Results 2,881-2,900 of 3,356 for speaker:Feargal Quinn

Seanad: State Airports Bill 2004: Second Stage. (13 Jul 2004)

Feargal Quinn: I usually start be welcoming the Minister and the Bill. It is seldom that I fail to welcome a Government Bill, being usually disposed to giving the Government the benefit of the doubt. I can summon up no welcome for this Bill. There seems to be no sense whatever behind it. Having listened to the Minister, I am as much in the dark as to the reasoning behind this project as I was when it was...

Seanad: Order of Business. (13 Jul 2004)

Feargal Quinn: Ba mhaith liom ceist a chur ar an Aire Gnóthaí Pobail, Tuaithe agus Gaeltachta maidir le deacrachtaí a luaigh nuachtán inniu i gcomhthéacs doiciméidí oifigiúla a aistriú ó Bhéarla go Gaeilge. We should consider this because we have had a week of serious road deaths. The Department of Transport's road safety strategy for 2004 to 2006 has been ready for publication since February....

Seanad: Order of Business. (8 Jul 2004)

Feargal Quinn: I agree with calls for a debate on the enterprise strategy report. It is probably correct, as Senator Ryan said, to wait until we have had time to consider it and discuss it in September or October rather than now. I draw the Leader's attention to a report published yesterday in Britain which is causing the British to reconsider their strategy on child care. For years the emphasis here and in...

Seanad: Order of Business. (7 Jul 2004)

Feargal Quinn: I add my voice to the words of congratulation to the Leader for the stand she took yesterday. I believe it has enhanced the reputation of the House and its standing in the eyes of the public. I ask her to reply to the questions about what will happen next week. Will this be a fait accompli and will it not be possible to make amendments? Will Committee Stage consist merely of a debate? I ask...

Seanad: Order of Business. (6 Jul 2004)

Feargal Quinn: My attention has been drawn to the national flag by Senators Mooney and McHugh. Where we display the flag we should always do so with respect and honour. In my own business I have always regarded it as something we should not be afraid to use. The point was made to me recently that the lowering of the flag at sunset is a British tradition and is only adhered to in former British colonies. I...

Seanad: Order of Business. (2 Jul 2004)

Feargal Quinn: I have often raised the issue of road deaths and the need for debate on the issue. I have used my Private Members' time to do that. My attention was drawn on those occasions to the statement by the National Safety Council that the main causes of road deaths are speed, the failure to use seat belts, and alcohol. It is worth reading The Irish Times today to hear of another cause, namely...

Seanad: Commissions of Investigation Bill 2003: Second Stage. (1 Jul 2004)

Feargal Quinn: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Parlon. I welcome the Bill more in hope than in expectation but I am very impressed with the Minister of State, Deputy Lenihan's, explanation that it does not replace or amend existing legislation in regard to tribunals, but introduces a more flexible approach, which is necessary. I am not certain that the new model will be a successful way of carrying...

Seanad: Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) Bill 2003: Second Stage. (30 Jun 2004)

Feargal Quinn: I welcome the Minister of State but I am in two minds as to whether I should welcome the Bill. Since the 1920s, a system has been in place that will now be changed. The debates in the Dáil and here will be useful in questioning the need for this change. When I became chairman of An Post in the early 1980s I was told the big difficulty with civil servants was they were so conservative that...

Seanad: Order of Business. (30 Jun 2004)

Feargal Quinn: I always have shivers when I hear we are not to have a debate on an issue. I have a real concern regarding the Abattoirs Act. I do not quite understand how we can deal with the Abattoirs Act 1988 (Abattoirs Licences)(Transfer of Functions) Regulations 2004 without debate. The health of our nation depends on the traceability of the food products we eat. This is so important an issue that we...

Seanad: Order of Business. (24 Jun 2004)

Feargal Quinn: I regard myself as one of the better complainers around the world and have learned how to do it well. I ask myself what I want to achieve if I have a bad meal in a hotel or elsewhere and I only complain when I want to help someone to achieve something. In that context, Senator O'Toole referred to President Bush's visit, about which we must set out what we want to achieve. The better way to...

Seanad: Order of Business. (24 Jun 2004)

Feargal Quinn: ——and steel, make it almost impossible for the Third World to develop. These are the areas which can be addressed in the quiet atmosphere of County Clare rather than by protesting loudly on every occasion. We should approach the visit by setting out what we want to achieve. The Cathaoirleach allowed me an Adjournment debate some months ago, in which I declared that all I wanted for...

Seanad: Order of Business. (24 Jun 2004)

Feargal Quinn: Let us make sure that the heavy handed approach we have seen in respect of clampers and other regulations is not taken in regard to children at Hallowe'en this year.

Seanad: Genetically Modified Foods: Motion. (23 Jun 2004)

Feargal Quinn: I thank all those who have spoken. I commend Senator Henry's knowledge, Senator Feighan's experience and the experience and deeply thought out words of Senator Leyden. I am impressed at the amount of work the Minister of State and his team invested in the reply to the motion and I learned more about the subject from it. One important aspect was made very clear by the Minister of State. This...

Seanad: Genetically Modified Foods: Motion. (23 Jun 2004)

Feargal Quinn: I move: That Seanad Éireann, in view of recent developments at European level in regard to genetically modified foods, requests the Government to initiate a national debate on the potential benefits and potential dangers of such foods, in order to underpin any position that Ireland takes with a full process of democratic consultation. I welcome the Minister of State at the Department of...

Seanad: Order of Business. (23 Jun 2004)

Feargal Quinn: Once again yesterday I was approached by young people with open buckets looking for charitable donations. I raised this matter in the House on occasions in the past. There is a need for some extra controls on charities. In An Agreed Programme for Government in 2002, the Government stated the need to reform the law relating to charities. In 2003 the Law Society reported on the need for reform...

Seanad: Order of Business. (22 Jun 2004)

Feargal Quinn: I wish to comment on Senator Leyden's reference to the smoking ban and the problems he said it is creating for publicans. I gather the smoking ban has been of great benefit to the off-licence business. I say that with some experience. Many publicans are also in that business.

Seanad: Order of Business. (22 Jun 2004)

Feargal Quinn: I ask the Leader to seriously consider the review of the Garda Síochána by the implementation steering group published in recent weeks. There has been some focus on this because of the attention given to the number of Garda stations that may be closed and the centralisation of the Garda Síochána. It would be useful to have an early debate on the review. The reason it comes to mind is that...

Seanad: Order of Business. (3 Jun 2004)

Feargal Quinn: It is surprising how many things in life we take for granted. It is only when something goes wrong that our attention is drawn to it. I am thinking of the serious glitch at air traffic control affecting Heathrow. Something similar happened in Dublin about ten days ago, when there was a glitch in the air traffic system. It was solved very readily and competently. Senators may remember that,...

Seanad: Order of Business. (2 Jun 2004)

Feargal Quinn: There is a possibility that when a story hits the headlines, such as the scandals in the financial institutions, it distracts our attention from some other areas on which we should focus. The Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs, Deputy Tom Kitt, yesterday brought Bono to a meeting of EU development ministers to draw attention to our responsibility for reaching the target of...

Seanad: Report on Seanad Reform: Statements (Resumed). (2 Jun 2004)

Feargal Quinn: The Cathaoirleach's ruling gives me the freedom to compliment a number of Members who are in the House. I can mention the names of the Members present, namely, the Leader, Senator O'Rourke, Senator Brian Hayes and Senator Dardis; I hope the Cathaoirleach will also permit me to congratulate Senators O'Toole and Ryan in their absence. The document is very impressive because it is easy to read...