Results 301-320 of 4,905 for speaker:Diarmuid Wilson

Seanad: Road Safety Authority Bill 2004: Second Stage. (10 May 2006)

Diarmuid Wilson: Senator Paddy Burke referred to the Road Safety Bill and I hope to deal with some of the issues he raised in that regard later in my contribution. Road safety is about two things — first, bringing forward policy initiatives and legislating for them as necessary and, second, enforcement. The road safety authority is being established to oversee the delivery of key road safety initiatives....

Seanad: Road Safety Authority Bill 2004: Second Stage. (10 May 2006)

Diarmuid Wilson: He has received a great deal of publicity and that can only be good. He is a straight talker and will take no nonsense from anybody, including the Government. That is good. With regard to the Bill, section 14(4) provides that each member of the board shall be a person who, in the opinion of the Minister, has wide experience and competence relating to roads, road safety, transport, driver...

Seanad: Military Medals and Awards. (17 May 2006)

Diarmuid Wilson: I welcome the Minister for Defence, Deputy O'Dea, to the House and I thank him for addressing this matter. It was with great pride that I watched the Easter parade on Sunday, 16 April. I was delighted the Taoiseach took the initiative to reinstate this important event. The Minister can be justly proud of the members of the Defence Forces who took part in the parade on that historic day. I...

Seanad: Road Safety Authority Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (23 May 2006)

Diarmuid Wilson: I agree with Senator Quinn's point on the harmonisation of the penalty points system, especially between North and South. The most immediate problem facing us is that the penalty points system here does not apply to drivers in Northern Ireland and vice versa. The Minister of State will be aware as I am, coming from a Border area, that Northern registered vehicles have no regard for the laws...

Seanad: Road Safety Authority Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (23 May 2006)

Diarmuid Wilson: The fact that six months is enshrined in the legislation is a major help. As we are all aware, in this House we see some annual reports coming in two years after the end of the year. Six months is adequate time. The Bill states the report will be made not later than six months after the end of the year. It is helpful that a timeframe is included. The history of some reporting bodies is not good.

Seanad: Road Safety Authority Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (23 May 2006)

Diarmuid Wilson: In some schools and Youthreach training centres in Cavan, the driver theory test is a compulsory part of the curriculum. It should be compulsory in every second-level school and training institution in the country. It is the first step towards obtaining a driving licence in this country, and it is important to educate our young people in particular. With regard to driving instructors, I...

Seanad: Road Safety Authority Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (23 May 2006)

Diarmuid Wilson: From now on.

Seanad: Road Safety Authority Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (23 May 2006)

Diarmuid Wilson: I agree with Senator Burke's amendment. It concerns an issue I addressed on Second Stage as did my colleagues, Senators Feeney, Paddy Burke and O'Toole. Senator Burke has outlined the reasons and I agree with them. Members of local authorities have a vast amount of experience, particularly with regard to road safety issues, which they deal with daily, and on which they lobby to get better...

Seanad: Road Safety Authority Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (23 May 2006)

Diarmuid Wilson: I thank the Minister of State for his commitment. Senator Burke wondered if he is genuine but I have known the Minister of State for a long time. He is a genuine person and if he takes on something, he does so in good faith. He might not be able to achieve what we want but I thank him for taking time to reconsider the situation. I also thank the other Senators for their contributions on this...

Seanad: Road Safety Authority Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (23 May 2006)

Diarmuid Wilson: Tomorrow.

Seanad: Road Safety Authority Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (23 May 2006)

Diarmuid Wilson: Tomorrow at 10.30 a.m.

Seanad: Road Safety Authority Bill 2004: Report Stage. (24 May 2006)

Diarmuid Wilson: As I indicated during the Committee Stage debate, I fully support the amendments which, as Senator Paddy Burke noted, secured cross-party support. It would be unfortunate if we were to continue with the recent trend of barring members of local authorities from sitting on particular State boards. It is lunacy to suggest that an individual considered good enough to sit on the board of the road...

Seanad: Road Safety Authority Bill 2004: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage. (24 May 2006)

Diarmuid Wilson: I thank the Minister of State for the hard work he has done on this Bill and ensuring it is passed by the Oireachtas. It is important legislation which, hopefully, will result in fewer fatalities on our roads. I acknowledge the contributions of Senators on both sides of the House, particularly those of Senator Paddy Burke, who made some positive suggestions during the debate. The issue on...

Seanad: Road Traffic Bill 2006: Second Stage. (8 Jun 2006)

Diarmuid Wilson: I wish to share time with Senator Ormonde.

Seanad: Road Traffic Bill 2006: Second Stage. (8 Jun 2006)

Diarmuid Wilson: As the Minister said, this is the sixth major legislative measure that has been introduced in an attempt to curb the number of deaths on the roads. The Bill provides for the privatisation of the operation of speed cameras, the introduction of mandatory roadside breath testing of drivers for alcohol consumption in a targeted manner and a statutory basis for the control of the use of mobile...

Seanad: Road Traffic Bill 2006: Second Stage. (8 Jun 2006)

Diarmuid Wilson: I was talking of people who only take one or two pints.

Seanad: Road Traffic Bill 2006: Second Stage. (8 Jun 2006)

Diarmuid Wilson: Some people do not need alcohol.

Seanad: Road Traffic Bill 2006: Second Stage. (8 Jun 2006)

Diarmuid Wilson: Next Tuesday.

Seanad: Road Traffic Bill 2006: Second Stage. (8 Jun 2006)

Diarmuid Wilson: At 2.30 p.m. next Tuesday.

Seanad: Business of Seanad. (14 Jun 2006)

Diarmuid Wilson: We have gone through many amendments already.