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil]: Report and Final Stages (20 Jul 2012)

Ivana Bacik: The Minister must be blushing with all these tributes. The Bill is to be welcomed for two major achievements. First is its achievement in tackling corruption and ensuring greater transparency. The Standards in Public Office Commission has just released its tenth annual report, which pointed out that the last Eurobarometer poll showed that 86% of people here thought that corruption was...

Seanad: Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (19 Jul 2012)

Ivana Bacik: The Minister is right. It is good to hear that Sinn Féin, like other parties, agrees in principle with the idea of a single scheme applying to all public servants. Members of the Oireachtas are patently not public servants in the same way as a public servant who has a career in the Civil Service. As the Minister has said, the reality of elections every five years or more frequently means...

Seanad: Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (19 Jul 2012)

Ivana Bacik: The rest goes to the party.

Seanad: Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (19 Jul 2012)

Ivana Bacik: Like the Minister, I do not wish to prolong debate on this issue. It is hard to take a lecture from Sinn Féin about saving the State money because its representatives employ someone on some of their salary.

Seanad: Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (19 Jul 2012)

Ivana Bacik: Any Deputy or Senator who employs a child-minder or somebody else-----

Seanad: Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (19 Jul 2012)

Ivana Bacik: It is the same thing. He or she is giving someone on the live register a job and that person is paid tax on his or her earnings.

Seanad: Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (19 Jul 2012)

Ivana Bacik: The Senator should not lecture us from the moral high ground.

Seanad: Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (19 Jul 2012)

Ivana Bacik: Having listened to Senator Cullinane without shouting at him, it is inappropriate that he is shouting at me. I am making a fair and reasonable point that any Senator or Deputy or any other person who earns an income and employs somebody out of his or her earned income is creating employment and enabling the employee to pay tax on the earned income. This is not something on which any of us...

Seanad: Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (19 Jul 2012)

Ivana Bacik: We had a very full debate on Second Stage about the issue of the retirement age and about the merits of even having a mandatory retirement age. The Minister very fairly made the point that 70 is the maximum in the Bill and that it seems a reasonable proposition, while taking on board the very persuasive arguments put forward by Senators from both sides of the House about the merit of having...

Seanad: Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (19 Jul 2012)

Ivana Bacik: I read these amendments and I was surprised and somewhat shocked to see that the Senator is proposing to insert an absolute figure into legislation which, as Senator Cullinane noted, will only apply prospectively. It seems to be no more than bad legislating to provide for a cap of a set amount – Sinn Féin is proposing a cap of €60,000 and I note a figure of €37,500 is referred to in...

Seanad: Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (19 Jul 2012)

Ivana Bacik: I taught Senator Byrne well.

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Jul 2012)

Ivana Bacik: I know the Leader will respond to Senator Byrne's proposed amendment to the Order of Business. It is good to see that Fianna Fáil is supporting the Bill. There was an element of manufactured outrage about the Senator's contribution and he seemed to be trying to find a way to object to the Bill while supporting it.

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Jul 2012)

Ivana Bacik: It rings a little hollow.

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Jul 2012)

Ivana Bacik: The Senator's comments about the Minister for Health were unwarranted, particularly when he is introducing a Bill his party supports.

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Jul 2012)

Ivana Bacik: The Taoiseach's visit to the House yesterday was extremely useful for us. It was particularly welcome to hear him give the comprehensive update on developments at EU level and plans for Ireland's Presidency of the European Council next year. It was also very welcome to hear him say that he anticipates a resolution being reached on the issue of breaking the vicious cycle between banking debt...

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Jul 2012)

Ivana Bacik: The Senator is playing party politics.

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Jul 2012)

Ivana Bacik: Shame on Senator Leyden.

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Jul 2012)

Ivana Bacik: Shame on the Senator.