Results 2,161-2,180 of 4,608 for speaker:Joe O'Toole

Seanad: Order of Business (28 Mar 2007)

Joe O'Toole: It is well deserved.

Seanad: Order of Business (28 Mar 2007)

Joe O'Toole: The Oireachtas Joint Committee on Enterprise and Small Business received a disturbing report this morning about the Border, midlands and western, BMW, region. I called recently for debates on regional areas such as Kerry. The BMW includes the Leader's area. The report reaches disturbing conclusions, the most annoying of which is that every operational programme under the national...

Seanad: Order of Business (27 Mar 2007)

Joe O'Toole: This issue was brought to the attention of the Minister for Transport during the debate on the last road safety Bill. We outlined to him that it works in France and Germany, where speed limits differ depending on the roads, but it was just ignored, as I am sure it will be again. I support some of the points made by Senator Brian Hayes regarding Northern Ireland and recall that this 20-year...

Seanad: Asset Covered Securities (Amendment) Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (23 Mar 2007)

Joe O'Toole: My apologies for not being present for the Second Stage debate. I have not seen the Minister of State's speech but I agree that this is an important piece of legislation. My understanding of the Basel II agreement, which comes into force on 1 January next, is that it should have a major impact on the levels of securities demanded by the central and reserve banks in order to credit the...

Seanad: Asset Covered Securities (Amendment) Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (23 Mar 2007)

Joe O'Toole: I did not realise that.

Seanad: Asset Covered Securities (Amendment) Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (23 Mar 2007)

Joe O'Toole: They are in the right jobs.

Seanad: Tax and Social Welfare Codes (23 Mar 2007)

Joe O'Toole: I encountered this issue recently and I presume that, of all Ministers, a Progressive Democrats Minister of State will sympathise. I do not want to go into detail, but I will read my Adjournment debate into the record. It reads: The need for the Minister for Social and Family Affairs to correct the anomaly which penalises a person who chooses to work in a low paid job rather than claim...

Seanad: Tax and Social Welfare Codes (23 Mar 2007)

Joe O'Toole: I hope to be surprised.

Seanad: Tax and Social Welfare Codes (23 Mar 2007)

Joe O'Toole: I accept that the Minister of State has to go through his script. Does he agree that the effect of the current regulations is that people with low-paid jobs who want to go back to college will be looked after better if they go the dole for a year beforehand? What are we doing? People laugh at politicians when they find out we are creating problems of this nature. The Minister of State...

Seanad: Tax and Social Welfare Codes (23 Mar 2007)

Joe O'Toole: I thank the Minister of State.

Seanad: Tax and Social Welfare Codes (23 Mar 2007)

Joe O'Toole: That is right.

Seanad: Tax and Social Welfare Codes (23 Mar 2007)

Joe O'Toole: I appreciate that.

Seanad: Asset Covered Securities (Amendment) Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (23 Mar 2007)

Joe O'Toole: I have a question on section 5. Is the Basel II agreement, which comes in next January and relates to asset-backed securities, facilitated by the legislation? I did not get the chance to raise the issue.

Seanad: Asset Covered Securities (Amendment) Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (23 Mar 2007)

Joe O'Toole: I apologise for interrupting.

Seanad: Order of Business (23 Mar 2007)

Joe O'Toole: I would like to correct the record because Senator John Phelan was referring to electronic voting as opposed to e-voting. The issue of e-voting has not yet been discussed in either House and it is time it was introduced in order that people could vote no matter where they were. If we can pay our mortgages over the Internet, we should also be able to vote. That would eradicate the problems...

Seanad: Order of Business (23 Mar 2007)

Joe O'Toole: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Carbon Fund Bill 2006: Second Stage (22 Mar 2007)

Joe O'Toole: There is much we could do. I will tell the Minister a story. Last week the energy regulator attended a meeting of the Joint Committee on Enterprise and Small Business. I was embarrassed with the lack of knowledge shown by the officials. They were not aware that Sustainable Energy Ireland offers grants for solar panels but not for wind generators. This is a basic piece of information in...

Seanad: Carbon Fund Bill 2006: Second Stage (22 Mar 2007)

Joe O'Toole: Let us broaden its market by making this an essential part of what we are doing. These are just simple things that can be done. I have not seen Al Gore's film, but I believe it is very good. There was a big debate on Channel 4 about whether global warming was based on nonsense. We should tell those people they should go into a corner and continue their debate. Whatever about the arguments...

Seanad: Carbon Fund Bill 2006: Second Stage (22 Mar 2007)

Joe O'Toole: On a point of information, the Senator's own Government took measures to deal with Chlorofluorocarbons in order to stop the things that were creating the problem.

Seanad: Carbon Fund Bill 2006: Second Stage (22 Mar 2007)

Joe O'Toole: The point is that measures were taken.