Results 1,241-1,260 of 4,085 for speaker:Dan Boyle

Seanad: Primary School Funding: Motion (8 Oct 2008)

Dan Boyle: I will outline the problem with the schools building programme. We need to look beyond the need to construct new schools and repair those which are quite old. We should try to provide schools which are cost efficient. Schools are the public buildings that are most numerous in our society. If we are to create an environment in which people can go through the education system in the most...

Seanad: Harbours (Amendment) Bill 2008: Second Stage (8 Oct 2008)

Dan Boyle: This Bill seeks to give statutory effect to the Government's port policy statement. The definition of a port policy statement can be taken to mean a statement of the port policy of the Government. I tend to think of it as a statement of the Government moving towards a ports policy, because it is an evolving policy area over several years and it is clear this Bill is an attempt to meet some...

Seanad: Harbours (Amendment) Bill 2008: Second Stage (8 Oct 2008)

Dan Boyle: I understand the Senator's point about Bantry and I am prepared to listen to the arguments. There are economies of scale that need to be taken into account, and this Bill is about that. There is a case for some linkage between the port of Cork and Bantry port, if only to have a responsibility for a body of the State for the oil refinery facilities in Whitegate and the oil storage facilities...

Seanad: Orders of Reference of Select Committee: Motion (7 Oct 2008)

Dan Boyle: I hear what Senator O'Toole is saying and from the point of view of veracity it should be checked out. I am not sure whether precedents exist in terms of the committees we have established in this Oireachtas. We set up a committee on children's rights, which is part of the workload of the existing committee on the Constitution, and put aside a separate membership of that——

Seanad: Orders of Reference of Select Committee: Motion (7 Oct 2008)

Dan Boyle: We also have an Oireachtas committee that deals with——

Seanad: Orders of Reference of Select Committee: Motion (7 Oct 2008)

Dan Boyle: My thinking is the same as the Senator's on that. We also have an Oireachtas committee on climate change and energy security, which deals with functions that exist in two other Oireachtas committees. If it is a question of phraseology about a sub-committee as opposed to a special committee, perhaps motions could be phrased along that line but however we name this group, and it is named a...

Seanad: Visit of Belgian Delegation (7 Oct 2008)

Dan Boyle: I welcome the visiting delegation from the Brussels Regional Parliament, which is led by Eric Tomas, President of the Parliament. On my own behalf and on behalf of all my colleagues in Seanad Éireann, I extend a warm welcome to you and sincere good wishes for a very successful visit.

Seanad: Business of Seanad (1 Oct 2008)

Dan Boyle: The amendments are outside.

Seanad: Credit Institutions (Financial Support) Bill 2008: Committee Stage. (1 Oct 2008)

Dan Boyle: We live in interesting times in the Chinese sense of the word. We have made a very emphatic decision here, one in which we can take some pride that we have carried out our role effectively as legislators. I thank all those who have assisted us in doing that, the staff of the House, the Cathaoirleach for his patience and forbearance, the Minister for spending all his time in this all-night...

Seanad: Credit Institutions (Financial Support) Bill 2008: Committee Stage. (1 Oct 2008)

Dan Boyle: There is one flaw in this amendment, but it is more of an irony. The National Treasury Management Agency is one of the few sectors of the public service whose members' own salaries are not publicly revealed, because a certain type of person must be attracted to the job owing to the specialist nature of the work. For this reason it is thought better to keep the salaries secret. It would be...

Seanad: Credit Institutions (Financial Support) Bill 2008: Second Stage (1 Oct 2008)

Dan Boyle: At this ungodly hour of the morning we need to ask ourselves how we got to where we are now. It has resulted from a combination of factors, mainly the global situation and partially the situation in which we find ourselves in this country. We are in a position, not unlike that in other jurisdictions, to present to other countries an alternative and a response that is unique. The Government...

Seanad: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Second Stage (1 Oct 2008)

Dan Boyle: I welcome the Bill, which will add significantly to existing legislation relating to housing. It points to how such legislation might be further improved. I do not believe the Bill is meant to be comprehensive in any way. It adds to existing legislative provision but there is no doubt that much needs to be added to it by way of amendment in order to improve it. The debates on the Bill in...

Seanad: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Second Stage (1 Oct 2008)

Dan Boyle: Threshold, of course.

Seanad: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Second Stage (1 Oct 2008)

Dan Boyle: Threshold is very active in Cork and in other parts of the country. The Make Room campaign tries to place a particular focus on homelessness. This Bill does not refer to homelessness but it should do so. I hope amendments along those lines will be favourably received.

Seanad: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Second Stage (1 Oct 2008)

Dan Boyle: The Bill will be changed in several ways, believe me.

Seanad: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Second Stage (1 Oct 2008)

Dan Boyle: That is the nature of the legislative process and that is why we are having this debate. Irish legislation is already well advanced in having a legal definition of homelessness. That does not exist in many other jurisdictions. When examining legislation of this type, we need to ask whether that definition is broad and effective enough and whether this is an appropriate place to deal with...

Seanad: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Second Stage (1 Oct 2008)

Dan Boyle: It is not in the Bill because it is still subject to legal advice from the Attorney General. The Minister will explain why when the Bill goes through both Houses but it remains a commitment of his and I put it on the record as such.

Seanad: Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2008: Second Stage (1 Oct 2008)

Dan Boyle: On those grounds, I welcome the Bill.

Seanad: European Judicial Network in Civil and Commercial Matters: Motion (1 Oct 2008)

Dan Boyle: It is easy to be jingoistic in terms of a belief in our own policing and judicial system, saying it is better than other judicial systems of policing in that it cannot be improved upon. As an island nation perhaps we are more guilty in this area than others. We are discussing changes in judicial co-operation on civil and commercial matters in the European Union in terms of information and...

Seanad: Order of Business (1 Oct 2008)

Dan Boyle: It is important that we should not prejudge the debate that will take place later today. However, it is also important that the concerns raised by Members be placed on record and form the basis of the wider debate that is likely to occur this evening. To date, I have not heard anyone state that there is no risk in what is being proposed. There is an undoubted risk. However, what the...