Results 701-720 of 32,547 for speaker:Paschal Donohoe

Seanad: Smarter Travel Initiative: Motion (28 Apr 2010)

Paschal Donohoe: I asked how one could deliver the same service with fewer buses given that the funding to Dublin Bus has doubled. The Minister of State should answer this question. The money Dublin Bus has received since 2000 has doubled from €40 million to €80 million.

Seanad: Smarter Travel Initiative: Motion (28 Apr 2010)

Paschal Donohoe: He is misquoting me. I am taking this as an opportunity to put my question to him again. If he will not answer a point I did not make, then he might answer a point I did.

Seanad: Smarter Travel Initiative: Motion (28 Apr 2010)

Paschal Donohoe: No, we have not advocated that.

Seanad: Smarter Travel Initiative: Motion (28 Apr 2010)

Paschal Donohoe: Yes.

Seanad: Order of Business. (29 Apr 2010)

Paschal Donohoe: I have called each morning on the Order of Business this week for an urgent debate on what is happening regarding Greece and the eurozone. That was supported yesterday by Senator Twomey. Senators Coffey and Ross made the same points today. Less than a year ago, commentators talked about the PIGS group of economies, which was an awful phrase. Those economies were Portugal, Ireland, Greece...

Seanad: Order of Business. (29 Apr 2010)

Paschal Donohoe: It has not been. That is what Deputy Bruton said for the past year. He was rubbished by the Government but it is now considering it.

Seanad: Communications (Retention of Data) Bill 2009: Second Stage (29 Apr 2010)

Paschal Donohoe: I welcome the Minister of State and I welcome the opportunity to speak on this Bill. It is the first time I have addressed the Minister of State since she was appointed to her new post, so I wish her the best of luck. I wish to focus on the cost and business implications of this Bill. Our country is rightly prioritising the smart economy as an engine that will deliver a sustainable economic...

Seanad: Order of Business. (5 May 2010)

Paschal Donohoe: There is not much left. It is all gone.

Seanad: Order of Business. (5 May 2010)

Paschal Donohoe: I support Senator Fitzgerald's call for a debate on the situation in Greece. I called for such a debate on the Order of Business every day last week. On Thursday we called a division on an amendment to the Order of Business. A number of months ago the Leader facilitated the Seanad in being the first House of the Oireachtas to debate the situation in Greece in the light of what could happen...

Seanad: Order of Business (6 May 2010)

Paschal Donohoe: Will the Leader arrange a debate on the status of Transport 21 and the amazing revelation yesterday regarding the Dublin interconnector or the Dublin underground DART section? The Minister for Transport, Deputy Dempsey, indicated that he had met representatives of Iarnród Éireann very recently and had a discussion with its board but found out for the first time yesterday afternoon on radio...

Seanad: Order of Business (6 May 2010)

Paschal Donohoe: This is a €2 billion project. Who is running the delivery of transport services in Dublin? Is it Iarnród Éireann? How can it make a decision on one of most important projects in Transport 21 without the Minister for Transport knowing what is happening? The Minister had to question Iarnród Éireann, but the explanation it gave was simply not credible. As it has not yet submitted the...

Seanad: Order of Business. (13 May 2010)

Paschal Donohoe: I am struck by the debate taking place on the euro. I spent the past four days in Paris participating in a programme organised by the French Government under which members of various parliaments seek to understand developments in other countries and various views on the euro. On Monday, I spent some time with individuals who were involved in discussions over the weekend on how to handle the...

Seanad: Public Service Agreement 2010-2014: Statements (13 May 2010)

Paschal Donohoe: On previous occasions that I spoke on the Croke Park agreement I compared it to the Lisbon treaty. I do so again because such a comparison provides a useful starting point. Those who are engaged in political life try to represent their communities and country. Sometimes certain decisions are made which are so important as to require political parties to take a step backwards and ask what...

Seanad: Order of Business (19 May 2010)

Paschal Donohoe: I strongly support the point made by Senator Ross about CIE and Iarnród Éireann. The chairperson of that organisation was recently reappointed to his role. There was a vote of confidence in him from the Government in terms of the way he was organising that business, yet when the Oireachtas looks for action and answers from him, it is not given them. Two weeks ago I raised the issue of the...

Seanad: Order of Business (20 May 2010)

Paschal Donohoe: I want to raise a matter I have raised previously with the Leader, namely, the progress made on the report of the innovation task force that was launched by the Government some months ago. It is a fine piece of work and was produced by people with real expertise and a passion for the smart economy. The Government is telling us it will be instrumental in creating over 100,000 jobs. The...

Seanad: Euro Area Loan Facility Bill 2010: Second Stage (20 May 2010)

Paschal Donohoe: I want to emphasise why it is in the interest of our country to support this measure. There are two reasons. First, the performance of our exports and of the European economy is of great importance to our national prosperity. Any measure we need to take to ensure the stability and credibility of the euro and the eurozone is in our national interest. This measure clearly is. A more...

Seanad: Order of Business (1 Jun 2010)

Paschal Donohoe: I underscore the concerns of my colleagues, especially Senator Fitzgerald, on the expenses issue. It is a pity this should develop in the week that the Houses of the Oireachtas published on-line the expenses of all Oireachtas Members in an effort to resolve this issue and provide transparency and security to members of the public regarding how we spend their money. In this regard, the...

Seanad: Order of Business (1 Jun 2010)

Paschal Donohoe: While this is an issue on which there is a need to give the Senator in question time to respond, I emphasise it is one in which Members of the Houses of the Oireachtas from all parties will need to engage for all our sakes. Banking is an issue that is frequently discussed in this House. The Government is committing an additional €2 billion to Anglo Irish Bank, bringing to €14 billion the...

Seanad: Order of Business (2 Jun 2010)

Paschal Donohoe: I ask for a debate on the live register figures released this morning. They show, sadly, that the overall number unemployed is up by 6,600. These are the real issues that matter to the people whom we are looking to serve. They also show that, despite the Government's best efforts, the economy has now turned so many corners that, tragically, it is back to where it started from. We are...

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed) (3 Jun 2010)

Paschal Donohoe: I would like to respond to the point made by Senator Ó Murchú. I understand that everyone should act in accordance with his or her own conscience and agree that the matter should be debated. The law we are talking about is not a penal one. It seeks to give a degree of recognition to people's sexuality and love for each other, over which they have no control and in which they have no...