Results 41-60 of 19,908 for speaker:Alan Kelly

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed) (28 Nov 2007)

Alan Kelly: Unfortunately, that view has emanated but it can be changed quite quickly as the Minister will be visiting US government representatives soon. I welcome the fact that Northern Ireland's First Minister and Deputy First Minister will be raising the issue when they meet their counterparts in the United States on 7 December.

Seanad: Budget Statement 2008: Statements (Resumed) (5 Dec 2007)

Alan Kelly: I welcome the Minister of State and his officials to the House. I will try to go through the budget's provisions in a fair-minded way, the best way to do so. I will give praise and criticism where they are due. I will not address the international and domestic factors in the budget's environment, but we all know that a major domestic factor is that of tax receipts, especially in respect of...

Seanad: Budget Statement 2008: Statements (Resumed) (5 Dec 2007)

Alan Kelly: I listen intently to every debate in the House, but Senator MacSharry's statement could have been on any budget.There was no detail. That he read the budgetbeggars belief. Complimenting the Senator's namesake——

Seanad: Budget Statement 2008: Statements (Resumed) (5 Dec 2007)

Alan Kelly: I believed the Senator did not interrupt people. Complimenting his namesake of 20 years ago does not show any degree of modesty. Senator Boyle went into detail, as he did unscripted on RTE, but he will find that this is not a green budget. It is more of a parsley budget. I acknowledge and welcome the changes to the budget's procedure. It is a much better way of doing our business to set...

Seanad: Budget Statement 2008: Statements (Resumed) (5 Dec 2007)

Alan Kelly: Not one worth talking about. It only covers 29 weeks of the year.

Seanad: Budget Statement 2008: Statements (Resumed) (5 Dec 2007)

Alan Kelly: It has been increased by one week — gee whiz. The increases in social welfare benefits are €12 per week instead of the recommended €20 per week. Child benefit only goes up by €6 which will be below inflation. If pensions are to rise to €300, they needed an increase of €14 per week. There has been no change in medical card status as well as in the dependant spouse pension and...

Seanad: Job Creation (5 Dec 2007)

Alan Kelly: I had hoped the Minister of State, Deputy Hoctor, would reply to this matter as she is a fellow countywoman and constituency colleague of mine. This matter is as pertinent to her as it is to me. None the less, I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Michael Ahern, to the House. This matter refers to the continuing job losses in the town of Thurles which effectively has become a blackspot in...

Seanad: Job Creation (5 Dec 2007)

Alan Kelly: I am aware of that.

Seanad: Job Creation (5 Dec 2007)

Alan Kelly: Only those two representatives were present. Unfortunately the other public representatives were not invited.

Seanad: Job Creation (5 Dec 2007)

Alan Kelly: Is that appropriate?

Seanad: Job Creation (5 Dec 2007)

Alan Kelly: No, is it appropriate that the other representatives were not invited?

Seanad: Water Quality: Statements (6 Dec 2007)

Alan Kelly: I shall avoid the trap into which my learned colleague, Senator Keaveney, fell in trying to pronounce the names of some of the contaminants that have featured in this discussion. I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Hoctor, who is my fellow countywoman. This is an important debate. Water quality has come to the fore of late given recent events in Ennis, Galway and elsewhere, thus...

Seanad: Order of Business (11 Dec 2007)

Alan Kelly: For a number of reasons, I call for a debate on the future of the technology sector. The House will discuss later today broadband and small and medium enterprises, but the future of our economy in many areas is based primarily on the future of technology and this issue is not being taken seriously enough. While I have many concerns, most of which I will not refer to here, a specific concern...

Seanad: Order of Business (11 Dec 2007)

Alan Kelly: I thank the Cathaoirleach. On another issue, today was a day of great concern to me because, unfortunately, I had to deal with a person I will call the Chemical Ali representative of the Health Service Executive in terms of press relations. As some Members may be aware, I visited Nenagh hospital last week with Labour Party colleagues and press photographers when we were denied access to a...

Seanad: Order of Business (11 Dec 2007)

Alan Kelly: With all due respect, I have only spoken for two minutes in comparison with other Senators who have spoken.

Seanad: Order of Business (11 Dec 2007)

Alan Kelly: I will wrap up. From the point of view of the HSE there seems to be some form of new agenda when it comes to dealing with public representatives and the press.Inaccurate comments were made about me, so I went directly to the person concerned to seek redress but I was told I had gone through the wrong channel. How long will it take me to get around to the correct channel and contact the...

Seanad: Broadband Access: Motion (12 Dec 2007)

Alan Kelly: I thank Senator Quinn for sharing his time with me and I welcome the Minister. The Government amendment to the motion is a joke. I will not repeat the points made by my colleagues. The amendment was not thought out, but just thrown out there. I speak on this with some knowledge as before my election to the Seanad I looked after e-business for Fáilte Ireland. I am aware of the broadband...

Seanad: Broadband Access: Motion (12 Dec 2007)

Alan Kelly: This is the highway for Ireland. It is the future for investment and the indigenous SMEs and IT companies. A group of entrepreneurs is going to Silicon Valley looking for investment in this country. They have been nicknamed the "silicon Paddies". We have the education levels to attract investment in IT and industries based on it, but we do not have the infrastructure or the investment...

Seanad: Broadband Access: Motion (12 Dec 2007)

Alan Kelly: The way to get broadband into rural Ireland is obviously through a wireless network. There are various methods of doing this, which I will not detail. If that were prioritised and the investment made, it would be an achievement for the Minister and he would be rewarded for it. He would get all-party support for this. To get investment into rural Ireland and allow people the network access...

Seanad: Order of Business (18 Dec 2007)

Alan Kelly: There were 20,001.