Results 161-180 of 1,591 for speaker:Eugene Regan

Seanad: Order of Business (27 Oct 2010)

Eugene Regan: If the Government gives leadership on the public finances, we know we are hitting the bottom and dealing responsibly with the public finances in the conduct of the economy, consumers will begin to spend again. There is no easy way out of it. The problem is that the systemic risk posed by the Government to the economy is destroying consumer confidence and until this is put right, we will not...

Seanad: Order of Business (21 Oct 2010)

Eugene Regan: From the particular to the general, the ESRI report is unhelpful and its analysis is flawed. We are not in a situation where we are dealing with pure economics. We are dealing with political economy, which is what economics is about, and there are political and economic constraints on this country at present. On the political side, we have entered into commitments in Europe in the context...

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Oct 2010)

Eugene Regan: The Government announced late last year or at the beginning of this year that €7.5 billion was the adjustment needed in the public finances between 2011 and 2014. The IMF has adjusted that figure upwards and there are further adjustments given the lack of pick-up in economic growth. What this signifies is the wrong moves made at every turn by the Government on economic policy, where...

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Oct 2010)

Eugene Regan: On another issue, when we talk about consensus, there was a vote of the Committee on Agriculture, Fisheries and Food last week in regard to the Ombudsman's report on the lost at sea scheme. I hope there would be some consensus in this House and the Lower House in regard to that scheme, which was designed for two constituents of a former Minister with responsibility for fisheries. I call on...

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Oct 2010)

Eugene Regan: The investigation by the agriculture committee clarified each and every issue that had been raised in regard to that report-----

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Oct 2010)

Eugene Regan: I agree. I am calling for a debate in this House. It was a very good investigation by the committee but it has drawn the wrong conclusions. Partisan politics was at play. We need a consensus on this issue.

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Oct 2010)

Eugene Regan: It was a proposal for a good bank-bad bank. Two years ago it would have cost us nothing.

Seanad: Order of Business. (6 Oct 2010)

Eugene Regan: I congratulate Senator Ross and Nick Webb on their book Wasters which highlights the issue of waste which has been highlighted in this House many times.

Seanad: Order of Business. (6 Oct 2010)

Eugene Regan: It is very relevant to the Order of Business.

Seanad: Order of Business. (6 Oct 2010)

Eugene Regan: I refer to waste in FÁS, the HSE and CIE, organisations to which the Government, under the Taoiseach, has made appointments and which share responsibility. We did not have to wait for Senator Ross's book, in that successive reports of the Comptroller and Auditor General highlighted the extraordinary catalogue of waste in public bodies. The problem is solved, however, because the Taoiseach...

Seanad: Order of Business. (6 Oct 2010)

Eugene Regan: Has Deputy Hanafin participated in these radio programmes?

Seanad: Suspension of Member: Motion (14 Jul 2010)

Eugene Regan: In support of the motion and on behalf of Fine Gael Senators, I welcome this report. The Committee on Members' Interests of Seanad Éireann has done very good work and has acted expeditiously. This was an issue that did damage to the House and it is important that it was dealt with quickly and decisively which is what the committee did. It also took a decision on grounds that are...

Seanad: Death of Former Member: Expressions of Sympathy. (13 Jul 2010)

Eugene Regan: If I can add to what has been said already, and I adopt all the points that have been made, Nuala Fennell was an outstanding contributor to Irish society and to Irish politics. She described in her autobiography why she was attracted to Dr. Garret FitzGerald's Fine Gael. It was his liberalism and enthusiasm for change and a better Ireland. It is worth noting that she entered politics in a...

Seanad: Order of Business. (13 Jul 2010)

Eugene Regan: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Order of Business. (13 Jul 2010)

Eugene Regan: Seeing that we are approaching the end of term, one of the most important decisions made in the House, reluctantly, was to pass the NAMA legislation. Some speakers referred to Anglo Irish Bank. I refer to a statement by a former director of the bank, Mr. Frank Daly, now chairman of NAMA, that the banks had misled NAMA. Media comment, in particular, has adopted this line uncritically. It...

Seanad: Order of Business. (13 Jul 2010)

Eugene Regan: I have a question. The point is that the establishment of NAMA was announced in the supplementary Budget Statement in April last year. The draft business plan, according to which we were to make this phenomenal €4.8 billion in profit, was published on 13 October. Having nationalised Anglo Irish Bank in December 2009 and appointed public interest directors to all of the banks, there was...

Seanad: Order of Business. (13 Jul 2010)

Eugene Regan: To present a rosy picture-----

Seanad: Order of Business. (13 Jul 2010)

Eugene Regan: Did the Government not present, intentionally, a rosy and misleading picture on the profitability of NAMA in order to get the legislation over the line? It either did engage in a due diligence process on the banks - it had the capacity to do so - and hid the figures from us, or it did not, which would amount to a dereliction of duty. That is what is unpatriotic about the Government - it...

Seanad: Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (7 Jul 2010)

Eugene Regan: I support the amendments for the reasons I set out earlier. These protections should be in the legislation, although I understand the Minister has no intention of adopting them.

Seanad: Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (7 Jul 2010)

Eugene Regan: These amendments have no merit. The term "civil status" is defined as being "single, married, separated, divorced or widowed". It is not a great extension of that term to include a civil status for a former partner in a civil partnership that has ended. The amendments would make a nonsense of the proposed legislation. Senator Norris is right. We have discussed this in the context of the...