Results 1-20 of 1,683 for speaker:Derek McDowell

Seanad: Criminal Justice Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (27 Apr 2007)

Derek McDowell: In the Hogan report, the majority, including former Minister for Justice, Nora Owen, and Professor David Gwynn Morgan, were of the view that the decision in the Kenny case should be revisited. However, the chairman, Dr. Gerard Hogan was of the view that the existing law was better than any such amendment. Doctors differ and patients die; lawyers differ and cases die. I sympathise with the...

Seanad: Protection of Employment (Exceptional Collective Redundancies and Related Matters) Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (21 Mar 2007)

Derek McDowell: I wish to be associated with Senator Coghlan's comments. This is important social protection legislation which has become necessary because of very changed circumstances in Ireland in recent years. We gave Committee Stage quick passage largely because the Minister of State's officials were very efficient and helpful in giving us a comprehensive briefing this afternoon during which we had...

Seanad: National Climate Change Strategy 2000: Motion (21 Mar 2007)

Derek McDowell: I will start by commenting on what Senator Daly has just said about Moneypoint. There has never been any suggestion from this side of the House that Moneypoint should be closed. I commented earlier on the commitment given in the 2000 plan that Moneypoint be incentivised to use some fuel other than coal to generate electricity. A number of options are available.

Seanad: National Climate Change Strategy 2000: Motion (21 Mar 2007)

Derek McDowell: Clean coal technology, which was mentioned by Senator Daly, is not sufficiently well developed for us to be reasonably secure in using it.

Seanad: National Climate Change Strategy 2000: Motion (21 Mar 2007)

Derek McDowell: Senator Daly is aware that the use of such technology continues to be quite expensive. We are spending hundreds of millions of euro to install certain facilities in Moneypoint which really should have been there in the first place. While such facilities will help to reduce emissions, we will continue to use coal, which is essentially a dirty fuel. If we do not do something soon, we will...

Seanad: National Climate Change Strategy 2000: Motion (21 Mar 2007)

Derek McDowell: I accept that is the case. If one considers this issue from the point of view of purely climate change, there is an overwhelming case for closing all the peat stations. They have been effectively closed and three new ones have been recommissioned. Peat is an enormous emitter of greenhouse gases, accounting for approximately 10% of the greenhouse gases emitted by the electricity sector....

Seanad: Protection of Employment (Exceptional Collective Redundancies and Related Matters) Bill 2007: Second Stage (21 Mar 2007)

Derek McDowell: Like others, I acknowledge the genesis of this Bill in the Irish Ferries dispute of a few months ago, the outcome of which was particularly galling on a number of levels. It was galling in the first instance because what most of us thought of as an Irish company effectively dismissed several hundred Irish workers who had given many years of loyal service. It was also galling because the...

Seanad: National Climate Change Strategy 2000: Motion (21 Mar 2007)

Derek McDowell: I move: That Seanad Éireann condemns the abject failure of the Government to meet the targets set out in the National Climate Change Strategy 2000. This motion seeks to address the issue of climate change in the context of the Government's stated policy established in 2000 when it set out a number of actions it would take over the succeeding decade specifically intended to meet the...

Seanad: National Climate Change Strategy 2000: Motion (21 Mar 2007)

Derek McDowell: I am asking the Government to measure——

Seanad: National Climate Change Strategy 2000: Motion (21 Mar 2007)

Derek McDowell: I am happy to debate it.

Seanad: National Climate Change Strategy 2000: Motion (21 Mar 2007)

Derek McDowell: We should measure the progress being made against the measures that were recommended and adopted by Government——

Seanad: National Climate Change Strategy 2000: Motion (21 Mar 2007)

Derek McDowell: ——seven years ago. The Government committed to incentivise a move away from coal and it has since reversed that decision. The plan refers to an expansion in renewable energy but it is still at 4%. There is a proposal to bring it up to 33% by 2020 but I wonder how this will be achieved. The maximisation of CHP is proposed but CHP has hardly increased in terms of the contribution it...

Seanad: National Climate Change Strategy 2000: Motion (21 Mar 2007)

Derek McDowell: It is reasonable to take out, for example, the agricultural sector and consider the transport and energy sectors. Demand for energy and the use of transport and transport fuels has increased more or less in line with growth in gross domestic product. In fact, it has increased at a higher rate, which is not surprising. We should acknowledge this. If we do, certain consequences flow from...

Seanad: Roads Bill 2007 [Seanad]: Second Stage (7 Mar 2007)

Derek McDowell: For the record, the 1987 deal was a bad deal. Everybody in this House knows it was a bad deal. The Minister accepts it was a bad deal but it was 1987. I say that because I sometimes think colleagues do not realise how much of a turn-off it is for the electorate for politicians to spend all of their time talking about something that happened 20 years ago or even ten years ago. In so far as...

Seanad: Roads Bill 2007 [Seanad]: Second Stage (7 Mar 2007)

Derek McDowell: There is a political choice to be made; whether we believe it is correct to write a cheque of that magnitude to NTR for each of the next 12 years or whether we believe that should be done by virtue of the tolls paid by road users. It is not an easy choice for somebody like me who does not believe we should be tolling it in the first place. However, on balance, it appears some sort of...

Seanad: Roads Bill 2007 [Seanad]: Second Stage (7 Mar 2007)

Derek McDowell: So it is a net figure.

Seanad: Roads Bill 2007 [Seanad]: Second Stage (7 Mar 2007)

Derek McDowell: Does the company pay tax, licence fees or anything of that kind out of that? I take it, it does not.

Seanad: Roads Bill 2007 [Seanad]: Second Stage (7 Mar 2007)

Derek McDowell: So, essentially, corporation tax is the only deduction.

Seanad: Roads Bill 2007 [Seanad]: Second Stage (7 Mar 2007)

Derek McDowell: I beg your pardon. The reason I mention this point is that it is important in terms of assessing the overall impact, as to whether we have to allow for corporation tax to be taken out of it or whether VAT has already been deducted from it.

Seanad: Roads Bill 2007 [Seanad]: Second Stage (7 Mar 2007)

Derek McDowell: I would like to have details of that. Negotiations have not been completed but I assume those difficult issues have been dealt with. This is important in assessing the value of the deal. The contract has been awarded to BetEire Flow, a consortium linked to Sanef. I am unclear as to how this will work. A figure of €113 million has been cited, which I assume to be set up costs. Will...