Results 3,961-3,980 of 4,773 for speaker:Paudie Coffey

Seanad: Order of Business (25 Feb 2010)

Paudie Coffey: Will the Senator accept a position?

Seanad: Order of Business (25 Feb 2010)

Paudie Coffey: The Government promised dividends.

Seanad: Order of Business (25 Feb 2010)

Paudie Coffey: This time last year, the Government appointed a national strategy group to commission a report on higher education under the chairmanship of the economist, Dr. Colin Hunt. In November, the Minister for Education and Science informed the Dáil that the report would be published by early 2010. In an Adjournment debate yesterday, I was informed by the Minister of State, Deputy Haughey, that...

Seanad: Dog Breeding Establishments Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (25 Feb 2010)

Paudie Coffey: For the benefit of the House and the Minister who was not in attendance for the debate on Committee Stage on the last day, this amendment was tabled in an effort to acknowledge the needs of people already involved in operating breeding establishments. The Minister has already acknowledged that a three month lead-in time is required. I presume it is to give those people an opportunity to get...

Seanad: Dog Breeding Establishments Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (25 Feb 2010)

Paudie Coffey: Senator Bradford touched on a very important point about the application. Section 8(6)(b) refers to whether a local authority "is of the opinion that the premises in respect of which the application concerned was made is not suitable for the operation of a dog breeding establishment." We do not know what the Minister means by "is not suitable", because we have not seen any technical...

Seanad: Dog Breeding Establishments Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (25 Feb 2010)

Paudie Coffey: The Minister suggested that Senators have misunderstood this section of the Bill. We do not misunderstand it, we understand it better than most of the Minister's officials who drafted the Bill. I have outlined the reasons for the amendment, so there is a more a workable and legitimate Bill that will achieve the Minister's objectives. If we bring this in as it stands we will drive rogue...

Seanad: Dog Breeding Establishments Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (25 Feb 2010)

Paudie Coffey: Are there divisions between the parties in government? Is there are problem about which the Minister wants to inform us?

Seanad: Dog Breeding Establishments Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (25 Feb 2010)

Paudie Coffey: I acknowledge the Minister's response, which is quite positive considering what he stated earlier. In light of that fact, we are happy to withdraw the amendment in the hope that the sentiment of it at least will be addressed on Report Stage in a Government amendment. We will wait and see but we reserve the right to resubmit the amendment on Report Stage. The Minister said the working group...

Seanad: Dog Breeding Establishments Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (25 Feb 2010)

Paudie Coffey: I move amendment No. 10: In page 12, between lines 29 and 30, to insert the following subsection: "(2) The Minister shall make provision for payment of any fee or charge under this Act to be made by electronic means.". It is a simple amendment to ensure easy accessibility to the system for registration purposes. The Minister has already engaged in that in other areas of his brief, namely,...

Seanad: Dog Breeding Establishments Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (25 Feb 2010)

Paudie Coffey: We were talking about the Private Residential Tenancies Board.

Seanad: Dog Breeding Establishments Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (25 Feb 2010)

Paudie Coffey: We were talking about the €10 million sitting in the Private Residential Tenancies Board. I have my facts right.

Seanad: Dog Breeding Establishments Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (25 Feb 2010)

Paudie Coffey: I have too.

Seanad: Dog Breeding Establishments Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (25 Feb 2010)

Paudie Coffey: I am happy to withdraw the amendment in the light of what the Minister has said. However, I would ask him to consider the payment of dog licences and the introduction of an electronic means of registration. The latter would help to increase the number of dog registrations. I take the opportunity to bring that to the Minister's attention. Much of the money going to An Post could be...

Seanad: Dog Breeding Establishments Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (25 Feb 2010)

Paudie Coffey: I move amendment No. 10a: In page 14, subsection (8), between lines 6 and 7, to insert the following: "(a) the operator of the establishment is registered through the Irish Coursing Club,". I will withdraw the amendment because the wording is incorrect and I will resubmit it on Report Stage. The amendment should read, "the operator of the establishment is registered through the Irish...

Seanad: Dog Breeding Establishments Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (25 Feb 2010)

Paudie Coffey: On the section, I wish to hear the Minister's views regarding the 1958 Act and the current regulations, regimes and registration systems that are in place. How does he envisage the provisions of this legislation fitting in or working in collaboration with the existing system? Essentially, these provisions constitute an overlaying of the existing regulations and concerns have been expressed...

Seanad: Dog Breeding Establishments Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (25 Feb 2010)

Paudie Coffey: For the benefit of the House and to bring some clarity, the amendment I tabled stated clearly that the exemption would apply to "the operator of the establishment [who] is registered through the Irish Coursing Club" but it should have referred to the Irish Greyhound Board. It is the same sentiment and I am sure the Minister would have had a response prepared for such an amendment in any event.

Seanad: Dog Breeding Establishments Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (25 Feb 2010)

Paudie Coffey: The Senator stated that Fine Gael Members and the industry need to know the Minister's thinking.

Seanad: Dog Breeding Establishments Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (25 Feb 2010)

Paudie Coffey: While I accept what the Minister has said, I will outline the question on which I seek clarity. There already is an inspection regime in place under the 1958 Act, which this Bill should address in some way. It should be either endorsed, superseded or amended. Members and the industry need clarity in this regard because otherwise there will be duplication in respect of registration fees and...

Seanad: Order of Business (25 Feb 2010)

Paudie Coffey: Climbing trees.

Seanad: Higher Education Strategy (24 Feb 2010)

Paudie Coffey: I wish to raise the need for the Minister for Education and Science to clarify when he proposes to publish the report from the National Strategy Group on Higher Education, chaired by economist Dr. Colin Hunt. This strategy group was commissioned over a year ago and the Minister stated in the Dáil on 24 November 2009 that he expected the report to be finalised early in 2010. We are now at...