Results 3,901-3,920 of 4,608 for speaker:Joe O'Toole

Seanad: Houses of the Oireachtas Commission (Amendment) Bill 2009: Report and Final Stages (4 Dec 2009)

Joe O'Toole: Is the grouping amendments Nos. 1 to 7, inclusive, or Nos. 1 and 7?

Seanad: Houses of the Oireachtas Commission (Amendment) Bill 2009: Report and Final Stages (4 Dec 2009)

Joe O'Toole: I misunderstood. May I continue? I understood we were discussing amendments Nos. 1 and 7.

Seanad: Houses of the Oireachtas Commission (Amendment) Bill 2009: Report and Final Stages (4 Dec 2009)

Joe O'Toole: In that case I will comment on all the amendments. I welcome very much the fact that the Government has listened to the various arguments I put forward yesterday. The most important element is that there should be direct access to the commission for the audit committee and that the audit committee should advise the commission on issues of corporate governance, which covers all relevant...

Seanad: Houses of the Oireachtas Commission (Amendment) Bill 2009: Report and Final Stages (4 Dec 2009)

Joe O'Toole: I am very pleased with the way the Minister of State has dealt with this matter and he has answered all of my points. I accept the argument on the first amendment that the people in question can be invited. I recognise that one could compromise one's independence by giving people such a right. The Minister of State made an interesting point, perhaps one not to be debated now. I listened...

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Dec 2009)

Joe O'Toole: I note that the Garda Commissioner has written to the Garda representative bodies to say members of the force will break the law if they take strike action. I do not know about that and would like to have the matter clarified in the House. I do not know what law they would be breaking, but they might be in breach of secondary legislation. It seems the Constitution clearly states people...

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Dec 2009)

Joe O'Toole: That is also covered by the Constitution.

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Dec 2009)

Joe O'Toole: On a point of order, the Leader announced that the House would meet again next Tuesday. How could it be a matter on the Order of Business for today that we determine when the House will meet?

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Dec 2009)

Joe O'Toole: I have never seen this done before.

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Dec 2009)

Joe O'Toole: I thank the Cathaoirleach. The matter has been cleared up.

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Dec 2009)

Joe O'Toole: I think I know what the Leader is trying to avoid. I understand his problem.

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Dec 2009)

Joe O'Toole: I do not disagree but the Leader must solve the problem in a different way.

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Dec 2009)

Joe O'Toole: I apologise to Senator Fitzgerald.

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Dec 2009)

Joe O'Toole: I agree with Senator Fitzgerald that it is a great day to be rich in Ireland. I just do not know how people can square the circle because seriously rich people have not been asked to put their hands in their pockets. They have made no contributions from their wallets, yet those earning €25,000 in the public sector are being asked to make a contribution. Members of the Seanad are...

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Dec 2009)

Joe O'Toole: Ba mhaith liom cur leis an méid atá ráite ag Ceannaire an Tí chun fáilte a chur roimh an Seanadóir nua, Seanadóir Ó Brolacháin. Tá súil agam go n-éireoidh go maith leis sa job atá os ár gcomhair. I congratulate the Senator on his election. I hope he will take time now that he is a Member of the House to look at the great need to reform the electoral process. That is not to...

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Dec 2009)

Joe O'Toole: When we discussed the various economic issues over the past year, an issue which came up time and again was credit flow and pressing the banks to release credit. We see now what I said then, that no matter what one puts into the banks, it will not release credit. President Obama, who gave hundreds of billions of dollars to the banks in the United States, is having the same problem. The...

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Dec 2009)

Joe O'Toole: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Dec 2009)

Joe O'Toole: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Dec 2009)

Joe O'Toole: Because there should be a pensions fund.

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2009: Second Stage (15 Dec 2009)

Joe O'Toole: I welcome the Minister for Social and Family Affairs and her hard-working staff of civil servants. It is worth recognising that all these changes will be implemented by public and civil servants who will have taken a pay cut by the end of the week. When they lift their newspapers each day, including yesterday, they find themselves being treated like dirt. I would like the Government to...

Seanad: Order of Business (16 Dec 2009)

Joe O'Toole: I draw the attention of the House to motion No. 21 on the Order Paper. Members on all sides of the House had issues with the European Union negotiating a free trade agreement with Colombia at a time when there were major human rights problems in that country. There is a motion on the Order Paper which concurs with the views of the 12 MEPs from the Republic of Ireland and which I ask the...