Results 821-840 of 3,356 for speaker:Feargal Quinn

Seanad: Nitrates Directive: Motion. (1 Mar 2006)

Feargal Quinn: It is way beyond time for a reality check.

Seanad: Nitrates Directive: Motion. (1 Mar 2006)

Feargal Quinn: The place of agriculture in Ireland has changed. When I graduated from university in 1960, agriculture was the mainstay of the economy. It now accounts for a mere 3% of our gross national product. It is time we woke up to the fact that what is in the farmers' interests is not always in the interests of the country as a whole. In cases such as the one I quoted from the amendment, the farming...

Seanad: Order of Business. (2 Mar 2006)

Feargal Quinn: I am old enough to remember the centenary of the Irish Famine back in the 1940s. At the time, we asked ourselves how the people of Britain could have allowed so many Irish people to die. Looking back, however, the amount of realistic information the people of Britain had then was tiny in comparison to the knowledge we have now. Senators Ryan and Ó Murchú spoke about the problems in east...

Seanad: Order of Business. (2 Mar 2006)

Feargal Quinn: I will explain why I am raising this point. The three petrol stations on the Howth peninsula, which is a fairly large area, have all closed in the last eight weeks and they will not reopen. One cannot buy petrol there anymore. As I drove up the East Wall Road today I discovered that two petrol stations there have also closed. I am a great believer in competition and the fact that the free...

Seanad: Order of Business. (2 Mar 2006)

Feargal Quinn: It may well be. We should have a debate not just on the BMW region but on the sort of Ireland we want to see, with societies, communities and villages that in the past had an opportunity to follow a traditional way of life.

Seanad: Order of Business. (2 Mar 2006)

Feargal Quinn: I am not sure that we have thought through the way of life we are creating in this country.

Seanad: Criminal Justice (Mutual Assistance) Bill 2005: Second Stage. (2 Mar 2006)

Feargal Quinn: I welcome the Minister as I always do because he is one Minister who allocates time to this House rather than delegate to somebody else. I also welcome the fact this Bill is being initiated here. While I welcome the Bill, it does not go far enough. If we believe the arrangements in this legislation will be enough to cope with the threats our society faces from criminals in the 21st century,...

Seanad: Order of Business. (7 Mar 2006)

Feargal Quinn: There is a natural outcry from all sides today against the outrage that happened in Coolock the other night. However, I am concerned that I hear calls for mandatory sentencing for firearms offences. People appear to be blaming the Judiciary for the fact that sentencing has in many cases been lenient. However, I understand that we have had mandatory sentencing for murder for several years. It...

Seanad: Planning and Development (Strategic Infrastructure) Bill 2006: Second Stage. (7 Mar 2006)

Feargal Quinn: I too am pleased to see the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Roche, in the House, since he speaks in a language we can understand, explains his points and is willing to argue them. There is little doubt of the need for something to be done. I travelled to Galway this weekend for the first time in a while and was very impressed by the roads. That we have such...

Seanad: Planning and Development (Strategic Infrastructure) Bill 2006: Second Stage. (7 Mar 2006)

Feargal Quinn: I thank the Senator.

Seanad: Planning and Development (Strategic Infrastructure) Bill 2006: Second Stage. (7 Mar 2006)

Feargal Quinn: My point is that we do not always appreciate what benefits we get from Europe. It is worth our while ensuring that we do so, even as we take credit for doing things ourselves. One of the annoyances is that other countries seem to get things done much more quickly than we, and I can therefore understand the need for this Bill. Let us call a spade a spade. I have no doubt that the Bill...

Seanad: Planning and Development (Strategic Infrastructure) Bill 2006: Second Stage. (7 Mar 2006)

Feargal Quinn: I felt annoyed at the airline.

Seanad: Planning and Development (Strategic Infrastructure) Bill 2006: Second Stage. (7 Mar 2006)

Feargal Quinn: That is the difficulty whenever we have had something for a while and it is taken from us. We must strike a balance and decide whether the benefits outweigh the disadvantages. The lesson I learned was to be careful about removing things from people. If one gives something, one must consider the possibility that one may wish to take it away at some point, rowing back on that generosity. If the...

Seanad: Planning and Development (Strategic Infrastructure) Bill 2006: Second Stage. (7 Mar 2006)

Feargal Quinn: My speech is so interesting that I assumed that it would fascinate the Senator.

Seanad: Planning and Development (Strategic Infrastructure) Bill 2006: Second Stage. (7 Mar 2006)

Feargal Quinn: The Government's dilemma in the case before us is that no one foresaw in the 1960s, when the planning process was first created, that we might ever need to row back on it. At the time, it made perfect sense to build the scheme on two pillars, the first being a local application process, and the second a national appeals procedure. In practice, over the last 40 years, the two-pillar approach...

Seanad: Planning and Development (Strategic Infrastructure) Bill 2006: Second Stage. (7 Mar 2006)

Feargal Quinn: The Minister appears to hold similar views in this respect. I also support it on the questionable assumption that it will deliver what it promises. In that regard, the omens are not good, as the fact it has taken so many years to introduce this Bill should lead Members to question the depth of the Government's commitment on the delay issue. Another point that might lead Members to doubt...

Seanad: Order of Business. (8 Mar 2006)

Feargal Quinn: Will the Deputy Leader draw attention to the conference on road safety referred to by Senator Finucane? Senator Ormonde spoke about a debate on the issue. I would like the Minister attending the conference to come here promptly to tell us what he intends to do about it, rather than to talk about it. We have done too much talking but have not taken nearly enough action. There is an easy...

Seanad: Use of Irish Airports: Motion. (8 Mar 2006)

Feargal Quinn: I wish to share my time with Senator Henry.

Seanad: Use of Irish Airports: Motion. (8 Mar 2006)

Feargal Quinn: The Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs, Deputy Treacy, is welcome to the House. I am particularly glad of his presence, as he listens to debates. I hope to speak in a moderate tone on this issue. I can remember an advertisement which appeared long before the Minister of State's birth. I believe it was for Palmolive soap and its slogan, "what even your best friends are...

Seanad: Order of Business. (9 Mar 2006)

Feargal Quinn: I add my voice to those supporting Senator O'Toole's Bill. Last night, the radio media blamed the Garda for hours and I did not discover until this morning that it had given something like four hours' notice, which was adequate, and that the fault lay elsewhere. Senator Norris stated that he had heard that the judge had claimed not to be bothered about the time, which seems outrageous. I ask...