Results 101-120 of 7,404 for speaker:Mick Wallace

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2011: Committee Stage (Resumed) (15 Jun 2011)

Mick Wallace: I agree with most of what Deputy Clare Daly said. I agree 100% with the Minister that we should not tolerate fraud. If there is fraud, the problem should be addressed. I reiterate a point I made in the House last week. Interesting research was carried out in Britain in 2009 where it was discovered that between £1.5 billion and £2 billion was lost in welfare fraud. It was also found...

Order of Business (16 Jun 2011)

Mick Wallace: We were promised legislation to establish a strategic investment bank. The Tánaiste will agree small and medium-sized businesses are screaming for a bank open to lending. When will the legislation establishing such a bank be introduced?

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2011: Report and Final Stages (16 Jun 2011)

Mick Wallace: The point made by Deputy Ó Snodaigh is very good. It would be a good idea to apply it to new jobs only. It is not easy to reduce an employee's rate per hour but employers can reduce hours to get the employee's earnings under €356. I am not sure how this will work. If someone is earning €1 above the minimum wage but is only given 33 or 34 hours, the person will earn under €356....

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2011: Report and Final Stages (16 Jun 2011)

Mick Wallace: In fairness to Deputy Cowen, he was not here.

Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2011: Report and Final Stages (16 Jun 2011)

Mick Wallace: As the minimum wage in the construction industry is €14.50, this measure will not have an impact. However, the catering industry will be affected. We have had a good debate last night and today. Deputies Higgins and Ó Snodaigh should be complimented for being in the House. Only a handful of the 166 Members elected to the Dáil were present for the debate. At least we are prepared to...

Order of Business (21 Jun 2011)

Mick Wallace: In view of promised legislation and given that the banks are still pretty reluctant to lend to small and medium business, does the Government still plan to introduce the strategic investment bank?

Arts Review (22 Jun 2011)

Mick Wallace: We want further details.

Workers' Remuneration: Motion (Resumed) (22 Jun 2011)

Mick Wallace: I refer to a statement made by the task group: We endorse the conclusions reached by Kevin Duffy and Frank Walsh that reducing JLC rates to the minimum wage level will have important distributional consequences without having any substantial effect on employment. We are concerned that recent proposals reportedly made by Minister Bruton are not in line with the Duffy Walsh report. The...

Special Educational Needs (22 Jun 2011)

Mick Wallace: I reiterate what Deputy Browne said. It is grossly unfair. I was disappointed to hear the Taoiseach's remarks today. Last Friday, I received telephone calls from parents who were crying over this. When I suggested to them that they come up on Tuesday to protest, they jumped at the idea. They had no plans in place but feel so strongly about this matter that more than 100 people turned up...

Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (23 Jun 2011)

Mick Wallace: I am very confused about the lack of accountability in NAMA and do not understand it. Did the Minister state it would not come under his wing?

Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (23 Jun 2011)

Mick Wallace: Right. There seems to be a lack of accountability in regard to NAMA. Who decided what the wages would be?

Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (23 Jun 2011)

Mick Wallace: Who decided who would get the jobs? I have encountered many people who worked for banks and in real estate who have moved into NAMA. It seems they are getting more money now than they ever got in their previous jobs. I do not understand that, given that they are doing much the same type of work. It is questionable whether they should have got the work when one considers that they were...

Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Bill 2011: Committee and Remaining Stages (23 Jun 2011)

Mick Wallace: I have some very interesting questions for him.

International Time Zones (23 Jun 2011)

Mick Wallace: I can inform the Minister that an extra hour of daylight in the evening in winter would be of huge benefit to productivity in the construction industry. It is a real problem for us when it gets dark at 4.30 p.m. or 5 p.m. rather than 6 p.m. It has a huge impact on the construction industry. Given that it can take an hour and a half to set up for the day, it can be a real bummer when one...

Order of Business (28 Jun 2011)

Mick Wallace: When the Taoiseach is introducing legislation later in the year for the referendums he has planned, will he consider asking the people if they wish to have a temporary suspension of contract law for the specific purpose of reducing salaries-----

Order of Business (28 Jun 2011)

Mick Wallace: How is this out of order?

Order of Business (28 Jun 2011)

Mick Wallace: We are having difficulty reducing salaries that already exist.

Order of Business (28 Jun 2011)

Mick Wallace: If we suspend contract law, which we can achieve through the referendum process, we could tackle the problem head-on.

European Council Meetings: Statements (29 Jun 2011)

Mick Wallace: The Taoiseach claimed there is no demand for credit from small and medium-sized businesses, a point with which I disagree. Until we have a functioning banking system, it will be difficult to see any form of recovery in the small and medium-sized sector. I am aware of many businesses that have been refused credit. Despite all the State has done for them, the banks are still not open for...

Direct Payment Schemes (29 Jun 2011)

Mick Wallace: Question 34: To ask the Minister for Agriculture; Fisheries and Food in relation to payments, if he will give a guarantee that all inspections be completed, processed and cleared in order to deliver payments on schedule within the Charter of Rights and that disadvantage area payments will be paid in mid-September and single farm payments advanced on 16 October; in a year of significantly...