Results 5,001-5,020 of 5,046 for speaker:Paschal Mooney

Seanad: Order of Business (26 Jan 2016)

Paschal Mooney: I second the amendment proposed by my colleague, Senator Daly, to the Order of Business. Over the years, I have used the platform of the Second House of the Oireachtas to inform people of and alert them to the issue of e-mail spamming and its insidious practice. Sadly, it has reared its ugly head again in the past week. This time the potential victims are customers of Irish Water. An...

Seanad: Order of Business (26 Jan 2016)

Paschal Mooney: They originate in the United Kingdom, which goes to show how little they know about Irish tax.

Seanad: Road Traffic Bill 2016: Committee Stage (26 Jan 2016)

Paschal Mooney: I have a certain sympathy with Senator Barrett's amendment. I cannot begin to imagine the anguish of Jake's parents and the circumstances in which he lost his life.I cannot be sure about the introduction of a 20 km/h or 12 mph speed limit. When one drives a modern manual car at 12 mph, one feels like one is stopped. That is why I am not sure the motive behind the lobby for the introduction...

Seanad: Road Traffic Bill 2016: Committee Stage (26 Jan 2016)

Paschal Mooney: Will the Minister assure the House that the Garda will continue to place importance on the visibility of cyclists, particularly in urban environments. I know that sounds strange because rural environments have less public lighting. Anecdotally, we know - I notice it occasionally when cyclists pass by Leinster House - that many cyclists do not have lights on their bikes. I understand that...

Seanad: Road Traffic Bill 2016: Report and Final Stages (26 Jan 2016)

Paschal Mooney: All Ministers, regardless of party, have a primary purpose in mind when they take office - to get through a body of legislation. I fully acknowledge the work done behind the scenes on the Bill and compliment the Minister's officials who I am sure are equally pleased that it has not been delayed further. We, in Fianna Fáil, are more than happy to accommodate its swift passage because,...

Seanad: Local Government Review: Statements (26 Jan 2016)

Paschal Mooney: I thank the Minister for his encouraging words and I again compliment all my colleagues representing all the party groupings in this House on the manner in which they have approached this issue. I believe it is a case of strength in unity and the Minister himself has acknowledged this is the way forward, hopefully on the basis of the recommendations made thus far. Although these...

Seanad: Order of Business (27 Jan 2016)

Paschal Mooney: I second the amendment proposed to the Order of Business that the National Anthem Bill 2016 be taken today. I support Senator Mark Daly's initiative. I also suggest the decision of the Government on the expiration of copyright in 2014 led to an inquiry by a Department to the Irish Music Rights Organisation, which controls copyright in this country, and a request for further clarification....

Seanad: Order of Business (27 Jan 2016)

Paschal Mooney: For the record, Senator Craughwell referred to the Fianna Fáil group in this House to which he attached his name.

Seanad: Order of Business (27 Jan 2016)

Paschal Mooney: Yes.

Seanad: Death of Former Member: Expressions of Sympathy (27 Jan 2016)

Paschal Mooney: I am honoured to have been asked by the Fianna Fáil group to pay tribute to the legendary figure of Brian Friel. I think that, with my friend and colleague, Senator David Norris, we are the only Members who served with him. I was first elected in 1987 when he was nominated as a Senator by the then Taoiseach Mr. Charles Haughey. It was a part of Mr. Haughey's make-up; he was a great...

Seanad: Death of Former Member: Expressions of Sympathy (27 Jan 2016)

Paschal Mooney: During the period 1987 to 1989, believe it or not, the Seanad met outside this room.

Seanad: Death of Former Member: Expressions of Sympathy (27 Jan 2016)

Paschal Mooney: That is only a small point on the historical record, but it made no difference to the status of Brian Friel or any of the rest of us. It was just physical. When it comes to paying tribute to somebody of the stature of Brian Friel, I stand back in awe. I could not help but reflect on the fact that there were little things along the way when I touched on his life. As a young emigrant in...

Seanad: Death of Former Member: Expressions of Sympathy (27 Jan 2016)

Paschal Mooney: The very first sitting of the Seanad in 1987 was in the Dáil Chamber. I do not know what the reason for that was. I made my first and last speech in the Dáil Chamber on that Single European Act. Brian Friel also voted on the video recordings Bill, in which he presumably had a particular interest. He voted for the last time on Fifth Stage of the Single European Act. While his...

Seanad: Public Transport Bill 2015: Second Stage (27 Jan 2016)

Paschal Mooney: I welcome the Minister back to the House and concur with all of the remarks made by Senator O'Neill in his respect. Fianna Fáil supports the passage of this Bill, particularly the introduction of harsher sentences for hit and run offences. We introduced our road traffic Bill 2013 prior to the Minister taking over his brief but I am sure he is familiar with our legislation. We believe...

Seanad: Public Transport Bill 2015: Second Stage (27 Jan 2016)

Paschal Mooney: What is another year?

Seanad: Public Transport Bill 2015: Committee and Remaining Stages (27 Jan 2016)

Paschal Mooney: Two days ago The Irish Timesreported that an application by Dublin Bus for funding to provide hybrid buses in Dublin had been rejected. Coincidentally, yesterday I met some representatives, including Mr. Coyne, of Dublin Bus at a briefing that had been organised by my colleague, Deputy Dooley, our party's transport spokesperson. They pointed out to me that the way the industry was...

Seanad: Public Transport Bill 2015: Committee and Remaining Stages (27 Jan 2016)

Paschal Mooney: I think they cost €200,000 more.

Seanad: Public Transport Bill 2015: Committee and Remaining Stages (27 Jan 2016)

Paschal Mooney: I am grateful for the Minister's response. It is clear we are singing from the same hymn sheet, which is sensible. I am thinking about the State's transport fleet of private cars. The people promoting gas made a very convincing argument for the use of gas-fired cars. Current petrol or diesel cars could be adapted to use that system. I presume that is relevant to the comments between the...

Seanad: Public Transport Bill 2015: Committee and Remaining Stages (27 Jan 2016)

Paschal Mooney: The Minister responded to comments from Senator Ó Clochartaigh about the integration of the European rail network with Ireland. If I interpreted those remarks correctly, he referred to the Dublin-Belfast line as being perhaps the only example that would be part of that integrated policy. Before Christmas, as one of its members, I had the honour of representing the transport committee,...

Seanad: Public Transport Bill 2015: Committee and Remaining Stages (27 Jan 2016)

Paschal Mooney: I am grateful for the Minister's response. While I was aware he would be familiar with the European project, in the context of the rail network to which I referred and going back to our earlier dialogue, there is growing awareness of the adverse impact on the environment of CO2 emissions. There is growing awareness that railways can make a valuable contribution and there may now be a...