Results 12,681-12,700 of 20,831 for speaker:David Norris

Seanad: Finance Bill 2011 (Certified Money Bill): Report and Final Stages (29 Jan 2011)

David Norris: I move recommendation No. 2: In page 7, between lines 27 and 28, to insert the following: "(a) whereby in every instance where "spouse" occurs in this Bill it shall be interpreted as including persons who are legally registered as civil partners;". This is an attempt to be helpful. It is dealing with the amendments that were consequent upon the passage of the Civil Partnership and Certain...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2011 (Certified Money Bill): Report and Final Stages (29 Jan 2011)

David Norris: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Finance Bill 2011 (Certified Money Bill): Report and Final Stages (29 Jan 2011)

David Norris: I welcome very much what the Minister has said, his gracious manner of doing it and the significant additional information he has placed before the Oireachtas. For that reason, I believe it was worthwhile tabling the amendment. I have been here the entire day for recommendation after recommendation, as has the Minister. From my point of view, and some of my colleagues agree, in terms of...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2011 (Certified Money Bill): Report and Final Stages (29 Jan 2011)

David Norris: I am delighted we have done so. I am particularly heartened the Minister had an opportunity to make this contribution towards the end of his period in office as Minister for Finance. Regardless of whether I agree with them, I am delighted the stirring words of Senator Eoghan Harris echoed around this Chamber.

Seanad: Finance Bill 2011 (Certified Money Bill): Report and Final Stages (29 Jan 2011)

David Norris: It was a remarkable contribution and, while I did not agree with everything in it, my goodness, that kind of rhetoric is what we need in this House. I hope he will find an opportunity to stand, perhaps even in a constituency close to my own heart.

Seanad: Finance Bill 2011 (Certified Money Bill): Report and Final Stages (29 Jan 2011)

David Norris: I will. The Minister made generous reference to my advisers. Perhaps the inadequacy of the amendment would have indicated my adviser consisted of myself. I was only attempting to have this matter ventilated in the kind of way it has been and to see whether I could tease the Minister into making that kind of statement. I am very glad he did so. It raised some other issues with which I...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2011 (Certified Money Bill): Report and Final Stages (29 Jan 2011)

David Norris: I am dealing with this matter which was raised and dealt with in extenso. It relates to this very clear situation.

Seanad: Finance Bill 2011 (Certified Money Bill): Report and Final Stages (29 Jan 2011)

David Norris: Some 75 amendments were tabled, all with exactly the same wording. Vote after vote was called, with the facilitation, regrettably, of some of my colleagues. That could not possibly have added any intellectual growth to the argument. If that is not a filibuster, I do not know what is.

Seanad: Finance Bill 2011 (Certified Money Bill): Report and Final Stages (29 Jan 2011)

David Norris: I want to address another matter which comes directly from this, namely, the question of the constitutionality of this amendment and the word "spouse". My colleague is quite wrong in what he said about its constitutionality, and this can be easily demonstrated. If it were not so, it would not have been necessary for the former Minister for Social and Family Affairs, Deputy Mary Coughlan, to...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2011 (Certified Money Bill): Report and Final Stages (29 Jan 2011)

David Norris: I am very glad this matter has been raised. It would, perhaps, have had a slightly better chance if we had thought - we did, but it was too late before bringing the recommendation before the House - to insert the words "in addition to all other related Acts" in this Bill. However, I was glad that, even though the word "spouse" did not appear with the frequency that might have supported my...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2011 (Certified Money Bill): Report and Final Stages (29 Jan 2011)

David Norris: I support this important recommendation, one that has been well worked out in terms of openness, accountability, transparency and all the other buzz words used. People are entitled to know the amount of bonuses paid. It is desirable and in the public interest to have this information. I would have had a greater difficulty if there had been a broad brush attempt to restrict completely the...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2011 (Certified Money Bill): Committee Stage (Resumed). (29 Jan 2011)

David Norris: The Government now maintains it does not create a difficulty in principle if there are two deadlines when last year it claimed they needed to be the same. Will the Minister of State give the theoretical justification for this change of argument? I understand this provision was inserted primarily to produce a yield for the Revenue Commissioners and in order that the Government would have a...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2011 (Certified Money Bill): Committee Stage (Resumed). (29 Jan 2011)

David Norris: I thank the Minister of State for the explanation he has provided. I was very interested to learn that one can obtain interest in respect of overpayments. I shall re-examine my tax calculation to discover whether I received such interest. However, that is a very minor point of a personal nature. Despite his illuminating comments, the Minister of State did not answer one specific question I...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2011 (Certified Money Bill): Committee Stage (Resumed). (29 Jan 2011)

David Norris: I welcome the fact that he responded. I inquired with regard to the philosophical change which occurred between last year and this.

Seanad: Finance Bill 2011 (Certified Money Bill): Committee Stage (Resumed). (29 Jan 2011)

David Norris: The Minister of State did not answer the question.

Seanad: Finance Bill 2011 (Certified Money Bill): Committee Stage (Resumed). (29 Jan 2011)

David Norris: I support Senator Regan's recommendation and echo what Senator O'Toole said. There might well be a question of constitutionality if, for example, the disposition of a home and property is concerned in this business. I do not know about that. Again, I wish to ask the Minister a specific question and perhaps on this occasion he might find it possible to answer it. Are there any limitations...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2011 (Certified Money Bill): Committee Stage (Resumed). (29 Jan 2011)

David Norris: I support what Senator Regan has said and I am not satisfied by the Minister of State's reply. I do not think he answered one element of the question I raised. The whole idea of attachment goes back much further than the 1980s. One can find it in novels by Charles Dickens. It was a feature of the Victorian era in Britain, where earnings and so on were attached. However, that does not...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2011 (Certified Money Bill): Committee Stage (Resumed). (29 Jan 2011)

David Norris: If a case is successful it will cost the State more money.

Seanad: Finance Bill 2011 (Certified Money Bill): Committee Stage (Resumed). (29 Jan 2011)

David Norris: Where does it say that?

Seanad: Finance Bill 2011 (Certified Money Bill): Committee Stage (Resumed). (29 Jan 2011)

David Norris: The Minister is not addressing the argument.