Results 2,481-2,500 of 2,735 for speaker:Marie Louise O'Donnell

Seanad: National Lottery Bill 2012: Committee Stage (30 Apr 2013)

Marie Louise O'Donnell: The Minister could open up online gambling.

Seanad: National Lottery Bill 2012: Committee Stage (30 Apr 2013)

Marie Louise O'Donnell: It is a question. Would we gain more from borrowing the money for ourselves from a bank that has €500 million? Maybe we could ask Mr. Richie Boucher for his salary? He has a lot of money from his salary. I am not being smart, but can the Minister tell me what will be extracted from the lottery for this upfront payment? What will continue to be extracted? Will we Senators know...

Seanad: National Lottery Bill 2012: Committee Stage (30 Apr 2013)

Marie Louise O'Donnell: It is a pity I was not on the Minister's side for the entire debate.

Seanad: National Lottery Bill 2012: Committee Stage (30 Apr 2013)

Marie Louise O'Donnell: I do not want to repeat myself, but this is the nub of the matter. Why do I feel that in holding this competition the Government is giving away our rights as Irish people to make profits and extract them in the next 20 years? Perhaps somebody is lurking in the background, but we cannot get involved in the competition. The competition for the up-front payment, namely, the selling of the...

Seanad: National Lottery Bill 2012: Committee Stage (30 Apr 2013)

Marie Louise O'Donnell: He probably thinks there is a fair and foul witch in the audience. I do not agree for one moment with this lottery Bill, not even the Title, but one thing I agree with is the establishment of a regulator. That is a good idea. I think we will sell the company but, regardless, it is a good thing if out of this we get a regulator for the lottery and for gambling, because we need to be far more...

Seanad: National Lottery Bill 2012: Committee Stage (30 Apr 2013)

Marie Louise O'Donnell: I disagree with the Senator. I believe the regulator is a bigger job than that and it would not be a case of having nothing else to do. There are two massive strands to this: the regulation of the lottery, because it is so vast and because it makes so much money, starting at €763 million per year; and the distribution of money to good causes, including the questions of objectivity...

Seanad: National Lottery Bill 2012: Committee Stage (30 Apr 2013)

Marie Louise O'Donnell: I used to marvel at people arriving with a pile of papers on Committee Stage, but now I know why. It is a learning process. Will the Minister of State reassure me about the 108 jobs in An Post? The company is going to be terminated under section 6 and I am anxious to know about the 108 jobs. Will the 108 people be subsumed into An Post? When private companies come in they tend to cut...

Seanad: National Lottery Bill 2012: Committee Stage (30 Apr 2013)

Marie Louise O'Donnell: With that, enter the king.

Seanad: National Lottery Bill 2012: Committee Stage (30 Apr 2013)

Marie Louise O'Donnell: I wish to discuss the section. It is extraordinary that the Minister is always late for my speeches. I was watching "Macbeth" last night, starring Orson Welles, who was, I believe, a very articulate actor. Every time I saw the witches I thought, "That is probably what the Minister thinks of me each time he comes in here."

Seanad: National Lottery Bill 2012: Committee Stage (30 Apr 2013)

Marie Louise O'Donnell: On some of the thousands of pieces of paper I read on this issue it was mentioned that the Minister had mentioned a figure of €500 million. It could have been between €400 million and €600 million, or €500 million. It could be more or less. That is the reason I mentioned it. I just cannot remember the actual reference.

Seanad: National Lottery Bill 2012: Committee Stage (30 Apr 2013)

Marie Louise O'Donnell: Yes. It was a quote in The Irish Times.

Seanad: National Lottery Bill 2012: Committee Stage (30 Apr 2013)

Marie Louise O'Donnell: There is something of a Hobson’s choice if the bid is constrained. In this regard, the opening up of online gambling must be considered. We have not spoken about this issue yet. How is the Government to obtain €300 million to €700 million, unless it has some carrot? The carrot is the opening up of online gambling. To date, there has not been a big profit, as I...

Seanad: National Lottery Bill 2012: Committee Stage (30 Apr 2013)

Marie Louise O'Donnell: I suppose I am and I apologise, but my point concerns the amount of money we hope to obtain, of which some is to go towards the national children's hospital. The argument is linked, but I understand I may be a little off the point.

Seanad: National Lottery Bill 2012: Committee Stage (30 Apr 2013)

Marie Louise O'Donnell: I separate the dancer from the dance. I do not personalise this by saying that any Minister should not be listened to. I do not agree with Senator Byrne that any Minister is in a position he or she should not be in. Most of the Ministers are in position because they should be there. I do not agree that the Minister, Deputy Howlin, is not believable.

Seanad: National Lottery Bill 2012: Committee Stage (30 Apr 2013)

Marie Louise O'Donnell: I do not believe that is right. My personal views on this matter differ from my political view on it. I would like to know the reason the Minister of State would not give credence to a dedicated draw for the national children's hospital, which is one of the most important aspects of health provision in this country. If we do not have education or health provision for children we do not...

Seanad: National Lottery Bill 2012: Committee Stage (30 Apr 2013)

Marie Louise O'Donnell: It was quoted. I mentioned it here during one of the Stages of the Bill. The Minister was quoted as giving a figure of €500 million. He might have changed that target. I do not link him with the figure, but he was quoted as having given it.

Seanad: National Lottery Bill 2012: Committee Stage (30 Apr 2013)

Marie Louise O'Donnell: Will the Minister of State confirm that the sale of the national lottery for 20 years is required by an EU directive, which is to say we must sell or lease the lottery for an up-front payment for 20 years? I thought it was a Government idea. Obviously, the Government thinks it is a good one. I disagree. The Government will not get the price it wants in July, but that is another day's...

Seanad: National Lottery Bill 2012: Committee Stage (30 Apr 2013)

Marie Louise O'Donnell: It is not on foot of an EU directive that we must sell it. It was our own idea.

Seanad: National Lottery Bill 2012: Committee Stage (30 Apr 2013)

Marie Louise O'Donnell: Exactly; generally speaking.

Seanad: National Lottery Bill 2012: Committee Stage (30 Apr 2013)

Marie Louise O'Donnell: Especially as they are about to buy it.