Results 981-1,000 of 3,356 for speaker:Feargal Quinn

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2006: Second Stage (30 Nov 2006)

Feargal Quinn: I welcome the Bill but I do not think we should be proud of ourselves on passing it. The need for this legislation is an implicit criticism of our society and us as legislators for allowing this state of affairs to continue for so long. I should have been aware of this matter but, like many others, I was ignorant of it. I do not believe we ever intended to bring legislation to prevent...

Seanad: Order of Business (5 Dec 2006)

Feargal Quinn: I support the calls for a debate on health but this is such a wide area I question whether it is wise to cover it in one effort. I draw the attention of Members to Dr.Risteárd Mulcahy's article on health published on Sunday and his book which was published yesterday. He talks about the prevention of illness rather than just spending money on its cure. When discussing the regional...

Seanad: Prisons Bill 2006: Report Stage. (5 Dec 2006)

Feargal Quinn: I move amendment No. 37: In page 25, line 22, after "prison" to insert the following: "or designated centre (within the terms of the Criminal Law (Insanity) Act 2003)". In the case of amendments Nos. 37 and 38 I have pleasure in proposing them on behalf of Senator Henry. We are all agreed that the notion of giving evidence by video link is a positive development and that it should be used as...

Seanad: Prisons Bill 2006: Report Stage. (5 Dec 2006)

Feargal Quinn: I appreciate the Minister's concern. I did not quite understand the need for the Minister for Health and Children to be involved but the Minister has explained it very well and I am happy to withdraw both amendments.

Seanad: Prisons Bill 2006: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage. (5 Dec 2006)

Feargal Quinn: I thank the Minister and his officials for the manner in which they listened to the Second Stage and Committee Stage debates. I thank him also for the number of amendments he has accepted and for those amendments he substituted to deal with concerns expressed in amendments he did not accept. I thank him for the personal attention he gave to the Bill.

Seanad: Budget Statement 2006: Motion (6 Dec 2006)

Feargal Quinn: May I share my time with Senator O'Toole?

Seanad: Budget Statement 2006: Motion (6 Dec 2006)

Feargal Quinn: I welcome the Minister of State and the opportunity to speak on the budget. It is a tradition that has developed in recent times. I welcome it because the budget needs to be debated at this early stage. Over the past few months the Government spin has been focused on the need to convince the public that this would not be an election budget. Therefore, I sat listening to the budget to see...

Seanad: European Communities Bill 2006: Second Stage (7 Dec 2006)

Feargal Quinn: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Treacy, to the House and welcome his enthusiasm for the European Union. The Minister of State will be aware that I also have enthusiasm for the European Union. On the day I finished my university exams way back in the 1950s, I travelled to Cork, boarded a boat, travelled from Cork to Le Havre and spent that winter in Europe. The Minister of State may...

Seanad: European Communities Bill 2006: Second Stage (7 Dec 2006)

Feargal Quinn: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Order of Business (12 Dec 2006)

Feargal Quinn: When the State was founded, we established a Garda force that was unarmed. Ten or 20 years ago, if a murder took place in the State in which a gun was involved, it received banner headlines. What happened recently in Kilkenny was very sad, but even more threatening is what happened in Finglas this morning. I know both areas very well. There are many scared people not only in Finglas but...

Seanad: Order of Business (12 Dec 2006)

Feargal Quinn: I thought there are to be statements on policing.

Seanad: Order of Business (12 Dec 2006)

Feargal Quinn: Rather than call for new legislation and new laws let us debate how we can ensure we have the police force required to protect our citizens.

Seanad: Genealogy and Heraldry Bill 2006: Second Stage (12 Dec 2006)

Feargal Quinn: I thank Senator O'Toole for sharing time. I welcome the Bill and commend my colleague, Senator Ryan, on introducing it. I hope it will get a speedy passage into law. I am aware that some people think that heraldry and genealogy is a colonial heritage that we should not value in a Republic. I could not disagree more. I believe it is the sort of thing we should value if we are to maintain...

Seanad: European Communities Bill 2006: Committee Stage (12 Dec 2006)

Feargal Quinn: I oppose section 2, which is set out as follows: Section 3 of the Act of 1972 is amended by— (a) the substitution of the following subsection for subsection (3): "(3) Regulations under this section may— (a) make provision for offences under the regulations to be prosecuted on indictment where the Minister of the Government making the regulations considers it necessary for the purpose of...

Seanad: European Communities Bill 2006: Committee Stage (12 Dec 2006)

Feargal Quinn: No, I am speaking on section 3.

Seanad: European Communities Bill 2006: Committee Stage (12 Dec 2006)

Feargal Quinn: I apologise. I meant to discuss section 3.

Seanad: European Communities Bill 2006: Committee Stage (12 Dec 2006)

Feargal Quinn: While I appreciate Senator Ormonde's words and I am convinced the Minister of State intends that, he is Minister of State for the moment. We are passing legislation that gives a future Minister the opportunity to introduce statutory instruments instead of primary law. The Minister of State has correctly described it as more "effective". While it will be effective, it will not fulfil...

Seanad: European Communities Bill 2006: Committee Stage (12 Dec 2006)

Feargal Quinn: I support Senator Bradford's proposal. The questions of retrospection and validation of a statutory instrument are clear in this. I am opposed in principle to the effect of the statutory instruments being used. I know Senator Ormonde has already accused me of making a Second Stage speech on this matter. However, the truth is that ministerial orders are, in effect, invisible. They are...

Seanad: European Communities Bill 2006: Committee Stage (12 Dec 2006)

Feargal Quinn: I thank the Minister of State and his officials for their attention to the details in and queries raised on this Bill. Some of my words may have appeared anti-official but that was not my intention, apart from being pro-democracy. Senator Mooney touched on my concerns which stretch to the overall EU ideal and the danger that we will lose the trust and confidence of the citizens. There must...

Seanad: Order of Business (13 Dec 2006)

Feargal Quinn: I do not wish to be a scaremonger but a report published yesterday on the preparedness in the United Kingdom, United States and Holland for a flu pandemic would frighten the wits out of anyone. It hypothesises 21 million cases in two weeks in Britain alone and 100,000 deaths. I assume our Department of Health and Children is prepared somewhat for such an event.