Results 3,461-3,480 of 4,608 for speaker:Joe O'Toole
- Seanad: Irish Language: Statements (11 Mar 2009)
Joe O'Toole: Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. NÃor mhaith liom cur i gcoinne aon rud a dúirt an Seanadóir à Murchú, ach caithfidh mé a rá nach "Gaeilge" a labhrann mé ach "Gaelainn". Go minic, agus mé ag féachaint siar ar aon rud atá curtha i gcló ón Seanad, bÃonn sé deacair dom an méid atá ráite agam a léamh os rud é go mbÃonn sé caighdeánaithe "i nGaeilge" seachas a bheith...
- Seanad: Seanad Reform: Motion (11 Mar 2009)
Joe O'Toole: I move: Seanad Ãireann, recognising the all-party support for the Report on Seanad Reform: welcomes the fact that the indirect method of election by local authority members remains a core part of the new approach; believes that every qualified citizen should be entitled to participate in Seanad General Elections and urges the Government to bring forward as soon as possible, the necessary...
- Seanad: Seanad Reform: Motion (11 Mar 2009)
Joe O'Toole: The Senator should not accuse us of anything we are not saying.
- Seanad: Seanad Reform: Motion (11 Mar 2009)
Joe O'Toole: Hear, hear.
- Seanad: Seanad Reform: Motion (11 Mar 2009)
Joe O'Toole: I agree with the Minister.
- Seanad: Seanad Reform: Motion (11 Mar 2009)
Joe O'Toole: Senator Ellis is correct.
- Seanad: Seanad Reform: Motion (11 Mar 2009)
Joe O'Toole: I thank all Senators for an excellent debate. I do not have time to respond to every Member but I have made a note of issues raised by various Members and I wish to deal with these in a positive and proactive way. I agree with the points made by Senator Alex White. The university panel is elitist and its continuing existence is credible in the context of being a vocational group, where...
- Seanad: Seanad Reform: Motion (11 Mar 2009)
Joe O'Toole: That is for another day and other people rather than me. I did not put numbers into it as that would also have alienated people. I made it easy for people to support this motion but people found reasons to oppose it that were not relevant to it in the first place. The point was made by Senator Dominic Hannigan regarding university as opposed to universal voting. He did not grasp the point...
- Seanad: Order of Business (12 Mar 2009)
Joe O'Toole: I thoroughly support the idea of a debate on the Fine Gael document on reform of the Houses, and it would be very useful for the Government side to provide for it. It should be put out there so we may discuss it. We need to do that particularly at a time of a recession. It was never more important for us to extend to ordinary people the political scrutiny that is crucial in such difficult...
- Seanad: Order of Business (12 Mar 2009)
Joe O'Toole: She assaulted a garda.
- Seanad: Harbours (Amendment) Bill 2008: Report and Final Stages (12 Mar 2009)
Joe O'Toole: I second amendment No. 9.
- Seanad: Harbours (Amendment) Bill 2008: Report and Final Stages (12 Mar 2009)
Joe O'Toole: I would like to pick up on the points made by Senator O'Sullivan. This is a classic example of how the Upper House works and how the Lower House cannot operate. The Lower House could not have done what was done here because it would not have been given the time. If Senator O'Donovan was a Member of the other House, he would not have had the opportunity to engage in that level of...
- Seanad: Order of Business (24 Mar 2009)
Joe O'Toole: The country faces a national day of industrial action next Monday. This is unnecessary and does not need to happen.
- Seanad: Order of Business (24 Mar 2009)
Joe O'Toole: It is a direct result of the uncertainty about figures and objectives referred to by Senator Fitzgerald. The Government must explain to the social partners what it is doing, what its objective is and what the problem is. This industrial action is unusual. It reflects anger and uncertainty among workers across the country. It is different from industrial action that seeks to reverse a...
- Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2009 [Dáil]: Second Stage (24 Mar 2009)
Joe O'Toole: I welcome the Minister of State. I concur with many of the points made by Senator Walsh as I have never been a great believer in limits as an appropriate means of controlling and regulating electoral expenditure. It is always possible to circumvent such limits and they always give rise to confusion. For these reasons, I do not believe it is possible to apply spending limits effectively....
- Seanad: Order of Business (25 Mar 2009)
Joe O'Toole: I thank the Taoiseach for listening to the suggestion I made yesterday to the effect he should contact and engage with the social partners.
- Seanad: Order of Business (25 Mar 2009)
Joe O'Toole: This is an important move forward but it is incumbent on us to consider the next step. The points raised by Senator Fitzgerald are extremely important. However, I wish to provide another perspective. The debates that will take place in the Seanad in respect of the economy etc., will revolve around Ireland Inc. However, those that will take place between the Government and the social...
- Seanad: Order of Business (25 Mar 2009)
Joe O'Toole: The issue to which I refer has been raised on a number of occasions but there is now a real need to give consideration to it. This is a classic example of the social partnership approach. I guarantee that the debate on this matter in the House will focus on costs, the children of millionaires etc. Third level education is as important as primary level education. It represents an...
- Seanad: Order of Business (25 Mar 2009)
Joe O'Toole: That is the way in which we should consider this matter. I ask the Leader to make time available for a debate on third level education at the earliest possible opportunity.
- Seanad: Order of Business (25 Mar 2009)
Joe O'Toole: Hear, hear.