Results 32,421-32,440 of 32,983 for speaker:Paschal Donohoe

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 his consistent approach to legislation in the House, his willingness to listen to points that have been made and to act upon them. Our party voted against the Bill in the Seanad and the Dáil because of our belief that we could do more to get better value for the money that is being spent in this area and to introduce choice in how bus services are provided. That...

Seanad: Companies (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2009: Committee Stage (26 Nov 2009)

Paschal Donohoe: I want to make a broad point on this. These amendments are nearly as long as the legislation we discussed on Second Stage last week. The legislation before the House last week was about two particular points: the exemption of accounting standards for limited periods of time and the appointment of company inspectors and the liability to the State as a result. We are making changes in those...

Seanad: Companies (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2009: Committee Stage (26 Nov 2009)

Paschal Donohoe: I have a question on that. I may have missed it in the Minister of State's contribution, and apologies if I did——

Seanad: Companies (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2009: Committee Stage (26 Nov 2009)

Paschal Donohoe: I thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach for his forbearance. I may have missed it in the Minister of State's contribution, and apologies if I did, but could he explain the effect of amendments Nos. 3 and 4? What is the effect of deleting "£250,000,", and" in amendment No. 3 and "£250,000."." in amendment No. 4? It appears to me that it is being reinserted.

Seanad: Companies (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2009: Committee Stage (26 Nov 2009)

Paschal Donohoe: Unlike Senator O'Toole, this is a new area for me and I found the debate on this Bill very interesting. It was brought home to me when I was preparing for Second Stage. I came across a company that reported its annual profits under one accounting regime and then under another, all being part of the same annual report, for some reason. There was a €300 million difference in terms of the...

Seanad: Order of Business (26 Nov 2009)

Paschal Donohoe: As I listened to the contributions from all sides of the House on the need for a debate on the floods and the crisis facing our country I was reminded of a remark I heard last night by one of our finest novelists, Joseph O'Connor. He said on RTE last night that hope is the habit we need to acquire. This was brought home to me by the descriptions by my colleagues of the awful conditions so...

Seanad: Order of Business (26 Nov 2009)

Paschal Donohoe: ——given the number of debates we have had about State action taking place in this area as a result of the malpractice that took place in the banking sector? Third, can the Deputy Leader guarantee that in the event of a social partnership arrangement being put in place between the Government and the different unions, the Government will immediately initiate a debate on the arrangement in...

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

Paschal Donohoe: I welcome the Minister back to the House. This appears to be a sensible amendment and follows the discussions we had here at an earlier sitting of the House. I have two questions for the Minister. First, in the text that is being amended, the word "or" will now disappear. The original text included the words "public bus service will operate, or". It then went into paragraph (c) to state...

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

Paschal Donohoe: Okay.

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2009: Committee Stage (19 Nov 2009)

Paschal Donohoe: On a point of order, why are we being asked to adjourn until Wednesday rather than Tuesday? I understand the Dáil will sit on Tuesday but the Acting Leader informs us that the Seanad will not. We should be given an explanation as to why that is the case.

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2009: Committee Stage (19 Nov 2009)

Paschal Donohoe: On a point of order, the RTE website reported that the House would not sit next Tuesday before Senators were informed. Why is the House not sitting on Tuesday?

Seanad: Local Authority Housing (19 Nov 2009)

Paschal Donohoe: I welcome the Minister of State. The matter I am raising falls under the responsibility of his Department and I know he is aware of the issue, which is the future of the O'Devaney Gardens regeneration project. This is one of the large-scale regeneration projects located across Dublin. It is in central Dublin and was one of the lead public-private partnership projects that suffered enormous...

Seanad: Local Authority Housing (19 Nov 2009)

Paschal Donohoe: I thank the Minister of State for his response and for his concluding comment.

Seanad: Companies (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2009: Second Stage (19 Nov 2009)

Paschal Donohoe: Yes.

Seanad: Companies (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2009: Second Stage (19 Nov 2009)

Paschal Donohoe: I welcome the Minister of State to the House and the Bill he has introduced. The impression can sometimes be given in this House during discussions on competitiveness and the action that needs to be taken to increase job security and number of jobs in our economy that what is needed is a grand sweeping strategy focused on one particular element. However, the opposite is often the case....

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Nov 2009)

Paschal Donohoe: I support Senator Walsh's call for a debate on the economy and our competitiveness. I, again, make the point that it is an absolute disgrace for a member of a Government party to stand up in the House or elsewhere to say there is a possibility the IMF might come in and take over. This means the Government is telling its people that it considers it a reasonable course of action because...

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Nov 2009)

Paschal Donohoe: Bearing in mind that this is a mess for which the Government is responsible, it is appalling for a Government party member to say to the people that if they do not do what it is needed, the Government will bring in the IMF. I asked the Leader to do this previously and I am asking him again. He should stand up and say this is not acceptable. Fianna Fáil is in government and it is its job...

Seanad: Institutes of Technology (18 Nov 2009)

Paschal Donohoe: I thank the Minister of State for attending to respond to this matter. It concerns the status of the Grangegorman development project, the DIT site on the northside of Dublin. It is a project that has been in planning for many years. Its aim is to have all DIT facilities across Dublin located on a single piece of land. At present, that piece of land is occupied by St. Brendan's Hospital....

Seanad: Institutes of Technology (18 Nov 2009)

Paschal Donohoe: I thank the Minister of State for his response and I have just one question. Will he tell me when he believes the Government will make a decision on the strategic plan and when it will be able to announce its support for it?

Seanad: Defence (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2009: Second Stage (18 Nov 2009)

Paschal Donohoe: I welcome the Minister to the House for this important debate. At the beginning of the year, in the aftermath of the defeat of the first referendum on the Lisbon treaty and in the run-up to the second referendum, one of the options being considered in public by commentators who have an interest in these matters was that Ireland might seek to opt out of certain defence arrangements as...