Results 781-800 of 4,773 for speaker:Paudie Coffey

Seanad: Dog Breeding Establishments Bill 2009: Committee Stage (10 Feb 2010)

Paudie Coffey: If the Minister of State spoke to them, they would inform him of their concerns.

Seanad: Dog Breeding Establishments Bill 2009: Committee Stage (10 Feb 2010)

Paudie Coffey: It is about breeding establishments.

Seanad: Dog Breeding Establishments Bill 2009: Committee Stage (10 Feb 2010)

Paudie Coffey: I will be brief as we have given the amendment much time.

Seanad: Dog Breeding Establishments Bill 2009: Committee Stage (10 Feb 2010)

Paudie Coffey: It is an important amendment in terms of commitments given by Ministers. We are seeking answers as to what or who influenced the change in stance by the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. The Hunting Association of Ireland met officials from the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government in Wexford in November 2007. There was clear dialogue and...

Seanad: Dog Breeding Establishments Bill 2009: Committee Stage (10 Feb 2010)

Paudie Coffey: It is influencing legislation.

Seanad: Dog Breeding Establishments Bill 2009: Committee Stage (10 Feb 2010)

Paudie Coffey: It was not.

Seanad: Dog Breeding Establishments Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (10 Feb 2010)

Paudie Coffey: I move amendment No. 3: In page 7, subsection (3), line 34, to delete "3 months" and substitute "12 months". We are proposing this amendment to qualify our general view. In principle, Fine Gael supports the Bill, since there is an obvious need for regulation of dog breeding establishments. However, we are seeking ways to improve the legislation and enhance the standard of current...

Seanad: Dog Breeding Establishments Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (10 Feb 2010)

Paudie Coffey: The Minister of State said in his response that it could be argued that the working group was sitting for five years but, with due respect and in fairness to all involved, not every breeding establishment would have been privy to what was or was not said in the working group. That was a steering group set up to inform the Minister and his Department on drafting the legislation, and it made...

Seanad: Dog Breeding Establishments Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (10 Feb 2010)

Paudie Coffey: I thank the Minister of State for his response but it still does not alleviate the concern we have on this side of the House. I accept his view that the three-month period will come into effect after commencement.

Seanad: Order of Business (17 Feb 2010)

Paudie Coffey: I formally second Senator Fitzgerald's amendment. Job creation should be one of the highest priorities, if not the highest, for all of us in the current climate. I want to bring to the Leader's attention something that should be everybody's concern, that is, a recent report by the University of Limerick which, following research, found that almost half of Irish mathematics teachers are not...

Seanad: Order of Business (17 Feb 2010)

Paudie Coffey: He has brought shame to his office and to politics.

Seanad: Order of Business (17 Feb 2010)

Paudie Coffey: He has brought shame to his office and the Leader will not acknowledge it. He has brought shame to politics.

Seanad: Higher Education Strategy (24 Feb 2010)

Paudie Coffey: I wish to raise the need for the Minister for Education and Science to clarify when he proposes to publish the report from the National Strategy Group on Higher Education, chaired by economist Dr. Colin Hunt. This strategy group was commissioned over a year ago and the Minister stated in the Dáil on 24 November 2009 that he expected the report to be finalised early in 2010. We are now at...

Seanad: Higher Education Strategy (24 Feb 2010)

Paudie Coffey: I thank the Minister of State for his reply. As already stated, however, as recently as 24 November last the Minister for Education and Science indicated in the Dáil that the report would be published early in the new year. The Minister of State has just said that it will not be published until the summer. As in the case of the crisis the country currently faces, clarity and certainty are...

Seanad: Order of Business (25 Feb 2010)

Paudie Coffey: Climbing trees.

Seanad: Order of Business (25 Feb 2010)

Paudie Coffey: Will the Senator accept a position?

Seanad: Order of Business (25 Feb 2010)

Paudie Coffey: The Government promised dividends.

Seanad: Order of Business (25 Feb 2010)

Paudie Coffey: This time last year, the Government appointed a national strategy group to commission a report on higher education under the chairmanship of the economist, Dr. Colin Hunt. In November, the Minister for Education and Science informed the Dáil that the report would be published by early 2010. In an Adjournment debate yesterday, I was informed by the Minister of State, Deputy Haughey, that...

Seanad: Dog Breeding Establishments Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (25 Feb 2010)

Paudie Coffey: For the benefit of the House and the Minister who was not in attendance for the debate on Committee Stage on the last day, this amendment was tabled in an effort to acknowledge the needs of people already involved in operating breeding establishments. The Minister has already acknowledged that a three month lead-in time is required. I presume it is to give those people an opportunity to get...

Seanad: Dog Breeding Establishments Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (25 Feb 2010)

Paudie Coffey: Senator Bradford touched on a very important point about the application. Section 8(6)(b) refers to whether a local authority "is of the opinion that the premises in respect of which the application concerned was made is not suitable for the operation of a dog breeding establishment." We do not know what the Minister means by "is not suitable", because we have not seen any technical...