Results 1,401-1,420 of 2,414 for speaker:Fintan Warfield

Seanad: Planning and Development Bill 2020: Second Stage (25 Nov 2020)

Fintan Warfield: I look forward to seeing those amendments and I welcome the Minister to the House. First, I would like to reference the Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage, which has been mentioned a number of times in this debate. The committee met on Tuesday last, 17 November and at that meeting, I understand that the Minister asked that pre-legislative scrutiny be waived for this Bill....

Seanad: Planning and Development Bill 2020: Second Stage (25 Nov 2020)

Fintan Warfield: I appreciate that these changes to the form and manner of public consultation are necessary to provide alternatives to face-to-face meetings during the pandemic. However, I would like to hear more detail on the Minister's plans to use a wide array of technologies to ensure the greatest possible outreach. Not everyone will have the experience, expertise or technical support to make a written...

Seanad: Planning and Development Bill 2020: Second Stage (25 Nov 2020)

Fintan Warfield: On a point of order, I understand that a vote was taken and the proposal was defeated.

Seanad: Inquiry into the Murder of Mr. Patrick Finucane: Motion (25 Nov 2020)

Fintan Warfield: I wish to share time with Senator Gavan.

Seanad: Inquiry into the Murder of Mr. Patrick Finucane: Motion (25 Nov 2020)

Fintan Warfield: I welcome the Minister to the House and I welcome John Finucane MP, who is also present here this evening. I commend the family of Pat Finucane, who thought on many occasions in the recent past that they were one stop closer to truth, only for the process of truth recovery to be unnecessarily lengthened. This journey for truth began with the Weston Park Agreement in 2001, when six...

Joint Committee on Media, Tourism, Arts, Culture, Sport and the Gaeltacht: Impact of Covid-19 on the Arts Council: Discussion (25 Nov 2020)

Fintan Warfield: I am catching up on Mr. Rafter's opening statement. I was in the Seanad dealing with the Planning and Development Bill so I apologise for coming in late. I commend Ms Kennelly on taking up the role early. That was an important and welcome step at the time. I have a question regarding yesterday's announcement by First Music Contact. The Arts Council obviously funds First Music Contact....

Seanad: Seanad Bill 2020: Second Stage (18 Nov 2020)

Fintan Warfield: I have not prepared many notes but I have a lot of paper in front of me, which is all from the then Taoiseach's Seanad reform implementation group. I might reference some of that material. It dawned on me as the debate was proceeding that this is one of the most important days of this Seanad term. That has been reflected on. We will not be presented with another such comprehensive Private...

Seanad: Seanad Bill 2020: Second Stage (18 Nov 2020)

Fintan Warfield: All I hear are problems. What about solutions?

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Consumer Rights (17 Nov 2020)

Fintan Warfield: I thank the Acting Chairman. I also thank the Cathaoirleach for eventually selecting this matter, which has been submitted every week since we resumed this term. I am glad to finally seek action on the issue of mobile home caravan parks and, in particular, the need for regulation and legislation that would ensure fit-for-purpose contracts between mobile home park operators and those who...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Consumer Rights (17 Nov 2020)

Fintan Warfield: I thank the Minister of State. The issue here is that in many cases these are just one-year contracts. Some people have spent more than €30,000 for a pitch in a mobile home site and suddenly find themselves, in some examples I have seen, in one-year contracts. The system is broken. The Minister of State asked how many people responded to my survey. It was just over 200 people. I...

Seanad: Traveller Accommodation: Statements (17 Nov 2020)

Fintan Warfield: We are talking here about a human right to safe, affordable and suitable accommodation. We should not have to return again and again to discuss the non-spending of funds allocated to local authorities to provide houses for members of the Traveller community. This is ring-fenced money we are talking about and we need to ensure that it is spent. It is even more frustrating when the...

