Results 1,961-1,980 of 2,815 for speaker:Tony Killeen

Whistleblowers Protection Bill 1999: Motion (Resumed). (8 Mar 2006)

Tony Killeen: It is not exactly the same.

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (7 Mar 2006)

Tony Killeen: I understand from the Health and Safety Authority that the number of staff who have requested to relocate to Thomastown based on central applications facility applications are 11 existing HSA staff; 41 civil servants; and ten other public servants. In addition, the authority has recruited or promoted 18 staff who have signed contracts which contain a Thomastown relocation clause. As regards...

Written Answers — Employment Agencies: Employment Agencies (7 Mar 2006)

Tony Killeen: The practice in the employment agency sector in Ireland is that, in general, temporary employment agency workers are not paid by employment agencies while such workers are out of work. Accordingly, the position of non-national temporary employment agency workers is exactly the same as for Irish temporary employment agency workers. Such workers can seek other employment. It is not unreasonable...

Written Answers — EU Directives: EU Directives (7 Mar 2006)

Tony Killeen: Ireland was required to transpose this directive into national law by 14 February 2006. However this has not been possible owing to the heavy legislative workload being processed by the Health and Safety Authority. A draft statutory instrument setting out regulations to transpose the directive, which concerns the minimum health and safety requirements regarding the exposure of workers to the...

Written Answers — Workplace Fatalities: Workplace Fatalities (7 Mar 2006)

Tony Killeen: In 2004, there were 16 construction fatalities, as well as two fatalities on construction sites of workers in other sectors, and in 2005 there were 23 construction fatalities. Following is a list of those fatally injured in 2004 and 2005 on construction sites or in construction related workplace activities during that period. The list sets out the names of the deceased, the date of the...

Natural Gas Network. (2 Mar 2006)

Tony Killeen: I am taking this Adjournment debate on behalf of the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, Deputy Noel Dempsey. I welcome the opportunity to speak on this matter. I fully appreciate Deputy Gogarty's motivation for raising this issue, as the safety of domestic natural gas consumers and the public in general is of paramount importance. However, the Minister has been advised...

Community Employment Schemes. (2 Mar 2006)

Tony Killeen: The primary purpose of community employment as an active labour market programme is to reintegrate long-term unemployed persons into open labour market jobs. CE provides unemployed people with temporary opportunities whereby they can develop their skills and obtain a recent track record of work experience. FÁS continues to develop the content of the CE programme. The new approach involves...

Competition (Amendment) Bill 2005 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage. (2 Mar 2006)

Tony Killeen: I do not know whether it is appropriate to respond to the points made by a number of speakers, but the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Deputy Martin——

Competition (Amendment) Bill 2005 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage. (2 Mar 2006)

Tony Killeen: I have only spoken on Fifth Stage——

Competition (Amendment) Bill 2005 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage. (2 Mar 2006)

Tony Killeen: I have not spoken, in any event. I have merely moved that Fifth Stage be taken and the Bill be passed. A number of points have been made, some of which re-hash arguments made on Second, Committee and Report Stages.

Competition (Amendment) Bill 2005 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage. (2 Mar 2006)

Tony Killeen: It is very important to realise that some of the amendments put forward would have had the effect of undermining section 5 of the Competition Act 2002, which would have gone against everything said by many people. The Government was accused of populism amid concerns about stealth taxes and rising prices. There are no stealth taxes. Any taxes which are imposed are done so through this House or...

Competition (Amendment) Bill 2005 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage. (2 Mar 2006)

Tony Killeen: We must remember that under the groceries order of 1987, 2,500 small businesses closed. That is pretty good going in 15 years and even if——

Competition (Amendment) Bill 2005 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage. (2 Mar 2006)

Tony Killeen: If there were no other reason for addressing this issue except the one I have cited, although there are many other reasons, it is a good one.

Competition (Amendment) Bill 2005 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage. (2 Mar 2006)

Tony Killeen: A number of speakers asserted that the reason I am here is that the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Deputy Martin, did not wish to deal with this, but I want to address that point. People are aware of the nature of the business being undertaken by the Minister at this point and of the success which his trip to the United States has brought. He would have had no difficulty in...

Competition (Amendment) Bill 2005 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage. (2 Mar 2006)

Tony Killeen: The issue of the United Kingdom experience was also mentioned and the lessons to be drawn from that are quite different to those that many people are drawing. The de facto position in the country up to now was that wholesalers were effectively deciding minimum retail prices. There were some advantages for some people in that but there were none for consumers or for small retail businesses....

Competition (Amendment) Bill 2005 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage. (2 Mar 2006)

Tony Killeen: It is also important to remember, with reference to a point made by a number of speakers, that to the best of my knowledge and so far as I have been able to check, not one single large business lobbied for this legislation. In fact, some of the businesses which lobbied against it include some of the largest in the country.

Competition (Amendment) Bill 2005 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage. (2 Mar 2006)

Tony Killeen: It is clear that Deputy McHugh does not want to hear the truth on this matter. What I am telling him is that I have checked and not one single large business lobbied to——

Competition (Amendment) Bill 2005 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage. (2 Mar 2006)

Tony Killeen: ——have this legislation put in place.

Competition (Amendment) Bill 2005 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage. (2 Mar 2006)

Tony Killeen: The point to which I am responding is not about who lobbied but the lie put forward by a number of speakers that big business lobbied for this legislation. It did not in so far as I have been able to check.

Competition (Amendment) Bill 2005 [Seanad]: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage. (2 Mar 2006)

Tony Killeen: The point was made very strongly——