Results 3,061-3,080 of 4,608 for speaker:Joe O'Toole

Seanad: Maritime Safety Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (20 Apr 2005)

Joe O'Toole: Ba mhaith liom cur leis na focail atá ráite ag na daoine eile anseo. Gan amhras, tá an Bille seo thar barr. Tá a lán rudaí nua ann, agus braithim gur féidir linn an-dul chun cinn a dhéanamh i gcúrsaí sábháilteachta. It is important that we attempt to ensure this legislation is enacted before the summer, if only for the propaganda value of raising awareness as Senator Feighan...

Seanad: Maritime Safety Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (20 Apr 2005)

Joe O'Toole: I also want the Minister of State to provide an expansion of the points raised by Senator O'Rourke because they are crucial to an understanding of the issue. I wish to raise another issue which I have raised with the Minister of State on a number of occasions previously. This new Part 4 of the Bill makes provision for passenger boats, fishing vessels and pleasure craft and the three sections...

Seanad: Maritime Safety Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (20 Apr 2005)

Joe O'Toole: However, as it was bought abroad and imported, it would be hard to show the exact steps that one went through to buy it, if I had to prove where it came from. One can state where one paid for it and where one put the money. However, boats should be registered. There should be an Irish registration and more importantly, the Irish registration should be part of a European registration. I have...

Seanad: Order of Business. (20 Apr 2005)

Joe O'Toole: We had a discussion before our recent break on the need to consider the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform's document on immigration, which outlines his thinking with a view to future legislation. Many of the speakers on both sides of the House felt this would be useful. There is no crisis issue in this area currently as it has calmed momentarily. Now and not in the heat of battle,...

Seanad: Decentralisation Programme. (19 Apr 2005)

Joe O'Toole: I am interested in the information the Senator is extracting from the Minister of State. Although I have been having greater success accessing the decentralisation website in recent times, the Joint Committee on Finance and the Public Service is still seeking monthly reports on the progress of the decentralisation programme.

Seanad: Special Educational Needs. (19 Apr 2005)

Joe O'Toole: I welcome the Minister of State to the House. The matter I raise relates to education which is not his strongest suit. Nevertheless, it is a straightforward issue on which I hope he will engage with me. I recently visited the Catherine McAuley school in Limerick. It has 175 pupils with special needs, all of whom have been assessed as having a mild learning disability. The average intelligence...

Seanad: Special Educational Needs. (19 Apr 2005)

Joe O'Toole: I thank the Minister of State for his reply. I do not disagree with any of it. I look forward to hearing what is said about the review. However, I was careful not to argue about the number of teachers available to the school. This is not the problem. The staffing support, in terms of its hours, is sufficient. The problem is that the teachers are all changing while these children need...

Seanad: Order of Business. (19 Apr 2005)

Joe O'Toole: The Government said it would be ready in April.

Seanad: Order of Business. (19 Apr 2005)

Joe O'Toole: Despite the convention, it would be churlish of us on this side of the House not to recognise the decision of the Leader of the House to set about regaining her Dáil seat and we wish her well.

Seanad: Order of Business. (19 Apr 2005)

Joe O'Toole: The Cathaoirleach will be aware that today we are in the presence of greatness on these benches.

Seanad: Order of Business. (19 Apr 2005)

Joe O'Toole: We have had this greatness thrust on us, but we have always been aware of it. We wish to put on the record of the House our congratulations to Senator Ross on achieving the distinct and signal honour of being chosen as Senator of the year. We are not surprised, although of course we are all disappointed ourselves.

Seanad: Order of Business. (19 Apr 2005)

Joe O'Toole: We wish him well as someone who has declared war on many establishment groups including——

Seanad: Order of Business. (19 Apr 2005)

Joe O'Toole: Including ICTU, IBEC, the banks and, in recent times, National Toll Roads. On that point, we have noted his move to the left in seeking to have the last remaining private road in the country nationalised ——

Seanad: Order of Business. (19 Apr 2005)

Joe O'Toole: We see that he is inclusive of all different groups. We congratulate him.

Seanad: Order of Business. (19 Apr 2005)

Joe O'Toole: We know that he will serve with dignity and distinction as both father of the House and as Senator of the year. The man is running out of titles.

Seanad: Order of Business. (19 Apr 2005)

Joe O'Toole: Approximately two months ago, I raised the report on the western rail corridor with the Leader and she gave an undertaking that we would have a debate in the House on it. Despite the urgings of Senator Ross and others for the State to spend €400 million on buying out a few hundred metres of roadway on the M50, we should look at investing properly in the western rail corridor. I ask that the...

Seanad: Order of Business. (14 Apr 2005)

Joe O'Toole: I agree that it is time for another debate on the health service, which has featured heavily in the newspapers over the past two weeks for one reason or another. I would welcome the attendance of the Tánaiste to speak to the issue. We should all recognise that, as many of us have said for years, one cannot have low taxes and state-of-the-art public services. I make the point to Government...

Seanad: Order of Business. (14 Apr 2005)

Joe O'Toole: The matter relates to the suggestion that the Great Southern Hotels will be sold. They are pivotal to the tourism industry in the south west, in particular, but also nationally. Once again the question arises of how we will reach certainty on the future of the hotels and what decisions will be made in regard to them. The staff, the industry and the people who depend on these hotels need to...

Seanad: Order of Business. (14 Apr 2005)

Joe O'Toole: ——accumulating on the south side of the city is far more than was ever expected. It does not surprise me.

Seanad: Order of Business. (14 Apr 2005)

Joe O'Toole: It would appear that the methane rising from the south side sewerage system is wafting across to decent northsiders. I would like to know what effect that has on the north side of the city——