Results 2,681-2,700 of 6,055 for speaker:Frank Feighan

Seanad: Order of Business (16 May 2018)

Frank Feighan: I was on a Good Friday Agreement tour to Capitol Hill last week with the Chairman of the Joint Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement, Deputy Crowe. We raised many issues regarding the agreement. We wanted to thank the US people and political establishment for the work they did on the Good Friday Agreement. After 20 years, we wanted to renew the agreement. Many...

Seanad: Order of Business (16 May 2018)

Frank Feighan: Sinn Féin, Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil should come out-----

Seanad: Order of Business (16 May 2018)

Frank Feighan: That is good. All parties should absolutely condemn this behaviour. If it carries on, we will not be able to do anything. We must stand up to these faceless thugs. I write about the Commonwealth and I get these keyboard warriors typing messages to me morning, noon and night. The more they abuse me, the more delighted I am. For the 25 who take the time to write abuse, I have received...

Seanad: Mental Health (Amendment) Bill 2017: Report and Final Stages (16 May 2018)

Frank Feighan: I thank the Minister of State for taking on board the amendments. This is a very important matter. I thank all the stakeholders, including Deputy James Browne, for the work in progressing mental health reform. Senator Daly has correctly noted that 16 Bills have passed through the Houses from Opposition Members. In a minority Government, I do not know who is in government or in opposition....

Seanad: Mental Health (Amendment) Bill 2017: Report and Final Stages (16 May 2018)

Frank Feighan: My apologies. I thought all the amendments were accepted.

Seanad: Mental Health (Amendment) Bill 2017: Report and Final Stages (16 May 2018)

Frank Feighan: I will keep the rest of my speech for later.

Seanad: European Court Decision: Motion (16 May 2018)

Frank Feighan: What happened to these 14 men was truly horrendous. They were subjected to sleep deprivation, wall standing, stress positions, white noise and beatings. Alex Kane wrote in The Irish Newsa few days ago "that the past is always in front of us". Our history and our past are always in front of us. If we want to deal with the legacy issues and with truth and reconciliation, we must have an...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Traffic Congestion in the Greater Dublin Area and Related Matters: Discussion (16 May 2018)

Frank Feighan: I thank Mr. Nolan and Mr. Creegan for their presentations. I shall start on a positive note. This morning I travelled here by bus and I was pleasantly surprised at how free flowing traffic was on Kildare Street and College Green. Perhaps that is due to the work that has been done by the organisations and I hope that it is a good omen for the future. It is a fascinating fact that between...

Seanad: Order of Business (3 May 2018)

Frank Feighan: I rise again today to talk about another parliament, the British House of Lords. The UK Government has suffered its tenth defeat in the House of Lords on Brexit. This one would give the UK Parliament powers to reject any Brexit deal that includes a hard border in Northern Ireland. This is hugely significant and at last the politicians in Westminster are seeing the damage that a hard border...

Seanad: Order of Business (2 May 2018)

Frank Feighan: We must welcome the direct flights between Hong Kong and Dublin and between Beijing and Dublin, which will begin next month.I believe this will be a game changer in our trade in tourism and exports to and from China. I was on a trip to China by Members of the Oireachtas and the Ceann Comhairle last week and it was eye opening to see its modern economy. There are huge opportunities for...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Tourism - An Industry Strategy for Growth to 2025: Discussion (2 May 2018)

Frank Feighan: I thank the witnesses for attending. Tourism hugely benefits the island of Ireland. The sector has come a long way, changing its dynamic. I live in Boyle, County Roscommon. I was heavily involved in ensuring Lough Key Forest Park was developed. At the time, Coillte owned the park and people were concerned about its future ownership. In 2001, I advised the local authority that if it took...

Seanad: Commencement Matters (1 May 2018)

Frank Feighan: If the House wishes to take Senator Dolan's Commencement matter first, I have no problem with that.

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Commonwealth of Nations (1 May 2018)

Frank Feighan: As many Senators will be aware, I have spoken publicly on this issue many times. In this era of Brexit, my call to explore the potential benefits of rejoining the Commonwealth of Nations continues to provoke an interesting response. Many of us here are democratic Irish nationalists and proud Europeans but we live in a time when our future relationships with Britain will be shaped by Brexit....

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Commonwealth of Nations (1 May 2018)

Frank Feighan: I thank the Minister for her reply. I absolutely agree that the doubling of our global footprint and work with the expansion of Ireland's diplomatic network is very welcome. We are now at a place where we can make a change as leaders for good throughout the world. Joining the Francophonie and Commonwealth of Nations and many other organisations will be of benefit. I am also delighted we...

Seanad: Order of Business (1 May 2018)

Frank Feighan: Absolutely.

Seanad: Order of Business (1 May 2018)

Frank Feighan: I would like to welcome my colleague Anthony Lawlor into the Seanad today. He follows in the footsteps of his mother, Senator Patsy Lawlor. I also want to welcome Senator Ian Marshall. On 14 February this year, I spoke in the Seanad Chamber to call for one of the vacant Seanad seats to be filled by a unionist voice from Northern Ireland. I am delighted that my fellow county man is here....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Issues Facing Prisoners and Ex-Prisoners: Discussion (19 Apr 2018)

Frank Feighan: I thank Mr. Culbert and Mr. Mulgrew. It is great to see them here again. They were here four years ago I think. I remember as part of the Good Friday committee we went up and saw the valuable work being done. I know the witnesses' organisation has been working extremely hard across the communities with EPIC and similar organisations in loyalist west Belfast. I congratulate and thank them...

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Apr 2018)

Frank Feighan: Senator Mulherin has touched on this point in her remarks but there is a total imbalance when it comes to capital development projects being delayed. In my native town, I was chair of the Lough Key Forest Park action group. We secured a development worth about €20 million. However, about five different hotels have been refused planning permission in the past ten or 15 years and now...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Future of Mental Health Care: Mental Health Services: Discussion (Resumed) (18 Apr 2018)

Frank Feighan: I thank the delegates for their submissions. I will come at the matter from probably a different angle, that is, staffing and capital development. The delegates said they needed A Vision for Change to be completed. What are the outstanding aspects that need to be completed? We talked about nurses. The issues they face constitute a huge challenge across all sectors. We see members of...

Seanad: Order of Business (18 Apr 2018)

Frank Feighan: The Republic of Ireland Act came into force on this day 69 years ago. This Act declared a republic, because of which we were automatically excluded from the Commonwealth. Two weeks later, the rules were changed to allow republics to be members of the Commonwealth. India availed of that but we did not. That is for another day. I attended the Goliath Trust gala in the Europa Hotel in...