Results 481-500 of 13,291 for speaker:Joe McHugh

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2005: Second Stage. (29 Jun 2005)

Joe McHugh: I welcome this independent commission's report on the redrawing of constituency boundaries. I listened to Senator Minihan's comments on county loyalties and recalled that in the 1930s west Donegal was in the same constituency as Leitrim. This is something people in Donegal would not understand today. We do not have a problem with county loyalty in Donegal as we have both Donegal North-East...

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2005: Committee and Remaining Stages. (30 Jun 2005)

Joe McHugh: I move amendment No. 1: In page 3, between lines 12 and 13, to insert the following new subsection: "(2) In this Act, the 'Act of 1992' means the Electoral Act 1992.". During the last local elections and previously in the general election it came to the attention of many of us that there is quite an amount of fraud with regard to the electoral register. Two weeks ago a report in The Sunday...

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2005: Committee and Remaining Stages. (30 Jun 2005)

Joe McHugh: As I was not on the ticket I was not in a position to give him advice on that aspect, but I did advise him to vote only once. It is not illegal to be on the register so many times. I know the example I have given is an extreme one, but it does happen. We have an opportunity to change that today if we consider this sensibly. I discussed the matter with the Leader before this debate began. I...

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2005: Committee and Remaining Stages. (30 Jun 2005)

Joe McHugh: That is another example. I ask the Minister to give this matter serious consideration, in the interests of instilling confidence in the electorate.

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2005: Committee and Remaining Stages. (30 Jun 2005)

Joe McHugh: I thank the Minister. We have commenced the debate on this issue. I had intended to pursue a division but I acknowledge the Minister's frankness and openness in engaging in this debate and I will withdraw my amendments. However, local authorities are severely underresourced and do not have the personnel to maintain the electoral register. It is important to recognise this fact.

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2005: Committee and Remaining Stages. (30 Jun 2005)

Joe McHugh: I hope this is not like the All-Ireland Championship in being a back-door system for electronic voting.

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2005: Committee and Remaining Stages. (30 Jun 2005)

Joe McHugh: I move amendment No. 5: In page 4, before section 6, to insert the following new section: "6.—Section 6(2) of the Electoral Act 1997 is amended by the substitution of the following paragraph (b): '(b) each constituency shall return three, four, five or six if necessary, incorporating all of Leitrim and retaining its full constituency entity;'.". I have the pleasure of moving this amendment...

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2005: Committee and Remaining Stages. (30 Jun 2005)

Joe McHugh: Senator Bannon emphasised that this amendment does not affect the current boundary report. It is an amendment for the future to maintain Leitrim as a single entity. The people in Leitrim would prefer either a Sligo-Leitrim constituency or Leitrim-Roscommon.

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2005: Committee and Remaining Stages. (30 Jun 2005)

Joe McHugh: Senator Mooney made some valid points. I have an interest in this as well because in 1969, part of Leitrim was in part of Donegal South. I have done some study of this matter. Regarding the Minister's own constituency, in 1921, Kildare and Wicklow were one constituency but as a general trend there has not been much movement. In fairness to the case made for Leitrim, however, Leitrim has been...

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2005: Committee and Remaining Stages. (30 Jun 2005)

Joe McHugh: Perhaps people should have a voice on future commissions. In regard to Donegal, in the 1918 Westminster elections, Donegal had four constituencies — North, South, East and West — and as late as 1977 we had one constituency. To return to a point raised earlier by the Minister, people want a connectivity with their politicians. That desire is growing and we should focus on it. Perhaps in...

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2005: Committee and Remaining Stages. (30 Jun 2005)

Joe McHugh: On the commission report, there are issues we can deliberate on in the future. It is an excellent report and the people involved must have put a good deal of effort into it. I congratulate the people involved, one of whom is the Clerk of the Seanad, Deirdre Lane. I commend the report and the people involved for all their hard work.

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2005: Committee and Remaining Stages. (30 Jun 2005)

Joe McHugh: It was very moving.

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2005: Committee and Remaining Stages. (30 Jun 2005)

Joe McHugh: I thank the Minister and welcome the issuing of guidelines in the autumn. These will be presented to the joint Oireachtas committee. This is central to the democratic process. I am glad to be able to go home to Donegal and report to the three pensioners whose votes were intercepted in the last local election that there will be a full examination of the present system.

Seanad: Order of Business. (28 Sep 2005)

Joe McHugh: As from 1 October a new EU regulation will require sheep for export to have a double tag. This affects, in particular, farmers along the Border and Donegal farmers in particular who, on an annual basis, export approximately 70,000 sheep to Foyle Meats in Derry. The current position is that the Department does not issue tags and sheep farmers do not have a second tag for their animals. The...

Seanad: Order of Business. (29 Sep 2005)

Joe McHugh: I agree with Senator Maurice Hayes on his point about the exploitation of Polish workers. There must be proper mechanisms to prevent any form of exploitation of any foreign immigrant. September is a month in which politicians are inundated with phone calls from students and parents on the subject of student grants. Politicians have developed an institutionalised way of thinking in which we...

Seanad: Order of Business. (11 Oct 2005)

Joe McHugh: I agree with the previous speakers who spoke of the tragedy in County Donegal at the weekend. The tragedy has caused a sense of numbness in the Inishowen Peninsula. Five young people from Inishowen and one young person from Derry have lost their lives. Inishowen is a close knit community and this has sent shockwaves through the peninsula, but the families and the community in general affected...

Seanad: Order of Business. (11 Oct 2005)

Joe McHugh: Resources are the key factor for Inishowen. It is important that this is done sooner rather than later.

Seanad: Schools Building Projects. (11 Oct 2005)

Joe McHugh: I wish to raise the difficulties at St. Eunan's secondary school in Letterkenny, an all-boys secondary school that used to be a boarding school. In particular, I am concerned that the school does not have enough space to accommodate its current enrolment of 800 students. The school's authorities are experiencing major problems in facilitating its teachers and students within the existing...

Seanad: Schools Building Projects. (11 Oct 2005)

Joe McHugh: No. I went to a mixed convent school.

Seanad: Schools Building Projects. (11 Oct 2005)

Joe McHugh: The Minister of State has spoken about demographics. It is important to note that Letterkenny, like Derry, has gateway status. Many commentators have said that Letterkenny will have city status at some future time. I do not think demography should be an issue at this stage. Letterkenny is a heaving town that has seen a great deal of development. Whether that development has been done in a...