Results 32,641-32,660 of 33,049 for speaker:Paschal Donohoe

Seanad: Aviation (Preclearance) Bill 2009 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil]: Report and Final Stages (1 Jul 2009)

Paschal Donohoe: I will begin with the positive points and echo what Senator Ryan has just said. It is continually the case with this Minister and his Department that if Senators put forward amendments and put a strong case for them, he is willing to consider them or will act on the intent of the amendments.

Seanad: Aviation (Preclearance) Bill 2009 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil]: Report and Final Stages (1 Jul 2009)

Paschal Donohoe: I have had the same experience as Senator Ryan in this regard in the case of the Harbours (Amendment) Act and the Dublin Transport Authority enabling legislation last year. I acknowledge again that I have always found a constructive approach on amendments is reciprocated by the Minister. It would be remiss of me not to acknowledge the work done by Senator Brendan Ryan with regard to the...

Seanad: Aviation (Preclearance) Bill 2009 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil]: Report and Final Stages (1 Jul 2009)

Paschal Donohoe: With respect, I am making the point that the Minister and his officials have been nothing less than superb with regard to responding to and acting on the points we have raised on this legislation and because of that, this is a better Bill than it otherwise would have been. That is what the Oireachtas is here to do. However, we have been let down by the way in which the legislation has been...

Seanad: Aviation (Preclearance) Bill 2009 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil]: Report and Final Stages (1 Jul 2009)

Paschal Donohoe: I have shown no disrespect to the Minister.

Seanad: Order of Business (1 Jul 2009)

Paschal Donohoe: Yesterday's publication by the Central Statistics Office of national income figures must be debated in the House. They indicate that national income shrunk earlier this year by between 7% of 10%. If this trend continues for the year, it will shatter the country. The figures emphasise two crucial points, the first of which is on economics. When other economies are showing signs of bottoming...

Seanad: Order of Business (1 Jul 2009)

Paschal Donohoe: I wish to restate firmly Senator Fitzgerald's comments yesterday and the comments made by other colleagues today that the Government has a moral duty to publish the reports on what will be done to save our economy.

Seanad: Order of Business (1 Jul 2009)

Paschal Donohoe: It needs to be done now. If we find ourselves waiting for the second half of this year, it will keep the country and other political parties in the dark regarding the state of our economy and what will be done to save it. I believe firmly that the future of our economy and, therefore, our country is at risk. We need to act differently as a consequence. The Government should give us the...

Seanad: Order of Business (1 Jul 2009)

Paschal Donohoe: Why is the Government not doing it?

Seanad: Order of Business (1 Jul 2009)

Paschal Donohoe: That is not true.

Seanad: Order of Business (1 Jul 2009)

Paschal Donohoe: Where is the Government's plan?

Seanad: Order of Business (18 Jun 2009)

Paschal Donohoe: Professor Kevin O'Rourke of Trinity College, Dublin has just produced a paper comparing the current global recession to the Great Depression of the 1930s. The conclusion he draws is stark, namely, that globally we are tracking even worse than during the Great Depression. Professor O'Rourke makes two points, essentially that the collapse of world trade in the past year has been greater than...

Seanad: Order of Business (18 Jun 2009)

Paschal Donohoe: It is appropriate that the Taoiseach would be paid an additional €30,000 on top of a TD's salary, a Minister €20,000 more than a TD and a Minister of State €10,000 more than a TD. I cannot help but feel that if the people who founded our country, from all political parties, were present and saw the way Ministers are treated now, they would wonder how everything went so wrong.

Seanad: Order of Business (18 Jun 2009)

Paschal Donohoe: I want to conclude on a point raised by Senator Hannigan on Bord Gáis. Last night we were treated to what I can only describe as a sermon from the Minister of State, Deputy Conor Lenihan, on the progress the Government is making on cloud computing, where quantities of data are held on the Internet as opposed to laptops. If even a fraction of this work was being done, the crimes being...

Seanad: Order of Business (18 Jun 2009)

Paschal Donohoe: I do not think so.

Seanad: Financial Services (Deposit Guarantee Scheme) Bill 2009: Second Stage (18 Jun 2009)

Paschal Donohoe: I welcome the Minister of State. This is important legislation. The last time I had an opportunity to debate matters of this nature with him, I raised the issue of the accountability of banks. Given the fundamental change in the relationship between taxpayers and banks, what are we going to do to ensure banks are held accountable for the guarantees and support that will now be afforded to...

Seanad: Financial Services (Deposit Guarantee Scheme) Bill 2009: Second Stage (18 Jun 2009)

Paschal Donohoe: I thank the Minister of State.

Seanad: Order of Business (17 Jun 2009)

Paschal Donohoe: My colleagues have touched on the considerable variety of challenges facing the country, with potentially 550,000 unemployed by the end of the year, the set-up of the National Asset Management Agency, NAMA, and the future of rural life. A crucial question is the ability of the Government and politicians in general to lead the country through such considerable challenges facing us. I call on...

Seanad: Information and Communications Technologies: Motion (17 Jun 2009)

Paschal Donohoe: I welcome the Minister of State to the House and support the amendment of my colleague, Senator O'Reilly. I was in secondary school when I began to understand how to debate and speak in public and did so through my debating class. My teacher used to give me the tip that it is good to begin a speech with a personal anecdote of some kind to show one is engaged with one's subject and to try to...

Seanad: Aviation (Preclearance) Bill 2009: Report and Final Stages (16 Jun 2009)

Paschal Donohoe: I thank all involved in the production of the Bill and in getting it to this point. It is important legislation that will make a difference to the airports and the regions they are in. I acknowledge the work done by Senator Ryan in improving parts of the Bill which will improve its operation. I acknowledge, too, the positive attitude of the Minister towards the amendments tabled in the...

Seanad: Order of Business (16 Jun 2009)

Paschal Donohoe: I congratulate former Senator Alan Kelly on his new role in the European Parliament. I am sure he will be a great success. He will be missed in this House. It is on a European note that I wish to speak. I support the request from my colleagues for a debate on the Lisbon treaty. We find ourselves in the run-in to another referendum and in an environment where there appears to be support...