Results 2,041-2,060 of 3,356 for speaker:Feargal Quinn

Seanad: Housing Market: Statements (8 Jul 2008)

Feargal Quinn: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Power. I found the speech of the Minister of State, Deputy Finneran, very impressive. The concept of the policy statement, which is based on delivering homes and sustaining communities, is well worth while. There was a vision behind it when it was published last year. The objective, as the Minister of State said, is the transformation of the housing...

Seanad: Order of Business (8 Jul 2008)

Feargal Quinn: It feels a little like the end of school term today. I am not going to call for a discussion on the economy because we will have the opportunity to do that tomorrow. However, like at the end of school term, we should give ourselves some homework to do. This should apply no matter who we are, whether Members of the House, civil servants of Departments, Ministers or citizens. One of the...

Seanad: Nuclear Test Ban Bill 2006: Committee and Remaining Stages (3 Jul 2008)

Feargal Quinn: I congratulate the Minister of State and his officials on bringing this Bill to the House. Unfortunately, I did not get a chance to speak on Second Stage, having missed by about ten seconds, but I made some points to the Minister of State afterwards. My only concern is that while the treaty was open for signature in 1999 it has yet to come into force. Some 176 countries have signed the...

Seanad: Chemicals Bill 2008: Second Stage (3 Jul 2008)

Feargal Quinn: I welcome the Minister and the Bill. I was concerned with the REACH directive. Its objective was to give a level playing field in Europe but it was inclined to make European countries less competitive and attractive than other countries. While there is a level playing field in Europe, the REACH directive presented problems in that area. However, this is not the REACH directive, but...

Seanad: Order of Business (3 Jul 2008)

Feargal Quinn: Adding my voice to the relief and delight at the release of Ingrid Betancourt, I am reminded that I met Mr. Don Tidey last weekend. It is not that long ago that Mr. Tidey went through the same thing. We should remember both the young soldier and the young garda who lost their lives at his rescue. In seeking a debate on Northern Ireland last week, which may not happen next week but which...

Seanad: Cancer Services: Motion (2 Jul 2008)

Feargal Quinn: Senator Feeney should be allowed to speak without interruption, please.

Seanad: Cancer Services: Motion (2 Jul 2008)

Feargal Quinn: Senator Feeney should be allowed to speak without interruption, please.

Seanad: Order of Business (2 Jul 2008)

Feargal Quinn: Senator Fitzgerald raised the issue of the protection of children. I draw the Leader's attention to an item I read during the week disclosing that a leading British bank, which I do not believe operates in Ireland, is in the habit of sending debit cards to children as young as 11 years without the consent of the parents. I do not know if it is possible to do this in Ireland and I do not...

Seanad: Situation in Zimbabwe: Statements (Resumed) (1 Jul 2008)

Feargal Quinn: I rise with a degree of sadness, having listened to the Minister's words, which are correct, when he referred to an "insult to democracy", "obscene charade" and "terrified voters". I will not repeat all we have heard today because the newspapers have been full of this for so long, it is just a horror. I rise in sadness given that in 1984, when I was chairman of the Irish Management...

Seanad: Prison Development (Confirmation of Resolutions) Bill 2008: Second and Subsequent Stages (26 Jun 2008)

Feargal Quinn: I welcome the Minister of State to the Seanad. When I was elected to this House 16 years ago, one of the very first Bills I had to consider was a prisons Bill. I recall that I did not know what to do, since I had no experience in this area, having been involved in a different way of life before that. I decided to look for the customer in every Bill. For a health Bill, I would look to the...

Seanad: Order of Business (26 Jun 2008)

Feargal Quinn: I ask the Leader to consider having a debate on Northern Ireland. When I planned to raise this the other day, I was going to say it would be a good time to talk about the positive things because the killing has finished. Unfortunately, we all saw what happened two days ago when a young man was killed, reportedly by the INLA. I only hope that does not bring us back to the terrible years of...

Seanad: Broadcasting Bill 2008: Report Stage (25 Jun 2008)

Feargal Quinn: I support the concept behind the two amendments. I recognise there is a problem with instituting a ban on advertising in one country that does not apply in the rest of the world. If Sky, UTV and other channels were allowed to advertise alcohol, the advertising revenue from companies that would otherwise advertise in the Irish media would be lost. The revenue would go abroad and, therefore,...

Seanad: Broadcasting Bill 2008: Report Stage (25 Jun 2008)

Feargal Quinn: I second the amendment.

Seanad: Broadcasting Bill 2008: Report Stage (25 Jun 2008)

Feargal Quinn: I thank the Minister for accepting the principle of the point I made which was, as he recognised, about good practice. It is good business practice and I love to see that practice initiated into all legislation in order that State companies have the same practice that is commonplace elsewhere. I accept the textual change to read "six months". I put down "four months" in the hope of being...

Seanad: Electricity Regulation (Amendment) (EirGrid) Bill 2008: Second Stage (24 Jun 2008)

Feargal Quinn: I welcome the Minister of State and the Bill. We can remember the times when electricity supplies failed, not only when I was growing up but also later. In the past 40 or 50 years, we have been very fortunate in that when one turns on the switch one knows there will be electricity available. When one goes abroad one notices the hotels one stays in always have candles beside the beds...

Seanad: Electricity Regulation (Amendment) (EirGrid) Bill 2008: Second Stage (24 Jun 2008)

Feargal Quinn: Perhaps they were. The idea of providing for the transfer of ownership of the electricity assets from the ESB to EirGrid is one we must accept on the basis that there will be competition, thus lowering the price, as Senator O'Malley suggested. I am a little confused in this regard. I read about the Competition Authority welcoming the move because real competition was necessary but it seems...

Seanad: Order of Business (24 Jun 2008)

Feargal Quinn: I agree that we must debate the economy and we should do so quickly though perhaps not today, because the ESRI report came out only today. I fear, from words used in the House already, that we are talking ourselves into a bigger recession than we might otherwise have had.

Seanad: Order of Business (24 Jun 2008)

Feargal Quinn: We must be careful not to do that. We need optimism but also realism. Things have changed in the 25 years to which the ESRI report refers. We no longer have control of our interest rates in the way that we had control of our currency 25 years ago. We have greatly benefited from the euro and control from the European Central Bank but we do not have our own control any longer. We must...

Seanad: Lisbon Reform Treaty Report: Statements (5 Jun 2008)

Feargal Quinn: The "Maybe" side is also represented.

Seanad: Lisbon Reform Treaty Report: Statements (5 Jun 2008)

Feargal Quinn: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Roche, and thank Senator Norris for sharing his time. We greatly appreciate the fact that Deputy Perry's report has had a chance to be discussed in the House, even though it is a short debate. Way back when this started, I was quite concerned that there would not be a debate. It seemed that all the larger parties announced almost immediately that...