Results 4,081-4,100 of 4,608 for speaker:Joe O'Toole
- Seanad: Order of Business. (28 May 2003)
Joe O'Toole: The Bill was published two years ago.
- Seanad: Maternity Protection (Amendment) Bill 2003: Second Stage. (28 May 2003)
Joe O'Toole: I propose to share my time with Senator O'Meara.
- Seanad: Maternity Protection (Amendment) Bill 2003: Second Stage. (28 May 2003)
Joe O'Toole: I welcome the Bill, which is timely. Many different groups in society have negotiated on this issue and I have always felt that we are behind the game regarding maternity provisions. In particular we have been behind Europe. One of the solid reasons for the support of the trade union movement for the second Nice treaty referendum was the feeling that many groups, particularly women, were...
- Seanad: Companies (Auditing and Accounting) Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (28 May 2003)
Joe O'Toole: In my 16 years here I have not seen a Bill break new ground in terms of early consultation like this one. I would welcome an assurance from other Members of the House who have experience of this in both this and the other House. This Bill was published in draft form. The heads of the Bill were published and circulated to every group with an interest in it. It has been on the website of the...
- Seanad: Companies (Auditing and Accounting) Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (28 May 2003)
Joe O'Toole: The US Securities and Exchange Commission is the leading financial regulator and authority in the world. I stated on Second Stage that what was happening in Ireland was also happening in the United States, Canada, Australia, Europe and the United Kingdom. The SEC is a God-like body in this field, to which every American and foreign firm is beholden. Yesterday it held a public meeting, which...
- Seanad: Companies (Auditing and Accounting) Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (28 May 2003)
Joe O'Toole: I fully support the views of Senator Coghlan on this issue, on which the audit review group spent some considerable time. The consumer would be protected if we could protect the term "accountant". I am concerned that I could put up a plate outside my office saying, "Joe O'Toole, Accountant" without being attached to any body or subject to any regulation. When I tried to do something about...
- Seanad: Companies (Auditing and Accounting) Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (28 May 2003)
Joe O'Toole: In the normal way in which the IASA will carry out its duties, it will not actually be investigating cases, but will simply apply the rule, as it were, to ensure that the bodies are investigating cases properly. The Bill allows the authority to undertake the investigation itself in certain cases, and in such situations it would incur costs. It is unlikely that would happen very often. It is...
- Seanad: Companies (Auditing and Accounting) Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (28 May 2003)
Joe O'Toole: One of the problems in putting legislation together is that one can either go through the detail and prescribe as much as possible or else leave it to the authority. I agree with the clear and relevant points made by Senator McDowell. I know it to be the intention of the supervisory authority unanimously to follow the procedure outlined by Senator McDowell â in other words, it should always...
- Seanad: Companies (Auditing and Accounting) Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (28 May 2003)
Joe O'Toole: While the public might be interested in the auditor's private life, it would not be in the public interest. That is what it boils down to.
- Seanad: Companies (Auditing and Accounting) Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (28 May 2003)
Joe O'Toole: This section goes to the core of the issue. Listening to Senator Quinn one cannot but have sympathy for some of the points he has raised. I note the Minister of State has responded to a number of the issues raised by the Senator on Second Stage. I remind the House of how this issue arose. It came from both Houses, the establishment of the tribunal and the report to the Committee of Public...
- Seanad: Companies (Auditing and Accounting) Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (28 May 2003)
Joe O'Toole: I am talking about the issue of the private family company. The issues raised by Senator Quinn are serious. Attempts have been made to do something in that regard but no doubt not enough from his point of view. Unfortunately, one of the reasons this arose is the various meetings between a family supermarket â certainly not Senator Quinn's â and a former Taoiseach. This was one of the...
- Seanad: Companies (Auditing and Accounting) Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (28 May 2003)
Joe O'Toole: It would be incorrect to present this as a knee-jerk reaction. I gave one example. I remind the House that the Legislature and everyone in both Houses were criticised by commentators, the public and everyone involved in the tribunals over the reason that and other such cases could have happened. That led to a huge inquiry, which produced two tomes, by the Committee of Public Accounts. It went...
- Seanad: Companies (Auditing and Accounting) Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (28 May 2003)
Joe O'Toole: I cannot allow the one company issue go. The point of the discussion was that people said was it not for an unfortunate incident in Florida, we would never have realised that this could be happening in Ireland. There is no way of knowing whether it happened previously. The Committee of Public Accounts responded that the Oireachtas had a duty to ensure legislation was put in place to make sure...
- Seanad: Companies (Auditing and Accounting) Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (28 May 2003)
Joe O'Toole: Speakers have raised some very relevant issues. Senator Maurice Hayes has probably pinpointed what the legislation is trying to achieve and what it is trying not to do. Perhaps it would be easier if the Bill indicated in more precise terms what was required of the directors in a checklist format. Over the past two years the accountancy bodies have consistently advised that it should not be...
- Seanad: Companies (Auditing and Accounting) Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (28 May 2003)
Joe O'Toole: I hope the Labour Party can do better.
- Seanad: Auctioneering Profession: Motion. (28 May 2003)
Joe O'Toole: I am happy to continue the discussion on this issue. I welcome the Minister of State to the House and I ask him to consider the following reasons for bringing this issue forward. Last year more than 50,000 new houses were sold in this country. At an average price of â¬200,000 each that represents â¬10 billion spent on new houses alone. If one includes the second-hand market one can, at...
- Seanad: Auctioneering Profession: Motion. (28 May 2003)
Joe O'Toole: And trade union leaders.
- Seanad: Auctioneering Profession: Motion. (28 May 2003)
Joe O'Toole: Who can argue?
- Seanad: Auctioneering Profession: Motion. (28 May 2003)
Joe O'Toole: I do not accept that. The rules must state the bids are final and no further auction will take place.
- Seanad: Auctioneering Profession: Motion. (28 May 2003)
Joe O'Toole: One cannot have the auctioneer come inâ