Results 121-140 of 562 for speaker:Larry Butler

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill: Committee Stage (Resumed) (16 Dec 2009)

Larry Butler: I have read them. The party lives in a fantasy world.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill: Committee Stage (Resumed) (16 Dec 2009)

Larry Butler: When Fine Gael was in government, it gave five shillings to old age pensioners. That was an absolute disgrace.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill: Committee Stage (Resumed) (16 Dec 2009)

Larry Butler: I want to bring the Senator back to when his party was in power and not delivering.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill: Committee Stage (Resumed) (16 Dec 2009)

Larry Butler: That is why the people remember these things at election time.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill: Committee Stage (Resumed) (16 Dec 2009)

Larry Butler: If there is a difficulty in the economy, Fianna Fáil and the Government have the people to get us out of it.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill: Committee Stage (Resumed) (16 Dec 2009)

Larry Butler: A total of €579 million has been put into education. That will benefit children and produce a job creation programme. These are things that were being said before the sos.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill: Committee Stage (Resumed) (16 Dec 2009)

Larry Butler: This great investment in education will benefit children. A total of €46 million has been invested in science and technology programmes, while €141 million has been put into infrastructure and higher education. These are all positive provisions in the budget. We did some things that normally we would not like to do, but we must live in the real world. When one is borrowing €500...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill: Committee Stage (Resumed) (16 Dec 2009)

Larry Butler: Yes, I am. I am responding to other speakers.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill: Committee Stage (Resumed) (16 Dec 2009)

Larry Butler: It would be a good idea for members of Senator Doherty's party to take degrees in economics to enable them to learn how to run the country, even from a Sinn Féin perspective. That would make a pleasant change.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill: Committee Stage (Resumed) (16 Dec 2009)

Larry Butler: The country faces a difficulty and the three main political parties agreed public expenditure should be reduced by €4 billion. The two main Opposition parties had proposals on how they would achieve this reduction. The Government had to devise a policy and introduce permanent measures as opposed to making short-term decisions, as many people proposed. Short-term decisions would have...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill: Committee Stage (Resumed) (16 Dec 2009)

Larry Butler: I thank the Acting Chairman for her forbearance.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill: Committee Stage (Resumed) (16 Dec 2009)

Larry Butler: It was so low that he could not cut it.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2009: Committee Stage (16 Dec 2009)

Larry Butler: You are deviating quite a bit.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2009: Committee Stage (16 Dec 2009)

Larry Butler: I would like to respond to Senator Buttimer's proposal that we do nothing. The budget hurts everybody, regardless of from where they come. Fine Gael's policies are very suspect. It states its policies have been costed. I suggest it is taking soft options, rather than dealing with the difficult position in which the Minister finds herself.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2009: Second Stage (15 Dec 2009)

Larry Butler: It was a lot more than €8 at that time. The Fine Gael record is not good. The Senator cannot talk.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2009: Second Stage (15 Dec 2009)

Larry Butler: I welcome the Minister to the House and I thank her for her fine presentation of the budget. This ensures the less well-off in our society have been protected to the best of her ability. Fianna Fáil has a fine record in terms of social welfare and working for people who cannot help themselves.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2009: Second Stage (15 Dec 2009)

Larry Butler: All one has to do is examine the figures presented in the budget. We are borrowing €530 million per week. We care about people but the problem is that we have run out of money.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2009: Second Stage (15 Dec 2009)

Larry Butler: I disagree totally with the idea that the Government squandered money. It has a good record and the infrastructure that has been built in this country over the past ten years is exemplary. No Government would be ashamed of the way the money was spent. The evidence is in the budget. It is important to bear in mind that those on social welfare have a difficult life. They do not take many...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2009: Second Stage (15 Dec 2009)

Larry Butler: I would like to make a couple of points about carer's allowance which is probably one of the payments for which we are getting real value for money. In recent years we have been very generous to carers who do a fantastic job by keeping people out of hospitals and nursing homes. When things get better, we should look after them by providing for an increase in the allowance once more. We are...

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Dec 2009)

Larry Butler: I wish to correct Senator Donohoe, who mentioned job creation. Some €130 million has been invested in the retrofit. It is important to point out that this will create a further 5,000 jobs. Were this a multinational entering the country-----