Results 4,621-4,640 of 4,936 for speaker:Diarmuid Wilson

Seanad: Road Traffic Bill 2006: Second Stage. (8 Jun 2006)

Diarmuid Wilson: Next Tuesday.

Seanad: Road Traffic Bill 2006: Second Stage. (8 Jun 2006)

Diarmuid Wilson: At 2.30 p.m. next Tuesday.

Seanad: Road Traffic Bill 2006: Second Stage. (8 Jun 2006)

Diarmuid Wilson: I wish to share time with Senator Ormonde.

Seanad: Road Safety Authority Bill 2004: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage. (24 May 2006)

Diarmuid Wilson: I thank the Minister of State for the hard work he has done on this Bill and ensuring it is passed by the Oireachtas. It is important legislation which, hopefully, will result in fewer fatalities on our roads. I acknowledge the contributions of Senators on both sides of the House, particularly those of Senator Paddy Burke, who made some positive suggestions during the debate. The issue on...

Seanad: Road Safety Authority Bill 2004: Report Stage. (24 May 2006)

Diarmuid Wilson: As I indicated during the Committee Stage debate, I fully support the amendments which, as Senator Paddy Burke noted, secured cross-party support. It would be unfortunate if we were to continue with the recent trend of barring members of local authorities from sitting on particular State boards. It is lunacy to suggest that an individual considered good enough to sit on the board of the road...

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

Diarmuid Wilson: I thank the Minister of State for his commitment. Senator Burke wondered if he is genuine but I have known the Minister of State for a long time. He is a genuine person and if he takes on something, he does so in good faith. He might not be able to achieve what we want but I thank him for taking time to reconsider the situation. I also thank the other Senators for their contributions on this...

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

Diarmuid Wilson: Tomorrow.

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

Diarmuid Wilson: Tomorrow at 10.30 a.m.

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

Diarmuid Wilson: From now on.

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

Diarmuid Wilson: I agree with Senator Burke's amendment. It concerns an issue I addressed on Second Stage as did my colleagues, Senators Feeney, Paddy Burke and O'Toole. Senator Burke has outlined the reasons and I agree with them. Members of local authorities have a vast amount of experience, particularly with regard to road safety issues, which they deal with daily, and on which they lobby to get better...

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

Diarmuid Wilson: I agree with Senator Quinn's point on the harmonisation of the penalty points system, especially between North and South. The most immediate problem facing us is that the penalty points system here does not apply to drivers in Northern Ireland and vice versa. The Minister of State will be aware as I am, coming from a Border area, that Northern registered vehicles have no regard for the laws...

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...