Results 3,681-3,700 of 4,608 for speaker:Joe O'Toole

Seanad: Order of Business. (3 Mar 2004)

Joe O'Toole: I support the point Senator Brian Hayes made on the commission on electronic voting. This is a very divisive political issue on which parties have taken positions. It is wrong to place people of unimpeachable integrity, such as the Clerks of both Houses, in the position of having to mediate, adjudicate and pronounce on a highly charged political issue. It was not contemplated when their roles...

Seanad: Order of Business. (3 Mar 2004)

Joe O'Toole: The Malaysian crusader.

Seanad: Industrial Relations (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2003: Committee and Remaining Stages. (2 Mar 2004)

Joe O'Toole: I welcome this legislation. I pay tribute to the Minister of State's contribution to the Bill and the flexibility and openness with which he dealt with it. We have had many rows over the years on many issues but this Bill has been improved substantially since it was first drafted and aspects of it which were of concern to the trade union side have been resolved. I agree with Senator McDowell...

Seanad: Order of Business. (2 Mar 2004)

Joe O'Toole: Quite right.

Seanad: Order of Business. (2 Mar 2004)

Joe O'Toole: Pure chemistry.

Seanad: Order of Business. (2 Mar 2004)

Joe O'Toole: Now the Leader tells us.

Seanad: Order of Business. (2 Mar 2004)

Joe O'Toole: On a number of recent occasions, the House has debated the importance of a press council. Over the weekend and last week we saw extraordinary levels of coverage of the terrible killing of a young man outside Club Anabel. We saw how many lives were ruined by it and people will be paying the price for a long time. Views were expressed that there would have been less press coverage if those...

Seanad: Order of Business. (2 Mar 2004)

Joe O'Toole: She will never recover from that and her reputation will be sullied. It will be thrown at her and she will be made responsible in many ways. We can understand the other levels of media coverage, but to use and abuse someone who inadvertently happened to be a witness and had no hand, act or part in the act, in this manner is completely and utterly wrong. We should have a view on the matter and...

Seanad: Public Service Superannuation (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2004: Report and Final Stages. (26 Feb 2004)

Joe O'Toole: I regret the passing of this Bill. The debate has been important. I thank the Minister of State and his officials for their full and committed engagement with the arguments as we proceeded. It is crucial to have such engagement when legislating. There are issues more of a political and policy nature than of a drafting nature that need to be considered. Unlike Senator Mansergh, I hope that any...

Seanad: Public Service Superannuation (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2004: Committee Stage (Resumed). (26 Feb 2004)

Joe O'Toole: To facilitate the House I am happy for amendments Nos. 9 and 10 to be discussed together. They are two sides of the same coin and it will perhaps lead to a wider debate.

Seanad: Public Service Superannuation (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2004: Committee Stage (Resumed). (26 Feb 2004)

Joe O'Toole: I move amendment No. 9: In page 12, between lines 31 and 32, to insert the following new subsection: "(6) Subject to subsection (7) when a teacher is a new entrant, no superannuation benefits shall be paid before he/she reaches age 60, other than the death benefits.". The two groups that are most disadvantaged by the legislation are teachers and politicians. We have been through a number of...

Seanad: Public Service Superannuation (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2004: Committee Stage (Resumed). (26 Feb 2004)

Joe O'Toole: On a point of information, I remind the House that the Minister of State's great grandfather was INTO branch secretary in north Clare and stood firmly against difficult Governments and management at the time. He comes from both sides.

Seanad: Public Service Superannuation (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2004: Committee Stage (Resumed). (26 Feb 2004)

Joe O'Toole: The Minister of State has a great and admirable facility for soaring off into issues that are barely relevant. His response, notably his little history lesson, was interesting but an example of an old trick, which is ingrained in him, of saying 95 things with which we all agree and ignoring the five things with which we fundamentally disagree. I will briefly explain the difference between the...

Seanad: Public Service Superannuation (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2004: Committee Stage (Resumed). (26 Feb 2004)

Joe O'Toole: At least the Minister of State has the sense not to wing it. The report does not contain anything about politicians because the commission was not allowed to deal with them. Although it offered no view on politicians, the individuals on the commission were more negative about politicians than teachers.

Seanad: Public Service Superannuation (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2004: Committee Stage (Resumed). (26 Feb 2004)

Joe O'Toole: I am pursuing a similar line to that taken by the Minister of State regarding teachers and the role of the commission and consultation. Now that we have established that the commission did not address the issue of politicians, we can address the issue of consultations with Members on the proposed changes in pensions. Can anyone in the House indicate what consultation process we were involved...

Seanad: Public Service Superannuation (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2004: Committee Stage (Resumed). (26 Feb 2004)

Joe O'Toole: I move amendment No. 10: In page 12, between lines 31 and 32, to insert the following new subsection: "(6) Subject to subsection (7) when a member of the Oireachtas is a new entrant, no superannuation benefits shall be paid before he/she reaches age 55 other than the death benefits.". Amendment put.

Seanad: Public Service Superannuation (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2004: Committee Stage (Resumed). (26 Feb 2004)

Joe O'Toole: I move amendment No. 6: In page 9, between lines 42 and 43, to insert the following new subsection: "(6) Where before 1 April 2004 a person had been employed in the public service for a period of not less than 15 years, then that person shall not be treated as a new entrant if he or she resumes his or her office or position, or takes up another office or position within the public service on...

Seanad: Public Service Superannuation (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2004: Committee Stage (Resumed). (26 Feb 2004)

Joe O'Toole: What would be wrong with that arrangement? My proposal supports Government policy, yet all I hear from the Department of Finance is talk of a chasm. It is not a chasm. A chasm brings it down to some kind of Hell. I will not waste the time of the House. I have made my case, I am proudly on the record of the House. The answer given by the Department of Finance is the reason why that Department...

Seanad: Public Service Superannuation (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2004: Committee Stage (Resumed). (26 Feb 2004)

Joe O'Toole: Let us hope that we are not driven by self-interest. Let us look at the people who are disadvantaged by it.

Seanad: Public Service Superannuation (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2004: Committee Stage (Resumed). (26 Feb 2004)

Joe O'Toole: Section 2(6)(a) refers to the "same contract of employment". What exactly does the word "same" mean here? Does it mean similar?