Results 3,081-3,100 of 3,356 for speaker:Feargal Quinn

Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (Resumed) (22 Dec 2014)

Feargal Quinn: I support the amendment. When I became a Senator 21 years ago, I found that every State company was taking much too long to publish its accounts. Irish Water's audited accounts should be published by a specified date each year. Many years ago, I started to table amendments specifying a date by which new State and semi-State companies should publish their accounts. I used to propose...

Seanad: Water Services Bill 2014: Committee Stage (Resumed) (22 Dec 2014)

Feargal Quinn: Great stuff.

Seanad: Improving the Quality of Early Years Education: Statements (21 Jan 2015)

Feargal Quinn: The Minister is very welcome. I am delighted to see her here again. She attends regularly. I am reminded of when she was a Member here. Her interest in this topic was evident then. I wondered what I would speak about today. I have five children and 16 grandchildren and, therefore, have some experience from that point of view. My other experience is that, in my business approximately 40...

Seanad: Order of Business (22 Jan 2015)

Feargal Quinn: A very interesting debate is due to take place in the other House tomorrow. It concerns the parliamentary representation and conscience Bill. It would be worthwhile paying attention to what happens in that debate tomorrow. If passed, the Bill will introduce a new section into the Constitution stating: The Members of each House of the Oireachtas [that includes us, of course] shall be...

Seanad: Appointments to State Boards: Statements (22 Jan 2015)

Feargal Quinn: I welcome the Minister. This is a topic we have discussed before. I introduced a Bill last June and the Minister persuaded me to leave it in his hands because he intended to come up with new ethics in public office legislation. On that basis I was happy to leave it. I remember, way back in 1979, there had been a 19-week strike in the post office as well as a significant failure in the...

Seanad: Appointments to State Boards: Statements (22 Jan 2015)

Feargal Quinn: Yes, but he immediately gave the money to charity. He wanted the State to show that it was willing to break the rules. There was a limit of approximately £2,500, £2,000 or the like to the amount that could be paid.

Seanad: Appointments to State Boards: Statements (22 Jan 2015)

Feargal Quinn: It went to charity, but he just wanted the State to say it was willing to break the rules to ensure we could succeed. A number of steps could be taken. Today's debate will be useful and I hope it enhances the Minister's opportunity to take into account some of the points that have been made.

Seanad: Central Bank (Amendment) Bill 2014: Second Stage (22 Jan 2015)

Feargal Quinn: The Minister is welcome, as is this Bill. It is straightforward and clear and it is all a question of being allowed access to information. However, I will take this opportunity to raise a related point. Briefly, I am suggesting we try to use this vital information, about which Members are talking, at the most important stage when one can act upon the information possibly to avert a crisis...

Seanad: Order of Business (27 Jan 2015)

Feargal Quinn: The Leader has listened very carefully to Members in the past year. Ever since the people of Ireland voted to maintain this House, the Leader has responded in the ideal way. That we are having a debate on the post office network this evening is another example of the Leader's response. We need to discuss the various topics to do with economics. The issue of quantitative easing, the...

Seanad: Broadband, Post Office Network and Energy White Paper: Statements (27 Jan 2015)

Feargal Quinn: I welcome the Minister back to the Seanad. When he was a Member of the House, he took significant interest in all topics. He will have to do the same in his new job, particularly tonight, when we are dealing with broadband, the White Paper on energy and An Post and trying to squeeze all of that into this debate. The Minister must wear all those hats tonight. I welcome the opportunity to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Entrepreneurship and Related Issues: Irish Exporters Association (27 Jan 2015)

Feargal Quinn: I thank Mr. Kelly and Ms Byrne for their presentation, which was very interesting. Ms Byrne speaks with a powerful voice to express herself very well. I was a little concerned to hear the comments that there were tax breaks for multinationals, but not for nationals. Will she elaborate on this and explain it? Certainly, I got a jolt when the Minister, in the middle of the Budget Statement,...

Seanad: Universities (Development and Innovation) (Amendment) Bill 2015: Second Stage (28 Jan 2015)

Feargal Quinn: I welcome the Minister. I am delighted she is in the House to deal with this Bill and that it is receiving the attention it deserves. Senator Barrett's Bill deserves our support. This is not legislation proposed by a politician. Rather, it is legislation from someone who has been at the coalface in this area for many years and knows exactly what he is talking about. On that basis, it...

Seanad: Universities (Development and Innovation) (Amendment) Bill 2015: Second Stage (28 Jan 2015)

Feargal Quinn: Crucially, the Bill provides a definition for section 12 funding, which is, essentially, State money. The objective of this distinction is to ensure that the State has the power of direction and oversight to moneys that are distributed as part of the Higher Education Authority but, importantly, that this does not hold for other moneys. This is quite novel and deserving of attention. I am...

Seanad: Order of Business (29 Jan 2015)

Feargal Quinn: I would welcome a debate on the regional enterprise strategy. There is little doubt that the launch today of the action plan for jobs is a matter we should be debating here. Much work has been done on this issue by the Joint Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, the conclusions of which are now coming to fruition in the context of some of the good results coming through. It...

Seanad: Order of Business (4 Feb 2015)

Feargal Quinn: A number of banks have announced reductions in their rates in recent days. This is very welcome. However, there is a rule in business that one should look after one's customers. A number of these banks have stated that this reduction will only apply to new customers and to what they term switchers. In other words, they are encouraging people who are not their customers to join them but a...

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Feb 2015)

Feargal Quinn: I will do my best to stay within 30 seconds. On a number of occasions I have asked for a debate on fracking, that is a process to take gas from way down under land or sea. There was a very interesting debate yesterday in the House of Lords and it is worthwhile reading some of what was said. One month's work leads to 25 years of gas flow from a tiny box of tricks that can be hidden behind...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Female Entrepreneurship, Women in Tech Industries, Skills Needs and Balanced Regional Development: (Resumed) ISME, Startup Ireland, Cork Innovates and IDA Ireland (10 Feb 2015)

Feargal Quinn: I have found this session very interesting. Mr. Mark Fielding spoke about schools, including primary schools. I have spoken in the last few weeks to a number of different primary schools on entrepreneurship and it is a joy to hear the enthusiasm of these youngsters. I spoke to pupils in the fifth class and sixth class age groups. They are just so enthusiastic. What impressed me was that I...

Seanad: Order of Business (11 Feb 2015)

Feargal Quinn: Two or three years ago in the run-up to the budget I made a strong case for the Minister for Finance allowing people to access their additional voluntary contributions, AVCs, from their pensions. The scheme he set up was minimal but very worthy. Recently I asked him to consider extending that and doing it again but I received a reply in recent days to the effect that he has no intention of...

Seanad: Garda Síochána (Amendment) (No. 3) Bill 2014: Second Stage (11 Feb 2015)

Feargal Quinn: I welcome the Minister of State to the House. This Bill also is welcome and it was interesting to hear Senator Byrne indicate that he - and I imagine Fianna Fáil - welcome it but will seek some changes. I hope the Minister of State has a listening attitude to any proposals that arise on Committee Stage. Most people in Ireland have a high regard for the Garda Síochána and...

Seanad: Order of Business (12 Feb 2015)

Feargal Quinn: We had a very good debate yesterday on the Garda Síochána and GSOC. It covered a range of areas but what impressed me most was that the Leader's replacement was an expert in this area because of her involvement in the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality. It was a reminder to us of the benefits that come from those committees. One of the areas we debated...