Results 761-780 of 3,356 for speaker:Feargal Quinn

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2013: Second Stage (5 Nov 2013)

Feargal Quinn: I welcome the Minister but, like Senator Norris, I do not envy her her job. It is not an easy task at this time. I will concentrate on a couple of matters and one of them is the effect on employers. Will the Minister put my mind at rest regarding the sick pay scheme, to ensure we are not increasing the cost to employers? The other point I wish to raise is an anomaly or, perhaps, an error....

Seanad: Order of Business (5 Nov 2013)

Feargal Quinn: I welcome Senator Norris back to this House after a couple of weeks away. He is back with the same vigour, energy and enthusiasm. I talked to some people who heard him speaking in the Hugh Lane Gallery last night. They said the same thing about his vigour and enthusiasm. Senator Norris is very welcome back. I am glad to have him here. I also welcome the word that was received the other...

Seanad: EU Scrutiny and Transparency in Government Bill 2013: Second Stage (24 Oct 2013)

Feargal Quinn: The Tánaiste is welcome and we are delighted to have him here. I was chairman and vice chairman of EuroCommerce, which is based in Brussels, for six years, and it represents a very large number of retail, wholesale and other trading businesses. What impressed me was the amount of information that other countries had compared to ourselves with regard to European legislation. I have...

Seanad: Order of Business (24 Oct 2013)

Feargal Quinn: A few months ago we debated a Bill dealing with the availability of defibrillators. It received a great deal of credit and there was no opposition to it. However, nothing has happened since. The reason I raise the issue now is that I have received a letter from somebody who had a bad experience on a train from Mallow to Dublin recently. The person who wrote to me joined the train at...

Seanad: Seanad Reform: Statements (23 Oct 2013)

Feargal Quinn: When I was running my business, I remember asking a successful businessman what the most important thing was for achieving success. He said "If the boss thinks it's important". That is why I am delighted the Taoiseach is here today. I know from his being here and from his words today that he believes it is important to reform the Seanad. His presence today is quite magnanimous and will be...

Seanad: Order of Business (23 Oct 2013)

Feargal Quinn: I brought a topic up here some weeks ago and Senator Mary White brought it up last week as well. It is becoming urgent. This is the question of Russian adoptions. It probably only applies to five adoptive couples. There is an anomaly that has occurred. These are couples who have been to Russia, have met their adopted children, have bonded with them, have spent time with them and have...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Business Closures and Job Losses: Discussion with National Off-Licence Association (22 Oct 2013)

Feargal Quinn: I started in business in the 1960s. In those days there was the concept of resale price maintenance. The objective was to protect the trader, whether big or small, and the customer lost out. I am beginning to hear sounds from the group to the effect that it wants to go back to protecting itself against the interests of the customer, which I think from the point of view of the economy I...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Business Closures and Job Losses: Discussion with National Off-Licence Association (22 Oct 2013)

Feargal Quinn: May I declare an interest? As the young man Mr. Jim McCabe is a nephew of mine, I ask the Chairman to go easy on him.

Seanad: Order of Business (17 Oct 2013)

Feargal Quinn: I am not going to discuss the budget. I will, however, discuss the case of a young man who could not obtain employment here and who was obliged to emigrate. He worked abroad for three years before deciding to return in order to pursue a degree in engineering, only to discover that he is now deemed to be a foreigner and will be charged €12,000 in fees by the Dublin Institute of...

Seanad: Statistics (Heritage Amendment) Bill 2011: Second Stage (16 Oct 2013)

Feargal Quinn: I welcome the Minister of State to the House. There has been a great deal of reference to the 1993 legislation and Dr. Manning. I voted in the Seanad that day and remember it well. There was much enthusiasm for what we were trying to do. We certainly had the impression that the Minister of the day, a County Meath man, would do something about it, but it never happened. Senator van...

Seanad: Statistics (Heritage Amendment) Bill 2011: Second Stage (16 Oct 2013)

Feargal Quinn: Not the pleasure of her dying. I am sorry - I worded that incorrectly. My mother-in-law died almost two years ago, but I had the pleasure of her company for many years. She was born in 1909 and was able to describe 1926, 1916, 1914 and so on. She could remember them well. Luckily, I was able to record her and get much of that information on record. Interestingly, I visited the archives...

Seanad: Taxi Regulation Bill 2012: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (16 Oct 2013)

Feargal Quinn: I second the amendment.

Seanad: Taxi Regulation Bill 2012: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (16 Oct 2013)

Feargal Quinn: I do not understand this. Debate on this legislation in the Seanad was lengthy and included a substantial number of amendments in relation to taxis. Following completion of the Seanad debate on the Bill it was then returned to the Dáil. The Bill has now been returned to the Seanad with an additional provision, which has nothing to do with taxis. Senator Barrett has outlined the...

Seanad: Budget 2014: Statements (15 Oct 2013)

Feargal Quinn: I would like to share time with Senator Norris.

Seanad: Budget 2014: Statements (15 Oct 2013)

Feargal Quinn: The Minister of State is very welcome. I welcome his words as well. We were not sure what was going to happen in this budget. There was a great deal of talk in recent weeks, but we were not sure where it was going to go. I must say I was concerned when I heard the Minister, Deputy Noonan, speaking about creating jobs. I have a real fear when Governments feel they should create jobs. I am...

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Oct 2013)

Feargal Quinn: Figures published at the weekend show that Irish small and medium-sized enterprises are paying three times the credit rates being charged to German companies. The focus in our discussion of today's budget must be on how we can get the economy back on an even keel, restore it to health and ensure it is competitive. Otherwise, we will endanger our ability to compete and grow in the future. ...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Companies Bill 2012: Discussion (15 Oct 2013)

Feargal Quinn: People used to abuse the concept of co-operatives because the latter were not obliged to pay tax. I presume the position in this regard has changed.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Companies Bill 2012: Discussion (15 Oct 2013)

Feargal Quinn: I, too, must declare an interest in that I wrote a book, the last chapter of which was titled, Don't let the accountants win. I have a query in regard to co-operatives. If I remember correctly, up until some years ago co-operatives did not pay any tax. Tax in this area came into force following abuse of the provision by commercial companies which formed co-operatives in order to avoid...

Seanad: An Appreciation of the Life and Work of Seamus Heaney: Statements (3 Oct 2013)

Feargal Quinn: I think today, Marie, is a day to celebrate rather than to look back on the occasion of what happened a few weeks ago. I cannot claim to have been a friend of Seamus but feel as though I knew him as a friend, as I think did everyone else. We knew him through his words and through his personality. I would prefer to touch on his personality at this stage, as well as his words, because I have...

Seanad: Order of Business (3 Oct 2013)

Feargal Quinn: I thank Senators for the very useful and, I hope, helpful debate in the House last night. As Senator Hayden pointed out, this is a momentous day given what will take place tomorrow. I hope last night's debate will be useful to the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Shatter, as he seeks to develop tactics and policies on the issue addressed in my Bill. I do not agree with Senator...