Results 2,021-2,040 of 3,356 for speaker:Feargal Quinn

Seanad: Intoxicating Liquor Bill 2008: Committee Stage (10 Jul 2008)

Feargal Quinn: My question is exactly the same. Is it the Minister of State's intention or is he willing to accept any amendment? I assume that if the Minister of State accepts an amendment — I know him well enough to realise his intention is to write good legislation — it will not come into operation until it goes back to the Dáil, which may be in September or October. That is quite valid and I...

Seanad: Intoxicating Liquor Bill 2008: Committee Stage (10 Jul 2008)

Feargal Quinn: I am very pleased to hear the Minister of State say he is willing to accept amendments. He went even further and I was delighted to hear him say that some of these are very worthy amendments and worth accepting. The only trouble is if these are not accepted today, they do not become law. Something else will become law until later in the year. We will have six months of bad law. If the...

Seanad: Intoxicating Liquor Bill 2008: Committee Stage (10 Jul 2008)

Feargal Quinn: I was rather upset by the Minister of State's suggestion that our proposals to improve the Bill would not achieve the objectives set out in the Bill. I and my colleagues want to have good legislation and we seek to improve the Bill. The Minister of State suggested the purpose of our amendments is to delay or stop the Bill. That is not our intention and I ask him to rephrase his remarks...

Seanad: Intoxicating Liquor Bill 2008: Committee Stage (10 Jul 2008)

Feargal Quinn: I move amendment No. 2: In page 3, subsection (5), line 29, after "provisions" to insert the following: "but should not commence until a Regulatory Impact Analysis has been completed and published". This simple amendment is worthy of consideration. A provision such as that contained in the amendment should be included in practically every item of legislation and it was agreed in the past...

Seanad: Intoxicating Liquor Bill 2008: Committee Stage (10 Jul 2008)

Feargal Quinn: I accept what the Minister of State said but it is bad law. It is bad to pass legislation without assessing the impact it will have, including its economic impact. A regulatory impact analysis should be undertaken in respect of everything we do. It would not take much time and would be very simple. No law should be passed with knowing what its effect will be. This legislation has been...

Seanad: Intoxicating Liquor Bill 2008: Committee Stage (10 Jul 2008)

Feargal Quinn: I will not press the amendment at this stage because I believe the Minister should and will give some thought to the issue between now and Report Stage.

Seanad: Intoxicating Liquor Bill 2008: Committee Stage (10 Jul 2008)

Feargal Quinn: I will not speak about nightclubs because it is some time since I have visited one. Perhaps the Minister of State could address the definition of "court" in amendment 2a. It seems logical in that a court other than the District Court might otherwise be involved and, if that is Senator Regan's intention, I ask for clarification on why it is not acceptable.

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Jul 2008)

Feargal Quinn: I second Senator Fitzgerald's objection to the Order of Business for the same reason that we gave yesterday, namely, it makes a mockery of this House. The entire concept of legislating by means of Second Stage debate followed by Committee Stage and, after due reflection, Report Stage is being ignored. If we speak about Seanad reform while ignoring the basic principles on which legislation...

Seanad: Energy Policy: Motion. (9 Jul 2008)

Feargal Quinn: I welcome the Minister of State and the debate. The points every Member has to make are of interest. Having examined the motion and the amendment, and having listened to Senator O'Reilly with great care, I can support both sides. It is so easy to congratulate the Government on its policy aims but the motion does not state the Government has done anything. I find it easy to support the...

Seanad: Energy Policy: Motion. (9 Jul 2008)

Feargal Quinn: There is an old saying that if one builds a better mouse-trap, the world will beat a path to one's door. This is very much evident today because it is clear that we face a challenge and a problem. It is not easy to solve it because, when we seek to invent the better mouse-trap, namely, that of renewable energy, we are not finding it very easy. I was on a television programme some years ago...

Seanad: Energy Policy: Motion. (9 Jul 2008)

Feargal Quinn: I apologise for interrupting but will a copy of the Minister for State's speech be circulated to Members?

Seanad: Economic Policy: Statements (Resumed) (9 Jul 2008)

Feargal Quinn: I am reminded of the story of a hot chestnut seller in New York who, for many years, ran his business from a stand. He did it so well that he was able to send his son to college. His son asked him one day if he knew a recession was coming and told him to cut back on the chestnuts on display. The father said thank you to his very intelligent educated son and cut back because a recession was...

Seanad: Intoxicating Liquor Bill 2008: Second Stage (9 Jul 2008)

Feargal Quinn: I wish to share my time with Senator Norris.

Seanad: Intoxicating Liquor Bill 2008: Second Stage (9 Jul 2008)

Feargal Quinn: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Curran, before whom I have not had the pleasure of addressing the House before now. I have significant problems with this Bill. While we must face up to a considerable challenge regarding alcohol, I regard the Bill as rushed legislation of the worst kind. The alcohol advisory group, chaired by Dr. Gordon Holmes, was given five weeks in January to make...

Seanad: Intoxicating Liquor Bill 2008: Second Stage (9 Jul 2008)

Feargal Quinn: There should be a 100% levy on the advertising spend, all of which would go to an anti-alcohol lobby group. This is the real solution and it is achievable. If we are to attempt to solve the problem of public disorder, this is the kind of step we must take. I am sure there is a great deal in the legislation that is very valid and sensible and I will not cover matters that have already been...

Seanad: Death of Member: Expressions of Sympathy (9 Jul 2008)

Feargal Quinn: It is with great sadness that I speak on behalf of the Members of the Independent group. I heard of Séamus Brennan's organisational ability when he was general secretary of the Fianna Fáil Party a long time ago. I first came across him when he was Minister of State with responsibility for trade and marketing and immediately thereafter when he became Minister for Tourism, Transport and...

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Jul 2008)

Feargal Quinn: I agree 100% with what Senator Fitzgerald has just said about rushed legislation. I am amazed that we are being treated in this manner with the Intoxicating Liquor Bill. I remind the Leader, with a compliment to him, of an incident that took place seven or eight years ago on exactly the same day — almost the last day of term — when the Dáil had finished and we were discussing the...

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Jul 2008)

Feargal Quinn: There is another intoxicating liquor Bill coming up in October, but we are being given the chance to take Second Stage of this Bill today. When I joined this House many years ago — 15 or 16 years ago — it was explained to me how legislation was put through the House. There is Second Stage, on which we debate the Bill generally. Then, having had time to think over the Bill, we put down...

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Jul 2008)

Feargal Quinn: I cannot believe that. I second Senator Fitzgerald's proposal. I seldom do this because I usually find that amendments on which a vote is called at the end of the Order of Business are on something I do not support. However, this amendment is worthy of support and I agree with Senator Fitzgerald's point about rushed legislation. We will not have a long discussion on the economy today. I...

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Jul 2008)

Feargal Quinn: I heard recently that the best return on investment globally would be achieved by educating women. Many women around the world are not educated. It has been pointed out that the best investment is to educate those who are not educated. I was surprised to see, in a time when we all recognise the need for lifelong learning, that only 7% of Irish people over the age of 18 have a higher...