Results 21-40 of 220 for speaker:Martin Brady

Seanad: Communications Regulation (Postal Services) Bill 2010: Committee Stage (1 Dec 2010)

Martin Brady: I welcome the commitment given by the Minister. I know he is an intelligent person, having worked with him on Dublin City Council. I thank him for taking this course of action because amendment No. 5 is probably one of the most important in the context of the entire Bill.

Seanad: Communications Regulation (Postal Services) Bill 2010: Committee Stage (1 Dec 2010)

Martin Brady: I agree with the previous speaker. The section should read "one delivery to the home or premises of every person in the State". Will the Minister indicate what constitutes an appropriate installation? There are certain circumstances in which a postman or postwoman may not be in a position to deliver mail each day. In the first instance, a postman or postwoman is not legally obliged to...

Seanad: Communications Regulation (Postal Services) Bill 2010: Committee Stage (1 Dec 2010)

Martin Brady: I agree with most of the points made by Senator O'Toole. The purpose of the amendment, as the Minister is aware, is to ensure the public continues to get an efficient postal service and that sustainable jobs are not undermined. The Senator is quite right on the regulation issue and he spoke about the taxi industry as an example. There is no appeal mechanism within that industry. I ask the...

Seanad: Communications Regulation (Postal Services) Bill 2010: Second Stage (24 Nov 2010)

Martin Brady: I welcome the Minister. There are some key issues which I wish to discuss with regard to this Bill. They include the reliability of the service and job losses. There is also the connection with people in rural areas who are disabled and whose only contact with others for much of the time is the postman or postwoman. An Post is the last national postal operator. It receives no subvention...

Seanad: Death of Member: Expressions of Sympathy (17 Nov 2010)

Martin Brady: I knew Kieran Phelan before he became a Senator. I met him when he ran for the Seanad election in 1997. He was beaten by one vote on that occasion but he kept battling on. I would like to be associated with all the good things that have been said about Kieran. With regard to Kieran's constituency work, he used to arrive to Leinster House every Tuesday and present a few cases to my...

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Nov 2010)

Martin Brady: On the rationalisation of quangos, could the Leader establish with the relevant Ministers the number of quangos still in existence and the number of enterprise boards, the cost of supporting those and the number of jobs they have created. I would welcome a progress report on those two items.

Seanad: National Housing Development Survey: Motion (10 Nov 2010)

Martin Brady: I welcome the opportunity to speak on this issue. I agree with Senator Norris that we should not play politics with this. I have no hang-ups about the wording of amendments. The people who are suffering are the purchasers who bought houses but are now living in drastic conditions. I watched a programme on RTE a couple of weeks ago about an estate in Longford. I have to give the builder...

Seanad: Report of Joint Committee: Motion (4 Nov 2010)

Martin Brady: I welcome the opportunity to speak on the issue of climate change. "Climate change is not for me; it is for somebody else to look after" seems to be the attitude of some. Pollution is a key issue and a widespread problem in this country. It is caused particularly by dumping on land and at sea, and by other activities such as slurry spreading. Dumping at sea is an issue at Dollymount...

Seanad: Report of Joint Committee: Motion (Resumed) (4 Nov 2010)

Martin Brady: I reiterate my point with regard to the insufficient level of attention being paid to pollution, especially that caused by dumping at sea, and the fact that pollution controls are not being properly enforced. It is important we should focus on this issue, especially in the context of the damage being done to wildlife. Senator Quinn referred to wind and other forms of alternative energy. I...

Seanad: Report of Joint Committee: Motion (Resumed) (4 Nov 2010)

Martin Brady: It is not my phone.

Seanad: Report of Joint Committee: Motion (Resumed) (4 Nov 2010)

Martin Brady: At 2.30 p.m. next Tuesday, 9 November 2010.

Seanad: National Housing Development Survey Report: Statements (27 Oct 2010)

Martin Brady: I thank and welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Finneran. He has done very good work in various areas as the Minister with responsibility for housing but I will not go into that. This is a very useful exercise and these figures give some idea of the problems that exist. According to the report, in the area covered by Dublin City Council more than 6,000 houses are unoccupied. We received...

Seanad: National Housing Development Survey Report: Statements (27 Oct 2010)

Martin Brady: I could go through many of these in my area but it would serve only to illustrate that we will not make the same mistakes again. For example, local authorities introduced certain changes willy-nilly and I am unsure whether they were sanctioned by the Department. Since they did not have sufficient planners to inspect sites, they introduced self-certification. This meant one simply sent in...

Seanad: Tourism Sector: Statements (Resumed) (21 Oct 2010)

Martin Brady: I welcome the Minister and wish to be associated with the remarks made by previous speakers on her good work in the Department. Previous speakers have alluded to hotels and the crisis faced by them. As a crisis should be an opportunity to do something positive which should not be wasted, it is good that we are having this debate. When discussing hotels, one is inclined to refer to the...

Seanad: Seanad Electoral (Panel Members)(Amendment) Bill 2008: Second Stage (20 Oct 2010)

Martin Brady: I wish to share time with Senator Wilson.

Seanad: Seanad Electoral (Panel Members)(Amendment) Bill 2008: Second Stage (20 Oct 2010)

Martin Brady: I welcome the Minister of State and thank him for his comprehensive contribution. LAMA is an extremely efficient organisation and does a very good job. The Minister of State referred to amalgamating various organisations and I support him in that regard. As a former trade unionist, I was involved in the amalgamation of a number of unions. I am aware, therefore, that when bodies or...

Seanad: Electricity Prices: Motion (6 Oct 2010)

Martin Brady: I move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after "Seanad Éireann" and substitute the following: "commends the Government for: - its comprehensive actions to deliver a secure, sustainable and competitive energy supply, including its commitment to increasing competition as the best means of exerting downward pressure on electricity prices in the long term, and improving the regulation of...

Seanad: Electricity Prices: Motion (6 Oct 2010)

Martin Brady: Yes. The Minister wants to speak first.

Seanad: Electricity Prices: Motion (6 Oct 2010)

Martin Brady: I agree with the previous speaker. Every businessperson and householder I have met in recent months made the point that the cost of energy, particularly as it relates to business, is too high. This cost is one of the major overheads which affects all businesses. I have never spoken to a member of the public who fully understands what the PSO levy involves. This mechanism was never...

Seanad: Death of Former Member: Expressions of Sympathy (14 Jul 2010)

Martin Brady: I am privileged to have the opportunity to join my colleagues in saying a few words about the late Joe Doyle. I got to know him many years ago when we worked on the city council; I got to know him in this House also. When we were councillors, somebody referred to the election of the Lord Mayor of Dublin. When Joe was running for election, the Fianna Fáil group met and I was very...