Results 2,981-3,000 of 4,608 for speaker:Joe O'Toole
- Seanad: Order of Business. (19 May 2005)
Joe O'Toole: Yesterday the Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs with responsibility for overseas developmentââ
- Seanad: Order of Business. (19 May 2005)
Joe O'Toole: I do not intend making a political football of this, but there is an issue regarding which people must say where they stand. I am not calling for resignations or anything of that sort. Without reference to the person involved, we must show our concern as a House if there are issues we feel have any resonance regarding racism, are unworthy of where we stand or do not reflect our position. If...
- Seanad: Order of Business. (19 May 2005)
Joe O'Toole: I am referring to a report in this morning's newspapers. An interview was given by a Minister of State. I will not go into the detail of the matter. We have recently had long discussions in this House on Gama and other matters. We have all gone on the record. The Minister of State made an unfortunate error yesterday and has made an apology I am prepared to accept. However, it is also...
- Seanad: Constitution for Europe: Statements. (18 May 2005)
Joe O'Toole: On my first visit to the European Parliament many years ago, I met a Member of the Parliament from a town in Germany which was just across the border from Strasbourg. I asked him whether the European Parliament was anything more than a talking shop. He asked me to wait so he could introduce me to a French colleague and then told me that their fathers had literally been shooting at each other...
- Seanad: Tourism Industry: Motion. (18 May 2005)
Joe O'Toole: I second the motion and I thank my colleague, Senator Quinn, for tabling it. To reiterate some of the points he made, this afternoon I checked the American Express holiday cost of living index on Google. The first two pages that came up showed the Thailand tourist board and the Spanish tourist board, one claiming to be the cheapest in the world and the other claiming to be the cheapest in...
- Seanad: Order of Business. (18 May 2005)
Joe O'Toole: On a point of order, Senator Coghlan is right in his correction. I thought I had said the opposite. My apologies to the House.
- Seanad: Order of Business. (18 May 2005)
Joe O'Toole: I apologised.
- Seanad: Constitution for Europe: Statements. (18 May 2005)
Joe O'Toole: I echo what my two colleagues have said. This occasion is a form of joined-up democracy in which those elected to different fora and at different levels engage with each other, which is very important. I welcome our two colleagues from the European Parliament to the Independent benches. Deputy Marian Harkin, a well-known community voice and a voice for the west is a Deputy and an MEP. She is...
- Seanad: Order of Business. (18 May 2005)
Joe O'Toole: I raised the national report on obesity and related matters yesterday in regard to primary school children. Employees in my office telephoned 20 random primary schools yesterday and could not find one with a vending machine. This raises questions as to where the report's authors undertook their research. I pointed to the difficulties of many primary schools in terms of the provision of games...
- Seanad: Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (17 May 2005)
Joe O'Toole: I move amendment No. 15: In page 64, subsection (6), lines 43 and 44, to delete "compliance with the improvement notice" and substitute "having received the letter confirming the remedies". I tabled these amendments after learning of the reservations of a number of people. I have discussed my worries with the Minister of State's advisers and understand the Government's different perspective...
- Seanad: Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (17 May 2005)
Joe O'Toole: I appreciate the Minister of State's response. He has made clear that in the event of an inspector feeling he or she did not have access to expertise, he or she would be entitled to acquire it. The point Senator McDowell made is important in that sometimes this expertise will not be available within the State and I ask the Minister of State to consider that issue. When I tabled this amendment...
- Seanad: Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (17 May 2005)
Joe O'Toole: I must be missing something. I have no problem with what is being added, but we are removing things like the reference to the Dangerous Substances Acts 1972 to 1979, the safety Acts 1955 to 1980 as well as inserting the others. Why are these references being removed? Are they not still extant? We are removing lines 12 to 15, which include references to the Safety in Industry Acts, the Safety,...
- Seanad: Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (17 May 2005)
Joe O'Toole: I will take the Minister of State's word for it.
- Seanad: Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (17 May 2005)
Joe O'Toole: The constitutional treaty should be passed.
- Seanad: Order of Business. (17 May 2005)
Joe O'Toole: Was the Leader at the launch?
- Seanad: Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (17 May 2005)
Joe O'Toole: I move amendment No. 3: In page 14, lines 43 to 49, to delete paragraph (b) and substitute the following new paragraph: "(b) an officer or servant of a harbour authority, the Health Service Executive or a vocational educational committee is deemed to be an employee employed by the harbour authority, the Health Service Executive or vocational education committee, as the case may be, and". This...
- Seanad: Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (17 May 2005)
Joe O'Toole: I cannot speak on amendment No. 1, which I inadvertently missed moving, but I give notice that it is my intention to reintroduce it on Report Stage. I apologise for having wasted the time of the House but we must return to the issue I have raised, which concerns dealing with the collapse or partial collapse of a building. I intend to raise it again on Report Stage.
- Seanad: Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (17 May 2005)
Joe O'Toole: I support this amendment. It improves the section as it makes it clearer.
- Seanad: Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (17 May 2005)
Joe O'Toole: I am taken by the argument put forward in support of the amendment, but I am not convinced it makes things better. I was going to put this amendment forward on three occasions, but I held back each time. I am not sure if the amendment strengthens or weakens the situation. Using Senator Cummins's line of logic, it is clearly important. However, I like the regularity of an annual review come...
- Seanad: Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (17 May 2005)
Joe O'Toole: I support these amendments. This is a provision one would assume was already in place. It is amazing none of us identified this omission previously. Accidents often take place involving workers employed on a temporary basis and who have not been made aware of the risks associated with the working environment. These amendments ensure newly recruited employees will be made aware of all such...