Results 41-60 of 7,278 for speaker:Dick Roche

Seanad: Air Services (19 Jan 2011)

Dick Roche: I will pass on the Senator's concerns to the Minister. It may not be correct to suggest the consultations with the BMW regional assembly, IDA Ireland and other authorities I mentioned led directly to this. It was simply a reference to the fact there were consultations with them. It is a harsh reality that the per passenger costs on the route were significant at €111.20. It is a tender...

European Council Meeting: Statements (19 Jan 2011)

Dick Roche: In my concluding statement, I will deal with the question raised by Deputies Kenny, Barrett, Creed and Howlin as to what is European. The situation in Côte d'Ivoire after its November presidential election was considered at the meeting. The Union, along with ECOWAS, the US and the UN, has indicated its concerns over the difficulties experienced by the duly elected president. Following the...

European Council Meeting: Statements (19 Jan 2011)

Dick Roche: It has not reached that point yet. The issue needs to be strongly dealt with, a position which the European Union supports. I have said before in the House that Africa first should resolve African problems. Given Europe's history of colonisation in the continent, we should not be the first to intervene in such matters but should support an African resolution.

European Council Meeting: Statements (19 Jan 2011)

Dick Roche: It is obvious Montenegro has worked hard to achieve its membership candidate status. The Croatian application for EU membership will progress rapidly during the Hungarian EU Presidency. The Croatians are anxious to achieve membership and have tried to tick all the required boxes. Deputy Howlin made a good point about the long drawn-out process of Turkey's membership and Mr. Robert Schuman's...

European Council Meeting: Statements (19 Jan 2011)

Dick Roche: Deputy Ó Snodaigh has reminded me that I did not provide an answer in respect of a question put by Deputy Howlin. I will place the relevant information on the record of the House when replying to Deputy Ó Snodaigh. In respect of the Basques, in the first instance we should be guided by the Spanish Government. This issue will have to be dealt with in that context. A number of remarkable...

European Council Meeting: Statements (19 Jan 2011)

Dick Roche: Deputy Kenny made a strong point regarding the seriousness of the position of the European banks and referred to the sub-prime markets. The Deputy also made a very interesting comment in respect of the Federal Reserve in the United States and sought to relate this to Europe. The most important point he made has also been made on several recent occasions by Dr. Garret FitzGerald. We need...

European Council Meeting: Statements (19 Jan 2011)

Dick Roche: The point made by Deputy Creed on the issue of stress tests is valid because the stress tests were questioned at the time. I refer the House to a point made by his colleague, Deputy Barrett. There is a necessity within Europe for countries to have their own mechanisms for examining where they are. He has made the valid point that there has been dependence on highly questionable ratings...

Order of Business. (19 Jan 2011)

Dick Roche: I learned from Deputy Rabbitte.

EU-IMF Programme of Financial Support: Motion (15 Dec 2010)

Dick Roche: You are the laughing stock.

EU-IMF Programme of Financial Support: Motion (15 Dec 2010)

Dick Roche: He is a prat.

EU-IMF Programme of Financial Support: Motion (15 Dec 2010)

Dick Roche: I am unsure whether that was Deputy Doherty's maiden speech. It was a fine speech. Unfortunately he rather destroyed it in the last few seconds. However, it was a fine speech nonetheless.

EU-IMF Programme of Financial Support: Motion (15 Dec 2010)

Dick Roche: I wish to focus on two issues.

EU-IMF Programme of Financial Support: Motion (15 Dec 2010)

Dick Roche: My remark was not patronising but was a genuine comment. The Deputy should take a compliment when it is offered to him in this Chamber as they are rare enough.

EU-IMF Programme of Financial Support: Motion (15 Dec 2010)

Dick Roche: I wish to take up and deal with two points. The first has been the response, led oddly enough by the main Opposition party, to the EU-IMF facility. Second, I wish to comment on the very loose talk in Ireland for the best part of two years on the rather emotive topic of burning bondholders. The approach adopted by Fine Gael over the weekend on the EU-IMF bailout programme and its attempt to...

EU-IMF Programme of Financial Support: Motion (15 Dec 2010)

Dick Roche: A series of Fine Gael spokespersons basically have argued that they could renegotiate a better deal with the EU and the IMF on the basis that Deputy Kenny has some sort of friendship or relationship with the German Chancellor. I note that Deputy Kenny rather retrieved his position of last week in his earlier contribution when he spoke of how difficult it would be to vary interest rates. The...

EU-IMF Programme of Financial Support: Motion (15 Dec 2010)

Dick Roche: ----- was extraordinary. It was interesting to listen to the amusement and derision generated by the Fine Gael line.

EU-IMF Programme of Financial Support: Motion (15 Dec 2010)

Dick Roche: Talk of burning the bondholders is good for cheap headlines but bad for Ireland. As Members are aware, in Irish law, senior bond debt obligations of financial institutions rank equal to deposits and other creditors. The danger of unqualified speculation about burning bondholders was well illustrated following Chancellor Merkel's comments, when bond yields increased dramatically. Fine Gael...

EU-IMF Programme of Financial Support: Motion (15 Dec 2010)

Dick Roche: Mr. Kenny suggested correctly that the EU-IMF team had set their faces against burning the bondholders and that this was a parameter.

EU-IMF Programme of Financial Support: Motion (15 Dec 2010)

Dick Roche: However, Deputy Brian Hayes disputed this.

EU-IMF Programme of Financial Support: Motion (15 Dec 2010)

Dick Roche: He suggested that if this was an exclusive deal with the IMF, that would not be the position but unfortunately the EU sold out on the issue. His view, not for the first time, was entirely misrepresenting the position taken by an international body. I suggest that Deputy Hayes, in the time between now and Christmas, might pick up a document, "Default in Today's Advanced Economies:...