Results 301-320 of 394 for speaker:James Heffernan

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Garda Station Closures (30 Jan 2013)

James Heffernan: I will conclude shortly. It is just that I am annoyed about this.

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Garda Station Closures (30 Jan 2013)

James Heffernan: I will not delay the House much longer. Was this decision made by a Minister who does not have a clue about what is happening in rural Ireland, who is so detached from the realities of what is going on there that he does not give a damn? He seems to have made this decision so flippantly that this is what it leads me to believe. Has the Minister ever been to these communities to see what is...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Garda Station Closures (30 Jan 2013)

James Heffernan: I await the Minister of State's reply and I thank her for being here.

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Garda Station Closures (30 Jan 2013)

James Heffernan: I thank the Minister of State for her reply but I do not believe that she believes what is in that reply. We all know that times have changed but how can we possibly maximise a garda's time by taking him or her from the station in a local community where he or she was doing a job among people he or she knew and putting him or her in another station a few miles down the road? How is that a...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Garda Station Closures (30 Jan 2013)

James Heffernan: I thank the Minister of State for attending the Chamber and facilitating this debate. Tomorrow, the Garda station in Kilfinane, my home town, will close its doors for the last time. I wish to put on record the community's praise for and thanks to Niall McInerney, our local garda, for his service for the past number of years. Along with Kilfinane, the stations in Galbally, Castletown,...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2012: Committee Stage (19 Dec 2012)

James Heffernan: After much reflection on this Social Welfare Bill I have made the decision not to support some of the provisions contained in it. My gut feeling at the outset was that some of them, specifically the blanket cut in child benefit and the cut in the respite care grant, were wrong. A solemn pledge was made not long ago as I was travelling door to door and meeting people in my own area of...

Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2012: Second Stage (Resumed) (18 Dec 2012)

James Heffernan: I welcome the Minister who has a difficult task on her hands. Members on this side of the House appreciate how difficult that task is. The Labour Party needs to apologise for its failure to stand over a commitment it made. I understand other Labour Party Senators have done so. It was a mistake for the Labour Party to promise something which it ultimately cannot deliver on. I find being...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Construction Contracts Legislation (5 Dec 2012)

James Heffernan: I welcome the Minister of State's response and his commitment to bringing the legislation through as soon as possible. I accept the point that this might not have had an impact in this case, although it might have been helpful for some of the subcontractors. I could be wrong, but as far as I understand, the Bill only comes into play for contracts worth over ¤50,000. That is not a lot of...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Construction Contracts Legislation (5 Dec 2012)

James Heffernan: I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Hayes, for coming to the House as I know he has had quite a long day, as have we all. I wish to speak about an episode that took place in a school in Kilfinane almost two weeks ago, which was widely reported on in the media. A number of subcontractors who were going to be left out of pocket by the main contractor involved in building the new school took...

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed) (29 Nov 2012)

James Heffernan: It is interesting to see the other side of the House bickering among themselves. There seems to be a turf war going on between Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin but I do not rise to speak about that issue.

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed) (29 Nov 2012)

James Heffernan: I rise to speak about the appalling scene that we witnessed last week in my local primary school. I am from Kilfinane in County Limerick and I could not believe that in the freezing cold and driving rain there was a stand-off between local parents, the school staff and local sub-contractors from the surrounding areas of Bruff, Elton and Murroe. Everyone knows one another there. In the...

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed) (29 Nov 2012)

James Heffernan: I will not delay the House for too long but I wish to commend the school principal, Siobhán O'Flynn, her dedicated staff, the parents and, indeed, the gardaí for keeping their cool in a difficult situation.

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed) (29 Nov 2012)

James Heffernan: This leads me on to the Contracts Bill. Last May, my colleague, Councillor David Moloney, tabled a motion at Limerick County Council. I have a letter from the Construction Industry Federation saying that 125 days have passed since the Bill came through the Seanad.

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed) (29 Nov 2012)

James Heffernan: I commend Senator Quinn for his initiative on this Bill. It is time to stop dragging our heels on this and to introduce this important legislation, if not before Christmas then shortly thereafter. The Minister should commit himself to introducing legislation giving contractors, sub-contractors and workers protection and proper payment for their work.

Seanad: Transport (Córas Iompair Éireann and Subsidiary Companies Borrowings) Bill 2012: Committee and Remaining Stages (28 Nov 2012)

James Heffernan: I agree with the previous speakers and congratulate the Minister of State on his work, especially his work on the rural transport initiative. On his last occasion in the House he asked who had Leap cards. I can reveal to the House that I have a Leap card, which I used recently.

Seanad: Transport (Córas Iompair Éireann and Subsidiary Companies Borrowings) Bill 2012: Committee and Remaining Stages (28 Nov 2012)

James Heffernan: So there are a few and I am sure there will be a few more the next time he is back in the House.

Seanad: Sexual Violence in Conflict: Motion (27 Nov 2012)

James Heffernan: I would like to share my time with Senator O'Keeffe who would like to contribute to the motion.

Seanad: Sexual Violence in Conflict: Motion (27 Nov 2012)

James Heffernan: Like other speakers, I again welcome the Minister of State. It is good to see him looking so hail and hearty. I am aware, as other speakers have said, that he is very committed to this area of human rights that comes under his brief. I welcome the motion proposed by Senator Norris and congratulate him on securing cross-party for it. Anyone viewing the proceedings of the Order of Business...

Seanad: Transport (Córas Iompair Éireann and Subsidiary Companies Borrowings) Bill 2012: Second Stage (21 Nov 2012)

James Heffernan: I welcome the Minister of State back to this House. I congratulate him on the work he is doing in the public transport system. I note with particular alarm a section from his speech that 2007 was the only year in the 2006-11 period in which CIE generated a surplus. He said that the total losses of ¤137 million certainly cannot be sustained and we would all agree with that. It cannot...

Seanad: Transport (Córas Iompair Éireann and Subsidiary Companies Borrowings) Bill 2012: Second Stage (21 Nov 2012)

James Heffernan: I welcome the Bill.