Results 1,701-1,720 of 1,981 for speaker:Conor Lenihan

Seanad: Inland Fisheries Bill 2009: Committee Stage. (28 Apr 2010)

Conor Lenihan: The paragraph under discussion obliges the Minister to provide to the joint Oireachtas committee a statement indicating the relevant experience and expertise of persons appointed to the board of Inland Fisheries Ireland on the nomination of the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, the Minister for Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs and on the Minister's own...

Seanad: Inland Fisheries Bill 2009: Committee Stage. (28 Apr 2010)

Conor Lenihan: Senators should excuse me for chuckling in response to Senator McCarthy's intervention. This is a standard provision which applies in the case of the majority of appointees to State boards. Appointees to State organisations must be upstanding in all matters, including financial matters. If an individual is financially compromised, he or she could be open to undue influence. This provision...

Seanad: Inland Fisheries Bill 2009: Committee Stage. (28 Apr 2010)

Conor Lenihan: Thankfully, it will not apply to us.

Seanad: Inland Fisheries Bill 2009: Committee Stage. (28 Apr 2010)

Conor Lenihan: It applies only to people who are declaring for bankruptcy under the Act.

Seanad: Inland Fisheries Bill 2009: Committee Stage. (28 Apr 2010)

Conor Lenihan: Section 18(1) provides that the Minister may, in certain circumstances, remove all of the members of Inland Fisheries Ireland. The amendment proposes to have such a removal subject to the approval of the Oireachtas. The Minister is primarily responsible for the corporate governance of Inland Fisheries Ireland, including its board, and it must be open to him or her to decide to remove the...

Seanad: Inland Fisheries Bill 2009: Committee Stage. (28 Apr 2010)

Conor Lenihan: My well publicised private views on this matter are in accordance with those expressed by the Senator. The authority of the Executive has been strengthened to an excessive degree in our system. My personal view is that the only way to resolve the matter is to strenghten Parliament by having an Executive Presidency, which system is probably more accountable than ours. I do not want to bore...

Seanad: Inland Fisheries Bill 2009: Committee Stage. (28 Apr 2010)

Conor Lenihan: This is a standard legislative provision which appears in many other enactments and applies in general to State bodies. It is also one that is frequently the subject of debate when enacting legislation. The purpose of the subsection is to separate the position of chief executive when appearing before an Oireachtas committee. At the end of the day, it is the Minister who is responsible for...

Seanad: Inland Fisheries Bill 2009: Committee Stage. (28 Apr 2010)

Conor Lenihan: There is a reference in the Bill to an obligation on the chief executive to exercise his or her role in respect of the "economy and efficiency" of the IFI. These words are more old fashioned than the phrase "value for money" that has recently been more popular. The integrity of public bodies and institutions such as the Houses is very much guided by the culture of the organisation...

Seanad: Inland Fisheries Bill 2009: Committee Stage. (28 Apr 2010)

Conor Lenihan: I have been greatly impressed by the arguments advanced on this matter by Senator Walsh. Overnight I decided to accept the amendment concerning local authority members. In other words, I agree that it is highly discriminatory to impose a ban on local authority members being members of this particular board. If someone is suitably qualified to perform a function and happens to be a member...

Seanad: Inland Fisheries Bill 2009: Committee Stage. (28 Apr 2010)

Conor Lenihan: As there will be a consequential amendment to section 44 on Report Stage, I will revert to the House at that stage. I acknowledge the contribution of the Tánaiste, Deputy Coughlan, who was very firm on the matter when I spoke to her earlier today. She has constituted the new FÁS board on the basis that there cannot be an exclusion of a member of a local authority. I was guided by her...

Seanad: Inland Fisheries Bill 2009: Committee Stage. (28 Apr 2010)

Conor Lenihan: Yes.

Seanad: Inland Fisheries Bill 2009: Committee Stage. (28 Apr 2010)

Conor Lenihan: This amendment relates to the publication of any by-laws made under section 54 of the Bill on the website of Inland Fisheries Ireland. The Senator seeks to have the term "if any" removed from the provision. I have consulted the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel and am advised that this provision should not be amended. The inclusion of the phrase "if any" offers protection to Inland...

Seanad: Inland Fisheries Bill 2009: Committee Stage. (28 Apr 2010)

Conor Lenihan: This amendment concerns section 65 of the Bill, which is a restatement of section 45 of the Fisheries Act 1980. It allows the Minister, with the consent of the Minister for Finance, to sell certain fisheries, fishing rights and businesses vested in him or her. Senators O'Reilly and Twomey seek to have any such sale subject to the approval of Dáil Éireann. Such a restriction is not...

Seanad: Inland Fisheries Bill 2009: Report and Final Stages. (29 Apr 2010)

Conor Lenihan: ): This amendment is required as a consequence of the amendment I accepted on Committee Stage which removed the provision excluding members of local authorities from sitting on the board of Inland Fisheries Ireland. Section 40(4), as drafted, also precluded members of a local authority from membership of the board of IFI. Accordingly, it is necessary to amend this provision in order that it...

Seanad: Inland Fisheries Bill 2009: Report and Final Stages. (29 Apr 2010)

Conor Lenihan: ): I thank Members for their co-operation. This is an important Bill and an essential measure in delivering new management structures for the inland fisheries resource. We are entering a new era and a period in which this resource will become valuable to the country in the development and encouragment of fisheries and angling tourism. These are key themes that I have asked the new...

Seanad: TETRA System: Statements. (29 Apr 2010)

Conor Lenihan: ): I welcome the opportunity to address Members on a new telecommunications technology, the TETRA system, an acronym for terrestrial trunked radio. It is a new digital mobile radio service primarily intended for use by the emergency services in responding to emergencies. It is envisaged that all emergency services in Ireland, including the Garda Síochána, the fire service, the ambulance...

Seanad: TETRA System: Statements. (29 Apr 2010)

Conor Lenihan: ): I thank Senators McFadden, Wilson and Hannigan, among others, for their worthy contributions. We all know of and understand the technology. Senator Hannigan, more than most, got to grips with the issue. I do not intend to provide authorisation to allow the State to issue compensation to those whose television reception has been affected. Without washing my hands of responsibility for...

Seanad: TETRA System: Statements. (29 Apr 2010)

Conor Lenihan: It is possible for ComReg to notify people by way of placing advertisements in the newspapers. We can also ask the company to give advice or assistance to those who are unable to fund the affordable and easily obtainable technology to rectify the problem. I hope it will be amenable to this suggestion and that Senators will join me at the meeting. As Minister of State with responsibility for...

Seanad: TETRA System: Statements. (29 Apr 2010)

Conor Lenihan: The GPS issue will be addressed in the next version.

Seanad: TETRA System: Statements. (29 Apr 2010)

Conor Lenihan: It is being installed separately in many emergency service vehicles.