Results 2,941-2,960 of 4,608 for speaker:Joe O'Toole

Seanad: Electricity Regulation (Amendment) (EirGrid) Bill 2008: Second Stage (24 Jun 2008)

Joe O'Toole: I welcome the Minister and wish him well with the legislation. I am probably the only Member of either House who has a problem with it. Having said that, nothing I have to say reflects in any way on the excellent people who operate EirGrid, whom I have met. My problem with the Bill has nothing to do with them as I hold them in the highest of regard. They are diligent, decent people who...

Seanad: Order of Business (25 Jun 2008)

Joe O'Toole: I have some sympathy with the point raised by Senator Fitzgerald. If we are not going to deal with this rationally, there will be no gain to be made for this country by arguing in this House over whose fault it is. We need to have clear information. I have tried to see both sides of this argument. We need to know the current economic indicators, the current tax take. We need to know the...

Seanad: Broadcasting Bill 2008: Report Stage (25 Jun 2008)

Joe O'Toole: I accept that the amendments are all related but Senators may speak only once on them on Report Stage. There are too many here for that provision to be desirable and I therefore suggest that we divide them into two groups. Amendments Nos. 14,18, 24, 29, 39, 40, 43, 46, 61, 75 and 76 should be discussed together as part of one group and the remainder should be discussed together as part of a...

Seanad: Broadcasting Bill 2008: Report Stage (25 Jun 2008)

Joe O'Toole: I move amendment No. 14: In page 23, line 43, to delete "website" and substitute "bilingual website in Irish and English". Amendment No. 76 is acceptable to me and I will, therefore, withdraw amendment No. 75. I also wish to thank the officials and I recognise some advances have been made in these areas, which I both welcome and appreciate. An rud a bhí ag teastáil uaim ó thosach ná go...

Seanad: Broadcasting Bill 2008: Report Stage (25 Jun 2008)

Joe O'Toole: I refer to amendments Nos. 75 and 76.

Seanad: Broadcasting Bill 2008: Report Stage (25 Jun 2008)

Joe O'Toole: No, I intend to withdraw amendment No. 75 and welcome amendment No. 76.

Seanad: Broadcasting Bill 2008: Report Stage (25 Jun 2008)

Joe O'Toole: The Government amendment No. 76 replaces one of my previous amendments. While I do not intend to speak on each grouped amendment as Members continue to consider the Bill, ba mhaith liom cúpla focal a rá i mBéarla mar gheall ar cúpla ceann acu. Amendment No. 14 is important and the Minister should make a gesture in this regard. All I seek is that RTE's website should be bilingual, which...

Seanad: Broadcasting Bill 2008: Report Stage (25 Jun 2008)

Joe O'Toole: I welcome the Minister's response. I intended to call a vote on one of the amendments because I wanted to make a point about them. I appreciate that the Minister is prepared to consider what I am talking about, particularly as regards amendment No. 18, to consider "stimulate and promote" in respect of the Irish language. I take his point, incidentally, about amendment No. 14, which is...

Seanad: Broadcasting Bill 2008: Report Stage (25 Jun 2008)

Joe O'Toole: Will the Chair repeat the alternatives?

Seanad: Broadcasting Bill 2008: Report Stage (25 Jun 2008)

Joe O'Toole: I second the amendment. I do not wish to challenge the ruling of the Acting Chairman but I do not believe amendment No. 21 is necessarily an alternative to amendment No. 20. If amendment No. 20 is put to the House and lost, there is no reason amendment No. 21 cannot be put to the House and either won or lost. Amendment No. 21 only becomes a substitute for amendment No. 20 if the vote, which...

Seanad: Broadcasting Bill 2008: Report Stage (25 Jun 2008)

Joe O'Toole: Is that not correct?

Seanad: Broadcasting Bill 2008: Report Stage (25 Jun 2008)

Joe O'Toole: That is not correct. In the event of amendment No. 20 being defeated, all that will happen is that we will have decided not to delete lines five to 17. Amendment No. 21 seeks to change one of those lines, line 14.

Seanad: Broadcasting Bill 2008: Report Stage (25 Jun 2008)

Joe O'Toole: ——proposed to be deleted stand."

Seanad: Broadcasting Bill 2008: Report Stage (25 Jun 2008)

Joe O'Toole: That is what I am querying, however, because I do not accept that. I simply want the amendment to be put. The amendment is being proposed by Senator Mullen and seconded by me. That is the vote we would like to have taken. Why is it that we are not allowed to do so?

Seanad: Broadcasting Bill 2008: Report Stage (25 Jun 2008)

Joe O'Toole: That is what I thought, yes.

Seanad: Broadcasting Bill 2008: Report Stage (25 Jun 2008)

Joe O'Toole: Yes. If amendment No. 20 is defeated, can one still put amendment No. 21?

Seanad: Broadcasting Bill 2008: Report Stage (25 Jun 2008)

Joe O'Toole: I wanted to be clear about that. I never liked that tricky vote which states "That the words proposed to be deleted stand."

Seanad: Broadcasting Bill 2008: Report Stage (25 Jun 2008)

Joe O'Toole: As it happens, I am not even going to propose amendment No. 21, but I would like to get a ruling on it.

Seanad: Broadcasting Bill 2008: Report Stage (25 Jun 2008)

Joe O'Toole: That is correct but when I second amendment No. 20 why can the vote not be on that amendment? Why is the vote on the wording "That the words proposed to be deleted stand."?

Seanad: Broadcasting Bill 2008: Report Stage (25 Jun 2008)

Joe O'Toole: I am well aware of that.