Results 81-100 of 704 for speaker:John Kelly
- Seanad: Social Welfare Bill 2011: Second Stage (13 Dec 2011)
John Kelly: He rightly acknowledged that tough decisions needed to be made to clean up the mess of previous Governments. Since he struggles to use up his eight minutes, he uses three of them to crack jokes and make jibes at the Government side of the House. The Senator referred to the difference in the cost of living in the North compared with the South as a result of the 2% VAT rate increase. Last...
- Seanad: Garda Stations (15 Dec 2011)
John Kelly: I also welcome the Minister and am only sorry I was obliged to bring him back here today because he dealt with two similar Adjournment matters yesterday. I wish to raise the proposed closure of the Garda stations at Loughglynn and Tarmonbarry, County Roscommon. On foot of his responses to other Members yesterday, I accept this is not a cost-saving measure. However, I believe some of the...
- Seanad: Garda Stations (15 Dec 2011)
John Kelly: I do not accept that one well-trained garda would not be able to do enough to thwart criminals crossing a narrow bridge in Tarmonbarry. The Boyle Garda division, despite all its personnel, is 45 minutes away from Tarmonbarry. It is not necessarily true that a Garda Commissioner or whoever makes decisions at the highest level always gets it 100% right. This particular decision is flawed. I...
- Seanad: Order of Business (11 Jan 2012)
John Kelly: I support the call by my colleague, Senator Denis Landy, that a deputation visit the primary care reimbursement service, PCRS, in Finglas to see what is going on in regard to the processing of medical cards because it was big topic of debate on every local and national radio station over Christmas. Yesterday, I received a call from my local radio station, which incidentally is the same as...
- Seanad: Report of Advisory Group for Small Business: Statements (11 Jan 2012)
John Kelly: I welcome the Minister of State. I also welcome the report and its recommendations. As a businessman, he will be aware of the issues faced by this sector, including those mentioned by Senator O'Brien such as the need for a licence to have a Thomas the Tank Engine ride outside his shop in Ballymote, County Sligo. The first line of the advisory group's recommendation on commercial rates...
- Seanad: Order of Business (12 Jan 2012)
John Kelly: Over Christmas, I learned something new about the fair deal scheme, about which I have spoken in this House in the past. I was not aware of it. I have always referred to the scheme as an unfair deal. That is becoming more and more clear. It was brought to my attention once more over Christmas. In the past when somebody went into a nursing home the nursing home subvention was granted from...
- Seanad: Suicide Prevention: Statements (12 Jan 2012)
John Kelly: I compliment the Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, on her efforts in tackling this important issue. I agree with Senator Moloney on the role of rural isolation, a real bugbear of mine, in suicide. I have worked in my community for 28 years and have much evidence that this is a real issue. While drink-driving laws are welcome in bringing down road deaths, they can have a negative...
- Seanad: Order of Business (18 Jan 2012)
John Kelly: In recent weeks many other Senators and I have raised the issue of delays in processing medical card application since the function was transferred to the primary care reimbursement service, PCRS, in Finglas. On a related matter, I recently found out that persons participating in the farm assist scheme were automatically entitled to a medical card and that had been the position for years....
- Seanad: Order of Business (18 Jan 2012)
John Kelly: Their mothers and fathers are being brought into a means-tested category, which is wrong. That did not happen in the past.
- Seanad: Order of Business (18 Jan 2012)
John Kelly: This has only happened since the service was taken over by the PCRS. Rather than raise this matter on the Adjournment, I ask the Leader to ask the Minister for Health what has changed and who has given a directive to the PCRS to deal with people in this manner.
- Seanad: Order of Business (25 Jan 2012)
John Kelly: I do not normally read the newspapers and come in to this House to discuss their headlines but on this occasion I will do so. Over the past several days all one could read in the newspapers were stories about special advisers to Ministers getting pay increases, which is outrageous given that they are already well paid. In one of yesterday's newspapers it was reported that expenditure on...
- Seanad: Renewable Energy: Motion (1 Feb 2012)
John Kelly: The Minister of State is welcome. I support the motion but will make some brief comments on the issue of wind energy. We are all supportive of the notion of wind energy and I have always promoted the offshore wind energy option as it is twice as productive, although it might be twice as expensive. That said, I have a problem with the distance between wind farms and private residences....
- Seanad: Order of Business (2 Feb 2012)
John Kelly: I wish to raise an important issue relating to a telephone call I received last night from a business man who is a wholesaler. Last week he called to two businesses that were closed down and had "For Sale" signs on them. My constituent was owed â¬24,000 by one business and â¬27,000 by the other. By virtue of the fact that the banks were not lending to the businesses the Revenue...
- Seanad: Tax Code (7 Feb 2012)
John Kelly: I welcome the Minister of State to the House and congratulate him on his recent appointment. I wish to raise a matter which has been brought to my attention in recent days and concerns how we do our business. The Minister for Finance should clarify the way in which the Revenue Commissioners collect taxes owed to them, which also threatens the viability of other businesses. I am seeking...
- Seanad: Tax Code (7 Feb 2012)
John Kelly: This is no reflection on the Minister of State but I know that he was handed a script to respond to my Adjournment matter. I would have got the same response if I had asked him to outline the job of Revenue. He was given a generic script that does not address my issue. Perhaps it is my fault because I did not ask a specific question when I sought to raise this Adjournment matter but I...
- Seanad: Health (Provision of General Practitioner Services) Bill 2011: Second Stage (8 Feb 2012)
John Kelly: I welcome the Minister to House. This welcome legislation is simple and self-explanatory, giving greater choice to people and leading to greater competition in the general practice market. Hopefully, it will limit the emigration of our trained GPs and even facilitate the return of those who had to emigrate in the past. As Senator MacSharry noted, other measures could also be considered,...
- Seanad: Energy (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2011: Second Stage (8 Feb 2012)
John Kelly: I welcome the Minister to the House again. The cost of doing business in this country, from an energy perspective, has been mentioned. I support the Western Development Commission's report, of which the Minister is aware. The report suggests that savings of â¬32 million could be achieved by businesses in the west and north west if natural gas were made more widely available in that...
- Seanad: HSE National Service Plan: Statements, Questions and Answers (14 Feb 2012)
John Kelly: I welcome the Minister to the House. When the former Deputy Mary Harney took over at health, I sent her a letter to the effect that she had taken the poisoned chalice. I was proved right. I would nearly say the same to this Minister, although I hope that, like the priest who drinks the wine at Sunday mass, he puts a good gloss on the chalice. I wish the Minister well in doing that. I...
- Seanad: HSE National Service Plan: Statements, Questions and Answers (14 Feb 2012)
John Kelly: I was always critical of HSE staff down through the years who received bonuses because I considered the bonus was in place to keep within a budget. However, when keeping to a budget someone is deprived of an important service. The Minister mentioned efficiencies in the services. I would have no problem with giving bonuses to people who can bring about efficiencies. I understand â¬6...
- Seanad: HSE National Service Plan: Statements, Questions and Answers (14 Feb 2012)
John Kelly: There is also the issue of the amount of money the hospitals are not collecting by way of health insurance. There are plenty of senior HSE employees who are not needed and are doing nothing. There is a job for one of them to ensure that each hospital claims back the money from the health insurers.