Results 241-260 of 2,017 for speaker:Paul Bradford

Seanad: Order of Business (25 Jun 2014)

Paul Bradford: No. 22 on the Order Paper, a Bill in the name of Senators Barrett, Heffernan and myself, deals with the appointment of the Irish nominee to the European Commission. I appreciate, with the way we do political business here, it is difficult for individual Senators to have a Bill debated, but I would ask the Leader to at least consider the possibility of debating No. 22. Should that not be...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs: Outcome of the European Elections: Discussion (24 Jun 2014)

Paul Bradford: I welcome the witnesses. We may be beating ourselves excessively in terms of electoral turnout and what it means. We have to concede that on 23 May, of the 51% or 52% of people in the Republic who cast their vote, at least 95% of those went to the polling booth to vote for the local election candidates. Let us be honest, the European ballot paper was secondary. That is the way it has...

Seanad: Order of Business (17 Jun 2014)

Paul Bradford: Senator Norris has certainly returned in strong voice. There is a request that there be further clarification of the composition of the banking inquiry and the role of this House and the Committee of Selection in the process. It is regrettable that this must be the case at this stage, but the rather ill-advised and factually incorrect information put on the public record by both the Minister...

Seanad: Order of Business (17 Jun 2014)

Paul Bradford: Did either of the Ministers examine the composition of the Seanad Committee of Selection? Did they acknowledge the fact that six of the 11 members of the Committee of Selection are non-government Members? Do they understand basic arithmetic? I hope we can move on from this issue, but it might be necessary, as has been requested, for clarification to be given in the House. We are advised...

Seanad: Order of Business (17 Jun 2014)

Paul Bradford: -----and simply drove its political will through the House. It is ironic that when it is in difficulty it tries to play silly games with the whip. It surely cannot expect that the public will be conned by such games.

Seanad: Order Of Business (12 Jun 2014)

Paul Bradford: I was the first Senator to propose formally that Senators be appointed to the banking inquiry. I am speaking as a member of the 11 person Committee of Selection. Much has been rewritten over the past week as to what happened last Wednesday night. It is important to put on the record once again that of the 11 members of the Committee of Selection, five represent the Government side of this...

Seanad: Order Of Business (12 Jun 2014)

Paul Bradford: My request to the Leader is that, at a minimum, we would debate these motions before us. I want to note my concern-----

Seanad: Order Of Business (12 Jun 2014)

Paul Bradford: Yes, but I just want to note my concern that we are entering a new GUBU period and we should proceed with extreme caution.

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (5 Jun 2014)

Paul Bradford: I welcome the Minister of State. I am glad he is here to take this matter because, as a result of the fact that he represents the constituency of Cork East, he is aware that the issue of small schools in rural areas is beginning to become one of concern throughout the county. The Minister of State will be aware of the relevant statistics and I am sure he will correct what I am about to say...

Seanad: Parliamentary Scrutiny of Appointments (European Commission) Bill 2014: Order for Second Stage (5 Jun 2014)

Paul Bradford: I move: "That Second Stage be taken next Tuesday, 10 June 2014."

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed) (5 Jun 2014)

Paul Bradford: Is the Leader willing to accept the amendment?

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed) (5 Jun 2014)

Paul Bradford: You may say it is not a point of order. Could I ask, as a long-serving Member of this House, that we would reflect on the very sensible, wise and calm intervention of Senator D'Arcy? We are all adults and surely if we could suspend for 20 minutes or half an hour it should be possible to resolve this difficulty. We do not want this House brought into disrepute. I formally second the...

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed) (5 Jun 2014)

Paul Bradford: On a technical matter, will the Leader consider an amendment to the Order of Business to allow the taking of No. 16 before No. 1? I refer to the mini-debate on the Committee of Selection. No. 5 is a motion on the report of the committee. There is no requirement for such a motion to come before the House because Standing Orders are prescriptive and we cannot rewrite history. As a member of...

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed) (5 Jun 2014)

Paul Bradford: I concur with Senator Noone's comments about the failure to nominate a female Member but the Dáil had the power to nominate seven members of the committee and this House could only nominate two members. That is where the spotlight should shine. The Dáil was remiss in that regard.

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed) (4 Jun 2014)

Paul Bradford: I ask the Leader to avail of today's sitting of the Seanad to mark the 25th anniversary of the massacre in Tiananmen Square in China in 1989. It seems a long time ago but the murder of thousands of people whose only crime was that they favoured democracy and full participation in Chinese society is still a stain against the Chinese Communist Party and leadership. As we in this country and...

Seanad: Order of Business (27 May 2014)

Paul Bradford: I support Senator Zappone's request for an urgent debate on the housing crisis and on the possible Government response to same. I do not think it required an election campaign for all of us to accept there is a housing crisis, but the Government's response will be key. We will require a housing solution and not a developer solution. The outgoing Tánaiste, Deputy Gilmore, made an...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Northern Ireland Issues (7 May 2014)

Paul Bradford: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Cannon, to the House and ask him to pass on my comments and views on the Adjournment matter I raise to the Taoiseach at his convenience. I have raised the need to reconvene the Forum for Peace and Reconciliation arising from my concern not simply at the events of recent days in Northern Ireland but at the drift which has occurred in recent weeks and...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Foreign Conflicts (15 Apr 2014)

Paul Bradford: The Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade does not accept that Ireland or the EU has been weak in its response to this crisis. I simply submit that the further activity and behaviour of the Russian authorities indicates that the Irish, EU and Western response has been totally inadequate. In conclusion, I will pose a question to which I do not, respectfully, expect a...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Foreign Conflicts (15 Apr 2014)

Paul Bradford: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy McGinley, to the House. I appreciate it is a long way from Gweedore to Ukraine but I know he has a broad-spectrum interest-----

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Foreign Conflicts (15 Apr 2014)

Paul Bradford: -----not just in history and geography but also in politics, and I am sure he is keenly concerned at the ongoing developments in that now dangerous part of the world. The Minister of State also has an interest in our national poet, W. B. Yeats, who, in the poem September 1913, referred to those who "fumble in a greasy till/And add the halfpence to the pence". The context of that phrase is...