Results 14,261-14,280 of 16,492 for speaker:Ciarán Lynch

Social and Affordable Housing (8 Jul 2010)

Ciarán Lynch: I thought we would be doing this after "Oireachtas Report", not before it.

Social and Affordable Housing (8 Jul 2010)

Ciarán Lynch: It is interesting that when the Minister announced this programme in the Chamber two years ago, he said he would spend €20 million per annum and with that would acquire 2,000 properties in the private sector. The figures the Minister has given this evening are well off those targets. At that time he was also adamant that there would be no option to buy as part of the package. Why has he...

Social and Affordable Housing (8 Jul 2010)

Ciarán Lynch: As I have stated in the House previously, there is no long term security of tenure for a social housing applicant in this programme and neither is there an exit policy. The Minister of State is on record in this regard in reply to a parliamentary question. Even though he is shepherding local authorities into this approach by saying it is the only show in town, he is not giving them any...

Local Government Elections (8 Jul 2010)

Ciarán Lynch: The Minister indicated in previous comments on the White Paper that it would be launched concurrently with the announcement of the mayoralty. Has the White Paper being brought before the Cabinet or has the Minister a date on which he envisages it will be brought before the Cabinet? Second, we are a million miles away from a mayoral election if one operates on the assumption that the...

Dog Breeding Establishments Bill 2009 [Seanad]: Committee and Remaining Stages (8 Jul 2010)

Ciarán Lynch: If this legislation were ice cream the Minister would not be able to give it to children. We have a situation where a legislative proposal that attracted a broad consensus across the House has regrettably become a very divisive issue because the Minister has managed it so poorly. Its core intent remains to deal with the abhorrent and scandalous circumstances of puppy farming in this...

Dog Breeding Establishments Bill 2009 [Seanad]: Committee and Remaining Stages (8 Jul 2010)

Ciarán Lynch: There is a need for legislation in this area and it is important that it is tackled and dealt with. However, the Minister's handling of the legislation this afternoon has created a situation whereby a more robust, measured and detailed approach could have been taken. There will be shortcomings, although one could argue there are shortcomings in all legislation. I refer to some ideas not...

Dog Breeding Establishments Bill 2009 [Seanad]: Committee and Remaining Stages (8 Jul 2010)

Ciarán Lynch: Regrettably, the Minister has made a dog's dinner of it, if the House will excuse the pun.

Dog Breeding Establishments Bill 2009 [Seanad]: Committee and Remaining Stages (8 Jul 2010)

Ciarán Lynch: Every July in this House stretching back several years since I came here first we have seen legislation rushed through the House as a result of the Green Party. Last year, we had the second home tax, which became a debacle because of caravans, mobile homes and granny flats. The year before we had the introduction of the VRT regime, which brought the car industry to a halt.

Dog Breeding Establishments Bill 2009 [Seanad]: Committee and Remaining Stages (8 Jul 2010)

Ciarán Lynch: The year before that in turn there was the nuclear test ban treaty. The Minister proposed to introduce a fine of €1,000 for someone setting off a bomb in Ireland.

Dog Breeding Establishments Bill 2009 [Seanad]: Committee and Remaining Stages (8 Jul 2010)

Ciarán Lynch: This is the type of legislation we have been subjected to from the Green Party over the years. The Labour Party will be supporting the legislation this evening. I trust the Minister will leave the Chamber this evening having learned that there is a world of difference between sitting in the office of the Minister and being the Minister. He had an opportunity to legislate in this area and...

Dog Breeding Establishments Bill 2009 [Seanad]: Committee and Remaining Stages (8 Jul 2010)

Ciarán Lynch: We know that.

Dog Breeding Establishments Bill 2009 [Seanad]: Committee and Remaining Stages (8 Jul 2010)

Ciarán Lynch: The issues now being debated result from the Minister not accepting the previous amendment. As a consequence, we are now looking at all canine matters in the broadest context. Instead of examining the issue of puppy farming this afternoon, we must look at every single item in the Bill not only in the context of puppy farms but hunting clubs, greyhounds, as Deputies Hogan, Ferris and others...

Dog Breeding Establishments Bill 2009 [Seanad]: Committee and Remaining Stages (8 Jul 2010)

Ciarán Lynch: Before the debate on this amendment is concluded, perhaps the Minster could provide some clarification. I agree an inspection regime is required, but we must consider enforcement. To move for a second to a different arena, there are about 220,000 private households in this country in which human beings are living and the Government has an inspection rate of 5.5% or 6% in this area, so I...

Dog Breeding Establishments Bill 2009 [Seanad]: Committee and Remaining Stages (8 Jul 2010)

Ciarán Lynch: I will simplify the problem. From the outset, the difficulty was the inclusion of the greyhound industry in the Dog Breeding Establishments Bill because another Act covers the greyhound industry. That is a recognised difficulty with the Bill. Last week the Minister indicated he would try to tidy up this but no material change has been made to the Bill. If greyhounds were included in the...

Dog Breeding Establishments Bill 2009 [Seanad]: Committee and Remaining Stages (8 Jul 2010)

Ciarán Lynch: We agree.

Dog Breeding Establishments Bill 2009 [Seanad]: Committee and Remaining Stages (8 Jul 2010)

Ciarán Lynch: The job of Members on the Labour Party, Fine Gael and Sinn Féin benches this afternoon is to test the robustness of this legislation. It is to keep the Minister focused on the legislation on hand, despite his attempts to go off on a tangent into other areas.

Dog Breeding Establishments Bill 2009 [Seanad]: Committee and Remaining Stages (8 Jul 2010)

Ciarán Lynch: Ultimately, Dáil Éireann has two hours in which to discuss all stages of this Bill. Members have very little time for scrutiny as a result of the decision by the Green Party and Fianna Fáil to guillotine the legislation. This Bill spent a great deal of time in the Seanad without being much amended by the Minister. However, he has introduced a whole raft of amendments this evening to...

Dog Breeding Establishments Bill 2009 [Seanad]: Committee and Remaining Stages (8 Jul 2010)

Ciarán Lynch: The Minister discussed it.

Dog Breeding Establishments Bill 2009 [Seanad]: Committee and Remaining Stages (8 Jul 2010)

Ciarán Lynch: I move amendment No. 1: In page 3, before section 2, to insert the following new section: 2.—This Act does not apply to any matter regulated by the Greyhound Industry Acts 1958 and 1993.". The commentary and contributions of the past 15 to 20 minutes constitutes the opening chapter on why I tabled this amendment. The amendment is self-explanatory. Is highly disingenuous for the Minister...

Dog Breeding Establishments Bill 2009 [Seanad]: Committee and Remaining Stages (8 Jul 2010)

Ciarán Lynch: Perhaps the Minister can correct me, because his signature appears at the end of this letter. He stated: Given that the primary objective of the proposed regulations is to regulate commercial dog breeding, and in view of the stricter standards which apply to the members of the Hunting Association of Ireland, it is my intention that groups affiliated to the HAI be granted an exemption from...