Results 2,821-2,840 of 4,608 for speaker:Joe O'Toole

Seanad: Order of Business. (24 Nov 2005)

Joe O'Toole: If one wants to discuss the incident, I absolutely disagree with the point that has just been made.

Seanad: Order of Business. (24 Nov 2005)

Joe O'Toole: But if we want to talk about the issue, that is an incorrect presentation.

Seanad: Order of Business. (24 Nov 2005)

Joe O'Toole: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Iraq War: Motion. (23 Nov 2005)

Joe O'Toole: I welcome the Minister of State to the House and congratulate my colleague, Senator Norris, for tabling this motion. I apologise for my absence from the House for almost all of this crucial debate. However, some issues should be put on the record and examined. I regret that the amendment was tabled, as it does not deal with the issues. The Government and the Minister of State's party has...

Seanad: Housing Policy: Statements. (23 Nov 2005)

Joe O'Toole: At the very least I am confused and at another level I am deeply suspicious. I recall when former Taoiseach Albert Reynolds came back from Edinburgh with the famous €8 billion in EU funding in the early 1990s. We all cheered and believed it was great — it was. Some years later I looked at where that €8 billion went. More than €6 billion, in one form or another, went through one Irish...

Seanad: Housing Policy: Statements. (23 Nov 2005)

Joe O'Toole: I will conclude by painting a beautiful picture of an area in the Leas-Chathaoirleach's constituency.

Seanad: Housing Policy: Statements. (23 Nov 2005)

Joe O'Toole: If the people of Bellavary, outside Castlebar, which is a small community surrounded by land, decided to grow rape-seed, put up three or four wind generators and a solar panel on every house in the village and install a sewage treatment system, would they not be doing us a favour? They would be looking after themselves and raising awareness. They would be role models for the rest of the...

Seanad: Housing Policy: Statements. (23 Nov 2005)

Joe O'Toole: I thank the Minister.

Seanad: Housing Policy: Statements. (23 Nov 2005)

Joe O'Toole: I, too, welcome the Minister to the House and wish him well with his very difficult portfolio. Much has been said in the debate on affordable and social housing. I am disappointed over the slow progress regarding affordable housing. I noticed this week that the State has found an extra 235 acres to be made available for affordable housing. I fully support the initiative, established at the...

Seanad: Order of Business. (23 Nov 2005)

Joe O'Toole: On a number of occasions recently we raised the question of crime and the involvement of the gardaí. The House should note the fact that over the past week the gardaí in Limerick, in particular, have been extraordinarily successful in making at least two, and possibly three, giant steps towards solving some of the difficulties there. It has been done by good policing and hard work. It...

Seanad: Order of Business. (22 Nov 2005)

Joe O'Toole: You may have noticed, a Chathaoirligh, an article in today's Irish Independent on school league tables which, more than anything else, shows how unreliable they are but that is not the point I wish to have discussed. I ask the Leader to provide an opportunity to discuss the fact that this country is developing into one where not just the quality of a school but the quality of education is...

Seanad: Order of Business. (17 Nov 2005)

Joe O'Toole: Senator Brian Hayes made a valid point about how people can be locked in their own communities in cities and the country. People in Dublin's inner city districts lock and bar their doors at 7 p.m. and are afraid to venture out after this hour. This issue faces quiet people and elderly people around the country and should be debated. I ask the Acting Leader to respond to me on the question of...

Seanad: Order of Business. (16 Nov 2005)

Joe O'Toole: I support the call by Senator Brian Hayes for a debate on crime. It is important to put certain matters on the record. You will recall, a Chathaoirligh, that some years ago I spoke at length about the murder of Mr. Brian Fitzgerald in Limerick. I said then that it was a turning point, so it is important to put on the record the extraordinarily good work the Garda Síochána is doing there....

Seanad: Order of Business. (16 Nov 2005)

Joe O'Toole: It is appalling and we need to express our displeasure about it at this stage. I support the point raised by Senator Norris on that issue.

Seanad: Juvenile Offenders: Motion. (16 Nov 2005)

Joe O'Toole: I would like to speak more about child care, education and life skills, but my time is limited. I would like every child to be able to cook and learn interpersonal skills, but that cannot be done solely in school, which accounts for only six or seven hours per day. The remainder of the time will shape their life experiences. I would stake my reputation on guaranteeing that if every child in...

Seanad: Juvenile Offenders: Motion. (16 Nov 2005)

Joe O'Toole: I agree with the point made by the Minister of State, Senator Glynn and others that the Children Act is a good piece of legislation. I recall when that legislation was going through the House, both Senator Ryan and I tabled amendments to provide for a commencement date on the total Act. It was not brought forward, however. The former Minister of State, who is now the Minister for Education...

Seanad: Juvenile Offenders: Motion. (16 Nov 2005)

Joe O'Toole: We all know that 90% of the prison population comes from clearly defined urban areas, so why do we not do something about it at an early stage?

Seanad: Ferns Report: Statements (Resumed). (15 Nov 2005)

Joe O'Toole: I welcome the Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children, Deputy Brian Lenihan, to the House and I join Senator Lydon in congratulating him on his contribution to the debate last week. It was important, timely and very measured. The Ferns Report is something on which we can build. I have rarely found myself in agreement with Senator Lydon on issues relating to the church and...

Seanad: Ferns Report: Statements (Resumed). (15 Nov 2005)

Joe O'Toole: I know. I wish to give the then Minister for Education some credit for her actions at that time. If she had not supported the women in question, the introduction of the Stay Safe programme would have been delayed for many years. It is worth recalling that she stood with me, against some of her senior officials, by saying she wanted the programme to be implemented. Not too many people took an...

Seanad: Order of Business. (15 Nov 2005)

Joe O'Toole: This House has noted on a number of occasions that by dint of co-operation between unions, management, business, Government and all interested parties we have the best strike record in Europe. That has been hard won. It has been achieved through a long, hard-sweated process of negotiations, engagement and the building up of trust and confidence. This has ensured that people have sought to...