Results 1,301-1,320 of 1,683 for speaker:Derek McDowell

Seanad: Companies (Auditing and Accounting) Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (28 May 2003)

Derek McDowell: Is not the difficulty that charities, in particular, go for high profile directors, big names, men and women who are well known and which they only really want as a rubber-stamp? They do not want them as directors who will ask questions. Perhaps that is too general a statement to make but I can think of examples in which that is the case and where there are well known directors of charities...

Seanad: Redundancy Payments Bill 2003: Second Stage. (14 May 2003)

Derek McDowell: That is too much. A couple of minutes would have been enough.

Seanad: Redundancy Payments Bill 2003: Second Stage. (14 May 2003)

Derek McDowell: A couple of crisp sentences would be enough.

Seanad: Redundancy Payments Bill 2003: Second Stage. (14 May 2003)

Derek McDowell: I welcome the Tánaiste to the House. I trust she had a good lunch. I will not delay her too much.

Seanad: Redundancy Payments Bill 2003: Second Stage. (14 May 2003)

Derek McDowell: I will not say anything about that. I will start by stating the obvious. The position of people who lose their jobs will be improved once this Bill is enacted. The fact that we have not reviewed the major provisions of the 1967 Act in 36 years is remarkable because it has been calling out for revision for some time. I am sorry Senator O'Toole has left the House. I sometimes think his vision...

Seanad: Redundancy Payments Bill 2003: Second Stage. (14 May 2003)

Derek McDowell: While it is appropriate to say there has been a significant improvement in the Bill before the House, it by no means does all that Congress has been looking for over a number of years, and Senator O'Toole knows that better than most. Even in terms of the timescale, my current party leader, as our party's then spokesperson on enterprise and employment, dealt with this issue over a number of...

Seanad: Redundancy Payments Bill 2003: Second Stage. (14 May 2003)

Derek McDowell: Even if we take that as a given, it must be possible for the Minister or the Government to make payments on a non-statutory basis that would be equivalent to redundancy payments and backdate them six or 18 months to meet the commitment she made. A similar payment has been provided, for example, under the taxi licence hardship arrangements. No legislation governs that scheme and I do not know...

Seanad: Redundancy Payments Bill 2003: Second Stage. (14 May 2003)

Derek McDowell: I have copies of the note the Minister kindly sent to Deputy Howlin, my party's spokesperson on the issue, the note made by Mike Jennings, the trade union official who attended the meeting, a letter written by a Fianna Fáil Deputy and comments attributed to another Fianna Fáil Deputy. The departmental report on the meeting stated, "The Tánaiste said that talks were ongoing in relation to...

Seanad: Redundancy Payments Bill 2003: Second Stage. (14 May 2003)

Derek McDowell: They were informed four or five months later in April. In the meantime—

Seanad: Redundancy Payments Bill 2003: Second Stage. (14 May 2003)

Derek McDowell: I have a copy of a letter from the Minister's Department received by SIPTU officials on 22 April.

Seanad: Redundancy Payments Bill 2003: Second Stage. (14 May 2003)

Derek McDowell: The letter sets out that the Minister at that stage believed it was impossible to make payments retrospective. This is fully four months later.

Seanad: Redundancy Payments Bill 2003: Second Stage. (14 May 2003)

Derek McDowell: At what talks?

Seanad: Redundancy Payments Bill 2003: Second Stage. (14 May 2003)

Derek McDowell: The comment was made on 12 December 2002. Deputy Aylward, a member of Fianna Fáil and one of the Minister's Government colleagues, stated on 15 January 2003, at which stage the social partnership talks were well advanced, that he was satisfied and had checked that an unambiguous commitment had been made. Deputy McGuinness of Fianna Fáil wrote to the representatives of Comerama workers on 20...

Seanad: Redundancy Payments Bill 2003: Second Stage. (14 May 2003)

Derek McDowell: If I say I will do my best as a Senator in an Opposition party, people know what that means. If the Minister who is presiding over an issue says she will do her best, that means something else. Workers are entitled to take—

Seanad: Redundancy Payments Bill 2003: Second Stage. (14 May 2003)

Derek McDowell: There must be another way to address the issue. The Minister has found a way to accommodate taxi drivers. Therefore, she can find a way to compensate those who have lost their jobs in the past six months, whether that is within the statutory framework.

Seanad: Redundancy Payments Bill 2003: Second Stage. (14 May 2003)

Derek McDowell: The line certainly had not been drawn before 12 December last when the Minister made a commitment to the 160 workers in Castlecomer, County Kilkenny and that must be met. I welcome the provision that a number of factors that meant one broke service are no longer reckonable provided they took place more than three years previously. Most of the causes of breaching reckonable service should not...

Seanad: Redundancy Payments Bill 2003: Second Stage. (14 May 2003)

Derek McDowell: We must go back to the point where the Tánaiste told the people concerned they would be looked after. That was about six months ago.

Seanad: Official Languages Bill 2002: Report and Final Stages. (13 May 2003)

Derek McDowell: Tá sé sásúil go bhfuil an ceart anois ag Comhaltaí sa Teach seo agus sa Dáil labhairt as Gaeilge má theastaíonn uathu amhlaidh a dhéanamh. Ba cheart dúinn, freisin, deis a thabhairt dos na Baill é sin a dhéanamh. Is rud amháin é ceart agus cead a bheith againn ach caithfear an deis a bheith againn freisin. De réir mar a fheicim-se, ní pléitear ach ceist na Gaeilge as Gaeilge...

Seanad: Official Languages Bill 2002: Report and Final Stages. (13 May 2003)

Derek McDowell: Ní raibh mé anseo don díospóireacht ar Chéim an Choiste ach léigh mé tuairisc na díospóireachta, a bhí an-fhada. Mhol an Seanadóir O'Toole go mbeadh sé mar bhun-prionsabal go mbeadh imeachtaí cúirte, go háirithe an Cúirt Dúiche sa Ghaeltacht, tré Ghaeilge. Is trua nach féidir é sin a dhéanamh. Léigh mé an méid a bhí le rá ag an Aire mar gheall ar éagsúlacht taobh...

Seanad: Official Languages Bill 2002: Report and Final Stages. (13 May 2003)

Derek McDowell: An bhfuil sé ar intinn ag an Aire déanamh cinnte go leagfar sin síos sa bplean?