Results 1,081-1,100 of 3,356 for speaker:Feargal Quinn

Seanad: Developments in the European Union and Ireland's Presidency of the European Council: Statements with An Taoiseach (18 Jul 2012)

Feargal Quinn: Yesterday, I met a leprechaun who gave me a pot of gold and five wishes for the Irish Presidency. The first wish, reputation, was mentioned by the Taoiseach in his opening statement. I have been involved in European affairs in Brussels for the past years. When we started we were highly regarded but our reputation has since become tarnished. It is interesting to see how our reputation has...

Seanad: Presidential Nominations: Motion (18 Jul 2012)

Feargal Quinn: I welcome this debate and I am delighted that Senators Norris and Barrett tabled this motion for discussion. While it is not of immediate importance at this stage - and hopefully it will be seven years before we have another presidential election - we are pleased to have President Michael D. Higgins in office. I am sure the matter is worthy of discussion at this point because there is...

Seanad: Presidential Nominations: Motion (18 Jul 2012)

Feargal Quinn: Yes but I am talking about the day on which he was inaugurated. We have a healthy democracy and it has been helped by the 1937 Constitution. The fact that it has lasted so long is a reminder of what a great deal it contains. The fact that there were seven candidates in the last presidential election shows what a demand there is for the office and how it is regarded. That does not stop us...

Seanad: Presidential Nominations: Motion (18 Jul 2012)

Feargal Quinn: If I am not mistaken, I think I remember a Mr. McCartan back in the 1950s who would have been with Clann na Poblachta but could not get a nomination on that basis.

Seanad: Presidential Nominations: Motion (18 Jul 2012)

Feargal Quinn: The Senator is right. One could argue that the current system supports the status quo, but it is an interesting question nonetheless. An interesting point is that in countries like France and the United States, there are usually only two or three main candidates who are left in the running, although there may be others to begin with. On the last time out here, we had seven who were all...

Seanad: Order of Business (17 Jul 2012)

Feargal Quinn: Last week there was a settlement of a price-fixing anti-trust action in the United States. It was the largest ever settlement of its kind, at €6.6 billion, and it involved MasterCard and Visa. The end result is that credit card costs should come down quite dramatically in the United States. Exactly the same issue arose here a few months ago in the case of European cross-border...

Seanad: Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and Other Provisions) Bill 2011: Second Stage (13 Jul 2012)

Feargal Quinn: I welcome the Minister. Senator Tom Sheahan referred to the Minister's enthusiasm. He also referred to the small man which I saw Minister bristle at as I tend to do. I have found a wonderful way to grow taller, that is, to switch to metric. I used to be only 5 ft. something, I am now 166 cm. A part of the Bill I did not welcome was the reference to the retirement age of 70 years. I spent...

Seanad: Microenterprise Loan Fund Bill 2012: Second Stage (12 Jul 2012)

Feargal Quinn: I thank the Minister for his kind words during his contribution. I have found that "Feargal Quinn's Retail Therapy" has been a real education for me, whatever about educating and helping some of the others who were involved. Some of the businesses that were involved in that television show - we are doing our third series at present - are generations old, while others are just start-ups....

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment)(No. 2) Bill 2012: Second Stage (12 Jul 2012)

Feargal Quinn: I will try to avoid covering any part of the constitutional convention other than what is on this Bill. I could listen to Senator Bradford all day on that topic. I love the concept of random selection of politicians, but I had better not get into that right now. I am not an enthusiast for a constitutional convention. We have a democracy that has worked very well for us over 90 years, and...

Seanad: Industrial Relations (Amendment)(No. 3) Bill 2011: Committee Stage (12 Jul 2012)

Feargal Quinn: I have listened carefully to the points made by Senators Cullinane and White and both made an understandable and strong case. It seems to me that the Minister has won the argument hands down when he talked about the democratic oversight. It is a real reminder. Senator Cullinane, at the end of his contribution, wondered if when choosing between workers' rights and creating jobs would the...

Seanad: Order of Business (12 Jul 2012)

Feargal Quinn: I second the amendment proposed by Senator David Norris. He has made an impassioned plea to maintain the standards in the House, one of which is the Order of Business. He is concerned about the removal of the Order of Business, Adjournment Matters and other issues. We have succeeded for many years and have established a code of practice. As the House meets on a Friday and extra days, it...

Seanad: Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) Bill 2011 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil]: Report and Final Stages (11 Jul 2012)

Feargal Quinn: I will not say much more than what has been said by Senators Barrett and Crown. The aim of simplicity should be the objective. There is a danger of making this more bureaucratic than it will otherwise be. We must consider its cost effectiveness. Senator Barrett has made a strong case and it is worthy of consideration.

Seanad: Order of Business (11 Jul 2012)

Feargal Quinn: I was impressed to read this morning that the Minister of State, Deputy Brian Hayes, has taken responsibility for attempting to save somewhere between €50 million and €70 million in the purchasing of various goods by different agencies and Departments. I mention this because I am amazed how long it takes to get things done in our State. We seem to be very slow in this regard. A...

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Jul 2012)

Feargal Quinn: Tomorrow we will debate cancer and the serious efforts being made to tackle it. I am sure cigarettes will be mentioned during the debate. As someone who is bitterly opposed to smoking, I believe Senator Crown will make a strong case for banning smoking altogether. A figure I read today that caught me by surprise was the seizure of 7 million cigarettes at Dublin Port yesterday. That means...

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Jul 2012)

Feargal Quinn: We can take steps to deter it. One of them is to impose a minimum fine that will make smugglers think about the cost to themselves if they are caught smuggling cigarettes.

Seanad: Order of Business (5 Jul 2012)

Feargal Quinn: I support what Senator O'Keeffe said about this week providing a great opportunity to enhance interest in science. Dublin is at the centre of the science world this week. We had a good debate on science here recently and I thank the Leader for that opportunity. I hope what is happening will support the same steps in science, as those about which Senator Barrett spoke with regard to...

Seanad: Order of Business (4 Jul 2012)

Feargal Quinn: My daughter graduated from Trinity College Dublin in 1987. Similar to what is happening these days, 37 of the 38 people in her group emigrated the following day. It was interesting to hear the Prime Minister of Portugal yesterday encouraging young people there to emigrate, which brings to mind what happened here in 1987, namely, the response of the then Government, under the late Charles J....

Seanad: Credit Guarantee Bill 2012: Report and Final Stages (4 Jul 2012)

Feargal Quinn: It is good to have a Minister of State who focuses his attention on small businesses. We will succeed through our small businesses and this Bill is a very important step in that direction. There is a great need to build confidence in small businesses. The Minister of State has shown a commitment to ensuring that objective is achieved. I commend him and his officials on their commitment.

Seanad: Wildlife (Amendment) Bill 2012: Second Stage (4 Jul 2012)

Feargal Quinn: The Minister is very welcome and so is this Bill. It is a technical Bill that he has explained very well. I was delighted to hear him state his intention to publish a new wildlife Bill in 2014, under the national 2011-2016 biodiversity plan. It was also a delight to listen to Senator Labhrás Ó Murchú talking about the past and the quality of life, although the quality of life of the poor...

Seanad: Wildlife (Amendment) Bill 2012: Committee and Remaining Stages (4 Jul 2012)

Feargal Quinn: I congratulate the Minister for getting the Bill through as efficiently as he did. Senator Ó Clochartaigh made the point that the Technical Group had some experience. My experience is of trying to get something through computers having seen what happened in Ulster Bank in recent days. The question is how one manages to do this. It appears it could have been done in some other format but...