Results 2,901-2,920 of 4,608 for speaker:Joe O'Toole

Seanad: Prison Building Programme: Motion. (29 May 2008)

Joe O'Toole: I am sure it will.

Seanad: Prison Building Programme: Motion. (29 May 2008)

Joe O'Toole: I welcome the Minister of State and thank my Fine Gael colleagues, and Senator Regan in particular, for allowing me to speak first. I declare a strong and abiding personal interest in this matter in that my house will adjoin the prison wall and my brother-in-law sold the land for the prison site. I also want to make it clear that living beside a prison is not an issue for me. If I was...

Seanad: Prison Building Programme: Motion. (29 May 2008)

Joe O'Toole: I will revert to the Minister of State on that. Even though it is less than 16 miles from this House, Kilsallaghan is a completely rural area. It does not have a pub or a shop and its community comprises a couple of hundred people. It is not a village or a hamlet; it is merely a spread of houses. I ask Members to consider what this huge development will mean for the area. As the Minister...

Seanad: Order of Business (4 Jun 2008)

Joe O'Toole: As we send our good wishes to those who are sitting the leaving certificate, it is interesting to take the matter a little further by considering how many of the 60,000 students in question are likely to aspire to having a career in political life, involving public representation. One of the great problems we face when considering the future of this or any other society is the lack of...

Seanad: Charter of Fundamental Rights: Statements (4 Jun 2008)

Joe O'Toole: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Roche, to the House and want to be associated with what was said earlier about his personal contribution to the campaign. It should be appreciated and acknowledged. The Charter of Fundamental Rights is seen by the Irish trade union movement as the prize in the Lisbon treaty. Three years ago when the then Taoiseach, Deputy Bertie Ahern, was negotiating...

Seanad: Broadcasting Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (4 Jun 2008)

Joe O'Toole: I am more in agreement with the Minister than my two colleagues on this side of the House. I ask the Minister, however, to reconsider amendment No. 105 and advertising on the film channel. Programmes broadcast on public service stations — not the core ones but stations such as TG4 and TV5 — need support. I recall the excitement when the UK's Channel 4 was established. It moved from an...

Seanad: Broadcasting Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (4 Jun 2008)

Joe O'Toole: The Minister has convinced me.

Seanad: Broadcasting Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (4 Jun 2008)

Joe O'Toole: I think we have moved into surreal territory, which is not unknown in the Seanad later in the evening.

Seanad: Broadcasting Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (4 Jun 2008)

Joe O'Toole: I advise my colleague that it ill behoves politicians to run down psychics. There is a community of psychics in both Houses, although we call it different things at different times. Sometimes we call it the budget and on other occasions we call it an opinion poll. We have all sorts of names for it.

Seanad: Broadcasting Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (4 Jun 2008)

Joe O'Toole: If we were to start gagging the psychics in this great House, we might have some very silent debates indeed. I agree with Senator Mullen that the Franciscans should be allowed to advertise for vocations. If they want to tell us that it is one true, Catholic and apostolic church, I do not have a problem with that either, but neither do I have a problem with psychics selling their services....

Seanad: Broadcasting Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (4 Jun 2008)

Joe O'Toole: They are saying that Kerry will win three in a row this year, so let us see.

Seanad: Broadcasting Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (4 Jun 2008)

Joe O'Toole: They come up with ideas and there are all sorts of issues that come through. I quite like the section as it is but if Senator Mullen's interpretation is correct, it should be amended to deal with the points he has raised. We will leave the psychics to do their thing, however.

Seanad: Business of Seanad (4 Jun 2008)

Joe O'Toole: On a point of order, both sides could approach it in this sense. The Order of Business was ordered today. I do not know if the word "conclude" was used on the Order of Business. In that sense, the House could decide to finish its business at some stage. On the other hand, the point made by Senator Cummins is correct. It might be unfair for people who have already made diary arrangements...

Seanad: Order of Business (5 Jun 2008)

Joe O'Toole: I am not sure if my question is for the Leader or the Cathaoirleach. We have not had an update on the situation in regard to the building work in the Seanad Chamber and the move to another location. I tried to get an update recently but I got nowhere. I do not want us to be caught between two stools. Nothing seems to be happening and I cannot get any information that anything has been put...

Seanad: Order of Business (5 Jun 2008)

Joe O'Toole: No, there have not.

Seanad: Order of Business (18 Jun 2008)

Joe O'Toole: I wish to raise a number of issues but before doing so I seek a ruling from the Chair with regard to No. 1 on the Order of Business, relating to Thornton Hall. I have a close personal interest in this matter but I am not raising it as a personal issue and I am not seeking an amendment to the Order of Business. However, this is different from almost any order the House has dealt with...

Seanad: Order of Business (18 Jun 2008)

Joe O'Toole: People must explain these matters to the electorate. That is the reality. We now need to examine how we will take the matter forward. We will discuss it this afternoon and I will put forward my views on how to proceed, what issues must be sorted out and what our agenda on Europe should be in the future. We must work our way through it. The issue raised by Senator Fitzgerald is crucial....

Seanad: Order of Business (18 Jun 2008)

Joe O'Toole: You never told us that last week.

Seanad: Broadcasting Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (18 Jun 2008)

Joe O'Toole: I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I have two amendments in this grouping, Nos. 36b and 36c. Similar issues arise in the next grouping of amendments. An rud atá i gceist agam anseo ná go mbeadh tacaíocht agus tuiscint ann do mhuintir na nGaeltachtaí agus do Ghaeilgeoirí. Níl sé ar intinn agam aon strus nó stró a chur ar RTE nó ar aon ghrúpa a bheadh ag...

Seanad: Broadcasting Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (18 Jun 2008)

Joe O'Toole: No. I will think about what the Minister said and come back on Report Stage with something similar.