Results 3,981-4,000 of 32,569 for speaker:Paschal Donohoe

Seanad: Road Traffic (No. 2) Bill 2014: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Dec 2014)

Paschal Donohoe: I thank Senators Power and Byrne for tabling the matter. I wish to clarify a point made about the nature of this offence and that it was a new one. This has always been an offence. Prior to the change earlier in the year it was five penalty points and direct to court but that has now been changed so that people have the option of a fixed notice payment and three penalty points. The whole...

Seanad: Road Traffic (No. 2) Bill 2014: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Dec 2014)

Paschal Donohoe: I thank all Senators for their contributions and for the way this Bill was dealt with. I need to bring in this legislation promptly to deal with the issues we described earlier, and Senators have been exceptionally considerate of that. The issues that were raised about the amendment were raised on the grounds of prudence rather than on the grounds of opposition. Senators O'Neill and...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Driver Licences (16 Dec 2014)

Paschal Donohoe: I thank Senator Moloney for raising this issue, which we have discussed already. I am pleased to respond to the topical issue she has raised. As she will be aware, the driver licensing system is one of the most important foundations of safety on roads. Driving is not a right. It is a privilege which must be earned by learning and proving a capacity to control a mechanically propelled...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Driver Licences (16 Dec 2014)

Paschal Donohoe: I have listened very much to what Senator Moloney has said. I take her point that 6% of road accidents involve those with L plates are in the learner driver category. To really understand that figure further, we would have to look at the share of learner drivers as a percentage of the total driving population and to compare that with the figure of 6% of learner drivers who are involved in...

Water Services Bill 2014: Report and Final Stages (17 Dec 2014)

Paschal Donohoe: I was prompted to speak by the speech made by Deputy Higgins and the interventions of Deputy Boyd Barrett. Every time a question is asked about how money can be found, the answer is always the same from those Members of the Opposition.

Water Services Bill 2014: Report and Final Stages (17 Dec 2014)

Paschal Donohoe: It is always that we should tax the corporations. Regardless of what question is posed, the answer is always the same-----

Water Services Bill 2014: Report and Final Stages (17 Dec 2014)

Paschal Donohoe: We are told to tax corporations, introduce a wealth tax and tax the super rich. Of course, the corporations to which the Deputies refer are the corporations that employ 246,000 people in this country.

Water Services Bill 2014: Report and Final Stages (17 Dec 2014)

Paschal Donohoe: The people I stand here to represent are the people who work for those companies. They are people who go to those companies to earn a living with the skills they have acquired and contribute to our economy.

Water Services Bill 2014: Report and Final Stages (17 Dec 2014)

Paschal Donohoe: The people in those companies pay their contribution through their taxes.

Water Services Bill 2014: Report and Final Stages (17 Dec 2014)

Paschal Donohoe: The Opposition's proposed increase in corporation tax would be an increased taxation of every person and family in our country.

Water Services Bill 2014: Report and Final Stages (17 Dec 2014)

Paschal Donohoe: This is what the repeated answers from the Opposition Deputies mean.

Water Services Bill 2014: Report and Final Stages (17 Dec 2014)

Paschal Donohoe: They are in favour of higher taxation-----

Water Services Bill 2014: Report and Final Stages (17 Dec 2014)

Paschal Donohoe: -----not for the few but for everybody, for the ordinary people. It has been said again and again, and even the Opposition has admitted it, that no party seeks to privatise Irish Water.

Water Services Bill 2014: Report and Final Stages (17 Dec 2014)

Paschal Donohoe: The Opposition's refrain is, "What could future Governments do?" Is that how little confidence the Opposition Members have-----

Water Services Bill 2014: Report and Final Stages (17 Dec 2014)

Paschal Donohoe: -----in the ability of their arguments and claims to win public support?

Water Services Bill 2014: Report and Final Stages (17 Dec 2014)

Paschal Donohoe: The Opposition is admitting it has so little confidence in the claims it is putting forward that they will not be able to win seats and parties to influence future Dáileanna and Governments. The Government's track record is very clear. When we were on our knees, we did not privatise or sell stakes.

Water Services Bill 2014: Report and Final Stages (17 Dec 2014)

Paschal Donohoe: This is our track record.

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Road Traffic Legislation (17 Dec 2014)

Paschal Donohoe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 254 and 270 together. It is not clear from the Deputy's questions as to what aspect of use and sale of quad bikes he is referring. The Road Traffic Acts set out the legislation which must be complied with by users of mechanically propelled vehicles in a public place. For the purposes of road traffic legislation a “public place” means any public...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Local Improvement Scheme (17 Dec 2014)

Paschal Donohoe: The Local Improvement Scheme remains in place and it provides funding for roads and laneways that Councils have not taken in charge. However, the maintenance and improvement of these is, in the first instance, a matter for the relevant landowner. There is no separate allocation for the LIS. Instead, local authorities may use up to 15% (up from 7% in 2013) of their initial Discretionary...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Road Safety Authority Campaigns (17 Dec 2014)

Paschal Donohoe: The Leading Lights in Road Safety Awards are organised and presented by the Road Safety Authority to celebrate the outstanding efforts of people to improve road safety in their communities. Neither I nor my Department has any role in the operation of the system or in the selection of Award recipients. I have referred the Deputy's question to the Authority for direct reply. I...