Results 901-920 of 3,356 for speaker:Feargal Quinn

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Effects of Black Economy: Discussion with Construction Industry Federation (21 May 2013)

Feargal Quinn: I thank our guests for being prompt with their explanations. To go from 273,000 employees to 103,000 is dramatic. Twenty years ago, one could not get workers in the butcher and grocery trades unless they were paid outside the tax system. Given the fact that this practice was stopped, there must be a way of stopping it in this instance. Our guests have made a number of suggestions that...

Seanad: Seanad Bill 2013: Second Stage (15 May 2013)

Feargal Quinn: I welcome the Minister to the House. I really appreciate him coming here. This is a very important Bill for this House and for the people of Ireland. Last Sunday was the 97th anniversary of the execution of James Connolly and Seán Mac Diarmada. They were the last of the leaders to be executed. They were identified because they had signed the Proclamation, from which I would like to...

Seanad: Order of Business (15 May 2013)

Feargal Quinn: I agree entirely with the Leader's deft handling of the Order of Business. Managing two Seanad reform Bills on one day in the House is not easy. The second Bill, by Senator John Crown, will only take one or two minutes but it is great to get it behind us. I refer to the number of people jailed for not paying their television licence fee. The number increased by 50% last year. I knew...

Seanad: Order of Business (14 May 2013)

Feargal Quinn: The costs of living and of doing business in Ireland have always been among the highest in Europe. An announcement last week by the European Commission in Brussels on the payment services directive gives us an answer and the opportunity to do something about it. The Commission has stated the objective of the directive is to encourage more use of electronic payments that will cost the public...

Seanad: Overseas Development Issues: Statements (9 May 2013)

Feargal Quinn: I welcome the Minister of State. The title of the debate is particularly welcome. We are not talking about aid; we are talking about development, about which I am pleased. I am reminded of the old Oxfam quote: "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for life." International development is what we should engage in. We experienced a famine 160...

Seanad: Order of Business (9 May 2013)

Feargal Quinn: I urge the Leader to give serious consideration to the suggestion that the House hold a regular debate on the economy. I read about an interesting development in the United States where it has been proposed to provide for a legal right to rent. Repossession is one of the biggest threats we have to the family home. Under this new right to rent concept, a person struggling to pay a mortgage...

Seanad: Public Health (Availability of Defibrillators) Bill 2013: First Stage (8 May 2013)

Feargal Quinn: I move: That leave be granted to introduce a Bill entitled an Act to require the owners of particular types of premises or venues to install and maintain defibrillators so that they are available for public use and to require such occupiers to erect signage and make information available online regarding the location of such defibrillators and to require the occupiers to provide training...

Seanad: Public Health (Availability of Defibrillators) Bill 2013: First Stage (8 May 2013)

Feargal Quinn: On Tuesday next.

Seanad: Order of Business (8 May 2013)

Feargal Quinn: I wish to move an amendment to the Order of Business that No. 17 be taken before Private Members' business. No. 17 is the Public Health (Availability of Defibrillators) Bill 2013 - First Stage. When the Minister for Education and Skills next comes to the House we should discuss the issue of school holidays. I recently read an article on the steps being taken in Britain to increase the...

Seanad: Address to Seanad Éireann by Commissioner Máire Geoghegan-Quinn (8 May 2013)

Feargal Quinn: The Commissioner is very welcome and I was delighted to hear her speech. I have four points, one of which concerns red tape. There must be something we can do about red tape. In France, they do not have the same red tape for a company employing four people as for one employing 400. We do not seem to have done enough, but is the answer in our hands or in Europe's hands? As regards energy...

Seanad: EU Scrutiny Work Programme 2013: Motion (7 May 2013)

Feargal Quinn: I add my voice of support to the motion. On occasion, the House finds it does not have enough work to do, but this is work that needs to be done. Senator Leyden and others who have spoken have referred to the importance of the motion. It is worthy of support and something to which we can add our voice.

Seanad: National Lottery Bill 2012: Report and Final Stages (7 May 2013)

Feargal Quinn: Amendment No. 18 has been ruled out of order.

Seanad: National Lottery Bill 2012: Report and Final Stages (7 May 2013)

Feargal Quinn: Amendment No. 20 has been ruled out of order.

Seanad: National Lottery Bill 2012: Report and Final Stages (7 May 2013)

Feargal Quinn: Amendments Nos. 2 and 4 to 16, inclusive, are related and may be discussed together, by agreement.

Seanad: National Lottery Bill 2012: Report and Final Stages (7 May 2013)

Feargal Quinn: I welcome the Minister. Before we commence, I remind the House that a Senator may speak only once on Report Stage, except the proposer of an amendment who may reply to the discussion on the amendment. Each amendment must be seconded.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Groceries Sector: Discussion (7 May 2013)

Feargal Quinn: I welcome the witnesses and thank them for coming before the committee. Most of the questions I was going to ask have been covered. Mr. Dempsey spoke about consumer foods and there is a danger involved in introducing an obesity tax. I raised this matter in the Seanad last week and spoke about what has been done in Denmark. There is little doubt it has shown a dramatic increase. It...

Seanad: Order of Business (2 May 2013)

Feargal Quinn: This year, the budget will be announced in October rather than December, the reason for which is, in part, so that we can debate it. I hope we will have an opportunity to debate it well ahead of the decisions' being made. This is exactly the type of work the Seanad should be doing.

Seanad: Order of Business (2 May 2013)

Feargal Quinn: For example, we are currently facing the challenge of obesity. There have been many calls for a tax on soft drinks and so on. I draw the attention of the House to what is happening in Denmark, which introduced a fat tax some years ago on soft and other drinks. It recently reduced this tax dramatically as it believes the economy is more important at this time. The high streets of Denmark...

Seanad: Charities Regulation: Motion (1 May 2013)

Feargal Quinn: The Minister of State, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan, is very welcome. It is a very good day for the Seanad when Senator Mary Ann O'Brien and the Independent Group put down a motion to which the Minister responds. We are so used to motions coming in here and the Government putting in an amendment disagreeing entirely with it. It is delightful to see this and I congratulate the Independent Group...

Seanad: Address to Seanad Éireann by Ms Nessa Childers, MEP (1 May 2013)

Feargal Quinn: I welcome Ms Childers to the House. I am delighted she is here. We learnt that her title is to be Deputy. I welcome this debate on the EU public health legislation and I agree entirely with Senator Cullinane. There is a future for this House but it must change what it does. One thing we can do is make sure we change our duties, one of which must be to ensure EU legislation receives much...