Results 701-720 of 3,356 for speaker:Feargal Quinn

Seanad: Order of Business (21 Jan 2014)

Feargal Quinn: It appears to be reconsidering decisions rather than saying it will not change decisions it has made. The same applies, I think, to the question of the pylons and whether they are the only way to go. The fact that it is at least questioning them is useful. It would be useful for this House to do its best to ask the Government to reconsider the decision to have the Seanad Electoral Reform...

Seanad: Order of Business (21 Jan 2014)

Feargal Quinn: It will give all citizens on the island and the diaspora a chance to have a vote. This is worthy of consideration and we should decide it, or at least discuss it, before the local elections. One of the questions that every citizen should ask candidates in local elections is whether, if they are elected, they will determine that they have five votes in the Seanad election, whereas the rest of...

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Jan 2014)

Feargal Quinn: I was amazed to hear the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport mention on the radio recently the possibility of a rail strike. We debated such a scenario during the debate on the critical utilities Bill. Eight countries in Europe do not allow strikes to take place in certain critical utilities. The debate on the Bill was adjourned. I ask the Leader to arrange for us to continue the...

Seanad: Adoption (Amendment) Bill 2013: Second Stage (20 Dec 2013)

Feargal Quinn: The Minister is dressed today in Santa Claus colours and she looks very well, if I may say so. She is actually acting as Santa Clause to a number of families. I was not sure of how many were involved but it is 23. The families that I got to know who were at this stage were at the point of almost giving up hope, but they never did. I recall seeing one of my daughters with her first child....

Seanad: Adoption (Amendment) Bill 2013: Second Stage (20 Dec 2013)

Feargal Quinn: Yes, one could say falling in love with him too. The Minister has explained very well the work that had to be done on this intricate and difficult situation, so I will not attempt to get into the detail of that. I doubt that this would have been possible without the very strong commitment of the Minister and her team in the Department. I am delighted about that. The Tánaiste, the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: IDA Ireland: Discussion with Chairman Designate (19 Dec 2013)

Feargal Quinn: I overpaid.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: IDA Ireland: Discussion with Chairman Designate (19 Dec 2013)

Feargal Quinn: Our guests have heard questions from five members and we would love to hear if they have any answers to the issues raised.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: IDA Ireland: Discussion with Chairman Designate (19 Dec 2013)

Feargal Quinn: I welcome the witnesses today. Mr. Ryan's history sounds exactly like the sort of history that we want. I would like to take him back to 1979. I was approached to become chairman of what became An Post at the same time as Michael Smurfit was made chairman of An Bord Telecom. We both said at the time that we did not know anything about these businesses and wondered what we would do. My...

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Dec 2013)

Feargal Quinn: I support Senator Norris's wonderful proposal and congratulate him on coming up with it. I am delighted the Committee on Procedure and Privileges also supports the proposal. I urge all Senators to indicate their enthusiastic support for it. Even just issuing an invitation would greatly increase the stature of the House. That stature is in our hands to a very large extent. Last evening,...

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Dec 2013)

Feargal Quinn: That is all we have heard at this stage. It is our responsibility to ensure that the Taoiseach, the Government and the Lower House understand that we cannot do everything ourselves and that we need the State to be able to support us. If we are going to support reform, then it must be real and must not be limited solely to the areas suggested by the Taoiseach yesterday. I get the impression...

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Dec 2013)

Feargal Quinn: -----in order to enhance the reputation of this House and of the Oireachtas as a whole.

Seanad: Protection of the Public Interest from Tobacco Lobbying Bill 2013: Second Stage (18 Dec 2013)

Feargal Quinn: Like other speakers, I welcome this Bill introduced by Senator Crown and thank the Minister for his efforts in the battle against smoking. I urge the Minister to accept this Bill, which is, as stated by Senator Cullinane, worthy of progressing to Second Stage following which, if there are difficulties, they can be addressed on Committee Stage. The Minister in the context of his concerns in...

Seanad: Protection of the Public Interest from Tobacco Lobbying Bill 2013: Second Stage (18 Dec 2013)

Feargal Quinn: This is an important issue. Like many Members, I am a non-smoker. However, as Senator Crown has accused anybody who sells tobacco or alcohol of being a drug dealer, I was a drug dealer for many years in that through my business I sold cigarettes for approximately 45 years. On the other hand, I was aware there were things which those of us in business could do even though we could not stop...

Seanad: Order of Business (17 Dec 2013)

Feargal Quinn: Several parents of children with narcolepsy have indicated their concern to me as a consequence of the confusion that arose last week when the Health Service Executive indicated it would no longer be providing support to those children. I understand that statement was later withdrawn, but the doubts remain. These children developed narcolepsy, also known as the sleeping sickness, after...

Seanad: Local Government Reform Bill 2013: Second Stage (16 Dec 2013)

Feargal Quinn: We have only ten minutes. The Minister of State, Deputy O'Dowd, is welcome. Like the 43 Members of this House who are elected mainly by county councillors, the six Members who are not elected by county councillors all have opinions and want to speak on the Bill, even though we do not know nearly as much as them. This shows the interest of every citizen. I welcome the overall efforts to...

Seanad: Local Government Reform Bill 2013: Second Stage (16 Dec 2013)

Feargal Quinn: Yes; I read about that in today's newspaper. When the Department of Health decided to create the HSE to do away with local bodies, we simply increased the number of administrators. We did not increase the number of doctors. I fear that something similar might happen in this case. Why do we still have such exorbitant rates of pay in local government compared with our EU neighbours? Are our...

Seanad: Local Government Reform Bill 2013: Second Stage (16 Dec 2013)

Feargal Quinn: I wish to share time with Senator Norris.

Seanad: Order of Business (16 Dec 2013)

Feargal Quinn: Almost 20 years ago in 1994 the Government established the leaving certificate applied. That was a great development in education because it recognised intelligences other than just the intelligence of doing an examination on the basis of remembering everything they had learned after two years of study. It measured the other talents, intelligences, skills and abilities. However, many of...

Seanad: Order of Business (12 Dec 2013)

Feargal Quinn: There are days where we should have good news stories. There is a good news story being announced at 11 o'clock today. We passed Second Stage of the Public Health (Availability of Defibrillators) Bill 2013 earlier this year and it has been announced today at 11 o'clock that HIQA has been asked to form an advisory board to look at best practice on defibrillators and what should be done, how...

Seanad: Critical Utilities (Security of Supply) Bill 2013: Second Stage (11 Dec 2013)

Feargal Quinn: I thank the Minister and everybody who has spoken on the Bill. I found it interesting that Fianna Fáil had appointed somebody with the name Power to debate the issue of electricity. I wondered whether the Secretary General of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, whose name is Robert Watt, was also going to turn up to speak. I listened to and appreciate everything the...