Results 11,521-11,540 of 11,812 for speaker:Denis O'Donovan
- Seanad: Harbours (Amendment) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (resumed) (11 Feb 2009)
Denis O'Donovan: With all due respect, there is one way in which the Minister of State can reassure me, that is, by accepting my amendments, which he may do later this evening or on the next occasion. He is coming around to my way of thinking. I refer to section 18 to which my amendment refers. It is important for me to state my position and the difficulty I am in. The section states: 18.â(1) The...
- Seanad: Harbours (Amendment) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (resumed) (11 Feb 2009)
Denis O'Donovan: It is but it is putting it in such a way that it disables Bantry Bay Harbour Commissioners.
- Seanad: Harbours (Amendment) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (resumed) (11 Feb 2009)
Denis O'Donovan: It is very clear in that it states "the Bantry Bay Harbour Commissioners are dissolved". A Minister, but perhaps not the Minister of State present, may say in three or five years, "To hell with Bantry, we will just sign off." The new section continues as follows: (b) The Minister may by order appoint a day as the transfer day for the purposes of this section in respect of Tralee and Fenit...
- Seanad: Harbours (Amendment) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (resumed) (11 Feb 2009)
Denis O'Donovan: ââwould the Port of Cork Company state Bantry Port is in debt in the order of â¬10 million and Whiddy is closed and that it is inclined to enter a partnership or engage in a merger? I believe not. This is plain and stated in black and white. I do not believe there will be any avenue of opportunity or hope in this regard once the Bill is passed. Proposed subsection 87A(4) states: (4)...
- Seanad: Harbours (Amendment) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (resumed) (11 Feb 2009)
Denis O'Donovan: It gives me great encouragement to see my colleagues offer me moral support and sustenance. I will read a letter from the Irish Ports Association and then I will return to the Bill. The letter was written to the Secretary General of the Department of Transport. I am not sure of the date but I think the letter is quite recent as it is appropriate to the Bill. The letter concerns the...
- Seanad: Harbours (Amendment) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (resumed) (11 Feb 2009)
Denis O'Donovan: I am reading a very important article, which I want to complete. It is a report from The Sunday Times that refers to another Minister. It refers to our national oil reserves which are very important to the country. In the event of an emergency or a war we would need to have a minimum of 90 days' supply. The only place for holding that supply is Whiddy which emphasises the importance of...
- Seanad: Harbours (Amendment) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (resumed) (11 Feb 2009)
Denis O'Donovan: No, this is new information as it was only published in The Sunday Times last week.
- Seanad: Harbours (Amendment) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (resumed) (11 Feb 2009)
Denis O'Donovan: It was brought to my attention that it was published on 1 February 2009. I will not have time today but I must get that report which is referred to and which is quite voluminous and put it on the record of the House because I do not want someone to say to me that I sold out Bantry's potential for the future economy of the region, and it would also affect south Kerry.
- Seanad: Harbours (Amendment) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (resumed) (11 Feb 2009)
Denis O'Donovan: It is now 3.45 p.m.
- Seanad: Harbours (Amendment) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (resumed) (11 Feb 2009)
Denis O'Donovan: No, I am mindful that I promised my colleagues that they could come inââ
- Seanad: Harbours (Amendment) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (resumed) (11 Feb 2009)
Denis O'Donovan: I have just two or three paragraphs to put on the record of the House and then I will give way.
- Seanad: Harbours (Amendment) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (resumed) (11 Feb 2009)
Denis O'Donovan: I too wish to be fair. I refer to section 18(9)(a): "As soon as practicable after the transfer day, the relevant port company shall prepare, in such form as may be approved by the Minister, all proper and usual accounts of money received or expended by the relevant harbour commissioners in the accounting year, or the part of an accounting year, of those commissioners ending immediately before...
- Seanad: Harbours (Amendment) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (resumed) (11 Feb 2009)
Denis O'Donovan: As the Acting Chairman pointed out, other Members want to contribute so I will give way to Senator O'Sullivan. I will, however, be referring to this report, the cornerstone of the legislation, when I resume.
- Seanad: Harbours (Amendment) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (resumed) (11 Feb 2009)
Denis O'Donovan: On a point of information, is it possible for the amendments to be taken separately?
- Seanad: Harbours (Amendment) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (resumed) (11 Feb 2009)
Denis O'Donovan: I thought I was relatively alert, a Chathaoirligh.
- Seanad: Harbours (Amendment) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (resumed) (11 Feb 2009)
Denis O'Donovan: I was caught napping.
- Seanad: Harbours (Amendment) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (resumed) (11 Feb 2009)
Denis O'Donovan: The amendment concerns the deletion of the reference to Bantry and the amalgamation with Cork. In 2005, when Mr. Vivian O'Callaghan was the chairman of Bantry harbour board, a senior official from the Department, who shall remain nameless, visited the harbour board by prior arrangement and had a meeting with the full board. The official suggested that Bantry harbour authority should engage...
- Seanad: Harbours (Amendment) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (resumed) (11 Feb 2009)
Denis O'Donovan: Not that I am advocating this. I am relatively comfortable here despite the pressure I am under at the minute. However, in future members of Cork County Council or other bodies will ask what is the point of having a board in Dublin. It is like a duck that is shot, still alive and limping and cannot fly. It will do huge damage to the process in which we have engaged. As well as this I can...
- Seanad: Harbours (Amendment) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (resumed) (11 Feb 2009)
Denis O'Donovan: The Bill has overtaken the sequence.
- Seanad: Harbours (Amendment) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (resumed) (11 Feb 2009)
Denis O'Donovan: The Minister of State can accept my amendments and I will be very reassured.