Results 18,221-18,240 of 19,173 for speaker:Shane Ross

Seanad: Order of Business (12 Dec 2006)

Shane Ross: I endorse everything said by Senators O'Toole, Brian Hayes and Ormonde about last night's edition of "Prime Time Investigates". The programme was pretty raw in that it obviously revealed an unregulated industry running riot among first-time buyers or any buyers or any of the most vulnerable people when they wish to make the largest investment of their lives. I was not surprised by the...

Seanad: Budget Statement 2006: Motion (6 Dec 2006)

Shane Ross: I long for the day when the Government produces a budget, whether it is to its credit or not, and a member of the Opposition in this House says: "Yes. On balance, this was a good budget. They did reasonably well." I long for the day that the Opposition comes to the House and treats a budget seriously and does not just pick on it and say this, that and the other is bad. Undoubtedly, this...

Seanad: Budget Statement 2006: Motion (6 Dec 2006)

Shane Ross: Senator Phelan is behaving in the way I have described. Opposition Senators should have said that this is a good budget and that they approve of it.

Seanad: Budget Statement 2006: Motion (6 Dec 2006)

Shane Ross: They should have declared their intention to vote for it.

Seanad: Budget Statement 2006: Motion (6 Dec 2006)

Shane Ross: Rather than acting in such a manner, they decided to engage in a kind of mock war. Everybody knows that this budget was easy to produce. In my view, it was a particular reflection of the Government's management of the economy over the last few years. This is not very easy for me to say because I have spent my life opposing Fianna Fáil in many ways. I do not doubt that the ease with which...

Seanad: Budget Statement 2006: Motion (6 Dec 2006)

Shane Ross: No, it is not just because we are building houses.

Seanad: Budget Statement 2006: Motion (6 Dec 2006)

Shane Ross: It is not that.

Seanad: Budget Statement 2006: Motion (6 Dec 2006)

Shane Ross: I have seven minutes remaining.

Seanad: Budget Statement 2006: Motion (6 Dec 2006)

Shane Ross: Perhaps the Minister of State will give me a little of his time.

Seanad: Budget Statement 2006: Motion (6 Dec 2006)

Shane Ross: Our economic growth can be attributed to the Government's consistent resistance of attempts to increase the 12.5% corporation tax rate. That is the principal reason this economy is in such an incredibly strong position. I applaud both parties in the Government for that.

Seanad: Budget Statement 2006: Motion (6 Dec 2006)

Shane Ross: The Opposition should give the Government credit for its approach, which ensured it had so much money to give away today.

Seanad: Budget Statement 2006: Motion (6 Dec 2006)

Shane Ross: Heckling is particularly——

Seanad: Budget Statement 2006: Motion (6 Dec 2006)

Shane Ross: Fine Gael proposes to go into coalition with a party that is allied to the trade unions, which want to increase the rate of corporation tax to 20%. It will come under such pressure all the time. That is its promise.

Seanad: Budget Statement 2006: Motion (6 Dec 2006)

Shane Ross: I want to discuss the issue of stamp duty.

Seanad: Budget Statement 2006: Motion (6 Dec 2006)

Shane Ross: I will have to get injury time from the Leas-Chathaoirleach.

Seanad: Budget Statement 2006: Motion (6 Dec 2006)

Shane Ross: Stamp duty is one of the most controversial issues to be raised in this budget. The effect of stamp duty, which is undoubtedly a tax, is difficult to explain to people. The cheap and obvious political thing to do would be to abolish it in respect of first-time buyers. We need to explain this complicated issue to people, rather than mislead them. The decision taken by the Government today...

Seanad: Budget Statement 2006: Motion (6 Dec 2006)

Shane Ross: I would like to make a plea, which stems from my disappointment in one respect, before I give the Minister of State a chance to endorse what I have said, which he will undoubtedly do. While the Government has used the tax regime to give tremendous encouragement to multinationals, it has missed an opportunity in this budget to allow for a free-for-all on broadband. I thought the Government...

Seanad: Tax Code: Motion (29 Nov 2006)

Shane Ross: Senator Mansergh would attack it anyway.

Seanad: Tax Code: Motion (29 Nov 2006)

Shane Ross: The members of the Fianna Fáil Party must wake up every morning and say, "Thank God for Senator Mansergh."

Seanad: Tax Code: Motion (29 Nov 2006)

Shane Ross: It appears to me that nobody has walked the intellectual tightrope better than Senator Mansergh did this afternoon. Set the task of defending what is after all pretty well indefensible, he resorted to that great trick of attacking a speech that has not yet been made and, unlike others in the House, is not scripted, so it is difficult to anticipate, and defended a budget that has not been...