Results 1,541-1,560 of 3,356 for speaker:Feargal Quinn

Seanad: Telecommunications Services: Motion (8 Jul 2009)

Feargal Quinn: Is that agreed? Agreed.

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Jul 2009)

Feargal Quinn: I ask the Leader to inquire into why the Department of Transport has not revoked any haulage licence over the past two years, despite the fact that 14,000 infringements have been drawn to its attention by the British and Irish policing bodies. The British say they have drawn attention to 8,000 offences in the past year and no licence has been revoked. The offences to which I refer are...

Seanad: Defamation Bill 2006 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] : Report and Final Stages (9 Jul 2009)

Feargal Quinn: I welcome the Minister of State for this very interesting debate. He has been here for most of it and I have found it fascinating. I am certainly not a lawyer, and I am not rising with any confidence that I can handle many of the items that have been discussed. I listened very carefully to the Minister and I do not think he would have introduced this particular topic if he did not feel...

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Jul 2009)

Feargal Quinn: I rise to support Senator Norris's call for a debate not just on rushed legislation but on legislation we are being asked to pass after the Dáil has finished. This does not make sense. We should have that debate. If we are going to debate the Criminal Justice (Amendment) Bill, which will not come into operation until October, it does not make sense to rush something through in that...

Seanad: OECD and IMF Reports: Statements (10 Jul 2009)

Feargal Quinn: I thank Senator Norris for sharing time with me. I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Kelleher, and I welcome the opportunity to have this debate. The OECD has predicted an economic contraction of 10% this year. The IMF has warned of a 13.5% contraction between 2008 and 2010, as the Minister of State outlined. The IMF report was highly critical of the Government for stoking the...

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Jul 2009)

Feargal Quinn: When we do not pay attention to particular issues, there is a danger that they simply fall off the agenda. Two issues caught my attention in the past week. First, it emerged that Galway County Council is spending €3,000 per week on supplies of bottled water to areas where the water supply continues to be considered unsafe for human consumption. This is the type of issue to which we...

Seanad: Criminal Justice (Amendment) Bill 2009: Second Stage (14 Jul 2009)

Feargal Quinn: I appreciate Senator Bacik's giving me time to speak. I feel reticent because most of those who spoke on the Bill are lawyers and I am not. However, I opened a supermarket in Finglas many years ago and one in Limerick a few years ago, and I have been threatened with kidnap while several of our managers have been subjected to "tiger" kidnapping. While I support what the Minister is...

Seanad: Criminal Justice (Amendment) Bill 2009: Second Stage (14 Jul 2009)

Feargal Quinn: This does not seem to solve that problem, apart from doing away with jurors. That is horrific. We must be able to solve that problem. I did not realise that was happening. I have served only once on a jury. I do not think this provision solves that problem. The Garda Representative Association, GRA, is concerned about the Bill because it could be open to a legal challenge. It is...

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Jul 2009)

Feargal Quinn: I second Senator Mullen's call for an amendment to the Order of Business. I have two issues with regard to passports which I ask the Leader to draw to the attention of the Minister for Foreign Affairs so he can work on them over the coming months. The first relates to a Czech-born fugitive in the United States who holds an Irish passport that he purchased here ten or 15 years ago. We have...

Seanad: Public Health (Tobacco) (Amendment) Bill 2009: Second Stage (15 Jul 2009)

Feargal Quinn: I welcome the Minister of State. I also welcome the Bill and the steps which have been taken. I recently watched an old film on television and I could not get over the fact that every character smoked. I suddenly realised that one no longer sees that. The behaviour of people in public clearly sets an example for young people. I hope the current absence of public images of smoking will...

Seanad: Order of Business (23 Sep 2009)

Feargal Quinn: This time last year, I introduced the Human Body Organs and Human Tissue Bill 2008 to this House. The Minister for Health and Children accepted the point of the legislation but wanted to undertake discussions before acting on it. The Bill deals with presumed consent in regard to organ donation. However, I am bothered by the length of time taken by State organisations to get things done....

Seanad: Industrial Relations (Amendment) Bill 2009: Second Stage (23 Sep 2009)

Feargal Quinn: I wish to share time with Senator Mullen.

Seanad: Industrial Relations (Amendment) Bill 2009: Second Stage (23 Sep 2009)

Feargal Quinn: I welcome the Minister of State to the House and thank him for the opportunity to speak on this Bill. Our world changed last year and not for the better. The financial crisis is not understood in this country. While I am aware we will have an opportunity to speak about the economy in approximately half an hour I want to at this stage to touch on how our world has changed. The crisis...

Seanad: The Economy: Statements (23 Sep 2009)

Feargal Quinn: I thank Senator O'Toole for sharing his time with me. The Minister of State, Deputy Mansergh, will be pleased that I do not intend to talk about the past. I will not comment on who was at fault or where mistakes were made because there has been too much of that. I will speak about the future. We have a truly serious crisis. According to a recent newspaper article, the State is spending...

Seanad: Order of Business (24 Sep 2009)

Feargal Quinn: There was an interesting figure in the Commission on Taxation report in regard to tobacco smuggling. What interested me was that the amount of money the nation has been getting from tobacco revenue has been coming down in recent years, but what I did not know was that tobacco consumption is going up. The only way this can happen is with counterfeit and imported illicit cigarettes. I was...

Seanad: Public Transport Regulation Bill 2009: Second Stage (24 Sep 2009)

Feargal Quinn: I welcome the Minister to the House and Senators will appreciate his decision to introduce the Bill in the Seanad. The Minister noted that he accepted a considerable number of amendments to the most recent Bill he introduced in the House. I hope he will consider doing likewise with regard to this legislation. Our efforts are focused on improving the Bill. I learned from my experience with...

Seanad: Public Transport Regulation Bill 2009: Second Stage (24 Sep 2009)

Feargal Quinn: Yes. The Minister addressed my concerns and the plastic bag levy is a good example of how to achieve a specific objective. As a member of the boards of a couple of international bodies, I have become an advocate for similar legislation elsewhere. I fail to understand the reason other countries have chosen not to adopt the plastic bag levy and have opted instead for other measures. The...

Seanad: Order of Business. (6 Oct 2009)

Feargal Quinn: I will be brief. Two weeks ago I raised the issue of the illegal importation of cigarettes. The figures involved are considerable, amounting to some €500 million to €750 million a year. What jolted me the most was the number of counterfeit cigarettes being imported into or produced in the country. All cigarettes are dangerous, but counterfeits are even more so. My attention has since...

Seanad: Public Transport Regulation Bill 2009: Committee Stage (6 Oct 2009)

Feargal Quinn: I am not sure I understand exactly the point the Minister of State is making but it seems the limited reform effected by this Bill will not apply to the vast majority of the public transport services. The amendment states a road passenger transport operator's licence means a national or international road passenger transport operator's licence within the meaning of section 2 of the Road...

Seanad: Public Transport Regulation Bill 2009: Committee Stage (6 Oct 2009)

Feargal Quinn: I support the amendment. I had not quite understood the difference between the two words but I understand why the amendment, to delete "licence" and substitute "contract", has been proposed. This Bill does not apply to services which are the subject of a public transport service contract entered into under section 48 of the 2008 Act. The Minister of State might correct me on that. These...