Results 1,541-1,560 of 4,608 for speaker:Joe O'Toole

Seanad: Order of Business. (19 Apr 2005)

Joe O'Toole: The Government said it would be ready in April.

Seanad: Decentralisation Programme. (19 Apr 2005)

Joe O'Toole: I am interested in the information the Senator is extracting from the Minister of State. Although I have been having greater success accessing the decentralisation website in recent times, the Joint Committee on Finance and the Public Service is still seeking monthly reports on the progress of the decentralisation programme.

Seanad: Special Educational Needs. (19 Apr 2005)

Joe O'Toole: I welcome the Minister of State to the House. The matter I raise relates to education which is not his strongest suit. Nevertheless, it is a straightforward issue on which I hope he will engage with me. I recently visited the Catherine McAuley school in Limerick. It has 175 pupils with special needs, all of whom have been assessed as having a mild learning disability. The average intelligence...

Seanad: Special Educational Needs. (19 Apr 2005)

Joe O'Toole: I thank the Minister of State for his reply. I do not disagree with any of it. I look forward to hearing what is said about the review. However, I was careful not to argue about the number of teachers available to the school. This is not the problem. The staffing support, in terms of its hours, is sufficient. The problem is that the teachers are all changing while these children need...

Seanad: Order of Business. (20 Apr 2005)

Joe O'Toole: We had a discussion before our recent break on the need to consider the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform's document on immigration, which outlines his thinking with a view to future legislation. Many of the speakers on both sides of the House felt this would be useful. There is no crisis issue in this area currently as it has calmed momentarily. Now and not in the heat of battle,...

Seanad: Maritime Safety Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (20 Apr 2005)

Joe O'Toole: I also want the Minister of State to provide an expansion of the points raised by Senator O'Rourke because they are crucial to an understanding of the issue. I wish to raise another issue which I have raised with the Minister of State on a number of occasions previously. This new Part 4 of the Bill makes provision for passenger boats, fishing vessels and pleasure craft and the three sections...

Seanad: Maritime Safety Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (20 Apr 2005)

Joe O'Toole: However, as it was bought abroad and imported, it would be hard to show the exact steps that one went through to buy it, if I had to prove where it came from. One can state where one paid for it and where one put the money. However, boats should be registered. There should be an Irish registration and more importantly, the Irish registration should be part of a European registration. I have...

Seanad: Maritime Safety Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (20 Apr 2005)

Joe O'Toole: I am very pleased with the Minister of State's remarks. I completely support the amendment, which is very positive and necessary. I compliment the Minister of State and his officials on bringing it forward. I wish to clarify a few matters. The small vessel register is a necessary measure. I have changed the name of every boat I have bought even though it is considered to be bad luck in the...

Seanad: Maritime Safety Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (20 Apr 2005)

Joe O'Toole: People may have left their boats to rot for months on end without paying a fee and Waterways Ireland has certainly dealt with this problem. There is a need for the Minister of State's Department to take an interest in the issue of accessibility to marinas, both inland and on the coast. His own county is poorly served with marinas and I support people who wish to change this. There is a plan...

Seanad: Maritime Safety Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (20 Apr 2005)

Joe O'Toole: Yes.

Seanad: Maritime Safety Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (20 Apr 2005)

Joe O'Toole: It is infrastructural.

Seanad: Maritime Safety Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (20 Apr 2005)

Joe O'Toole: Yes.

Seanad: Maritime Safety Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (20 Apr 2005)

Joe O'Toole: I am delighted the Minister mentioned the coast guard. The Department could be a little more supportive of members of the coast guard on whom our lives very often depend, which the Minister of State quite rightly said, and to whom we owe a great debt of gratitude. These people should get some type of call-out fee, some element of support or some financial help. They put their lives at risk,...

Seanad: Maritime Safety Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (20 Apr 2005)

Joe O'Toole: On the question of safety I support this section. As far as I can recall, the section deals with those who steer, drive, manoeuvre or pilot their boats. A significant number of the call-outs are by those who have been careless in their planning and have taken no notice of the weather. They think that because they have a new boat with a big engine they do not have to worry about anything....

Seanad: Maritime Safety Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (20 Apr 2005)

Joe O'Toole: Yes.

Seanad: Maritime Safety Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (20 Apr 2005)

Joe O'Toole: I appreciate that gesture by the Minister of State. It is a good idea to suggest that the local radio stations along the coast would give a coastal sea area forecast for the smaller areas such as from Mizen Head to Valentia, Valentia to the Blaskets and the Blaskets to Loop Head with Clare Radio giving the local sea area forecast for the seas around its coast. This would be a significant...

Seanad: Maritime Safety Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (20 Apr 2005)

Joe O'Toole: I support this amendment. However, I ask the Minister of State to consider a final point. The last survey of Lough Ree and Lough Derg in the River Shannon was taken in 1847. I have never seen a survey of Lough Allen. The survey of Lough Ree and Lough Derg was done by the British Admiralty and is surprisingly accurate. However it is no longer useful for modern use. It would be worthwhile for...

Seanad: Maritime Safety Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (20 Apr 2005)

Joe O'Toole: Ba mhaith liom cur leis na focail atá ráite ag na daoine eile anseo. Gan amhras, tá an Bille seo thar barr. Tá a lán rudaí nua ann, agus braithim gur féidir linn an-dul chun cinn a dhéanamh i gcúrsaí sábháilteachta. It is important that we attempt to ensure this legislation is enacted before the summer, if only for the propaganda value of raising awareness as Senator Feighan...

Seanad: State Airports: Motion. (20 Apr 2005)

Joe O'Toole: There is room over here for the Senator.

Seanad: State Airports: Motion. (20 Apr 2005)

Joe O'Toole: I thank Senator Daly for sharing time with me. One of the problems with this debate is that everybody has their own ideological position to promote. I am well acquainted with Dublin Airport as I live beside it and many of my neighbours work there. I have visited many airports worldwide but have encountered only one in the past two years, Gerona Airport, in which free parking was provided. I...