Results 201-220 of 431 for speaker:Lorraine Higgins

Seanad: Order of Business (18 Dec 2013)

Lorraine Higgins: I wish to make a point. Earlier in the week, NAMA stated that if people had information, they should bring it to the attention of the Garda Síochána. It deliberately muddied the waters in the aftermath of contributions on the agency made by Senator Darragh O'Brien and me in the House. Less than 24 hours after the Senator and I had spoken, the agency reported individuals to the...

Seanad: Credit Reporting Bill 2012: Committee and Remaining Stages (17 Dec 2013)

Lorraine Higgins: Now.

Seanad: Order of Business (17 Dec 2013)

Lorraine Higgins: I apologise, a Chathaoirligh. There had been communication with third parties in respect of a customer's loans with NAMA and this was, and is, highly prejudicial to the NAMA customer concerned. I have since found out that this individual-----

Seanad: Order of Business (17 Dec 2013)

Lorraine Higgins: I do, and I will get to it. I have now found out that this individual is working for the business to which he leaked the information in the first instance-----

Seanad: Order of Business (17 Dec 2013)

Lorraine Higgins: -----but the public interest element-----

Seanad: Order of Business (17 Dec 2013)

Lorraine Higgins: -----is that I am fearful the State will be open to a legal action that could potentially amount to millions of euro. There is now an application in the High Court for an injunction in respect of one of these individuals whose information was passed on to a third party by this employee of NAMA. I am fearful about that. I raised this in the House previously and asked the Minister for...

Seanad: Order of Business (17 Dec 2013)

Lorraine Higgins: -----but I was dismissed on the issue. It was intimated to me by the Minister that I was abusing my parliamentary privilege. Essentially, I was fobbed off, and I have great difficulty with that. This is a massive issue for Irish taxpayers, who will ultimately have to pay. They have paid enough over the last number of years as a result of austerity and corruption in this country. We must...

Seanad: Order of Business (17 Dec 2013)

Lorraine Higgins: Last May and June I raised two issues in this House relating to practices prevailing at the National Asset Management Agency. One of these was the need for NAMA to review its contracts of employment to prevent the valuable information gleaned by employees of the agency being utilised by them immediately after ceasing employment. In highlighting this issue I referred to a particular...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Banking Sector Regulation (10 Dec 2013)

Lorraine Higgins: I thank the Minister of State for his response. I welcome the positive news about the credit being made available to SMEs and the farming community. However, I urge the Government not to concentrate the funds coming from KfW in the two pillar banks. We need choice in the banking system because a responsible banking sector will only come about as a result of competition. We need more...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Banking Sector Regulation (10 Dec 2013)

Lorraine Higgins: I thank the Minister of State, Deputy John Perry, for taking this matter, which proposes that the Minister for Finance or Central Bank consider granting a new licence to a bank which will concentrate its lending in the farming community. We all remember the Agricultural Credit Corporation, ACC, which was established by the Government in 1927 for the purpose of financing agricultural...

Seanad: Order of Business (28 Nov 2013)

Lorraine Higgins: In light of the terrible burglary in County Tipperary last weekend and the brutality of the gang's actions towards the Corcoran family, I request that the Minister for Justice and Equality come into the House to debate the possibility of amending the criminal law to prevent similar attacks happening in the future. We must send a message to those living in rural Ireland that they are safe in...

Seanad: Order of Business (28 Nov 2013)

Lorraine Higgins: I certainly am. It is high time that we strive for better standards in our criminal justice system. We must work to ensure that justice is seen to be done, not only for the victims but for society as a whole. We are doing an injustice to everyone in the country by not having mandatory sentences for people who commit burglaries. A mandatory, or at least a minimum sentence for burglary...

Seanad: Adjournment Debate: Commercial Rates Issues (19 Nov 2013)

Lorraine Higgins: I thank the Minister of State for her response. I would make the observation that Dublin, Cork and Limerick are very different places to towns like Athenry, Loughrea and Gort. Dublin, Cork and Limerick have demand for commercial units, so it is arguably fair to apply a 50% rates bill on unoccupied commercial premises. It is very different in rural areas where supply exceeds demand. That...

Seanad: Adjournment Debate: Commercial Rates Issues (19 Nov 2013)

Lorraine Higgins: I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House today. I am worried about a matter arising from the Local Government Bill 2013, the potential for rates to apply to unused or closed commercial premises and units. Will the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government devolve responsibility to local authorities to make the decision on the potential for application of...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Schools Building Projects Status (7 Nov 2013)

Lorraine Higgins: I will pass on the Senator's concerns to the Cathaoirleach.

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Banking Sector Regulation (23 Oct 2013)

Lorraine Higgins: I thank the Minister for his response but I am disappointed with it. I find it does not deal specifically with the question I asked. I feel the response was drafted in such a way that we are talking around it rather than getting to the crux of the issue. Terms such as “not aware” and “in general” have been used throughout the response which is most...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Banking Sector Regulation (23 Oct 2013)

Lorraine Higgins: It is not the bank customers' details but those of banks' management. I am concerned there were activities carried on that may be akin to insider dealings. I just want to get to the bottom of that to ensure no one in bank management benefited from the bank bailout for which the taxpayer paid.

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Banking Sector Regulation (23 Oct 2013)

Lorraine Higgins: I thank the Minister of State for taking this matter on the Adjournment. It is important that we establish whether any staff in senior management in all the State-owned banks, including AIB, Permanent TSB, Bank of Ireland, EBS and Irish Nationwide, converted any of their variable mortgages to tracker mortgages in the six-month period before the date of the Government-funded bank guarantee or...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Electricity Transmission Network (22 Oct 2013)

Lorraine Higgins: The Minister without interruption.

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Electricity Transmission Network (22 Oct 2013)

Lorraine Higgins: Unfortunately, a Minister is not available to take the matters to be raised on the Adjournment by Senators Burke and Moloney. I am informed they will be deferred until tomorrow when the Cathaoirleach will select both matters again.