Results 441-460 of 3,356 for speaker:Feargal Quinn

Seanad: National Treasury Management Agency (Amendment) Bill 2014: Committee and Remaining Stages (17 Jul 2014)

Feargal Quinn: I have rather held back on getting involved in these amendments as Senator Barrett is such an expert in this area. I wish to add my support for his amendments. The term "the agency may on the request of any Minister" is worthy of consideration. I am not suggesting it will happen now, but I think it is something that should be open for consideration in the future. I know the Minister has...

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) (No. 4) Bill 2014: Second Stage (17 Jul 2014)

Feargal Quinn: I welcome the Minister, Deputy Alan Kelly, back to the House. He and I served together for a period in the Seanad not that long ago and I am delighted to see him back. I am also delighted by the colourful ties he wears. People in this House usually wear ties that are very dull.

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) (No. 4) Bill 2014: Second Stage (17 Jul 2014)

Feargal Quinn: I like a bit of competition.

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) (No. 4) Bill 2014: Second Stage (17 Jul 2014)

Feargal Quinn: I am opposed to the Bill. Senator Byrne explained his concerns very well in respect of it. Why has the position of Clerk of the Dáil remained vacant for over a year? I just cannot understand why that is the case. Now, we are changing the law. The Minister has explained why the latter is happening but he did not indicate why the position of Clerk of the Dáil, which was...

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) (No. 4) Bill 2014: Second Stage (17 Jul 2014)

Feargal Quinn: I suppose the situation is the same. What is being done here is undemocratic and unhelpful and it will make the atmosphere in the House less healthy. The only way such an atmosphere can be maintained is if we retain the current system.

Seanad: Order of Business (17 Jul 2014)

Feargal Quinn: I join other Senators in looking forward to the summer break and thank everybody who has been involved in the past term. The debate yesterday on blindness was a reminder to all of us with good health of the benefits of that good health. The presence today of visitors who are suffering from deafness is a second occasion to remind us of the responsibilities we have in the House. I thank...

Seanad: Employment Permits (Amendment) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (16 Jul 2014)

Feargal Quinn: I congratulate the Minister on having the Bill passed. When I introduced the other Bill to cover only part of this area in regard to the Mohammah Younis case of December 2012, some 18 months ago, the Minister said he would introduce a more comprehensive Bill. He has stuck to his word and done that. I congratulate him and his officials on this Bill and thank them for listening to us. I...

Seanad: Employment Permits (Amendment) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (16 Jul 2014)

Feargal Quinn: I accept the Minister's wording and will withdraw the amendment.

Seanad: Employment Permits (Amendment) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (16 Jul 2014)

Feargal Quinn: I move amendment No. 12: In page 27, to delete lines 29 to 34 and substitute the following:"(g) provide such other information or documents as may reasonably be required,".I will discuss both amendments. The purpose of amendment No. 12 is to amend the proposed new section 6 in the Employment Permits Act 2006 which will be inserted by section 8 of the Bill. My amendment proposes to insert...

Seanad: Employment Permits (Amendment) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (16 Jul 2014)

Feargal Quinn: I move amendment No. 13: In page 28, to delete lines 6 to 23 and substitute the following:"(2) The employment permit so granted shall operate to permit the employment in the State of the foreign national in the employment specified in the application.".This is a very simple amendment, the purpose of which is to simplify the wording of subsection (2). It is worthy of consideration.

Seanad: Court of Appeal Bill 2014: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Jul 2014)

Feargal Quinn: I congratulate the Minister on the manner in which she managed to get this legislation through. It is very worthy legislation. This is a legislative measure that we require and it will speed up matters. I had the pleasure back in 1971 of winning a case in the Supreme Court when the State appealed a case I had won in the High Court. It took three years for the case to move from the High...

Seanad: Eye Care: Motion (16 Jul 2014)

Feargal Quinn: I welcome the Minister, who comes wearing his new hat. We have every confidence that he will not only enjoy his new role but have great success in it. Well done. I thank him for coming to the House. The most interesting word in this motion on sight loss is "avoidable". This is the real challenge we have in health. If it is avoidable, the question is what do we have to do to make sure it...

Seanad: Health (General Practitioner Service) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (16 Jul 2014)

Feargal Quinn: I will add a word or two to what Senator Barrett has said because I can understand exactly the point he has made, which he has made on so many other occasions. There was a great deal of discussion here about the medical profession, the Department of Health and the HSE but very little mention of the customers - the patients themselves. I do not hear them mentioned. To a very large degree,...

Seanad: Employment Permits (Amendment) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (16 Jul 2014)

Feargal Quinn: I have listened carefully to the Minister's reply and it was certainly not my intention in putting down that amendment that we would make it more difficult for somebody to take action on this basis. The Minister referred to the test of "reasonableness" and I am not sure that I follow entirely the direction he is going, but my intention was to make sure that this measure would be beneficial....

Seanad: Employment Permits (Amendment) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (16 Jul 2014)

Feargal Quinn: I will withdraw my amendment.

Seanad: Employment Permits (Amendment) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (16 Jul 2014)

Feargal Quinn: I move amendment No. 1: In page 6, to delete lines 24 to 27 and substitute the following:“ “(3A) It shall be a defence for a person charged with an offence under subsection (3) consisting of a contravention of subsection (1) to show⁠—(a) that he or she took all such steps as were reasonably open to him or her to ensure compliance with subsection (1), or (b) that...

Seanad: Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland Bill 2014: Second Stage (15 Jul 2014)

Feargal Quinn: I welcome the Minister and the Bill. I thank the Minister for facilitating a briefing session with his officials this morning. I found the session extremely useful in that we had the opportunity to put some of the queries we had about the legislation to the officials. One of the queries I have about the Bill relates to whether it targets start-ups. I accept that it is targeting successful...

Seanad: Competition and Consumer Protection Bill 2014: Report and Final Stages (15 Jul 2014)

Feargal Quinn: I will not take two minutes. I welcome the Minister back in again and he is wearing the same hat he has worn before. We are very happy with the work he has put into this matter and congratulations. We are debating the Competition and Consumer Protection Bill but I did not hear enough from most of the speakers about consumer protection which means competition and competition, as the...

Seanad: Criminal Law (Protection of Older People) (Sentencing) (Amendment) Bill 2014: First Stage (15 Jul 2014)

Feargal Quinn: I second the motion.

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Jul 2014)

Feargal Quinn: May I add my voice to that of Senators O'Donnell and van Turnhout regarding the vote last week and the gagging of doctors. It is a clear example of the benefit of having a second Chamber. I do not understand the confusion caused and why the Government is so upset. A second Chamber and Independent Members will examine a matter and rather than having a Whip they will voice their opinions....