Results 461-480 of 3,356 for speaker:Feargal Quinn
- Seanad: Competition and Consumer Protection Bill 2014: Committee Stage (10 Jul 2014)
Feargal Quinn: I will not repeat what has been said. I heard the Minister talk about resale price maintenance. There have been so many efforts to control the grocery business over the years, but the ideal control is competition, and Senator Barrett is absolutely right. In my years, a huge number of companies did not succeed and went out of business. However, they went out of business to companies that...
- Seanad: Competition and Consumer Protection Bill 2014: Committee Stage (10 Jul 2014)
Feargal Quinn: Retention of title is something some companies seek and to which some companies agree and I do not believe legislation for this is required, as it is normal negotiation. If a retailer is buying from a supplier who wishes to retain the title while it is still there and if the retailer does not wish to so do, the deal then does not go ahead. It is normal business practice to do this but...
- Seanad: Competition and Consumer Protection Bill 2014: Committee Stage (10 Jul 2014)
Feargal Quinn: I agree entirely with the Minister. To single out a particular group of companies to publish figures does nothing for consumer protection. The grocery business is as competitive a business as any and this is evident in the number of companies that have come and gone over the years.
- Seanad: Competition and Consumer Protection Bill 2014: Committee Stage (10 Jul 2014)
Feargal Quinn: In my years in the business I have seen companies fail and succeed and this will continue to be the case as long as there is competition. This amendment will do nothing but disclose information relating to each individual company. I do not think Senator Darragh O'Brien is correct as we do not know the sales figures for Dunnes Stores nor its profit margin in the Republic of Ireland. In any...
- Seanad: Competition and Consumer Protection Bill 2014: Committee Stage (10 Jul 2014)
Feargal Quinn: When I first came here 21 years ago I found that every piece of legislation lacked a provision to make sure each body reported within a short period. When I sought reports from a number of bodies, of which RTE was one, I found that they would not have been published until a year later, whatever about reported. That is why I stipulated reports had to be published before 30 June of the...
- Seanad: Competition and Consumer Protection Bill 2014: Committee Stage (10 Jul 2014)
Feargal Quinn: I would love to think it might be possible to move almost every report earlier than the last deadline. The Minister said he was sure bodies would submit their reports earlier than 30 June but I am not so sure. It is a fact that almost a year can elapse before publication. My suggestion is worthy and would push all bodies to publish. There is a competition among limited liability companies...
- Seanad: Competition and Consumer Protection Bill 2014: Committee Stage (10 Jul 2014)
Feargal Quinn: I support Senator Barrett's amendment. I have had the experience of being involved in various public bodies. I was chairman of one hospital, I was chairman of An Post and I am involved in the Seanad. Referring to our customers in An Post, I was reasonably successful in being able to begin the process of calling the public "the customers" and it began to work quite well. I had less success...
- Seanad: Competition and Consumer Protection Bill 2014: Committee Stage (10 Jul 2014)
Feargal Quinn: I welcome the Minister here again. He is very fond of us. I support Senator Barrett's amendment. He has made his case very well. Clearly Ireland is much more expensive than other countries in certain areas and, therefore, it seems sensible that attention is drawn to the areas. Like him, I am opposed to more Government interference but I do not regard his amendment as such. All we ask is...
- Seanad: Order of Business (10 Jul 2014)
Feargal Quinn: Yesterday, Senator Mary Ann O'Brien made a strong case for re-examining the plans for the new national children's hospital. The day before, her husband, Mr. Jonathan Irwin, enclosed a letter to all of us from a mother who made a strong case also. I hate the thought that we will delay this matter for any longer, but we saw what happened when it was going to be located on the Mater site. Now...
- Seanad: Environmental Protection Agency: Motion (9 Jul 2014)
Feargal Quinn: With the permission of the Chair, I wish to share my time with Senator Barrett.
- Seanad: Environmental Protection Agency: Motion (9 Jul 2014)
Feargal Quinn: I am pleased the Minister is in the Chamber. I know this is not his swan-song because he is probably going on to greater things, but he can look back at the past three and a half years of great success. The Minister was present to hear the contributions by Senators Whelan and Landy. Senator Whelan spoke with such vigour, courage and concern about the experiences he has had. Senator Landy...
- Seanad: Radiological Protection (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Second Stage (9 Jul 2014)
Feargal Quinn: I welcome the Minister of State. I am glad he is present. In recent times, we have seen him frequently with the hat he has been wearing. I hope we will see more of him in times to come when he is wearing another hat. He has an interest in science, as we are all aware. I have a real concern that almost every time anybody mentions anything new in science here, somebody says we must not...
- Seanad: Health (General Practitioner Service) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (9 Jul 2014)
Feargal Quinn: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Alex White. I have different views on the Bill. While I am supportive of almost everything Senator John Crown has said. However, I am not sure I support amendment No. 3 which states: "The agreement, referred to in subsection (1) shall not require any general practitioner to perform annual, or otherwise periodic assessments of patients who are...
- Seanad: Employment Permits (Amendment) Bill 2014: Second Stage (9 Jul 2014)
Feargal Quinn: I welcome the Minister. He is getting fond of this House and seems to be coming in quite a lot in recent days. The Bill covers a range of issues related to employment permits. I welcome the fact that it addresses the loophole related to the dreadful treatment of Mr. Mohammed Younis who was exploited for years. This is what I tried to achieve through a Bill I introduced about 18 months...
- Seanad: Order of Business (9 Jul 2014)
Feargal Quinn: Yesterday, Members celebrated Senator Darragh O'Brien's birthday, which was a big birthday with a zero in the number.
- Seanad: Order of Business (9 Jul 2014)
Feargal Quinn: Next week, they hopefully also will have the opportunity to celebrate Senator Norris's big birthday with a zero in the number. His birthday falls next week and just in case he is not present, Members should remember it by mentioning it today and should celebrate it because as the Father of the House, he is the longest-serving Member here. I would love to have a debate on the introduction of...
- Seanad: Competition and Consumer Protection Bill 2014: Second Stage (8 Jul 2014)
Feargal Quinn: I welcome the Minister to the House and the opportunity to discuss this Bill. The provision it contains for the rationalisation of two quangos which seem to be doing more or less the same job is particularly welcome. However, I have serious reservations that the Bill leaves the door open for the Minister to impose a huge number of potential legal regulations on the grocery sector, something...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Action Plan for Job Creation and Innovation: Startup Ireland (8 Jul 2014)
Feargal Quinn: I apologise, but I must run away again, having been tied up. Something else has cropped up. It is one of those days when three or four things are happening at once. I congratulate the witnesses from Startup Ireland. I have had two experiences: the leaving certificate applied and the transition year programme. We can learn significantly from that and we can instill enthusiasm in that age...
- Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed) (8 Jul 2014)
Feargal Quinn: Often, when I am a buying a newspaper, I say to the vendor, "Give me one with only good news in it". It is interesting that newspapers over the past few days have much good economic news in them. We should be careful to ensure we continue with the vigour and energy of recent times to create good news on the creation of extra jobs, the return of investor confidence and improved sales. I am...
- Seanad: Order of Business (2 Jul 2014)
Feargal Quinn: Yesterday Bewley's lost its case in the Supreme Court in an appeal taken by the landlord regarding upward-only rent reviews. I will give an idea of the figures spoken about yesterday. The rent had been €728,000 but has now been increased to €1.46 million until 2017. The House has passed the Upward Only Rent (Clauses and Reviews) Bill 2013, but it has not been passed by the...