Results 4,201-4,220 of 4,608 for speaker:Joe O'Toole

Seanad: Order of Business (25 May 2010)

Joe O'Toole: The final point raised by Senator Fitzgerald should be considered by the House. It goes back to the Ministers and Secretaries Act 1924 which deals with the matter of responsibilities, as well as other legislation. Very often we pass legislation in the Houses which does not allow Ministers to interfere or become involved in certain matters. The point raised by Senator Fitzgerald is...

Seanad: Death of Member: Expressions of Sympathy (26 May 2010)

Joe O'Toole: Sudden death stops us in our tracks and we have all taken a hard hit this morning. We on the Independent benches would like to be associated with the expressions of sympathy to Kieran's wife and family and his Fianna Fáil colleagues and staff. He always came across to us as being a good natured, honest and decent person. He was a person of integrity, on whom we could rely. He was a man...

Seanad: Order of Business (1 Jun 2010)

Joe O'Toole: I thank the Leader for responding to the request for a debate on the situation in Gaza and it is appropriate that it take place tomorrow in order that the Minister can contribute on this two days in a row. I concur with everything Senator Fitzgerald said. It is regrettable that Senators were in the public eye all over the weekend for all the wrong reasons again. The Cathaoirleach and I are...

Seanad: Order of Business (1 Jun 2010)

Joe O'Toole: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Order of Business (1 Jun 2010)

Joe O'Toole: Every Kerry issue is a Dublin issue too.

Seanad: Order of Business (2 Jun 2010)

Joe O'Toole: I acknowledge that the Taoiseach listened to Members on this side of the House yesterday. I was somewhat disappointed that there was not more of a response from Members on the other side. No one needed to be disloyal but at least it was good that one voice came from the other side of the House. However, Members on this side dealt with this matter as an issue for the Seanad, which is how it...

Seanad: Order of Business (2 Jun 2010)

Joe O'Toole: In addition, there should be details on the redress proposed by the Senator. I do not want anyone to ask subsequently what did Members expect because I have just outlined what I expect, namely, five issues and five matters to be dealt with. Moreover, this should be placed on the record of the House in a clean, simple and straightforward fashion. This is how Members will move on and as I...

Seanad: Order of Business (2 Jun 2010)

Joe O'Toole: I do not want any Member from the other side of the House to recount tales of the famous lone parent who has four houses in America and so on. People on the ground are struggling and I will ask a question of Members on the other side of the House. At their parliamentary party meetings, someone should ask-----

Seanad: Order of Business (2 Jun 2010)

Joe O'Toole: ----- who is advising the Government to rip off lone parents? Who does the sums and picks the easy targets? Who is so ridiculous and stupid as to put this forward as a policy position that is sustainable, measured, capable of being implemented and acceptable to the people? It is an absolute disaster.

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Jun 2010)

Joe O'Toole: I concur with Senator Fitzgerald on the point she made about the House not sitting last week. The Leader and I have had several disagreements on the matter, but I do not intend to go into the details again. It reflected badly on the Seanad. However, it begs the question of where we stand on Seanad reform. For a variety of reasons, what has happened in the past two weeks has raised more...

Seanad: Competition (Amendment) Bill 2010: Committee and Remaining Stages (15 Jun 2010)

Joe O'Toole: I support the comments made. I also note the new chief executive officer of the Competition Authority, Mr. Declan Purcell, did extraordinary work some 18 years ago on the consolidated companies legislation, the most difficult ever dealt with in this House. It has lasted 18 years and the Department is now working on amending it. As it happens, six months ago the Minister of State, Deputy...

Seanad: Order of Business (16 Jun 2010)

Joe O'Toole: During the years we have been regularly critical of much of what the United Kingdom has done on this island but one can only stand in awe at the performance and sheer raw courage of Lord Saville in putting the Widgery report to the sword and the facts in front of us. The statement by the British Prime Minister, Mr. David Cameron — I am not his greatest fan — in the House of Commons...

Seanad: Order of Business (16 Jun 2010)

Joe O'Toole: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Confidence in the Taoiseach: Motion (16 Jun 2010)

Joe O'Toole: With the permission of the House, I want to share the last two minutes of my time with Senator Doherty.

Seanad: Confidence in the Taoiseach: Motion (16 Jun 2010)

Joe O'Toole: It is an appalling debate and I have learned nothing from it. It is disgraceful. This kind of thing gets us nowhere — constant heckling, no points being made, just landing blows and nothing to be learned from it. If anybody wants to read this debate next week and learn something from it, show it to me. I listened to it all and it gets me nowhere. I refer to both sides of the House. I...

Seanad: Confidence in the Taoiseach: Motion (16 Jun 2010)

Joe O'Toole: We must consider all sorts of issue. Certainly there were flaws in Government policy and there is no question in my mind but that the Government played into the hands of and made it easy for big builders and developers. That was criminal. The Government also introduced and lived with soft touch regulation. Something else is coming down the road. I have tried to introduce legislation on...

Seanad: Order of Business (17 Jun 2010)

Joe O'Toole: I completely support the view that we should have an in-depth discussion on the terms of reference. We raised these issues last night and they were also discussed previously. The question to be asked about Anglo Irish Bank is very simple and has been raised by all sides. It has been dealt with by the Minister for Finance who seems to have changed his mind or, at least, vacillated on a...

Seanad: Order of Business (17 Jun 2010)

Joe O'Toole: We should hold a strong and firm line on the issue.

Seanad: Order of Business. (22 Jun 2010)

Joe O'Toole: I echo Senator Fitzgerald's points on the local government (Dublin mayor and regional authority) Bill. I have significant interest in that legislation because it is also the intention to deal with the name of a small town in west Kerry in which I have a deep and abiding interest. Last month, I asked my esteemed colleague Senator Boyle about it and he assured me it was in play. I take his...

Seanad: Order of Business. (22 Jun 2010)

Joe O'Toole: It would be worse on the east coast.