Results 1,861-1,880 of 4,608 for speaker:Joe O'Toole

Seanad: Order of Business. (1 Feb 2006)

Joe O'Toole: All of us on the Independent benches would wish to be associated with those words of congratulations to former Senator Murphy. I welcome the extension of the Order of Business and thank the Committee on Procedure and Privileges for moving on the issue. By way of explanation, it has been extended to 40 minutes from the time the Leader sits down following the announcement of the Order of...

Seanad: Order of Business. (1 Feb 2006)

Joe O'Toole: No, I will leave that to Senator Brian Hayes's party colleagues. However, I will support it. "Independent" means independent of all others.

Seanad: Road Safety: Statements. (1 Feb 2006)

Joe O'Toole: I thank my colleagues for sharing their time with me. I welcome the Minister of State at the Department of Education and Science, Deputy de Valera, to the House and hope she will take our views on board. I wish to put a few simple points on the record. I listened with some care to the points made by my two colleagues who raised issues that can be simple matters. Certainly the higher the...

Seanad: Road Safety: Statements. (1 Feb 2006)

Joe O'Toole: We do not find that any more. When we get to the North we find the main roads are narrow. Similarly, in the North if one goes off the main roads the side roads are way ahead of those in the South. That is the difficulty. I know Senator Wilson will have much to say about that given that he lives in a Border county. The difference is clear if one goes on a non-main road North and South. Road...

Seanad: Child Care Investment Programme: Motion. (1 Feb 2006)

Joe O'Toole: I thank Senator Mooney for sharing his time with me. I wish the Minister of State, Deputy Brian Lenihan, well with his new responsibilities. I have spoken in the House about child care on three or four occasions over the past year. On the first two or three occasions, I called for five things to be delivered on. First, I asked for overall responsibility for the entire child care sector to be...

Seanad: Child Care Investment Programme: Motion. (1 Feb 2006)

Joe O'Toole: This is my final point. I welcome certain issues and ask that the questions in the Fine Gael amendment that parental and paternal leave be paid for be answered and that the qualifications be vetted. There can be all sorts of qualifications. Whatever the qualification, we should know that a person has done a course and what is their level of experience. Parents should know that when dropping...

Seanad: Order of Business. (2 Feb 2006)

Joe O'Toole: As this year is the 90th anniversary of the 1916 Rising, it is worth discussing it. The year 1916 was a time of extraordinary change but there has been no acknowledgement of it. People are afraid of their past in that regard. There were decent people in the Royal Irish Constabulary as well as in the various volunteer forces. There was Tom Kettle as well as Tom Clark. Some people gave much to...

Seanad: Order of Business. (7 Feb 2006)

Joe O'Toole: The issue raised by Senator Finucane is an important one that could bear discussion but I take issue with one point he made. I question whether Denmark embraces the Muslim community in its country. The problems in Denmark began with the election of a hard, right-wing Government in recent years on a strong anti-immigration card. There is a substantial amount of what may be termed...

Seanad: Social Partnership: Statements. (7 Feb 2006)

Joe O'Toole: It is to his credit.

Seanad: Social Partnership: Statements. (7 Feb 2006)

Joe O'Toole: I wish to share my time with the right-wing Senator Ross.

Seanad: Social Partnership: Statements. (7 Feb 2006)

Joe O'Toole: The most important aspect of social partnership is that it has delivered. I agree with the points made by speakers about how much it has delivered and that questions arise. However, it is worthwhile reminding ourselves, particularly at a time when people criticise society and what we have achieved, of where we were in 1987 before this process began. In 1987, we had a debt to GNP ratio of...

Seanad: Social Partnership: Statements. (7 Feb 2006)

Joe O'Toole: It is also a process about forcing people to sign in blood on the bottom line and to stick with the agreement. Every time I hear politicians talking about not being involved in the social partnership discussions I reflect on how lucky they are. The day one engages is the day one has to stick with what is agreed and that would not suit too many politicians who would have signed up to defend...

Seanad: Social Partnership: Statements. (7 Feb 2006)

Joe O'Toole: The House will notice Senator Ross has said nothing about social partnership so far.

Seanad: Social Partnership: Statements. (7 Feb 2006)

Joe O'Toole: On a point of order, as well as a point of honour, I gave the Senator exactly eight minutes. Is that correct?

Seanad: Social Partnership: Statements. (7 Feb 2006)

Joe O'Toole: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Social Partnership: Statements. (7 Feb 2006)

Joe O'Toole: He certainly did not.

Seanad: Death of Former Member: Expressions of Sympathy. (8 Feb 2006)

Joe O'Toole: The Independent group in the Seanad would like to associate itself with the comments made by the two previous speakers. Ruairí Brugha was a quiet man. He travelled to and from the Oireachtas Library most days of the week until recently. Very few people would have recognised him, except those of us who knew him for many years. He always moved quietly and never involved himself in conversation...

Seanad: Order of Business. (8 Feb 2006)

Joe O'Toole: On No. 2 on the Order Business, the funding of third level education and the Fottrell report, is it possible to continue that debate beyond today?

Seanad: Order of Business. (8 Feb 2006)

Joe O'Toole: I thank the Leader. Members on the Independent benches have a particular interest in the matter.

Seanad: Order of Business. (8 Feb 2006)

Joe O'Toole: Last week, Senator Feighan raised the issue of planning and, in particular, the rejection of a proposal for an eco-friendly development on Lough Key. This issue was also raised on a number of occasions by Senator MacSharry. I ask that we return to No. 13, statements on planning and related issues, because every time I meet people who are trying to put together environmentally sensitive...