Results 8,561-8,580 of 9,393 for speaker:Alex White

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Feb 2009)

Alex White: On a point of order, I realise the Leader tries to keep himself informed, but I am not going anywhere near Europe.

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Feb 2009)

Alex White: Over recent months in the current crisis there has been much comment on what has occurred in the banks and the wider economy. An opinion piece this morning by a former, very senior official in one of the organisations that has figured in the news in recent days offers the most eloquent analysis of what has occurred over this period, particularly in the financial institutions. I commend the...

Seanad: Order of Business (17 Feb 2009)

Alex White: Why not?

Seanad: Order of Business (17 Feb 2009)

Alex White: We keep returning to the issues of accountability and the role of the Houses and the committees. These Houses are not providing any real forum for accountability, and that is the problem. Senator Fitzgerald is correct about the fury and outrage and that there must be an opportunity for the Minister to come to the House to answer questions. However, Ministers regularly come to this House....

Seanad: Order of Business (17 Feb 2009)

Alex White: What is the point? I do not say we should not invite them but what is the point? Senator O'Toole said the committee is not a Star Chamber. Nobody expects it to be a Star Chamber, but people are crying out for accountability and for questions to be answered. They are not being answered anywhere else so why can they not be answered in the Parliament of the people? If the Minister comes to...

Seanad: Order of Business (17 Feb 2009)

Alex White: We cannot have any debate, whether in a committee, here, in the public press or anywhere else if we are not being given the information. What is the basis upon which these decisions are being made? None of that has been provided here, in the other House or in the committee, and we need to wake up to that fact because we are only fooling ourselves. I will finish on this because it is...

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Feb 2009)

Alex White: Our translation service seems to have broken down.

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Feb 2009)

Alex White: It is one and a half——

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Feb 2009)

Alex White: We expect clarity and coherence from the Government on its proposals. Last week we were told there was a €2 billion gap in the public finances. A number of bullet points were announced to the Dáil ——

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Feb 2009)

Alex White: The Taoiseach said €2 billion.

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Feb 2009)

Alex White: I accept fully that is the global amount. However, last week the Taoiseach said that what the Government needed to do now was to fill the gap of €2 billion. He proposed to do that, including a figure of €1.4 billion in respect of a pension levy. It now turns out that the amount to be yielded from the pension levy is not €1.4 billion, but €900 million. Rather than it being taken...

Seanad: Stabilisation of the Public Finances: Statements (5 Feb 2009)

Alex White: I have listened with interest to most of the debate. I begin by making a technical point. The Seanad is, of course, not being asked to vote on the measures introduced by the Government this week. I understand the Seanad's constitutional position in respect of financial matters. It gives a slightly different focus to our debate. We are responding to the statement made by the Minister of...

Seanad: Stabilisation of the Public Finances: Statements (5 Feb 2009)

Alex White: Our record speaks for itself in that regard.

Seanad: Stabilisation of the Public Finances: Statements (5 Feb 2009)

Alex White: Senator Callely has a small mind.

Seanad: Stabilisation of the Public Finances: Statements (5 Feb 2009)

Alex White: The Senator is a small-minded man.

Seanad: Order of Business (3 Feb 2009)

Alex White: He has a hard neck.

Seanad: Order of Business (3 Feb 2009)

Alex White: Will the Leader explain how the House can take itself seriously, or how it can have any self respect if there is no debate following the Taoiseach's remarks at 4 p.m? I appeal to the Leader to answer that question. How can the Parliament maintain any self respect if the Taoiseach's statement is not debated? Apparently the Leader will suggest that it is not entirely clear whether that...

Seanad: Order of Business (3 Feb 2009)

Alex White: Members should have the debate this afternoon. I will conclude by noting that the Government as a whole, including the Leader, should engage to some extent with the Opposition parties. The latter merely seek information and, as Opposition parties, do not seek necessarily to make the decisions because that is a matter for the Government. However, information should be provided to, and there...

Seanad: Order of Business (29 Jan 2009)

Alex White: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Order of Business (29 Jan 2009)

Alex White: The document to which Senator O'Toole referred is the one which the Leader told us yesterday we had been discussing on Tuesday. It was published in The Irish Times yesterday and we manifestly could not have discussed it the previous day because we did not have it in our possession. I ask the Leader to acknowledge that, unless he was confusing it with the other frameworks that are knocking...