Results 21-40 of 704 for speaker:John Kelly

Seanad: Motor Vehicles (Duties and Licences) Bill 2015: Second Stage (1 Dec 2015)

John Kelly: I welcome the Minister of State. I will be brief. The Bill is very welcome and it has come as a surprise to the Irish Road Haulage Association. It could not have come at a better time. Hauliers have been on their knees for the longest time due to the spiralling cost of fuel and toll charges, maintenance of vehicles and insurance. I have spoken on their behalf on numerous occasions. The...

Seanad: Order of Business (12 Nov 2015)

John Kelly: Recently, we have seen many people object to paying water charges. They have every right to object. Couples object because it would cost them an extra €160 a year net, when one takes the water conservation grant into account. Single people object to paying €60 when one takes the grant into consideration. Others who have nothing to pay also object. The main protagonists are...

Seanad: Order of Business (11 Nov 2015)

John Kelly: I agree with the sentiments expressed by Senator Norris regarding the banks. It seems quite obvious that the banks are steering people away from their doors. They are striving to get everybody, including the elderly, to use machines. We saw what happened last week and they had to row back on another effort to keep people away from their doors. I do not blame the staff of the banks but...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: General Practitioner Services (10 Nov 2015)

John Kelly: I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I want to raise the plight of small rural GP practices. They seem to be in a state of crisis. I am not concerned with practices that have 1,600 or more patients. Many small rural GPs have fewer than 600 patients. There are 21 vacancies for full-time GPs in rural Ireland - 22% have been vacant for two years and 17% have been vacant for one...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: General Practitioner Services (10 Nov 2015)

John Kelly: It is positive that negotiations are ongoing, but I ask that they be fast-tracked lest more GPs are lost from rural Ireland.

Seanad: Order of Business (5 Nov 2015)

John Kelly: I wish to raise the plight of rural GPs, many of whom find themselves in something of a crisis. While the average patient panel per GP is made up of approximately 1,600 patients, many rural GPs have fewer than 600 patients on their books. There are 21 vacancies for rural GP posts at this time, 17% of which have not been filled for more than one year and 22% for more than two years....

Seanad: Order of Business (3 Nov 2015)

John Kelly: I called for a debate a few weeks ago in this House with the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources on wind farms and wind energy in general. I had a Commencement debate with him on a community fund that is supposed to be in place. It appears that if locals object to a wind farm development, they will get the benefit of a community fund, yet if they sit back and do not...

Seanad: United Nations Principles for Older Persons: Motion (21 Oct 2015)

John Kelly: I agree with all Members who have spoken so far. I also compliment Senators O'Donnell and van Turnhout for tabling the motion. We are all on the side of the elderly but will there be any action after all of this talk? I have worked with older people and know that we have made some good strides but a lot more needs to be done. I will outline one of the improvement that have been made....

Seanad: United Nations Principles for Older Persons: Motion (21 Oct 2015)

John Kelly: I can never hear him.

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Pensions Levy (20 Oct 2015)

John Kelly: I thank the Minister of State for taking this matter. Many anomalies arise in respect of the infamous pension levy. My understanding is somebody who works in the private sector and is a retained firefighter does not pay any pension levy by virtue of the amount they earn as a retained firefighter. A person who is self-employed and is a retained firefighter will pay 4.5% in a pension levy....

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Pensions Levy (20 Oct 2015)

John Kelly: In the first sentence of his response, the Minister of State said "the public service pension-related deduction, sometimes referred to as the pension levy, applies to the pay of pensionable public service." As stated earlier, they do not pay into a pension fund. I appreciate that they receive a gratuity. It is a one-off payment and is not a pension. I think there is a difference. They...

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Oct 2015)

John Kelly: Every time Senator Leyden stands up in this House he brings a smile to my face. He might have lost his vocation-----

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Oct 2015)

John Kelly: The Senator might be better suited to stand-up comedy since he cannot read a newspaper and does not know what this budget has brought about for people.

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Oct 2015)

John Kelly: I campaigned on the issue so I welcome the restoration of the €350 respite care grant. I also welcome the restoration, to 75% , of the Christmas bonus, the extra year for child care and the reductions in universal social charge.

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Oct 2015)

John Kelly: It is a fantastic budget. I was the first person in the Oireachtas to call for the abolition of the universal social charge three or four years ago. At the time, we were told it was here to stay but I am delighted that the process has taken place and that it will eventually be a thing of the past.

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Oct 2015)

John Kelly: I support what Senator Eamonn Coghlan said with regard to the bail laws in this country. There is something seriously wrong with those laws. If a person has 12 penalty points on his or her driving licence as a result of exceeding the speed limit on a few occasions, he or she is off the road. That is it, there is no room for debate. The killer of Garda Anthony Golden had 70 previous...

Seanad: State Claims Agency: Motion (7 Oct 2015)

John Kelly: I support the motion. Senators Whelan and Landy have put a compelling case for the reform of the State Claims Agency. We do not experience the trauma families suffer until such time, as they rightly point out, we see them coming out of court on the "Six-One News". The sense of relief on their faces is evident because of the trauma they have been put through for so many years. There seems...

Seanad: Order of Business (6 Oct 2015)

John Kelly: I call for a debate on the proposed amalgamations the statutory committee to review local government boundaries is considering. It is proposed to merge Monksland in County Roscommon with Athlone and County Westmeath. As ratepayers in Monksland contribute significantly to Roscommon County Council, there would be a massive loss to Roscommon County Council's coffers if this was to happen. I...

Seanad: Order of Business (30 Sep 2015)

John Kelly: Like others, I support a debate in the House on rural Ireland and rural issues. The farmer is the backbone of rural Ireland, and farmers have many issues. One of them is the fair deal scheme. Fair deal operates on the basis that, unless a farmer transferred his land more than five years before he enters a nursing home, it is assessed against him for the duration of his stay. If the farmer...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Alternative Energy Projects (29 Sep 2015)

John Kelly: I thank the Minister for taking this debate personally, as it does not happen too often in this House. As he is aware, I am not a fan of wind energy, which I believe is a folly. When we do a cost-benefit analysis subsequently we will discover that. However, that is not the essence of the matter I raise, which is to discuss the community fund these wind farm developers put in place. When...