Results 141-160 of 346 for speaker:Jim Higgins

Seanad: Finance Bill 2003 [ Certified Money Bill ] : Committee and Remaining Stages. (26 Mar 2003)

Jim Higgins: Precisely. Millions were spent preparing the plans for the stadium and all of that money has gone into a hole in the ground. The money has been lost on a hare-brained idea.

Seanad: Finance Bill 2003 [ Certified Money Bill ] : Committee and Remaining Stages. (26 Mar 2003)

Jim Higgins: The Minister referred to employment during his recitation of the general achievements, etc., of the Government. If I recall the official statistics correctly, 23,000 additional people were recruited to the public service over a 12 month period and 50% of these individuals were recruited to the health service, which is already bloated.

Seanad: Finance Bill 2003 [ Certified Money Bill ] : Committee and Remaining Stages. (26 Mar 2003)

Jim Higgins: Without these Civil Service jobs, employment figures would have decreased by 5,000. What are the Minister's plans in relation to his responsibility for the public service?

Seanad: Finance Bill 2003 [ Certified Money Bill ] : Committee and Remaining Stages. (26 Mar 2003)

Jim Higgins: I move recommendation No. 7: In page 13, before section 3, to insert the following new section: "3.–Section 446A of the Principal Act is amended in subsection (2) by the substitution of '€1,540' for '€770'.". We will not stray as far from the CPI as on the last occasion, although it was interesting, rather than pushing futile amendments as Senator McDowell says, to listen to the...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2003 [ Certified Money Bill ] : Committee and Remaining Stages. (26 Mar 2003)

Jim Higgins: Absolutely. The problem I seek to address in this recommendation is that the amount has not been increased. An increase is long overdue. That is the reason I propose doubling the allowance from €770 to €1,540.

Seanad: Finance Bill 2003 [ Certified Money Bill ] : Committee and Remaining Stages. (26 Mar 2003)

Jim Higgins: As regards the misrepresentation of the Fine Gael viewpoint, we want equal treatment for stay-at-home spouses and for people who go to work. As regards the allowance, the fact it has not been indexed in the meantime suggests it might as well be abolished. The Minister has not indicated any intention to increase it. It will shrivel up and lose its value.

Seanad: Finance Bill 2003 [ Certified Money Bill ] : Committee and Remaining Stages. (26 Mar 2003)

Jim Higgins: I agree with the Senator. The Minister said that. However, the allowance is an integral part of the relief system. It should have been index linked. I feel strongly about it, therefore I will press the recommendation. Recommendation put. Tá

Seanad: Finance Bill 2003 [ Certified Money Bill ] : Committee and Remaining Stages. (26 Mar 2003)

Jim Higgins: I move recommendation No. 8: In page 13, before section 3, to insert the following new section: "3.–Section 448 of the Principal Act is amended in subsection (1) by the insertion of the following paragraph after paragraph (b): '(c) For the purpose of this section the deductions and allowances, as appropriate, specified in sections 461, 461A, 462, 462A, 463, 464, 465, 466, 466A, 467, 468,...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2003 [ Certified Money Bill ] : Committee and Remaining Stages. (26 Mar 2003)

Jim Higgins: I move recommendation No. 9: In page 14, before section 6, to insert the following new section: "6.–Section 112 of the Principal Act is amended by the insertion of the following subsections after subsection (2): '(3) Without prejudice to subsection (2) an award under the provisions of the– (a) Organisation of Working Time Act 1997, (b) Maternity Protection Act 1994, (c) Adoptive Leave Act...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2003 [ Certified Money Bill ] : Committee and Remaining Stages. (26 Mar 2003)

Jim Higgins: I welcome that the Minister is prepared to consider this in the context of next year's deliberations. There is a marked lack of consistency in this area. The Minister said unemployment benefit is taxed, but that is a substitute income for somebody who has dropped out of employment. Provided the person in question has enough social insurance stamps, they qualify for such a payment. This change...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2003 [ Certified Money Bill ] : Committee and Remaining Stages. (26 Mar 2003)

