Results 32,401-32,420 of 32,983 for speaker:Paschal Donohoe

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Dec 2009)

Paschal Donohoe: I was interrupted and I wish to finish my third question.

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Dec 2009)

Paschal Donohoe: Can our country maintain its economic independence? That is the most important question the budget had to answer yesterday. The Leader must invite the Minister for Finance to the House every second month of the new year to confirm that the budget assumptions are being met. That issue, honesty, is what concerns all of us.

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Dec 2009)

Paschal Donohoe: The Senator is the first to welcome it.

Seanad: Budget 2010: Statements (10 Dec 2009)

Paschal Donohoe: What an ending by Senator Leyden.

Seanad: Budget 2010: Statements (10 Dec 2009)

Paschal Donohoe: There is a distinct possibility there will be another two or three budgets announced by the Minister for Finance, Deputy Brian Lenihan, but we will see all of them next year. That could be the prospect faced by Senator Leyden's party. As for his claims that Fianna Fáil will be re-elected to Government in 2012, as a fellow politician, I must admire the gusto and conviction with which he can...

Seanad: Order of Business (8 Dec 2009)

Paschal Donohoe: I support my colleagues who have called for a debate on the budget. I make this call in reference to what happened in Greece today. For the second day in a row Greece has suffered huge losses in its stock market and seen the price of its government bonds and the cost of borrowing rise again. This is very relevant to what is happening in Ireland. If the bond markets and hedge funds get...

Seanad: Order of Business (8 Dec 2009)

Paschal Donohoe: It is important. The Leader correctly made the point that this Chamber needs more coverage. This is the day the Houses of the Oireachtas launched a new and much improved website containing new services. I hope that through the offices of the Cathaoirleach, the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission will find its way to support an initiative that is trying to bring coverage of this Chamber to...

Seanad: Order of Business (4 Dec 2009)

Paschal Donohoe: I support the request made by Senator Buttimer that the Minister for Finance come to the House to discuss the state of social partnership and the national finances, just as Senator Boyle suggested. We must look at what is happening in Greece in its economy and take note of the phenomenal difficulty it faced very quickly. We must realise that not only are we just a couple of steps away from...

Seanad: Order of Business (3 Dec 2009)

Paschal Donohoe: We know the people have lost confidence in the Government. However, it became crystal clear overnight and early this morning that the Government had lost confidence in itself. Everyone is aware that there is a once in a lifetime opportunity to tackle the difficulties facing the country. However, the Government has blown it and shown itself it to be out of touch with mainstream thinking in...

Seanad: Order of Business (3 Dec 2009)

Paschal Donohoe: The Senator has changed his tune since yesterday.

Seanad: Order of Business (3 Dec 2009)

Paschal Donohoe: Or yesterday.

Seanad: Order of Business (2 Dec 2009)

Paschal Donohoe: Like my colleagues, I wish to refer to the discussions that took place in Government Buildings last night and I have some questions for the Leader. Many of my colleagues have pointed out that these are interim measures and that nobody knows whether they will work or what their effect will be. It is bit late now for such questions. The discussions have been going on in different forms for...

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2009: Report and Final Stages (1 Dec 2009)

Paschal Donohoe: I second the amendment.

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2009: Report and Final Stages (1 Dec 2009)

Paschal Donohoe: I second the amendment.

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed) (1 Dec 2009)

Paschal Donohoe: I join colleagues in welcoming the debate that will take place on the Murphy report and its conclusions. In the last two weeks the Ombudsman for Children published a report on the number of separated children in the country and the way in which they are being cared for. While I hope none of those children has been subject to the abuse documented in the Murphy report, it is very clear they...

Seanad: Pre-Budget Outlook: Statements (1 Dec 2009)

Paschal Donohoe: I welcome the Minister of State at the Department of Finance, Deputy Mansergh, back to the House. I listened to the contributions of Senators Boyle and Hanafin and was struck by the number of times I heard them say there is no alternative and there is nothing that could be done differently. Listening to them I realised that not only is the economy under the vicious assault of which we are...

Seanad: Pre-Budget Outlook: Statements (1 Dec 2009)

Paschal Donohoe: -----but I was sadly disappointed. While he talked about bringing the country back from the brink, he failed to acknowledge the role played by the Government in bringing the country to the brink in the first place. The need to stand and accept pain is quoted repeatedly. I have worked in the real economy and was fortunate to do so for many years. I have been through it all - creating and...

Seanad: Pre-Budget Outlook: Statements (1 Dec 2009)

Paschal Donohoe: I meant coherence between political parties.

Seanad: Public Transport Regulation Bill 2009 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil]: Report and Final Stages (26 Nov 2009)

Paschal Donohoe: I thank the Minister for making this change. The display of licences was discussed in the House and we put forward the case for the change. We had a similar discussion on the display of timetables for passenger services. I felt it was very important that there be an obligation on providers of public bus passenger services to display timetables. I am glad the Minister has made the change...

Seanad: Public Transport Regulation Bill 2009 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil]: Report and Final Stages (26 Nov 2009)

Paschal Donohoe: Amendment No. 3 is welcome but I have a question for the Minister thereon. Based on his response, he envisages that the Joint Committee on Transport will be the committee with an input. Would it be worth making a change to allow for more than one Oireachtas committee to have an input, or at least thinking about allowing this? The Joint Committee on the Environment, Heritage and Local...