Results 81-100 of 996 for speaker:John Gerard Hanafin

Seanad: Announcement on Banking by the Minister for Finance: Statements (20 Oct 2010)

John Gerard Hanafin: The certainty which has been given by the statement of the Minister of State means that we can now go forward with a clear plan of what we need to do. I hope we will do it collectively and, in that light, the actions the Government has taken to date, some of which were unpalatable, were needed. We took action in time. If we continue on this road, we will be on the road to recovery quite...

Seanad: Order of Business (20 Oct 2010)

John Gerard Hanafin: I support calls for debates on employment, as I am particularly cognisant that the House could play a unique role in this regard. We see today that the United Kingdom is taking the route we took two years ago, proving again that the downturn is largely global and affects all countries, not only Ireland. There are circumstances in which taxation becomes so regressive that it does not make...

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Oct 2010)

John Gerard Hanafin: Occasionally we get the opportunity to debate different issues and it is interesting that we got some clarification last week as a result of those debates. Sr. Mary MacKillop was in her day excommunicated because members of her order reported on child sex abuse and last week she was made Australia's first saint. There is no clearer indication from the Vatican as to where it stands on the...

Seanad: Order of Business (13 Oct 2010)

John Gerard Hanafin: I ask the Leader to arrange a debate on the retail sector as part of the ongoing debate on the budget. Those commentators who are talking down the economy are doing it harm. The sooner we receive a direction on budgetary strategy, the better for the retail sector which is a major employer in the economy. As part of that process I suggest we examine DIRT on savings which should be payable...

Seanad: Order of Business (12 Oct 2010)

John Gerard Hanafin: It was in this House that I learned about the candidate for the Louisiana state governorship who, having won the election, was asked by one of the people who reported on it how he managed to get elected. He said his philosophy was: don't tax you, don't tax me, tax the guy behind the tree. In a perfect world no one would need to be taxed but by the very next election that governor was out of...

Seanad: Order of Business (7 Oct 2010)

John Gerard Hanafin: In the light of what happened in Hungary this week, will the Leader ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources to attend the House for a debate on tailing pond storage? Toxic waste from a tailing pond has now entered a tributary of the River Danube. Looking at the amount and colour of the toxic sludge on television reports, the environmental damage and the number of...

Seanad: Order of Business. (6 Oct 2010)

John Gerard Hanafin: I support the calls made last week from the Opposition benches for constructive co-operation with the Government.

Seanad: Order of Business. (6 Oct 2010)

John Gerard Hanafin: It seems to me that Senator Bradford, who made the suggestion, has a certain self-confidence and belief that his party will be in Government some day because he wants to do what is right for Ireland. We have gone way past indignation. We need to deal with the difficulties we face.

Seanad: Order of Business. (6 Oct 2010)

John Gerard Hanafin: We are not bankrupt.

Seanad: Order of Business. (6 Oct 2010)

John Gerard Hanafin: Let us-----

Seanad: Order of Business. (6 Oct 2010)

John Gerard Hanafin: If I might have the opportunity to say what I want to say?

Seanad: Order of Business. (6 Oct 2010)

John Gerard Hanafin: If I might have the opportunity to say what I want to say, the difficulties we face have been misrepresented on the radio and television and in the newspapers. We faced much worse difficulties in the 1980s, and after the 1980s we had a long and sustained boom from 1994 to 2007 which brought the country significant growth and opportunities. We are facing difficulties that are manageable but...

Seanad: Order of Business. (6 Oct 2010)

John Gerard Hanafin: No.

Seanad: Order of Business. (6 Oct 2010)

John Gerard Hanafin: They should change their name to "Indignation Hour" because all they are looking for is something else. There is no balance.

Seanad: Order of Business. (6 Oct 2010)

John Gerard Hanafin: There is no balance at present.

Seanad: Order of Business. (6 Oct 2010)

John Gerard Hanafin: Even on the way to the Chamber today, I heard it reported in all seriousness that the price of Irish bond yields had reduced from 6.43% to 6.4%. We are not on a variable rate. We do not have to accept any particular price. We buy the bonds at the price at the time. The Government has made clear that we are not in the market for bonds until the middle of next year so why is this nonsense...

Seanad: National Economy: Statements (30 Sep 2010)

John Gerard Hanafin: I support what the previous speaker has said, especially in light of his suggestion that there is a way forward and there is light at the end of the tunnel. This month alone saw one of the largest decreases in numbers on the live register, with 5,000 people coming off it. I am very conscious that we can talk down an economy, which has happened, despite being self-defeating. For example,...

Seanad: Order of Business (30 Sep 2010)

John Gerard Hanafin: In light of the facts that we have this morning of the very disturbing figures, albeit that they are horrendous they are manageable, it is not necessarily a time just to say that is then and this is now. We do have to look again and see what actually happened. It is my contention that not only was there reckless lending but there was knowingly reckless lending. That is something we must...

Seanad: Order of Business. (29 Sep 2010)

John Gerard Hanafin: I look forward to the debate we will have on the banking situation in the next few weeks. However, I am cognisant that we should have facts presented before the House. To suggest that interest rates are at unsustainable levels is nothing short of nonsense. In the 1980s we had a debt-GDP ratio of 130%, 18% unemployment and 18% inflation, and we got through that. I hear radio commentators...

Seanad: Order of Business. (29 Sep 2010)

John Gerard Hanafin: There are many positive elements. All efforts at job creation should be welcomed. Second, it is a very fortunate aspect of the Seanad that we get to speak about international events. A recent event at the United Nations will have resonance throughout the world, namely, the Iranian President's questioning of whether terrorists undertook the 11 September attacks. There is no doubt but that...