Results 61-80 of 25,233 for speaker:David Cullinane

Seanad: Order of Business (16 Jun 2011)

David Cullinane: I will check the post. May I raise an issue that has been in the public domain for the past number of days-----

Seanad: Order of Business (16 Jun 2011)

David Cullinane: I had a conversation with the Leader of the House before this meeting and I was asked to raise it here. I look forward to a response from the Leader of the House. I wish to raise the issue of the State potentially having to bail out the credit unions to the tune of €500 million. There are reports that household debt is at 190%. The country faces significant problems with the financial...

Seanad: Order of Business (16 Jun 2011)

David Cullinane: Again, I am asking the Leader of the House to confirm that discussion will take place before the Cabinet makes its decisions.

Seanad: Fair Deal Nursing Home Scheme: Statements (Resumed) (16 Jun 2011)

David Cullinane: I welcome the Minister of State to the House to discuss this important issue. I agree with Senator MacSharry on the lack of accountability in the HSE. Over recent years we have all been subjected by the previous Minister for Health and Children to the best impersonation of Pontius Pilate I have ever seen in my lifetime as a politician. She took no responsibility for any of the scandals...

Seanad: Finance (No. 2) Bill 2011 (Certified Money Bill): Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Jun 2011)

David Cullinane: I oppose the section and support the recommendation. I do not agree with previous speakers that private pension holders accept the logic of the levy and see its benefit in terms of jobs. I have spoken to many of them and they are fearful. They are fearful because they know private pension funds across the globe have been affected by the crash of recent years. That is the reality. Many...

Seanad: Finance (No. 2) Bill 2011 (Certified Money Bill): Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Jun 2011)

David Cullinane: Not all pension holders receive the relief at the marginal rate, as the Minister of State is aware.

Seanad: Finance (No. 2) Bill 2011 (Certified Money Bill): Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Jun 2011)

David Cullinane: Equality.

Seanad: Order of Business (22 Jun 2011)

David Cullinane: I condemn in the strongest possible terms the violence we have seen in Belfast over the last couple of nights. While some in small sections of the media have attempted to characterise this as a clash between two communities, many seasoned commentators and security spokespersons in the North have correctly characterised it as an attack on a small Nationalist enclave. The involvement of the...

Seanad: Order of Business (22 Jun 2011)

David Cullinane: With respect, that is not what the amendment requests.

Seanad: Order of Business (22 Jun 2011)

David Cullinane: On a point of order, the amendment I tabled does not relate to the Minister for Health. It requests that the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation come before the House.

Seanad: Order of Business (22 Jun 2011)

David Cullinane: Perhaps the Leader can correct what he said earlier.

Seanad: Order of Business (22 Jun 2011)

David Cullinane: Yes.

Seanad: Jobs Initiative and Competitiveness: Statements (Resumed) (22 Jun 2011)

David Cullinane: Like the previous speaker, I will be laying down roots of my own in Kilkenny shortly as my wife is in Kilkenny General Hospital expecting our second child.

Seanad: Jobs Initiative and Competitiveness: Statements (Resumed) (22 Jun 2011)

David Cullinane: We will see about that. I want to put my remarks into context. I cannot agree with previous speakers who stated that this jobs initiative amounts to ambition on behalf of the Government. It has been said on numerous occasions that this initiative is revenue neutral but I believe it is jobs neutral as well. I fail to see where the real jobs will come from and in that regard the context has...

Seanad: Order of Business (29 Jun 2011)

David Cullinane: I thank the Senators for their expressions of best wishes on the birth of baby boy, Finn. It is purely coincidental that it rhythms with Sinn. I thank my wife, Kathleen, who did the heavy lifting. At 9 lb. 1 oz., he was a big baby. Senator Bacik spoke earlier about men in the workplace. I was informed by the Leader of the House that there is no paternity leave for Senators.

Seanad: Order of Business (29 Jun 2011)

David Cullinane: That is something that needs to be addressed in the Oireachtas generally, the Dáil and the Seanad. If we are to have a discussion about men and women in the workplace, this workplace should form part of that as well.

Seanad: Order of Business (29 Jun 2011)

David Cullinane: I thank Senators for their expressions of best wishes. As the House will be aware, there are many bad news stories brought into this Chamber. However, there is a good news story as I am sure the Leader of House will agree, coming from Waterford, namely, that the tall ships event will take place tomorrow. It is being formally launched by the Taoiseach. It will be a spectacular event where,...

Seanad: Order of Business (29 Jun 2011)

David Cullinane: Both the First Minister and the Deputy First Minister should be invited; it is a joint office.

Seanad: Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Bill 2011: Second Stage (29 Jun 2011)

David Cullinane: I am not sure what I can say about public sector reform in two minutes. I welcome the Minister to the House. My party would have shared a broad view with the Labour Party, at least before the election, about the need to ensure that public sector reform was about meeting the needs of citizens. That is the ultimate benchmark in terms of what we need to do in terms of achieving savings. We...

Seanad: Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Bill 2011: Second Stage (29 Jun 2011)

David Cullinane: It is part of public spending reform. The Minister should look at the recruitment embargo which is in place across the public sector. For example, recently I spoke to staff in Waterford Regional Hospital where, because of a shortage of nurses and doctors, it is recruiting staff through agencies and paying premium rates, and that is impacting on its budgets. Even the recruitment embargo is...