Results 1,161-1,180 of 4,608 for speaker:Joe O'Toole

Seanad: Local Economic Initiatives: Motion (4 Mar 2009)

Joe O'Toole: I move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after "the credit union sector" and substitute the following: "—and noting that loan impairments in some credit unions are running as high as 15% to 20%; noting that almost one third of Irish credit unions had first quarter losses which on an annualised basis are between €100,000 and €1.2 million; noting that many credit unions have been...

Seanad: Local Economic Initiatives: Motion (4 Mar 2009)

Joe O'Toole: There is that other one that has been in the news a great deal lately which is also supposedly mutual. I make no comment on that. It is a fact that one third of all credit unions lost money in the first quarter accounts which were published and sent to the regulator. One third of credit unions, many of them small in size, were losing between €100,000 and €1.2 million annually. That is...

Seanad: Local Economic Initiatives: Motion (4 Mar 2009)

Joe O'Toole: He cannot safeguard them.

Seanad: Local Economic Initiatives: Motion (4 Mar 2009)

Joe O'Toole: That is incorrect.

Seanad: Local Economic Initiatives: Motion (4 Mar 2009)

Joe O'Toole: On the record.

Seanad: Order of Business (4 Mar 2009)

Joe O'Toole: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Order of Business (4 Mar 2009)

Joe O'Toole: I welcome the announcement made by the Government yesterday on taxation. I am one of those who has been shouting for an approach in that direction for the last three or four months. I look forward to seeing what the approach will be. As long as there is a fair and progressive approach to taxation people will have to bite the bullet, and society will be prepared to do so if measures are...

Seanad: Order of Business (4 Mar 2009)

Joe O'Toole: We need our people abroad. Never was it more necessary to sell Ireland internationally.

Seanad: Order of Business (4 Mar 2009)

Joe O'Toole: Never was it more necessary to promote our economy abroad, and if that means going over there and sloshing horrible-tasting green beer, shaking hands with the ancient order of this, that or the other thing——

Seanad: Order of Business (4 Mar 2009)

Joe O'Toole: ——or meeting the various brotherhoods then so be it. If that is what it takes to get people to come to this country, invest in this country, buy in this country and have confidence in our economy, the Government would be better off going abroad to wherever the important markets are in a properly organised and effective fashion. I want to see them do that and I will defend it publicly....

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed) (3 Mar 2009)

Joe O'Toole: The ESB reduced its staff numbers from 12,000 to 8,000.

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed) (3 Mar 2009)

Joe O'Toole: Some 81% of the bad debts written off relate to developers.

Seanad: Order of Business (3 Mar 2009)

Joe O'Toole: I would appreciate if the Leader would provide for a debate not just on the point raised by Senator Fitzgerald about regulation and regulators but about regulation in general and how it works. What always seems to happen is that we run into one issue after another and the burden of difficulty always lies with the regulator. There is a classic example in this regard. I heard the Chairman of...

Seanad: Order of Business (3 Mar 2009)

Joe O'Toole: ——who have been paying for the second most expensive electricity in Europe over the past ten years, completely unnecessarily, in order to comply with a policy option of Government to open up the market. There is something daft about that. Twenty years ago I used to argue with people in the trade union movement who were bound up in principle on issues of nationalisation and...

Seanad: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages. (27 Feb 2009)

Joe O'Toole: I welcome the Minister of State back to the House. The legislation contains extraordinary elements. In terms of the first amendment, a "whereas" takes centre stage in that it effectively makes it clear that the provisions are time bound by circumstances, namely, serious economic disturbances and deteriorations. Unless the pessimistic view that the circumstances will last forever is taken,...

Seanad: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages. (27 Feb 2009)

Joe O'Toole: Has there been engagement with ICTU on its ten point plan? If there has not been such engagement, how can the Government seriously or plausibly ask for support across the political spectrum? It certainly cannot be delivered upon. In supporting this amendment, I consider the issue that has been raised by Senator Alex White and others to be absolutely correct. If there is honesty in this...

Seanad: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages. (27 Feb 2009)

Joe O'Toole: They heeded the advice of the Pensions Board and people like me. As president of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, I approached the then Minister, the late Séamus Brennan, to offer my support for legislation making it compulsory for all workers to pay into a pension fund. I made the same suggestion in this House on several occasions. I have always taken a clear stance on this issue. If...

Seanad: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages. (27 Feb 2009)

Joe O'Toole: Yes. Something similar to what I am suggesting has been done within that group of companies in the United Kingdom. There is no equity in regard to pensions. I cannot find it in my heart to support this legislation. I have sometimes been the only person on this side of the House to support Government proposals. I have no difficulty in offering a disinterested view of a particular issue,...

Seanad: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages. (27 Feb 2009)

Joe O'Toole: Accepted.

Seanad: Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages. (27 Feb 2009)

Joe O'Toole: It did not apply to the top.