Joint Committee on Media, Tourism, Arts, Culture, Sport and the Gaeltacht: Future of Public Service Broadcasting and Impact of Covid-19 on the Media Sector: Discussion (11 Nov 2020)

Fintan Warfield: With respect to all of the witness, my time may be taken up with questions to Mr. Lynch. I want first to ask about RTÉ's plans around streaming and the RTÉ player, which is mentioned in some of the documents send to the committee. I use the RTÉ player on Apple TV. I am familiar with its intricacies, particularly in terms of live television. How can RTÉ better compete...

Joint Committee on Media, Tourism, Arts, Culture, Sport and the Gaeltacht: Future of Public Service Broadcasting and Impact of Covid-19 on the Media Sector: Discussion (11 Nov 2020)

Fintan Warfield: Mr. Lynch mentioned the growth in online viewing figures. How long does he anticipate RTÉ will continue scheduling the traditional transmission of television programmes? Is RTÉ prepared for the associated fall-off in revenue when that ceases? I doubt that the RTÉ player makes much money. TG4 recently launched a really good player on the Apple TV app. I downloaded it this...

Joint Committee on Media, Tourism, Arts, Culture, Sport and the Gaeltacht: Future of Public Service Broadcasting and Impact of Covid-19 on the Media Sector: Discussion (11 Nov 2020)

Fintan Warfield: We would all do well to consider the mixed funding model in the context of the dramatically falling revenue. There is a risk of losing editorial control in light of the need for commercial revenue. The committee will probably need to have a bigger conversation about the two-stream funding model in the future.

Seanad: Seanad Electoral (University Members) (Amendment) Bill 2020: Second Stage (10 Nov 2020)

Fintan Warfield: Sinn Féin will be supporting the Bill. I have to ask, however, why we are here on the Private Members' business time of a Government party not debating the Seanad Bill that was produced by the Seanad reform implementation group? That was a group that involved a cross-party selection of representatives that worked painstakingly for months and that delivered a good Bill at the end of...

Seanad: Seanad Electoral (University Members) (Amendment) Bill 2020: Second Stage (10 Nov 2020)

Fintan Warfield: My next two points refer exactly to this Bill, and, in fairness, they were touched on by Senator Byrne. If Irish citizens in the North are entitled to vote across five vocational panels, then surely Irish citizens should be allowed to choose their university or higher education constituency. Mention was made of Queen's University, and I am thinking of St. Mary's University College, Ulster...

Seanad: Data Protection Regulations: Motion (6 Nov 2020)

Fintan Warfield: It is good to see the Acting Chairman, Senator Pauline O'Reilly, in the role. I welcome the Minister of State to the House. As has been mentioned, the motion does not change the substance of the regulations. In fact, it does nothing more than correct an indentation error made in the printing process in the regulations that came into effect in October last year. The regulations themselves...

Seanad: Ábhair Ghnó an tSeanaid - Matters on the Business of the Seanad (5 Nov 2020)

Fintan Warfield: I welcome yesterday's decision by An Bord Pleanála to reject a co-living development in Harold's Cross. Last week, we debated the Residential Tenancies Bill here and I raised the issue of co-living in the context of Covid-19. The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, did not seem too impressed that I used the debate to raise the issue of co-living....

Seanad: Biodiversity: Motion (5 Nov 2020)

Fintan Warfield: I welcome the Minister of State to the House. It was reported towards the end of last month or last week that our managed forestry estate has become a net emitter of carbon, according to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. That would be a staggering finding as it contradicts the Government's position that Irish forests are a significant carbon sink and carbon store. I have...

Joint Committee on Media, Tourism, Arts, Culture, Sport and the Gaeltacht: Key Departmental Priorities and Effects of Covid-19: Minister for Tourism, Arts, Culture, Sport, Gaeltacht and Media (4 Nov 2020)

Fintan Warfield: I will be as quick as possible. I welcome the Minister to the committee and publicly congratulate her on her appointment. Rather than go through the live entertainment €50 million, I ask that the Department would give a briefing document to the committee which would then be on the public record because, as the Minister alluded to, there is no template from the past for this €50...