Jim Higgins: I move recommendation No. 10: In page 28, subsection (1)(b), line 47, to delete "€8,000" and substitute €8,600". The purpose of this recommendation is to introduce an improvement to mortgage interest relief. We have already strayed into the area of housing and housing policy. The burden being placed on first-time home buyers and owners is becoming increasing impossible. I am seeking to...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2003 [ Certified Money Bill ] : Committee and Remaining Stages. (26 Mar 2003)

Jim Higgins: I would like to address a number of the arguments made by the Minister who is like Mandrake the Magician in the manner in which he can produce figures.

Seanad: Finance Bill 2003 [ Certified Money Bill ] : Committee and Remaining Stages. (26 Mar 2003)

Jim Higgins: The Leader's late esteemed brother once produced a famous phrase in the Dáil: "Baffle them with scientific confusion."

Seanad: Finance Bill 2003 [ Certified Money Bill ] : Committee and Remaining Stages. (26 Mar 2003)

Jim Higgins: There may be some relevance in the Minister's comment that the abolition of the first-time buyer's grant is of lesser consequence in the greater Dublin area – or the Pale, which includes the Minister's constituency – than in County Mayo, for example. A young couple in Dublin will have to spend as much money on carpets, a cooker, microwave oven or washing machine as a young couple in...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2003 [ Certified Money Bill ] : Committee and Remaining Stages. (26 Mar 2003)

Jim Higgins: They were relying on the grant and have suffered as a result of its abolition, irrespective of any later decisions on the part of the Minister. He may have breached Cabinet confidentiality today but did not do so in the run-up to the announcement of the decision. Those who had not signed a contract were caught and are still bearing the brunt of the pain of his decision. The promise to...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2003 [ Certified Money Bill ] : Committee and Remaining Stages. (26 Mar 2003)

Jim Higgins: The people of the town remember the Minister very fondly also. It is a case of mutual admiration. We actually go back a bit in that regard. The Minister still plies his wares in Ballyhaunis. He is a partner in a thriving accountancy firm, Tynan Dillon and Company, which does well out of the local economy, and also sponsors a golf classic in the town every year. There is a need for a radical...

Seanad: Finance Bill 2003 [ Certified Money Bill ] : Committee and Remaining Stages. (26 Mar 2003)

Jim Higgins: I move recommendation No. 11: In page 28, subsection (1)(c), line 48, to delete "€4,000" and substitute "€4,300". Recommendation put and declared lost. Section 9 agreed to. Sections 10 to 13, inclusive, agreed to. SECTION 14.

Seanad: Central Bank and Financial Services Authority of Ireland Bill 2002: Second Stage. (27 Mar 2003)

Jim Higgins: I welcome the Minister of State. I am vehemently opposed to this Bill which proposes to include two conflicting interests in one umbrella authority, the Irish Financial Services Regulatory Authority. The fact that "regulatory", the operative word, is included in the authority's name is a clear acknowledgement of where its key emphasis will lie. It is obvious that the new authority will have a...

Seanad: Order of Business. (3 Apr 2003)

Jim Higgins: I agree with the comments of Senators O'Toole and Dardis about last night's incident. I was there for an hour and a half and saw what happened. It was reminiscent of a fascist display rather than a pacifist display. The group had obviously been infiltrated by rabble, some of whom had a considerable amount of military experience not long ago in this country when they wrought havoc. What took...

Seanad: Central Bank and Financial Services Authority of Ireland Bill 2002: Report and Final Stages. (9 Apr 2003)

Jim Higgins: I move amendment No. 1: In page 5, between lines 20 and 21, to insert the following: "(2) Within two years of the coming into operation of this Act, the Minister shall present to the Oireachtas a review of the operation of the Act which will inter alia, assess– (a)the impact of the operation of the Act on the Credit Union Movement, (b)the adequacy of the system for developing a strong...