Results 1-20 of 10,538 for speaker:Barry Cowen

Programme for Government: Motion (15 Mar 2011)

Barry Cowen: I wish to share my time with Deputy Willie O'Dea.

Programme for Government: Motion (15 Mar 2011)

Barry Cowen: During the course of the recent election, when I was asked by constituents as to how I and my party might in the short term, rectify, alter, change or amend existing policies with a view to improving the lot of our people or allaying their fears and their worries and anxieties, my answer was always that neither or my party nor any other candidate could profess to offer any simple panacea,...

Programme for Government: Motion (15 Mar 2011)

Barry Cowen: We know where Fine Gael stands on that. It proposed selling Bord Gáis Energy, ESB power generators and ESB Customer Supply. What about Bord na Móna and Coillte? I know the value of these to my constituency, as does Deputy Corcoran Kennedy. The Labour Party does not seem to know about them.

Programme for Government: Motion (15 Mar 2011)

Barry Cowen: I am not scaremongering at all. On public reform, Fine Gael and Labour have shown themselves to have misled the electorate on the issue. On 9 February the Minister, Deputy Quinn, said the Fine Gael proposals to cut 30,000 jobs public sector jobs would have a devastating impact on front line services. We have proposed reductions of 18,000, and Fine Gael demanded a further 12,000 and we have...

Road Traffic Bill 2011: Second Stage (23 Mar 2011)

Barry Cowen: I join other speakers in congratulating the Minister, Deputy Varadkar, on his appointment. He comes highly recommended. I hope and pray that he can live up to the aspirations of many, which I am sure he will, but I wish him well in his role. The main objective and thrust of any road traffic Bill is to reduce fatalities and save lives. Recent years have seen reductions in that regard and I...

Order of Business (24 Mar 2011)

Barry Cowen: Banjaxed.

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (24 Mar 2011)

Barry Cowen: Question 17: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to overhaul the system for means testing student grants; and if his plans will include the means testing of assets. [5541/11]

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (24 Mar 2011)

Barry Cowen: Question 29: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of special needs assistants working in schools here in the school year 1996 - 1997 and the current school year; and his plans regarding these posts for the coming year. [5540/11]

Programmes for Government (5 Apr 2011)

Barry Cowen: Question 28: To ask the Minister for Communications; Energy and Natural Resources if the conditions to be agreed with the International Monetary Fund in order to allocate funding for NewEra, as stated in the Fine Gael election manifesto, have been agreed and if not, when this will happen [5791/11]

Written Answers — Proposed Legislation: Proposed Legislation (6 Apr 2011)

Barry Cowen: Question 35: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government his priorities in regard to political reform until the end of 2011. [6838/11]

Written Answers — Water Services: Water Services (6 Apr 2011)

Barry Cowen: Question 45: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he will detail capital spending on water services in 1996; and if he will also detail capital spending on water services in 2011. [6839/11]

Order of Business (7 Apr 2011)

Barry Cowen: When will the animal health and welfare Bill be published? Will it include a section pertaining to farmer welfare, considering the announcement made yesterday in which the agri-environment options scheme, AEOS, was-----

Order of Business (7 Apr 2011)

Barry Cowen: ----- cut by 20%? Consequently, I expect the aforementioned Bill now will include a farmer welfare section as farmers' welfare was hit so severely yesterday.

Criminal Justice (Community Service) (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2011: Second Stage (7 Apr 2011)

Barry Cowen: I thank my colleague, Deputy Browne, for sharing time with me. As he and many others speakers have noted, a very similar Bill was before the House in January. It obviously did not reach Second Stage because of the subsequent dissolution of the Dáil. This Bill is almost identical to it, the single exception being a change in the length of prison sentence in respect of which the Judiciary...

Leaders' Questions (12 Apr 2011)

Barry Cowen: Another U-turn.

Leaders' Questions (12 Apr 2011)

Barry Cowen: What the Taoiseach calls "a jobs budget".

Communications Regulation (Postal Services) Bill 2010 [Seanad]: Second Stage (Resumed) (12 Apr 2011)

Barry Cowen: I note and acknowledge the rationale for the Bill and its background, dating to when it was first flagged in 1988. The first EU directive came forward in 1997 followed by a second directive in 2002 and a third in 2008. As Deputy Buttimer said, there was a gradual phasing in of competition before the third and final directive. A total of 60% of the sector has been open to competition and...

Appointments to State Boards (13 Apr 2011)

Barry Cowen: My comment is in the same vein. While I welcome the appointment of Mr. Meaney and I am sure he is most suited and capable to do the job at hand, it was an appointment that was overdue in the sense that the previous Government did not pursue an appointment to the chair of that board, as the Taoiseach well knows. The Government has made this appointment. Yesterday we were enamoured to hear...

Appointments to State Boards (13 Apr 2011)

Barry Cowen: This is for the sake of optics.

Appointments to State Boards (13 Apr 2011)

Barry Cowen: It is an optical illusion.