Results 681-700 of 4,608 for speaker:Joe O'Toole

Seanad: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Bill 2009: Second Stage (17 Dec 2009)

Joe O'Toole: An interim award of 6% from the review body on higher remuneration was paid in 2007. In the reduction in pay, that is being netted off. In other words, for people who were supposed to have a 10% reduction, the reduction will only be 4% of the amount prior to 2007 because the 6% interim award is being paid. That is correct. However, within all of that, there is unfairness. There was...

Seanad: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Bill 2009: Second Stage (17 Dec 2009)

Joe O'Toole: I am sorry. The Minister of State stands to gain but I do not wish to put him in an awkward position. I wish to make one final point. This is an important issue that has not been put forward. I read what the Minister of State said about semi-State companies. They are a group like the semi-State companies and self-funding organisations. The Long Title of the Bill states clearly that its...

Seanad: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Bill 2009: Second Stage (17 Dec 2009)

Joe O'Toole: I ask the Minister of State to take some of those issues on board. I will not be here for the Minister of State's response but I will be watching and listening very closely.

Seanad: Order of Business (17 Dec 2009)

Joe O'Toole: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Order of Business (17 Dec 2009)

Joe O'Toole: And other aspects of the same Bill.

Seanad: Order of Business (17 Dec 2009)

Joe O'Toole: Where are the single transferable votes along that?

Seanad: Order of Business (17 Dec 2009)

Joe O'Toole: As a Kerryman, it grieves me to say that I am equally embarrassed and nauseated by the reports in today's newspapers. I do not know the background to it, but I find it nauseating that a victim should be sent to Coventry and boycotted. While I can fully understand how neighbours would sympathise with anybody found guilty of a crime, as that is a natural instinct, I cannot understand how the...

Seanad: Budget 2010: Motion (16 Dec 2009)

Joe O'Toole: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Kelleher. I suppose I should comment with regard to the trade union leader but I did not know of the comments to which Senator O'Malley referred, so I will put that back until the next opportunity. In fairness to the points made by Senator O'Malley, as a disinterested observer, I must say that the criticism of Deputy George Lee was unfounded and...

Seanad: Order of Business (16 Dec 2009)

Joe O'Toole: I draw the attention of the House to motion No. 21 on the Order Paper. Members on all sides of the House had issues with the European Union negotiating a free trade agreement with Colombia at a time when there were major human rights problems in that country. There is a motion on the Order Paper which concurs with the views of the 12 MEPs from the Republic of Ireland and which I ask the...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Bill 2009: Second Stage (15 Dec 2009)

Joe O'Toole: I welcome the Minister for Social and Family Affairs and her hard-working staff of civil servants. It is worth recognising that all these changes will be implemented by public and civil servants who will have taken a pay cut by the end of the week. When they lift their newspapers each day, including yesterday, they find themselves being treated like dirt. I would like the Government to...

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Dec 2009)

Joe O'Toole: Ba mhaith liom cur leis an méid atá ráite ag Ceannaire an Tí chun fáilte a chur roimh an Seanadóir nua, Seanadóir Ó Brolacháin. Tá súil agam go n-éireoidh go maith leis sa job atá os ár gcomhair. I congratulate the Senator on his election. I hope he will take time now that he is a Member of the House to look at the great need to reform the electoral process. That is not to...

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Dec 2009)

Joe O'Toole: When we discussed the various economic issues over the past year, an issue which came up time and again was credit flow and pressing the banks to release credit. We see now what I said then, that no matter what one puts into the banks, it will not release credit. President Obama, who gave hundreds of billions of dollars to the banks in the United States, is having the same problem. The...

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Dec 2009)

Joe O'Toole: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Dec 2009)

Joe O'Toole: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Dec 2009)

Joe O'Toole: Because there should be a pensions fund.

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Dec 2009)

Joe O'Toole: On a point of order, the Leader announced that the House would meet again next Tuesday. How could it be a matter on the Order of Business for today that we determine when the House will meet?

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Dec 2009)

Joe O'Toole: I have never seen this done before.

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Dec 2009)

Joe O'Toole: I thank the Cathaoirleach. The matter has been cleared up.

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Dec 2009)

Joe O'Toole: I think I know what the Leader is trying to avoid. I understand his problem.

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Dec 2009)

Joe O'Toole: I do not disagree but the Leader must solve the problem in a different way.