Results 2,841-2,860 of 3,356 for speaker:Feargal Quinn

Seanad: Public Service Management (Transparency of Boards) Bill 2014: Second Stage (11 Jun 2014)

Feargal Quinn: I thank the Minister of State and colleagues for giving such close attention to these proposals. It has been a very interesting debate. Sometimes, in bringing forward legislation, one's real aim is to encourage and facilitate changes in the law. The Bill itself might not be accepted by Government, but something broadly similar, one hopes, might become law in due course. In that regard, I...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: EU Supports for SME Sector: European Commission (11 Jun 2014)

Feargal Quinn: It is a pleasure to meet Mr. Calleja Crespo. I was chairman and vice chairman of EuroCommerce for a number of years. One of the challenges to SMEs is the one he touched on, namely, bureaucracy and red tape. What can we do to reduce it? I understand in France and perhaps in other countries that such red tape does not really come into being until one has 50 employees. We in this country...

Seanad: Address to Seanad Éireann by Ms Anne Brasseur (Resumed) (12 Jun 2014)

Feargal Quinn: I welcome the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Ms Brasseur, and thank her for her address to this House. She has opened the eyes of some of us, including myself, who did not know a great deal about the Council of Europe. Other Members of the Houses, including Deputy O'Reilly and Senator Mooney, know a great deal more about the Council and have much...

Seanad: State Airports (Shannon Group) Bill 2014: Report and Final Stages (12 Jun 2014)

Feargal Quinn: I second the amendment.

Seanad: State Airports (Shannon Group) Bill 2014: Report and Final Stages (12 Jun 2014)

Feargal Quinn: I second the amendment. Senator Barrett expressed the concept well. I am a believer in independence in such matters. I have had the chance in the past year to visit Ireland West Airport Knock to see the enthusiasm for what can happen there and what they can do. I note they are raising a charge on flights where everybody departing has to pay €10 or €20, but it seems to be...

Seanad: State Airports (Shannon Group) Bill 2014: Report and Final Stages (12 Jun 2014)

Feargal Quinn: I second the amendment. I do not think I can improve on what Senator Barrett has said. There is little doubt that it is an incentive to any organisation to have the knowledge of publicly comparing one's efficiency with that of other organisations. The openness of that knowledge would act as a great incentive. This proposal is worthy of consideration.

Seanad: Companies Bill 2012: Committee Stage (17 Jun 2014)

Feargal Quinn: I move amendment No. 1: In page 63, between lines 24 and 25, to insert the following:" "accountant" means an individual that stands approved as an accountant with the Irish Auditing and Accounting Supervisory Authority (IIASA);".As the Leas-Chathaoirleach said, this is a small Bill. There used to be an advertisement on television which used the tag, "It is a short name but quare stuff"....

Seanad: Companies Bill 2012: Committee Stage (17 Jun 2014)

Feargal Quinn: I did not know we were discussing them at this stage but I would be delighted to do so. Do I speak only once on the amendments?

Seanad: Companies Bill 2012: Committee Stage (17 Jun 2014)

Feargal Quinn: In that case, I will let the Minister respond.

Seanad: Companies Bill 2012: Committee Stage (17 Jun 2014)

Feargal Quinn: I am disappointed because I have spoken to many accountancy bodies and almost all support this as they believe there is a real problem. This is the ideal opportunity to solve the problem and I urge the Minister of State to rethink before Report Stage as I believe it is worthy of consideration. I believe the words I have used are correct but I had some problems with the term "turf...

Seanad: Companies Bill 2012: Committee Stage (17 Jun 2014)

Feargal Quinn: I thank the Minister of State but it seems a shame to me that it took around 11 years to construct this Bill yet the intention is to leave things that have not been dealt with until later. I will not push the issue but I ask that a stronger term be used. I will now address amendment No. 127 which applies to section 879 of the principal Act and states "A person commits an offence if they make...

Seanad: Companies Bill 2012: Committee Stage (17 Jun 2014)

Feargal Quinn: Yes, I will come to it in a moment.

Seanad: Companies Bill 2012: Committee Stage (17 Jun 2014)

Feargal Quinn: I thank the Minister for his words, but the accountancy bodies remain concerned. They are particularly unhappy at the fact that somebody who has been expelled from the accountancy bodies for "misbehaviour" and has been found to be a criminal will now be able to go back into the profession and continue to act as an accountant. That is a dangerous situation. I do not like it being left to...

Seanad: Companies Bill 2012: Committee Stage (17 Jun 2014)

Feargal Quinn: I will raise it again on Report Stage.

Seanad: Companies Bill 2012: Committee Stage (17 Jun 2014)

Feargal Quinn: I see.

Seanad: Companies Bill 2012: Committee Stage (17 Jun 2014)

Feargal Quinn: I move amendment No. 63: In page 275, to delete lines 23 to 27.Section 282(2) has the potential to be very confusing for businesses. Senator Reilly referred to red tape and bureaucracy and I am aware that the Minister of State has a campaign to avoid these. The section states: "if those records are not kept by making entries in a bound book [I have never heard that term before] but by some...

Seanad: Companies Bill 2012: Committee Stage (17 Jun 2014)

Feargal Quinn: I thank the Minister of State for his response. It was the term "bound book" that got me because I thought it sounded like something from Dickens or whomever. I was also struck by how cloud computing is so big. This morning I dropped into the Springboard demonstration or launch taking place at Customs House Quay. It was amazing to witness hundreds of attendees meeting organisations and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Business Growth and Job Creation in Town and Village Centres: Discussion (17 Jun 2014)

Feargal Quinn: It has been very interesting to listen to the gentlemen. I have been in business for a long time and many of the issues we concern ourselves about now are not unlike those we were concerned about 50 years ago. We complained about newcomers coming in. When I first started there was Lipton's Home and Colonial, Leverett & Frye and a half dozen others in Ireland yet there were Irish...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Business Growth and Job Creation in Town and Village Centres: Discussion (17 Jun 2014)

Feargal Quinn: I apologise for having to leave for a few minutes as something urgent arose. I know the team very well and about the work they do. One of my hang-ups is the number of organisations calling on the Government or the council to do something. What I have learned about Retail Excellence Ireland is that it does it itself. That does not stop it from calling on anybody else to give a hand also....

Seanad: Order of Business (18 Jun 2014)

Feargal Quinn: The House has heard me speak on the length of time it takes to get something done by the Government. Four years and one month ago, the Construction Contracts Bill was introduced in the Seanad. It became law last year but has not been implemented yet. I mention this because I received a letter from Australia from someone who was wondering what was keeping it. The person takes an interest...