Results 41-60 of 915 for speaker:Aidan Davitt

Seanad: Summer Economic Statement 2016: Statements (Resumed) (14 Jul 2016)

Aidan Davitt: Quite a few Senators have mentioned the GDP figures, but by the Department's own admission it is a distorted figure. We are talking about approximately 20% of the 26.3% being down to multinationals and inversion deals.It accounts for a huge part of the GDP figures. Many of these companies are locating in Ireland because of the low corporation tax rate. We need to think outside the box and...

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Jul 2016)

Aidan Davitt: Something caught my eye yesterday and some of the other Senators have touched on it today. We are aware that we have a horrific record in relation to refugees and we have debated it on numerous occasions. I have witnessed this at first hand in Athlone and again in Mosney. I could only describe them as detention centres. I was concerned yesterday to read that the Minister for Justice and...

Seanad: Action Plan for Housing: Statements (20 Jul 2016)

Aidan Davitt: Very eloquently.

Seanad: Action Plan for Housing: Statements (20 Jul 2016)

Aidan Davitt: I thank the Minister for outlining the plan. It is quite comprehensive. To be fair, he has listened to other parties and to all those who made submissions. I know several bodies that met him and he gave them a fair hearing. I have a few suggestions that he might take into consideration and they might be helpful with respect to the plan. As the Minister knows, plans are easily devised but...

Seanad: Action Plan for Housing: Statements (20 Jul 2016)

Aidan Davitt: Since the downturn, self-employed people have received no support and many have left the country for Canada, England and the four corners of the world. One of the greatest challenges facing the Minister is attracting people back to Ireland who have the necessary skills to manage manpower and get the job done. I do not want to make this a political issue or to rehearse it, but the figure of...

Seanad: Action Plan for Housing: Statements (20 Jul 2016)

Aidan Davitt: Go raibh maith agat. I hope that Senator Coffey will forgive me. I credited him, Deputy Kelly or the Government of the time with 75 houses, but the Minister stated that it was 72. There is a disconnect. I do not want to misquote the Minister, but my understanding is that we are discussing just under 50,000 houses within five years from next year onwards, or a little under 10,000 houses...

Seanad: Action Plan for Housing: Statements (20 Jul 2016)

Aidan Davitt: Excellent, I commend the Minister on that practical thinking. Being able to renew a permission a second time would be a step forward. As to the over-regulation of engineering, we all want houses built to a certain standard and our standards are high, but they incur a significant cost on building. Perhaps this issue could be re-examined. The Minister touched on the question of deposits and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Vote 32 - Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (22 Sep 2016)

Aidan Davitt: I thank the Minister for coming before the committee today. Will the Minister expand on the reference in her opening statement to one figure in particular? She referred to 135 regional jobs.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Vote 32 - Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (22 Sep 2016)

Aidan Davitt: What is the length of time involved? I perceive a serious problem in this regard. I am from north-west Meath and the roll-out of broadband seems to be a major issue when it comes to trying to bring jobs to regional areas. I have one other query. The Minister referred to Brexit. It has come to my attention in the past few days that a large mass concrete company recently bought a plant in...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2016: Vote 32 - Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (22 Sep 2016)

Aidan Davitt: What about the regional figures?

Seanad: Economic Growth: Motion (28 Sep 2016)

Aidan Davitt: I thank the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Deputy Mary Mitchell O’Connor, for attending the House. She is busy coming to the House regularly. It is great to see the summer break was not wasted on some of our politicians. Many of them were busy dusting down their clichés and working hard on them during the recess. Fianna Fáil supports the general principles...

Seanad: Order of Business (29 Sep 2016)

Aidan Davitt: I have serious concerns about orthodontic services, which are underfunded. A constituent of mine who is 16 years of age has been waiting for an operation on her teeth since she was 13. She is a young, maturing lady and her mother has serious concerns for her because this is affecting her self-confidence. It is a problem for the girl and her whole family. She has had four appointments and...

Seanad: Order of Business (4 Oct 2016)

Aidan Davitt: Will the Leader address the Punch and Judy show in which the Ministers for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government and Social Protection are engaging to promote themselves to replace the Taoiseach? A few months ago the Minister for Social Protection was out of the traps first with promises of improved conditions for councillors, while last week the Minister for Housing, Planning,...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Garda Vetting of Personnel (6 Oct 2016)

Aidan Davitt: The statement is self-explanatory. Since the roll-out of the new Garda vetting forms, there has been a disconnect between the legislation and the reality on the ground. A serious problem has arisen. Michael Ryan, the principal of a school in Waterford, has raised a valid query. At present, he wants to take on some temporary staff. He would have the same issue if he wanted to take on a...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Garda Vetting of Personnel (6 Oct 2016)

Aidan Davitt: I appreciate the response from the Minister of State and what he said makes a lot of sense. He referred to the new e-certification but I may not have understood him. Is it correct that if one receives a new e-certificate, it will be valid for different bodies or does one still have to apply individually for every body of which one wants to be a member, employed by or whatever else?

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Garda Vetting of Personnel (6 Oct 2016)

Aidan Davitt: I appreciate the reply.

Seanad: Order of Business (6 Oct 2016)

Aidan Davitt: The news that emanated from the midlands yesterday was very serious. It has been flagged for the past month and my colleague, Deputy Robert Troy, had raised the issue of these jobs, which was also covered in the local newspapers in recent weeks. We have talked about Brexit ad nauseam but this shows one of the repercussions. While the 170 jobs lost might not be directly linked to Brexit, it...

Seanad: Order of Business (11 Oct 2016)

Aidan Davitt: I am very disappointed with the measure for first-time buyer grants in this budget as it increases the city-rural divide and inequalities in our society. A person privileged enough to live within the M50 belt can avail of this grant but outside that it will apply to almost no one. Contrary to my colleague’s belief that this plan is welcomed by the auctioneers of this country, it is...

Seanad: Rent Certainty (No. 2) Bill 2016: Second Stage (12 Oct 2016)

Aidan Davitt: Certainty of tenure and a fair rent are two core principles of Fianna Fáil. By the Senator's own admission, this is a simple Bill. We feel it is too simplistic and that this type of interference could cause more harm to an already chaotic rental market. The main factor in the increase in rents is lack of supply. Introducing a blunt cap at this stage is not the way forward. I...

Seanad: Rent Certainty (No. 2) Bill 2016: Second Stage (12 Oct 2016)

Aidan Davitt: Sinn Féin is preoccupied with Fianna Fáil. The Minister was in the House previously and the Minister of State is here now but all we hear is Fianna Fáil this and Fianna Fáil that.