Results 3,141-3,160 of 3,356 for speaker:Feargal Quinn

Seanad: Motor Vehicle (Duties and Licences) Bill 2003: Second Stage (Resumed). (1 Apr 2003)

Feargal Quinn: I welcome the Minister of State to the House. In the 1950s, my father ran a ballroom in Skerries. This was during the time of the showbands and the big ballrooms. At the time, there was a tax on each dancer. The ballroom owners of Ireland held a big meeting to call on the Government to tax ballrooms by size instead of taxing each dancer. This would be of considerable benefit to the ballroom...

Seanad: Employment Permits Bill 2003: Report and Final Stages. (1 Apr 2003)

Feargal Quinn: While I am aware of the dangers of hoax permits, I also understand the sentiments of Senators Coghlan and Tuffy on this issue. I assume employers who make an error will be able to use this as a defence against being fined the huge sum of €250,000. I ask the Minister of State to put my mind at rest.

Seanad: Employment Permits Bill 2003: Report and Final Stages. (1 Apr 2003)

Feargal Quinn: I congratulate the Minister of State and his staff on the Bill. I was delighted to see the Bill being introduced in this House and I welcome the manner in which it was dealt with. Concerns were expressed on all sides of the House. The Minister and his staff listened to these and, as a result, this is good legislation from which the country will benefit.

Seanad: Adjournment Matters. - Hospital Services. (1 Apr 2003)

Feargal Quinn: I am sure this is the first time the Minister of State has heard two Fergals in this House in the one night. I ask the Minister to enlighten us about the state of the health service. We have heard about hospitals that plan to close down beds because of the lack of resources in their current budgets, the Mater Hospital being one example. I visited the hospital when I heard that 115 out of 500...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters. - Hospital Services. (1 Apr 2003)

Feargal Quinn: I thank the Minister for his reply. However, like Senator Fergal Browne, I am concerned that the challenge facing us is much greater. I hope that we will seize it in the immediate future. The Seanad adjourned at 8.10 p.m. until 10.30a.m. on Wednesday, 2 April 2003.

Seanad: Employment Permits Bill 2003: Second Stage. (27 Mar 2003)

Feargal Quinn: I agree with a lot of what Senator Ó Murchú said and disagree with the tenor of what Senator Leyden had to say. I am concerned about the use of words such as "floodgates" and "being too generous". This proposal is in our national interest. There are two aspects to the Bill, both of which I welcome.

Seanad: Central Bank and Financial Services Authority of Ireland Bill 2002: Second Stage. (27 Mar 2003)

Feargal Quinn: I welcome the Minister of State. What a Bill and what a great deal of work its drafting must have involved. I thank the civil servants who have given us some idea of the amendments that were made to it in the Lower House. Before I deal with the substantive provisions of the Bill, I wish to protest about the way it has been drafted. The form in which the Bill has come before us makes it a...

Seanad: Order of Business. (25 Mar 2003)

Feargal Quinn: The Companies (Auditing and Accounting) Bill – a Seanad Bill – has just been published. It is detailed legislation. Will the Leader indicate when it will be introduced and will she ensure it is given sufficient attention? I also ask the Leader to arrange a debate on the recent report by the Competition Authority. It is a worthy report, but it has not received the attention it deserves....

Seanad: Finance Bill 2003 [ Certified Money Bill ] : Second Stage. (25 Mar 2003)

Feargal Quinn: I wish to share my time with Senator Ross.

Seanad: Finance Bill 2003 [ Certified Money Bill ] : Second Stage. (25 Mar 2003)

Feargal Quinn: I do not like accountants but there are exceptions. When one hears of a company that has just appointed a new chief executive who was formerly the financial controller, one can see the company change. The companies that once were driven towards looking after their clients and customers suddenly become driven by percentages and money. I learned very early in business that one can sometimes...

Seanad: Foreign Conflicts: Motion. (21 Mar 2003)

Feargal Quinn: I wish to share time with Senator Ross.

Seanad: Foreign Conflicts: Motion. (21 Mar 2003)

Feargal Quinn: Senator Maurice Hayes must mix with different people when in the United States. When I go there I seem to mix only with strongly right wing Republicans who have a sense of might being right.

Seanad: Foreign Conflicts: Motion. (21 Mar 2003)

Feargal Quinn: They feel that as they are able to do this, there is no reason they should not do it. This frightened me. I am a great believer in the rule of law and see the United Nations as fulfilling this role. I argued strongly that we should find another way to get around this problem. On radio today I heard it said no two countries with McDonalds restruants had ever gone to war with one another. I do...

Seanad: Order of Business. (20 Mar 2003)

Feargal Quinn: I would like to raise the issue of waste, particularly the waste of time. It will be ridiculous to spend time on a topic that is clearly going to change. If we spend time on this Bill, no result will stem from it. I hope the Leader will respond to my concern about wasting time by accepting one of the amendments to the Order of Business or come to another solution. There are also issues of...

Seanad: Order of Business. (13 Mar 2003)

Feargal Quinn: I draw the Leader's attention to a call during the week from ICT Ireland for a review of the education system following the fall-off in the numbers of those studying science and technology. This is the second such call. Seán Dorgan made a similar call the previous week. A report making the same point has been lying gathering dust. It should be debated and could be included as part of the...

Seanad: Order of Business. (13 Mar 2003)

Feargal Quinn: Senators should accept the criticism from me because I see very little green around the place. If we are going to establish the St. Patrick's Day festival for one week, we should at least show some spirit in this area.

Seanad: Order of Business. (12 Mar 2003)

Feargal Quinn: It is understandable that we are distracted by the Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill 2003 and the report of the Information Commissioner and I support the comments made in that context on this side of the House. However, let us not forget yesterday's inauguration of the International Criminal Court in the Hague. We passed a referendum two years ago to sign our participation with that...

Seanad: Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill 2003: Committee Stage (Resumed). (12 Mar 2003)

Feargal Quinn: Although I have been a Member of this House for ten years and taken part in debates on quite a few Bills, I have never seen anything like section 12(2)(c). It becomes meaningless if one includes a provision referring to "a person who is a member of such other class as may be prescribed". Why take a page and a quarter to deal with this, rather than simply making it applicable to any committee...

Seanad: Convention on the Future of Europe: Statements. (12 Mar 2003)

Feargal Quinn: I also congratulate Deputy John Bruton on the work he has done. It is highly admired. Sometimes we use big words to try to sell things. I talked to somebody recently who had travelled to Barcelona for the weekend because he and his wife had got the flights at such a cheap rate. He credited this to the European Union, Peter Sutherland and the late Jim Mitchell. He knew that Ryanair could not...

Seanad: Convention on the Future of Europe: Statements. (12 Mar 2003)

Feargal Quinn: I think the Deputy means Avis.