Results 4,601-4,620 of 4,905 for speaker:Diarmuid Wilson

Seanad: Road Safety Authority Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (23 May 2006)

Diarmuid Wilson: The fact that six months is enshrined in the legislation is a major help. As we are all aware, in this House we see some annual reports coming in two years after the end of the year. Six months is adequate time. The Bill states the report will be made not later than six months after the end of the year. It is helpful that a timeframe is included. The history of some reporting bodies is not good.

Seanad: Road Safety Authority Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (23 May 2006)

Diarmuid Wilson: In some schools and Youthreach training centres in Cavan, the driver theory test is a compulsory part of the curriculum. It should be compulsory in every second-level school and training institution in the country. It is the first step towards obtaining a driving licence in this country, and it is important to educate our young people in particular. With regard to driving instructors, I...

Seanad: Military Medals and Awards. (17 May 2006)

Diarmuid Wilson: I welcome the Minister for Defence, Deputy O'Dea, to the House and I thank him for addressing this matter. It was with great pride that I watched the Easter parade on Sunday, 16 April. I was delighted the Taoiseach took the initiative to reinstate this important event. The Minister can be justly proud of the members of the Defence Forces who took part in the parade on that historic day. I...

Seanad: Road Safety Authority Bill 2004: Second Stage. (10 May 2006)

Diarmuid Wilson: He has received a great deal of publicity and that can only be good. He is a straight talker and will take no nonsense from anybody, including the Government. That is good. With regard to the Bill, section 14(4) provides that each member of the board shall be a person who, in the opinion of the Minister, has wide experience and competence relating to roads, road safety, transport, driver...

Seanad: Road Safety Authority Bill 2004: Second Stage. (10 May 2006)

Diarmuid Wilson: Senator Paddy Burke referred to the Road Safety Bill and I hope to deal with some of the issues he raised in that regard later in my contribution. Road safety is about two things — first, bringing forward policy initiatives and legislating for them as necessary and, second, enforcement. The road safety authority is being established to oversee the delivery of key road safety initiatives....

Seanad: Accident and Emergency Services: Statements. (9 May 2006)

Diarmuid Wilson: With the Acting Chairman's permission I would like to speak before my colleague, Senator Scanlon.

Seanad: Accident and Emergency Services: Statements. (9 May 2006)

Diarmuid Wilson: I will be brief. I join with other speakers in welcoming the Minister of State, Deputy Brian Lenihan, and his officials to the House to speak on the important issue of accident and emergency services. Undoubtedly, there are problems in accident and emergency units throughout the country. There is little point in pretending that is not the case. Since 1997, the budget has increased from €5...

Seanad: Accident and Emergency Services: Statements. (9 May 2006)

Diarmuid Wilson: I am well able to speak for myself. I do not need help from Senator Browne or any other Senator in regard to this matter. The experience of accident and emergency units throughout the country is not all bad. There are some good examples where the service is working well. For instance, Waterford, Sligo and Kilkenny hospitals, about which Senator Phelan spoke so passionately, appear from...

Seanad: National Economic and Social Development Office Bill 2002: Second Stage. (4 May 2006)

Diarmuid Wilson: I welcome the Minister of State. As other speakers have said, the purpose of the Bill is to establish the National Economic and Social Development Office comprising three bodies, namely, the National Economic and Social Council, the National Economic and Social Forum and the National Centre for Partnership and Performance. Section 9 states the functions of the council shall be to analyse and...

Seanad: State Airports: Motion. (26 Apr 2006)

Diarmuid Wilson: I thank the Minister for his very comprehensive speech in which he clarified a number of what he termed "misunderstandings" by the Opposition in respect of Cork and Shannon airports. I welcome the Minister of State to the House. As Senator Mansergh noted, the experience of travelling from Shannon, Cork or even Donegal is more pleasurable than travelling through Dublin Airport. Donegal does...

Seanad: State Airports: Motion. (26 Apr 2006)

Diarmuid Wilson: Senators Ryan and McCarthy should be more concerned with the content of the Minister's speech today. According to the Minister, the new Cork Airport will have a passenger capacity of 3 million when completed. The airport has almost reached this capacity. If I were Senator Ryan or Senator McCarthy, I would be more interested in increasing this capacity to 5 million immediately. The plan set...

Seanad: Hospital Services. (6 Apr 2006)

Diarmuid Wilson: I welcome the Minister of State to the House and wish him well in his new role. The City of Dublin Skin and Cancer Hospital, commonly know as Hume Street Hospital, was founded in 1911 for the purpose of providing for the treatment of diseases of the skin, cancer, kidney, bladder and other disorders and diseases of associated organs. Following the tradition of the voluntary hospitals of the...

Seanad: Hospital Services. (6 Apr 2006)

Diarmuid Wilson: I thank the Minister of State for his reply. However, I am concerned that nowhere in the reply does it state that beds will be provided for the people who need to be hospitalised from time to time. A total of 31 beds were fully occupied in Hume Street Hospital. Either those people should not have been there in the first place or beds should be provided in St. Vincent's Hospital. It is my...

Seanad: Aviation Bill 2005 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil]: Report and Final Stages. (28 Mar 2006)

Diarmuid Wilson: I welcome the Minister of State to the House. This is the first opportunity I have had to publicly wish him well in his new role as Minister of State at the Department of Transport. I know he will carry out his duties as efficiently as he did in the other Departments in which he served. I thank my colleague, Senator Paddy Burke, for facilitating the speedy passage of these amendments through...

Seanad: Aviation Bill 2005 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil]: Report and Final Stages. (28 Mar 2006)

Diarmuid Wilson: Tomorrow at 10.30 a.m.

Seanad: Order of Business. (15 Feb 2006)

Diarmuid Wilson: That is not correct.

Seanad: Road Network: Motion. (8 Feb 2006)

Diarmuid Wilson: We did not have to pull screens around at our Ard-Fheis to pretend there was a crowd. The M50 upgrade will see the five kilometre section from the N7 to the N4 increase from four to six lanes, with free-flowing interchanges at the Red Cow, Liffey Valley and Ballymount roundabouts. Work will shortly commence and will be completed within two years. With the Naas Road widening project and the...

Seanad: Road Network: Motion. (8 Feb 2006)

Diarmuid Wilson: I am supporting my colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Brendan Smith.

Seanad: Road Network: Motion. (8 Feb 2006)

Diarmuid Wilson: I welcome the Minister to the House. Contrary to Senator Ross's suggestion in an article in a Sunday newspaper, the Minister looks quite healthy for a someone who is supposedly a dead man walking. I congratulate him on the work he is doing in the Department of Transport. Unfortunately there are no roads like the M50 in Cavan and I had to do some research. The only time I find myself on it,...

Seanad: Road Safety: Motion. (30 Nov 2005)

Diarmuid Wilson: They have to be trained.