Tag Archives: Dáil Éireann

Shannon  Councillor Gerry Flynn  raised the possibility of running in the next general election. An independent, he is a former member of Fine Gael and has been a member of Clare County Council since 2004, while he served on Shannon Town Council from 1999 until it was disbanded earlier this year. Speaking to The Clare Champion, he was very critical of the county’s six Oireachtas members (TDs Pat Breen, Joe Carey, Michael McNamara and Timmy Dooley, as well as senators, Martin Conway and Shannon’s Tony Mulcahy). “I feel that the six Oireachtas members aren’t really representing the people, that they have been mute in the Dáil and that’s not the type of representation the people of Clare want. “I said that if they don’t buck themselves up and represent the people of Clare, I would consider running in the Dáil election, basically to replace one of them. “ I don’t think they are representing the people and you need somebody …

The Competition Authority is to investigate a complaint from Clare TD Michael McNamara about Irish regulations that restrict the export of live cattle by boat. McNamara had previously complained in the Dáil that the Irish regulations governing the transport of live animals posed an unnecessary barrier to trade in live animals and were contrary to EU free competition. Deputy McNamara said that because of falling beef prices in Irish farming, he has complained to the European Commission and to the Competition Authority that the licensing of boats from Ireland servicing the live cattle trade is far stricter than those applying in other EU countries and that boats licensed in other EU member states could not operate in Ireland. “I am very pleased that the Competition Authority will examine this situation. In the last Dáil session, I tabled a parliamentary question asking how many boats were licensed to take cattle to Libya and the Minister [ for Agriculture]  very proudly told me …