Results 4,341-4,360 of 8,986 for speaker:Pádraig Mac Lochlainn
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Shannon Airport Landings: Discussion (Resumed) (15 Jul 2015)
Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: Both speakers may respond to that question if they wish.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Shannon Airport Landings: Discussion (Resumed) (15 Jul 2015)
Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: There are obviously different viewpoints on our committee which break along Government and Opposition lines. Unfortunately, our Government members have had to attend a meeting. We have two different perspectives from our witnesses, so unfortunately Mr. Smyth has to field the Opposition's concerns mostly here today.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Shannon Airport Landings: Discussion (Resumed) (15 Jul 2015)
Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: Senator Ó Clochartaigh has three questions. We will take one question at a time.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Shannon Airport Landings: Discussion (Resumed) (15 Jul 2015)
Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: I will ask Dr. Devine to come in first as she has not commented yet and then we will get to Paddy. Paddy is such an informal name it is hard to say Mr. Smyth.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Shannon Airport Landings: Discussion (Resumed) (15 Jul 2015)
Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: No interruptions to the speaker, please.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Shannon Airport Landings: Discussion (Resumed) (15 Jul 2015)
Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: Would Dr. Devine like to respond?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Shannon Airport Landings: Discussion (Resumed) (15 Jul 2015)
Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: The witnesses may agree to disagree.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Shannon Airport Landings: Discussion (Resumed) (15 Jul 2015)
Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: The witnesses are going to agree to disagree on those definitions. I call Senator Ó Clochartaigh.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Shannon Airport Landings: Discussion (Resumed) (15 Jul 2015)
Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: In fairness, we are debating neutrality. The reason our two witnesses are here is to get into these matters in great detail. Shannon is connected with that.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Shannon Airport Landings: Discussion (Resumed) (15 Jul 2015)
Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: A final question, Senator.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Shannon Airport Landings: Discussion (Resumed) (15 Jul 2015)
Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: If it comes back we will revisit it but I have a few questions. In terms of setting the scene, and the exchange so far has been excellent, I read former Senator Maurice Hayes's forward to the transcript of the conference held over six years ago. We were looking at Sean McCrum, who had tried to frame some questions, but looking at them now, Dr. Devine is very clear about the framework of...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Shannon Airport Landings: Discussion (Resumed) (15 Jul 2015)
Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: Clearly, Dr. Devine believes it is important to hold a referendum on this issue.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Shannon Airport Landings: Discussion (Resumed) (15 Jul 2015)
Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: No.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Shannon Airport Landings: Discussion (Resumed) (15 Jul 2015)
Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: In fairness to Dr. Devine, she has robustly defined the international framework for what neutrality is.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Shannon Airport Landings: Discussion (Resumed) (15 Jul 2015)
Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: She is very clear that our actions in the past 15 years are not in line with it. That is her perspective. The question of whether the people wish to include it in the Constitution in order that it would be more clearly defined from a political perspective is one for them. I understand Dr. Devine's point.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Shannon Airport Landings: Discussion (Resumed) (15 Jul 2015)
Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: The difficulty is that on many occasions opinion polls have been proved not to pan out when the people vote on referendum day. What people express in an opinion poll will not necessarily represent the final outcome. The only true way to assess the people's will on a given matter, in terms of primary legislation, is to give them an opportunity to vote in a referendum. All we can do is say...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Shannon Airport Landings: Discussion (Resumed) (15 Jul 2015)
Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: It is now two years since we had a poll. It could be argued that the view of the people right now may not be in favour. The truth is that Dr. Devine's presentation shows that this has consistently been the view of the people when they have been polled over a period of 15, 16 or 17 years. That does not, unfortunately, make it the law.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Shannon Airport Landings: Discussion (Resumed) (15 Jul 2015)
Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: Okay.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Shannon Airport Landings: Discussion (Resumed) (15 Jul 2015)
Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: That is the problem with opinion polls. The response is often determined by what the question is.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Shannon Airport Landings: Discussion (Resumed) (15 Jul 2015)
Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: At this late stage we will not take points, only supplementary questions. We have had plenty of time to make points.