Results 13,441-13,460 of 14,090 for speaker:Marc MacSharry
- Seanad: Seanad Electoral (Panel Members)(Amendment) Bill 2008: Second Stage (Resumed) (20 Oct 2010)
Marc MacSharry: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Finneran. I congratulate Senators Cummins and Coghlan on their initiative in introducing this Bill. I assume they have done so in the context of a difficult atmosphere in the Fine Gael Party, the leadership of which has determined that the abolition of the Seanad is desirable. I wish to express my personal views on Seanad reform. Eight years have...
- Seanad: Announcement on Banking by the Minister for Finance: Statements (20 Oct 2010)
Marc MacSharry: I join with other Members in welcoming the Minister of State. I also welcome the opportunity to make some points on the subject of banking. I welcome the analogies made by the Minister of State in respect of French history. Throughout these debates on the scale of the banking issue, I have made the point that unlike Louis XIV, one cannot set up the guillotine on St. Stephen's Green and...
- Seanad: Order of Business (20 Oct 2010)
Marc MacSharry: I share Senator Healy Eames's concern for the protection of the family home. The expert group on mortgage arrears and personal debt, chaired by Mr. Hugh Cooney, is engaged in its final deliberations on the matter and I hope its recommendations will be available in the coming weeks. Given that the group was established by Members more than two years ago, I hope its final report will...
- Seanad: Order of Business (19 Oct 2010)
Marc MacSharry: I join with others in welcoming the fact that some briefings have taken place over the past number of days. Following those briefings, I am glad to see that there is much agreement on the kind of work that needs to be done. Yet, I sense that we will spend another week discussing the indignation of what got us into the mess, which is perfectly understandable, and the depth of our problems....
- Seanad: Order of Business (19 Oct 2010)
Marc MacSharry: Senator Harris also mentioned it. It must be done as a matter of the utmost urgency. There will be a debate on banking in the House tomorrow and I hope Senators on both sides of the House can all stand up and say they think X or Y can be cut because that is what needs to be done. I wholeheartedly agree with Senator Walsh who spoke on the joint labour council agreements on the pay rates for...
- Seanad: Order of Business (19 Oct 2010)
Marc MacSharry: It will take place on 12 June 2012.
- Seanad: Order of Business (12 Oct 2010)
Marc MacSharry: I express my frustration with the debate on the need for consensus which has been taking place for several weeks. Last Wednesday week I raised the possibility of our dealing with tangible proposals on a whole-House basis, in the belief those in this room and the other House could come up with solutions to the problems we were facing. Instead, the pantomime has continued with a call for a...
- Seanad: Order of Business (12 Oct 2010)
Marc MacSharry: These are painful words for us all to contemplate because we all have mortgages and other financial commitments in line with income levels that are representative of a different time. Regrettably, times have changed and unless we want to go down with the IMF trying to pull us back up, it is time we faced up it quickly in this House and came up with solutions. Why did Fine Gael not specify...
- Seanad: Order of Business (12 Oct 2010)
Marc MacSharry: I do not want to be in a Punch and Judy show. I want to hear Senators proposing where cuts can be made and dispense with the pantomime that has gone on for two weeks. We know the benefits of consensus. Let us seize the day and start putting forward tangible proposals.
- Seanad: Order of Business (7 Oct 2010)
Marc MacSharry: I do not doubt the ability of Fine Gael or other Opposition parties to provide effective opposition over the years. What is on offer this time is different, historic and new. I recommend that Deputy Noonan, the deputy finance spokesman in the Dáil, Deputy English, Senator Twomey and others take the opportunity to go to the Department of Finance each week over the next few weeks with...
- Seanad: Order of Business (7 Oct 2010)
Marc MacSharry: There should be no interest in beating each other up any more about one manifesto being better than the next. It is a genuinely historic offer that must be taken up. That has been the theme throughout the Houses over recent weeks so we should move on with it. People will have the opportunity to air electoral politics in due course.
- Seanad: Order of Business (7 Oct 2010)
Marc MacSharry: We must be mature and serious about embracing this opportunity. I ask in this context for a debate on the issue of employment so that we can feed into the process. Over recent days we have seen IBEC, the Union of Students in Ireland and Social Justice Ireland come up with a number of proposals for extensive internship programmes. In particular, Social Justice Ireland, which is Fr. Seán...
- Seanad: Order of Business. (6 Oct 2010)
Marc MacSharry: On that issue, to suggest the Government of the day cannot put together policies covering a number of years is ridiculous in the extreme. A Government has ownership of particular legislation, development plans and so on. Obviously, if and when one is in government and disagrees with things, I am sure one can go and try to renegotiate. In the meantime, something unprecedented and historic...
- Seanad: Order of Business. (6 Oct 2010)
Marc MacSharry: ------would specifically liaise with-----
- Seanad: Order of Business. (6 Oct 2010)
Marc MacSharry: Yes, there will be one key contact person. This is very efficient-----
- Seanad: Order of Business. (6 Oct 2010)
Marc MacSharry: -----and the Opposition can bring forward proposals which the Department of Finance will cost. This has never happened before. I, for one, hope and I am confident that this process will not be superficial because, as I said last week and Senator Bradford and many other Members said in the past few days, we must have some input to what will clearly be an extremely difficult and painful...
- Seanad: Order of Business. (6 Oct 2010)
Marc MacSharry: President McAleese, in opening an extension to the Institute of Technology in Sligo at a cost of â¬12 million yesterday, said that in the 1960s, because of poverty, a lack of resources and ambition, we had been resigned to mediocrity. Clouds of resignation prevented us from moving forward. She also said the clouds of indignation today could paralyse us. Let us not let that happen. Let us...
- Seanad: Illegal Moneylending (6 Oct 2010)
Marc MacSharry: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Haughey. I am glad he has taken the time to hear this motion. As he is no doubt aware, as the nation has had to contemplate the introduction of painful measures that affect all households, there have been an inordinate number of financial pressures on families such as coping with mortgages repayments and increased bills. The difficulty of getting...
- Seanad: Illegal Moneylending (6 Oct 2010)
Marc MacSharry: I hope the Minister of State will be able to reflect what I have said. The problem of illegal moneylending is much bigger than we realise. While I appreciate some of my suggestions may be somewhat draconian, the time has come to use powers such as those we used to deal with subversive activity. We cannot allow this practice to continue to affect innocent families that are struggling in...
- Seanad: National Economy: Statements (30 Sep 2010)
Marc MacSharry: At 2.30 p.m. on Wednesday, 6 October 2010.