Results 1,361-1,380 of 1,760 for speaker:Aideen Hayden

Seanad: Finance (Local Property Tax) (Amendment) Bill 2013: Committee and Remaining Stages (6 Mar 2013)

Aideen Hayden: A number of Senators on this side raised concerns about those whose homes are in negative equity, those who paid substantial amounts in stamp duty and so on. We have asked the Minister to ensure this measure is kept under review and revisited should the need arise. On being lectured and harangued by Sinn Féin, it is quite incredible to hear members of that party justifying inheritance....

Seanad: Finance (Local Property Tax) (Amendment) Bill 2013: Second Stage (6 Mar 2013)

Aideen Hayden: I welcome the Minister of State. Senator Mark Daly has stated this is the wrong time to introduce the local property tax. I suppose it would have been better to introduce it when tax revenues were buoyant and income tax could have been replaced with a property tax. In other words, we could have redistributed the burden of taxation rather than introducing an additional burden. As the...

Seanad: Order of Business (5 Mar 2013)

Aideen Hayden: I ask the Deputy Leader to arrange for the Minister for Finance to come to the House for a debate on the banking sector. Stubbs Gazette recently estimated that 25,000 Irish households would seek redress under the new insolvency rules. On top of this, numerous pronouncements have recently been made by members of the banking profession that the new legislation is expected to make it easier...

Seanad: Address to Seanad Éireann by Ms Emer Costello, MEP (28 Feb 2013)

Aideen Hayden: I welcome Ms Costello to the House. We are living in very different times. I can remember a time when people used to speak about going over to Europe. Here we have a member of the European Parliament appearing before the Seanad. I hope the other House will take a leaf out of our book. It is good to see that greater engagement with the European Parliament. My question is somewhat...

Seanad: Business of Seanad (28 Feb 2013)

Aideen Hayden: Of all the Ministers and Ministers of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, has been one who is willing to come here at the drop of a hat. She should be given due credit for that.

Seanad: Business of Seanad (28 Feb 2013)

Aideen Hayden: I have no doubt that she will be more than happy to come here to discuss the mobility allowance. The deal on banker bonuses has been mentioned by a number of Senators and I also congratulate this European Presidency on the progress made in the overall banking agenda. It is nevertheless important to remember that we are talking about limiting bank bonuses to one year of salary or, in some...

Seanad: Order of Business (27 Feb 2013)

Aideen Hayden: I have no doubt that many on the Opposition benches are genuinely concerned about disabled people in the country but I am also certain many are shouting through crocodile tears for political gain. The Fianna Fáil Party was part of the Government for 14 years and it abjectly failed the people. A recent survey indicates 73% of people in the country are going cold because they cannot afford...

Seanad: Order of Business (21 Feb 2013)

Aideen Hayden: This morning the Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan, launched the homelessness policy statement on foot of a commitment in the programme for Government to adopt a housing-first approach to homelessness. Elements of the policy will focus in particular on a change of direction, the prevention of homelessness and the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Access to Credit Provision: Discussion with Credit Review Office (20 Feb 2013)

Aideen Hayden: Its advertising campaign is very good, but it could be grittier.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Access to Credit Provision: Discussion with Credit Review Office (20 Feb 2013)

Aideen Hayden: I apologise for not being here for Mr. Trethowan's presentation. Unfortunately I had to attend another meeting. I am far from convinced that the two pillar banks are engaging more with customers. I think they are doing the exact opposite. They are withdrawing from front-line services, possibly to protect their bottom line. I am aware that in the UK there have been greater moves from...

Seanad: Future of Further Education and Training: Statements (20 Feb 2013)

Aideen Hayden: I welcome the Minister of State to the House. When I started looking at the literature on this area, I was quite surprised by the extent and importance of the further education and training sector. It is worth ¤900 million per year and there are approximately 270,000 places in it in both part-time and full-time equivalent courses. There are four full-time further education courses and...

Seanad: Order of Business (20 Feb 2013)

Aideen Hayden: I also congratulate the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste on the genuinely moving and considered speeches they made in the Dáil yesterday. I must admit that I became very emotional about yesterday's events. I take the opportunity to remember the work of the late Mary Raftery, a journalist who tirelessly worked to expose institutional abuses. We owe a debt of gratitude to her for that work. It...

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Feb 2013)

Aideen Hayden: Like most Senators, I am hopeful that the Taoiseach will rise later today to give a full and unequivocal apology not just to the residents of the Magdalen laundries but to the families of those who are unfortunately deceased, and that he will announce that full and proper redress will be given to the residents and their families. I rarely find myself disagreeing with Senator Norris but I am...

Seanad: Promissory Note Arrangement: Statements (14 Feb 2013)

Aideen Hayden: I wish to share time with Senator Harte.

Seanad: Promissory Note Arrangement: Statements (14 Feb 2013)

Aideen Hayden: I welcome the Minister of State to the House today for this important debate. I would like first to comment on what Senator Byrne said. It is typical of him to make cheap political points. Far from being triumphalist, the Government parties were magnanimous, in particular to Fianna Fáil in acknowledging the excellent speech made by Deputy Michael McGrath. It was a sense of relief rather...

Seanad: Promissory Note Arrangement: Statements (14 Feb 2013)

Aideen Hayden: Other critics suggest we have socialised the bank debt and kicked the can forward. The fact remains that Irish bank debt has been part of sovereign debt since that fateful night in September 2008. Accusations by the Opposition that the Government has moved not to remove the burden from the Irish people but to add to it are rubbish. This is an argument that suits certain Opposition parties...

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Feb 2013)

Aideen Hayden: Would it be possible to have a debate on the wider housing market, particularly investment properties? I noted the Governor of the Central Bank's recent comments, where he advocated wholesale repossession of buy-to-let properties. We all know there are significant levels of mortgage arrears on buy-to-let properties and I have publicly stated that it is unfair the non-principal private...

Seanad: National Lottery: Motion (13 Feb 2013)

Aideen Hayden: I thank Senator O'Donnell and her colleagues on tabling this motion, which is well-intentioned. I did, however, have a sense of déjá vu when I saw it in terms of us having had a similar debate on a similar motion in this House. The principal difference as I see it is that we would have a dedicated draw, the funding from which would be used on a drip, drip basis to fund the children's...

Seanad: National Lottery: Motion (13 Feb 2013)

Aideen Hayden: A number of good points have been made during this debate, which have been addressed by the Minister. The time to sell an asset - the lottery is not being privatised, rather it is being licensed - is when one needs money. In my opinion, the time to sell is now. We have waited for far too long for a new national children's hospital. If I had any belief in Senator O'Donnell's proposal, I...

Seanad: Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2013: Second and Subsequent Stages (13 Feb 2013)

Aideen Hayden: I welcome the Minister to the Seanad and congratulate her on the trojan work she is doing in the area of children and young people. As the Minister said in her opening statement, the Bill is of a technical nature and provides clarity for those in the legal system and, more important, for those working in the child care sector in situations where an interim care order has been granted and...