Results 33,021-33,040 of 33,049 for speaker:Paschal Donohoe

Seanad: Local Government (Roads Functions) Bill 2007: Second Stage (15 Nov 2007)

Paschal Donohoe: I also thank the Minister for attending this debate and for having the courtesy to stay throughout it. It would be great if he could respond to some of the important points raised. Before I comment on this legislation, I will return to comments made by other speakers about taxation options open to the Minister and Government in respect of how we change people's behaviour in respect of the...

Seanad: Local Government (Roads Functions) Bill 2007: Second Stage (15 Nov 2007)

Paschal Donohoe: We must have made a mistake.

Seanad: Local Government (Roads Functions) Bill 2007: Second Stage (15 Nov 2007)

Paschal Donohoe: I wish to share my time with Senator Buttimer if that is agreeable to the House.

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Nov 2007)

Paschal Donohoe: As a regular bus user, I travelled to the Seanad this morning by bus. Unfortunately, an ordinary experience for me is unavailable to 60,000 commuters in our city for the fourth day in a row. When I raised this matter last Tuesday, I made a suggestion in regard to opening bus lanes. I understand my suggestion was acted upon and a number of lanes were opened.

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Nov 2007)

Paschal Donohoe: I thank the Leader for passing my suggestion to the Minister. If my comments are going to be taken as seriously in the future, I will be much more careful in what I say.

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Nov 2007)

Paschal Donohoe: I ask the workers of Dublin Bus to be aware of the consequences of their actions. A small number of people are taking actions which have a disastrous impact on their customers. It is their responsibility to come to their senses. However, a similar responsibility rests with the Government. Just as some workers in Dublin Bus lack a sense of responsibility for the impact their actions are...

Seanad: Road Safety: Statements (14 Nov 2007)

Paschal Donohoe: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Dick Roche, to the House. It is regrettable the Minister for Transport, Deputy Noel Dempsey, could not be here to put across these points, given the undoubted importance of road safety. The Minister of State highlighted the work that still remains to be done in respect of this important issue. He encouraged us to make our best effort not to be...

Seanad: Road Safety: Statements (14 Nov 2007)

Paschal Donohoe: This must be tackled in coming years. In respect of driving tests, it was already acknowledged earlier in the House that SGS Ireland, the company named by the Taoiseach as being crucial in delivering the tests we need to meet the target set for June 2008, has extremely uneven success rates across the country. It has an average success rate of 62% compared with the Road Safety Authority...

Seanad: Road Safety: Statements (14 Nov 2007)

Paschal Donohoe: I thank the Minister of State.

Seanad: Order of Business (13 Nov 2007)

Paschal Donohoe: Some 60,000 people in Dublin left their homes to catch buses this morning. While these individuals may be used to buses running late, for many of them there were no bus services at all today. The Government and the Department of Transport should be intervening in this matter much more actively than currently appears to be the case. Many discussions relating to transport refer to bodies...

Seanad: Order of Business (13 Nov 2007)

Paschal Donohoe: I am seeking a debate and requesting a response from the Minister on three matters. First, why are those bus lanes that are unoccupied at present not being opened up for use to other buses and cars? Second, if the affected routes are not going to be used by Dublin Bus, tenders should be invited from other operators in respect of their use in order that we might ensure passengers on the...

Seanad: Public Transport (8 Nov 2007)

Paschal Donohoe: I thank the Cathaoirleach for giving me the opportunity to raise this issue on the adjournment. I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Pat The Cope Gallagher for standing in for the Minister. I am seeking to find out where we stand on the delivery of integrated ticketing for public transport in Dublin and across the country. This proposal has a long history, spanning 15 years and I am not...

Seanad: Order of Business (8 Nov 2007)

Paschal Donohoe: I will refer to my colleagues' comments on the need for a discussion on immigration matters. A number of weeks ago, I requested that the Minister of State with responsibility for integration policy to attend the House to debate those matters. I repeat my request. One of Ireland's most shameful issues is the number of people who come here to seek refuge and must spend six, seven or eight...

Seanad: Order of Business (8 Nov 2007)

Paschal Donohoe: Will the Minister debate Transport 21 in the House to ensure the nearly €10 million of taxpayers' money to be spent on public transport every day for the next ten years will be properly and transparently spent?

Seanad: Pre-Budget Outlook: Statements (1 Nov 2007)

Paschal Donohoe: I wish to share my time with Senator Fidelma Healy Eames.

Seanad: Pre-Budget Outlook: Statements (1 Nov 2007)

Paschal Donohoe: Like some other Members, I am new to Leinster House and to the practice of politics on a national stage. When I come into the House I am struck by the portraits of great politicians and figures from history. They all grappled with a particular national issue. The issue they spent their time debating and working on was how they would create our national sovereignty and independence as a...

Seanad: Housing Market: Statements (31 Oct 2007)

Paschal Donohoe: I welcome the Minister to the House. I shall respond to the points made by previous speakers beginning with Senator O'Malley and her quotation of the book to which she referred. I am lucky in that I have had the opportunity to read it. What is striking not so much about the book but the commentary and reporting on it by many journalists and newspapers is that they criticise it for its...

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed) (25 Oct 2007)

Paschal Donohoe: Yesterday, the House discussed the great sight that was many members of our Polish community voting in their national election. By casting their votes, they expressed their opinions on how they want their country to look, who should be in government and so on. The only Minister or Minister of State who has not been called before the House is the Minister of State with responsibility for...

Seanad: Schools Building Projects (24 Oct 2007)

Paschal Donohoe: I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House to discuss this issue. I also thank the Cathaoirleach for allowing me to raise it. There has been much discussion recently about the need for diversity and how we provide for schools and look after our pupils. One of the movements that has been to the forefront of this is the gaelscoileanna. One such gaelscoil in my constituency,...

Seanad: Suicide Prevention Strategy: Statements. (24 Oct 2007)

Paschal Donohoe: The first time I heard of suicide was when as a young man I heard that Kurt Cobain had taken his life. In his suicide note he wrote that it was "better to burn out than to fade away". Many young men in our society learn about suicide through popular culture. We must examine how that knowledge is disseminated through Internet sites and music lyrics and act accordingly. I encourage the...