Results 10,241-10,260 of 10,577 for speaker:Barry Cowen

Closure of Army Barracks: Motion (Resumed) (5 Oct 2011)

Barry Cowen: It will take them less than six months to cop on to the Government.

Closure of Army Barracks: Motion (Resumed) (5 Oct 2011)

Barry Cowen: What about the only barracks that was ever built by this State?

Closure of Army Barracks: Motion (Resumed) (5 Oct 2011)

Barry Cowen: What else happened in '98?

Closure of Army Barracks: Motion (Resumed) (5 Oct 2011)

Barry Cowen: As the Minister has privilege, he should go ahead.

Closure of Army Barracks: Motion (Resumed) (5 Oct 2011)

Barry Cowen: I support the motion tabled by Deputy Calleary. It recognises that soldiers and their families are an essential and integral part of their local economy. Moreover, their facilities are shared by many of their communities. Apart from their conventional role, the Defence Forces are critical in times of emergency to counteract adverse weather, disease and so on. It goes without saying that...

Closure of Army Barracks: Motion (Resumed) (5 Oct 2011)

Barry Cowen: The main thrust of that hypocrisy is that Fianna Fáil is being hypocritical in respect of barracks closure. The motion itself acknowledges that Fianna Fáil closed barracks. It recognises "the consolidation of Army barracks over the past number of years due to the changed security situation in Northern Ireland and the consequent reinvestment of those funds" to modernise the Defence Forces....

Closure of Army Barracks: Motion (Resumed) (5 Oct 2011)

Barry Cowen: This week, the Central Bank produced reasonable figures. I refer to slightly better unemployment figures, a small degree of growth in the economy and better economic projections. Why is this? As the Minister, Deputy Rabbitte, said, the Government has implemented last year's budget and Finance Act. However, he does not tell too many people how vehemently he and his colleagues opposed the...

Closure of Army Barracks: Motion (Resumed) (5 Oct 2011)

Barry Cowen: It is coming to an end and Government has only a short while to wait because the reviews of the Departments are complete - they have not been published and will not be published.

Closure of Army Barracks: Motion (Resumed) (5 Oct 2011)

Barry Cowen: However, it will need to make a few choices apart from these. It will need to bring in its own budget and make its own decisions, which will not be popular and will fly in the face of all the populist commitments Government Members made when they were going around the country in February. We will see then what they are made of. They were elected in such numbers.

Closure of Army Barracks: Motion (Resumed) (5 Oct 2011)

Barry Cowen: They will tell the people that things were not as they thought they were.

Closure of Army Barracks: Motion (Resumed) (5 Oct 2011)

Barry Cowen: Even though the books were made available and the Ministers, Deputies Noonan and Burton, reviewed them, they will tell the people they were bound by the IMF and EU agreement despite having promised to turn it upside down. They will say they were hamstrung by the memoranda of agreement.

Closure of Army Barracks: Motion (Resumed) (5 Oct 2011)

Barry Cowen: However, they are not set in stone. The Minister for Finance says he got no extra revenue, but he came back flying the flag after saving €1 billion from the rate reduction achieved by accident rather than design. The Government will not give that to Mullingar, Kilkenny or Clonmel. In essence those of us on this side of the House can look forward to various acts of humility around the...

Closure of Army Barracks: Motion (Resumed) (5 Oct 2011)

Barry Cowen: -----and tell the people there how they committed to keep Army barracks in February, but could not stand by them here tonight. One Minister described this proposal as crass stupidity and I could not agree with him more along with many others here. We will see what they are made of when they go to Cabinet next Tuesday and he is left on his own. I wonder why the Labour benches are empty tonight.

Order of Business. (5 Oct 2011)

Barry Cowen: The Taoiseach should come to Mullingar at the weekend.

Order of Business. (5 Oct 2011)

Barry Cowen: The ESB is for sale.

Closure of Army Barracks: Motion (4 Oct 2011)

Barry Cowen: Say that to the Minister of State, Deputy Penrose.

Closure of Army Barracks: Motion (4 Oct 2011)

Barry Cowen: Announce the closures.

Closure of Army Barracks: Motion (4 Oct 2011)

Barry Cowen: The programme for Government states 10,500.

Closure of Army Barracks: Motion (4 Oct 2011)

Barry Cowen: The Minister should make his decision and cut to the chase.

Closure of Army Barracks: Motion (4 Oct 2011)

Barry Cowen: That is crass stupidity.