Results 2,581-2,600 of 4,608 for speaker:Joe O'Toole

Seanad: Order of Business (13 Nov 2007)

Joe O'Toole: For ten years, I have been saying the inclusion of this line in legislation is a disgrace. There is no point in politicians from either side of the House criticising a chief executive who does the Minister's bidding if that chief executive is not allowed to contradict the Minister. The role of the chief executive is outlined in the Act and we therefore require clear thinking. Where there...

Seanad: Order of Business (13 Nov 2007)

Joe O'Toole: I thank the Senator. She is a great judge.

Seanad: Government's Irish Aid Strategy: Statements (13 Nov 2007)

Joe O'Toole: I wish to share my time with Senator Ross.

Seanad: Government's Irish Aid Strategy: Statements (13 Nov 2007)

Joe O'Toole: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Michael Kitt, to the House and wish him well in his ministerial job. It is great to have him back in this House and I am sure he prefers to be sitting in the seat he is in rather than the one he was in when he was a Member of this House. I wish to use this opportunity to refer to some foreign policy issues rather than focus directly on overseas...

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Nov 2007)

Joe O'Toole: The matter of the GPA and GAA has been raised on a number of occasions in the past two weeks. I have hesitated to become involved in the matter and should declare an interest, in that I am part of the negotiating team dealing with the GPA on behalf of the GAA. The GAA and the GPA reached an agreement, of which I was part, and signed off on it more than one year ago. That agreement was...

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Nov 2007)

Joe O'Toole: We could do a Pol Pot on it.

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Nov 2007)

Joe O'Toole: The former Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government rejected that proposal.

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Nov 2007)

Joe O'Toole: Luaigh mé inné na deacrachtaí atá ag tarlú sa Daingean mar gheall ar ainm na háite sin, Dingle-Daingean Uí Chúis. Tar éis éisteacht leis an mhéid a bhí le rá ag daoine eile agus é á phlé acu, ba mhaith liom an méid seo a rá i mBéarla. Many people believe that people living in the Gaeltacht who speak Irish are a kind of zealot. They are people who love and live their...

Seanad: Order of Business (20 Nov 2007)

Joe O'Toole: I raised last week the importance of having a debate on the report of the review body on higher remuneration. I raised that in the context of where stands accountability and responsibility. We could widen that debate. We need to know where we as a political society are heading. It seems that every time we decide to take away decisions from politicians, a short time later somebody wants to...

Seanad: Order of Business (20 Nov 2007)

Joe O'Toole: ——and that they have been fed, welcomed, cheered and applauded in Westminster, in Dublin and in western Europe. We should take a stand against the horrific goings on in Saudi Arabia, beginning with this one.

Seanad: Order of Business (20 Nov 2007)

Joe O'Toole: The Leader should not start this, we have heard it 20 times before.

Seanad: Order of Business (20 Nov 2007)

Joe O'Toole: We will sit on Christmas day just to clear it up.

Seanad: Order of Business (20 Nov 2007)

Joe O'Toole: Senator Cassidy should not go there.

Seanad: Cancer Services: Statements (20 Nov 2007)

Joe O'Toole: It is difficult to take an independent line in these debates. I welcome the Minister to the House and thank her for her generosity in making herself available, on which all sides can agree. I support what the Minister is doing in terms of centres of excellence and the cancer strategy, but I have many codicils. I have listened to oppositional politics for 20 years and Senator Feeney, in a...

Seanad: Cancer Services: Statements (20 Nov 2007)

Joe O'Toole: Was Senator Leyden with them?

Seanad: Cancer Services: Statements (20 Nov 2007)

Joe O'Toole: I thank the Minister for taking questions. I have three questions to put to her, the first of which was raised by Senator Bacik who has been unavoidably detained. She would like clarification on the recruitment freeze. That issue was discussed by a number of our people and we would like to know the current position in that regard. It is having a clear impact and we believe we are being...

Seanad: Cancer Services: Statements (20 Nov 2007)

Joe O'Toole: We could then place the blame where it should lie. Those are the three issues I want to raise. The last one is on key performance indicators, targets and objectives and whether they can be shared with us or outlined publicly to allow us to inquire about them. The second one is on the problems with the consultants' contract and the third concerns the recruitment freeze. Senator Norris has...

Seanad: Order of Business (21 Nov 2007)

Joe O'Toole: The matter I wish to raise was mentioned yesterday by Senator Fitzgerald. We should be given an indication of the Government's legislative programme. At present, six Seanad Bills are before the Dáil but no legislation is coming to the Seanad from the Dáil. Can we have clarification on what is happening in the Dáil? This reflects badly on the House. Our programme of work over recent...

Seanad: Order of Business (21 Nov 2007)

Joe O'Toole: Will the Leader clarify——

Seanad: Order of Business (21 Nov 2007)

Joe O'Toole: Perhaps the Taoiseach might be invited to the House to clarify his intentions. I listened to him last night——