Results 221-240 of 2,017 for speaker:Paul Bradford

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: General Scheme of Horse Racing Ireland (Amendment) Bill 2014: Discussion (16 Sep 2014)

Paul Bradford: Deputy Lawlor said what I had intended to say. We are at the very central aspect of the legislation, its purpose and where it will take the industry. Racing has no certainties, as we saw at the weekend. The one positive aspect which everybody associates with Irish racing is that it is transparent and fair. There are always variables and surprises. Integrity has been a key to maintaining...

Seanad: Situation in Gaza and Ukraine: Statements (31 Jul 2014)

Paul Bradford: I welcome the Minister, Deputy Charles Flanagan, and wish him well in his new role. He has been present since the debate commenced at 2 p.m. In the light of the contributions made by Senators Paschal Mooney and Pat O'Neill, the Minister has now at least heard arguments which contain some degree of balance. I thank the Senators involved for illustrating to the House that there are two sides...

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) (No. 4) Bill 2014: Second Stage (17 Jul 2014)

Paul Bradford: I welcome the Minister, Deputy Kelly, to the House and wish him well on his appointment. I hope his presumably happy memories of his time in this House-----

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) (No. 4) Bill 2014: Second Stage (17 Jul 2014)

Paul Bradford: -----will cause him to look kindly on it and its future. Along with his Government colleagues, he should treat seriously the decision of the people last autumn not simply to retain the Seanad but to seek actively to develop it, particularly by having elections to it based on a universal-suffrage arrangement. I do not have to cover again the ground covered by some of my colleagues but must...

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) (No. 4) Bill 2014: Second Stage (17 Jul 2014)

Paul Bradford: It would be deeply hypocritical not only on the part of the candidate but also on the part of the political party standing the candidate. There are very many elected members of the Fine Gael Party who are deeply opposed to the party's position on the abolition of the Seanad. There were many Fine Gael public representatives, particularly councillors, who not only opposed the referendum but...

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Jul 2014)

Paul Bradford: I am generally supportive of the comments from Senators Wilson and Ó Murchú on Leader funding. I and many others were probably remiss when the original legislation went through the Oireachtas. I do not suppose it is feasible that the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government would come before the House this afternoon but I hope we will have some opportunity with...

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Jul 2014)

Paul Bradford: I would hope that the Pope would be a bit more infallible than Fianna Fáil but my clear understanding is that absolutely no consideration is being given to the removal of the free travel pass.

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Jul 2014)

Paul Bradford: I believe it is the subject matter of a Private Members' motion in the other House so, presumably, it will come to a satisfactory conclusion for everybody this evening. I support the request from Senator Jim D'Arcy that the Leader invite the new Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to the House to discuss two issues, if we have time which, I hope, we will. It is important to discuss the...

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Jul 2014)

Paul Bradford: Or the old Minister?

Seanad: Competition and Consumer Protection Bill 2014: Second Stage (8 Jul 2014)

Paul Bradford: I welcome the Minister and thank him for presenting the legislation. We have been awaiting the Bill for some time. Apparently, there was much debate in Cabinet on it between Ministers. We will have a greater opportunity to tease out the matter more fully on Committee Stage. I will not pose the question of whom we shall be teasing out matters with on Committee Stage. The Minister will...

Seanad: Competition and Consumer Protection Bill 2014: Second Stage (8 Jul 2014)

Paul Bradford: That is very welcome but it does not butter my bread. On Committee Stage we must pose the question of whether the legislation is sufficiently strong to ensure we will not arrive at a situation where public life can be led by certain opinion formers? I look forward to having that broader debate with the Minister on Committee Stage because it could be the subject of complex legislation.

Seanad: Order of Business (3 Jul 2014)

Paul Bradford: I second Senator Heffernan's proposal. I will not comment on his poetry.

Seanad: Order of Business (3 Jul 2014)

Paul Bradford: No; my poetry would be unsuitable for this refined House. I spoke on the matter last week. The purpose of our proposing No. 22 was to try to do politics slightly differently and ensure that a job as important as the Irish position on the European Commission would not simply be part of a game of political snakes and ladders but would be debated in detail and scrutinised in full. Thus we in...

Seanad: Order of Business (2 Jul 2014)

Paul Bradford: I was sorry to be absent for the contribution of Senator Terry Leyden, but I imagine it was probably the first time we had had a proposal in respect of a pub with no beer. Given his newfound commercial interests, I am surprised that the Senator would have taken that view.

Seanad: Order of Business (2 Jul 2014)

Paul Bradford: We look forward to the necessary and interesting debate that will flow from the legislation of Senators Colm Burke and Imelda Henry. I support the comments of Senator Feargal Quinn on the upward-only rent review issue. In particular, I support his original - for this House - and thought-provoking proposal to the Leader to the effect that the Attorney General present her views on the matter...

Seanad: Order of Business (2 Jul 2014)

Paul Bradford: One legal person can say one thing, while another can say something else, but the commitment was made and it is written in stone in the programme for Government. We certainly deserve to hear from the Government's highest legal adviser on why that commitment has been breached. The issue is of great importance to small businesses throughout the country. It is a matter of jobs. A Government...

Seanad: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Second Stage (1 Jul 2014)

Paul Bradford: I welcome the Minister of State and thank her for her genuine interest in the housing portfolio. I hope she will retain the portfolio following the Cabinet reshuffle. I would like her to hold that portfolio at senior Cabinet level. We have reached a stage of difficulty - I will not say crisis - in the broader remit of housing policy and provision. Therefore, the Cabinet table is the place...

Seanad: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Second Stage (1 Jul 2014)

Paul Bradford: Developers do not see houses as places where people, families and communities live. Developers in this country see housing as nothing but a method of getting rich pretty quickly. If we want a proper housing policy, the central aspect must be to ensure that houses - be they individual houses, housing estates, or community or voluntary houses - are built around the concept of community and...

Seanad: Protected Disclosures Bill 2014: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (1 Jul 2014)

Paul Bradford: I welcome the Minister and apologise for not participating in the earlier Stages of the legislation but, notwithstanding that, I want to raise with him how this proposal and these amendments will impact on whistleblowers in banks throughout the country. As we all know, the protection of whistleblowers in our banking institutions is very important as we hopefully see the beginning of a new...

Seanad: Death of Former Member: Expressions of Sympathy (25 Jun 2014)

Paul Bradford: I too am glad to have the opportunity to add to the tributes in respect of the late Sam McAughtry. I happened to be in the other House when he served here but I quickly got to know him, as did all Members of the Oireachtas then. We enjoyed his recollections and, for those horse-racing fans, we enjoyed discussing his racing tips. Another side to his make-up was that he was a noted...