Results 11,961-11,980 of 15,805 for speaker:Michael Ring

Written Answers — Wildlife Conservation: Wildlife Conservation (13 Dec 2007)

Michael Ring: Question 220: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government when the derogation order for the current period (details supplied) will be renewed in accordance with Article 9 of 79/490 birds directive. [34777/07]

Legal Practitioners (Irish Language) Bill 2007: Second Stage (13 Dec 2007)

Michael Ring: I will make a very short contribution. While I am pleased to see the Bill before the Dáil, I am amazed we do not have more important Bills to regulate the legal profession when we see what is happening. I would have preferred to see legislation to regulate barristers and solicitors, in particular. The days of self-regulation should be over. Regulation is badly wanted when we see what is...

Order of Business. (13 Dec 2007)

Michael Ring: We have an excellent candidate in the former Deputy, Paul McGrath.

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (12 Dec 2007)

Michael Ring: Question 153: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when a person (details supplied) in County Mayo will receive their disadvantaged area scheme and single payment scheme payments for 2007. [34637/07]

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (12 Dec 2007)

Michael Ring: Question 154: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when a person (details supplied) in County Mayo will receive their REP scheme payment. [34638/07]

Written Answers — Telecommunications Services: Telecommunications Services (12 Dec 2007)

Michael Ring: Question 197: To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources when broadband will be extended to an area (details supplied) in County Mayo. [34512/07]

Social Welfare Bill 2007: Second Stage (Resumed) (12 Dec 2007)

Michael Ring: When the budget was announced last week, the choir on the Government benches clapped because they thought it was a great budget for people on social welfare but it was not. Stealth taxes have begun and next week local authorities will send a letter to people on social welfare to have them reassessed for their council houses. This will see more money taken from increases in social welfare....

Financial Resolution No. 5: General (Resumed) (11 Dec 2007)

Michael Ring: I am glad to get the opportunity to speak on the budget because many of the announcements made by Ministers are not made in this House, but in Northern Ireland or in Government Buildings where none of us can go in to hear them. They can brief and tell the media what they want, but we cannot get the opportunity to argue with them. I was glad to see my colleague went to a press briefing to...

Financial Resolution No. 5: General (Resumed) (11 Dec 2007)

Michael Ring: This economy was booming for ten great years. When the choir was clapping, singing and dancing to congratulate the Minister for Finance last year, we nearly had to bring in the national orchestra to play the music for it.

Financial Resolution No. 5: General (Resumed) (11 Dec 2007)

Michael Ring: Exactly.

Financial Resolution No. 5: General (Resumed) (11 Dec 2007)

Michael Ring: Within a year, the same Minister came into the House with a deficit instead of a surplus. He will now have to borrow. I am speaking slowly because some of the Deputies opposite are a little deaf from listening to me shout. Perhaps I will be calm and quiet. The Government is going to have to borrow €5 billion to run the country.

Financial Resolution No. 5: General (Resumed) (11 Dec 2007)

Michael Ring: The Government, and particularly the Minister for Finance, have squandered that much money. According to what they said in May of this year, there were no problems in the economy, the health sector, the education system or the agriculture industry. The Government said it would not be able to spend all the money it was collecting from taxpayers.

Financial Resolution No. 5: General (Resumed) (11 Dec 2007)

Michael Ring: The taxpayers' revenue was squandered by the Government within a short amount of time.

Financial Resolution No. 5: General (Resumed) (11 Dec 2007)

Michael Ring: The Minister for Finance——

Financial Resolution No. 5: General (Resumed) (11 Dec 2007)

Michael Ring: We will talk about them tomorrow on the Social Welfare Bill.

Financial Resolution No. 5: General (Resumed) (11 Dec 2007)

Michael Ring: The Government has squandered our money. I will remind the Deputies opposite of something of which the Government has made a total mess. The Minister, Deputy Cowen, spoke last week about the reform of stamp duty. He had three or four opportunities to deal with stamp duty over the past year, after he received warnings from everybody in the industry. I have no sympathy for the builders. I...

Financial Resolution No. 5: General (Resumed) (11 Dec 2007)

Michael Ring: I hope every second one of them goes bankrupt because they robbed, blackguarded and destroyed young people in this country. I can give an example from last Thursday's The Irish Times. There might not be as many builders running into the Fianna Fáil tent at the Galway Races next year. They might be on the Green Party's bicycles next year because they will not be in their Mercs.

Financial Resolution No. 5: General (Resumed) (11 Dec 2007)

Michael Ring: They will not have the money next year to be throwing it into Fianna Fáil.

Financial Resolution No. 5: General (Resumed) (11 Dec 2007)

Michael Ring: The Irish Times reported last Thursday that builders and developers had been able to drop the price of houses — not by €1,000, not by €5,000 but by €100,000. Shame on them because if they could sell the houses for €100,000 less last week, they should have sold them for €100,000 less last year.

Financial Resolution No. 5: General (Resumed) (11 Dec 2007)

Michael Ring: They were robbing the young people of this country by mortgaging them in a way that puts them under pressure for the next 40 years. Thanks be to God that the good days are over for the builders because they ripped off the young people of this country when they had the opportunity to do so. They blackguarded them. Having spoken to auctioneers, I know they were not satisfied to be getting...