Results 1-20 of 562 for speaker:Larry Butler
- Seanad: Order of Business (3 Oct 2007)
Larry Butler: I congratulate the Cathaoirleach on the professional way he does his business. I did not have the opportunity to congratulate him before now. I thank the councillors throughout the country who supported me in the Seanad elections.
- Seanad: Order of Business (3 Oct 2007)
Larry Butler: Many of the Senators would not be here today if not for those fellows. They should not be forgotten.
- Seanad: Order of Business (3 Oct 2007)
Larry Butler: We will do that under the good auspices of Senator Norris. He will have some very good and solid ideas on how we might address Seanad reform. That is for another day.
- Seanad: Order of Business (3 Oct 2007)
Larry Butler: I ask the Leader if he will bring the Minister for Environment, Heritage and Local Government to the House to discuss organisation of the local authorities. With issues such as global warming being raised, these authorities will be called on over the next few years. The financing of these bodies will be very important. Over recent years, we have financed local authorities very well and we...
- Seanad: Order of Business (11 Oct 2007)
Larry Butler: I call on the Deputy Leader to invite the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Gormley, to the House to discuss the major crisis in housing, particularly in Dublin where significant price issues do not facilitate access to housing for the average working person. We need discussion on this important issue. We also need the Minister to discuss the downturn in...
- Seanad: Order of Business (11 Oct 2007)
Larry Butler: Yes, but I want to raise various issues that need to be discussed in that debate. There is no point in asking the Minister to the House specifically on the issue of local authorities. We need to address certain issues within local authorities, such as the fire disaster in Bray. The local authorities are the frontline people. We also have the Civil Defence. The Minister is a reforming...
- Seanad: National Drugs Strategy: Statements (17 Oct 2007)
Larry Butler: I wish to share time with Senator Tony Kett.
- Seanad: National Drugs Strategy: Statements (17 Oct 2007)
Larry Butler: I support the national drugs strategy and the drugs task force in the outstanding work it has done. I am disappointed, however, that with all this good work, methadone dispensing services have been withdrawn by pharmacists. The Minister of State must do everything possible to bring the two sides in the dispute together to ensure methadone users, who are most vulnerable, are not put back...
- Seanad: Order of Business (31 Oct 2007)
Larry Butler: I previously raised the matter of empty houses throughout the country and it has now come to my notice that a substantial number, some 5,200 houses, are closed up by local authorities, with managers standing over such a decision. I call on the Leader to ask the Minister responsible to come into the House to explain why this is the case. People have been on the housing lists for ten years....
- Seanad: Order of Business (31 Oct 2007)
Larry Butler: I ask that this matter be given urgent consideration. I will go into the matter in more detail when I speak on the debate on the housing market this afternoon.
- Seanad: Housing Market: Statements (31 Oct 2007)
Larry Butler: I welcome the Minister of State and this debate on housing. It is very important that we ensure our people have proper housing. As representatives of the Government, it is important we set out clearly what we intend to do over the next five years. The Government has doubled its social housing commitment to â¬2 billion per annum, which is twice the level of six years ago. In 2006, the...
- Seanad: Housing Market: Statements (31 Oct 2007)
Larry Butler: ââfor empty houses.
- Seanad: Housing Market: Statements (31 Oct 2007)
Larry Butler: Fine Gael must take responsibility.
- Seanad: Housing Market: Statements (31 Oct 2007)
Larry Butler: In Dublin alone, 2,725 houses are empty. A vital question one must ask is who controls the three local authorities in Dublin and whether the managers are doing their jobs.
- Seanad: Housing Market: Statements (31 Oct 2007)
Larry Butler: I did not interrupt Senator Coffey, so I do not expect him to interrupt me. It is important to ask the Minister to audit the local authorities to ensure they get better value for taxpayers' money. We can argue about how we do that. Houses lying empty in Dublin alone cost â¬1.1 billion. It is my responsibility as a Senator and spokesman to ask the Minister to carry out an audit of each...
- Seanad: Community Child Care Subvention Scheme 2008-2010: Statements (7 Nov 2007)
Larry Butler: I will forgo my time in favour of Senator White.
- Seanad: Community Child Care Subvention Scheme 2008-2010: Statements (Resumed) (14 Nov 2007)
Larry Butler: The Minister of State certainly missed Senator Leydenââ
- Seanad: Order of Business (29 Nov 2007)
Larry Butler: I congratulate the Leader on how he summarised the health issue yesterday. Debates on health, to which I listened, have been valuable in both Houses over the past weeks. Senator O'Toole brought moderation to the debate when he mentioned how we could tackle problems in health. I am pleased to hear that the Leader will invite the Minister to the Seanad to discuss the review of the HSE. The...
- Seanad: Order of Business (6 Dec 2007)
Larry Butler: I welcome the budget. We had a worthwhile debate yesterday on the drugs problem in this country. The budget has gone some way towards ensuring we will be able to tackle the drugs culture in the coming year. I welcomed the sentiments expressed in the House. All Members are trying to come up with solutions, which is the only way forward, and not criticise each other in the House. There was...
- Seanad: Order of Business (6 Dec 2007)
Larry Butler: ââyet 5,200 houses are locked up by local authorities throughout the country. It is important that Fine Gael and Labour reflect on that.