Results 1,661-1,680 of 4,608 for speaker:Joe O'Toole
- Seanad: Broadcasting Bill 2008: Report Stage (25 Jun 2008)
Joe O'Toole: I refer to amendments Nos. 75 and 76.
- Seanad: Broadcasting Bill 2008: Report Stage (25 Jun 2008)
Joe O'Toole: No, I intend to withdraw amendment No. 75 and welcome amendment No. 76.
- Seanad: Broadcasting Bill 2008: Report Stage (25 Jun 2008)
Joe O'Toole: The Government amendment No. 76 replaces one of my previous amendments. While I do not intend to speak on each grouped amendment as Members continue to consider the Bill, ba mhaith liom cúpla focal a rá i mBéarla mar gheall ar cúpla ceann acu. Amendment No. 14 is important and the Minister should make a gesture in this regard. All I seek is that RTE's website should be bilingual, which...
- Seanad: Broadcasting Bill 2008: Report Stage (25 Jun 2008)
Joe O'Toole: I welcome the Minister's response. I intended to call a vote on one of the amendments because I wanted to make a point about them. I appreciate that the Minister is prepared to consider what I am talking about, particularly as regards amendment No. 18, to consider "stimulate and promote" in respect of the Irish language. I take his point, incidentally, about amendment No. 14, which is...
- Seanad: Broadcasting Bill 2008: Report Stage (25 Jun 2008)
Joe O'Toole: Will the Chair repeat the alternatives?
- Seanad: Broadcasting Bill 2008: Report Stage (25 Jun 2008)
Joe O'Toole: I accept that the amendments are all related but Senators may speak only once on them on Report Stage. There are too many here for that provision to be desirable and I therefore suggest that we divide them into two groups. Amendments Nos. 14,18, 24, 29, 39, 40, 43, 46, 61, 75 and 76 should be discussed together as part of one group and the remainder should be discussed together as part of a...
- Seanad: Order of Business (25 Jun 2008)
Joe O'Toole: I have some sympathy with the point raised by Senator Fitzgerald. If we are not going to deal with this rationally, there will be no gain to be made for this country by arguing in this House over whose fault it is. We need to have clear information. I have tried to see both sides of this argument. We need to know the current economic indicators, the current tax take. We need to know the...
- Seanad: Electricity Regulation (Amendment) (EirGrid) Bill 2008: Second Stage (24 Jun 2008)
Joe O'Toole: I welcome the Minister and wish him well with the legislation. I am probably the only Member of either House who has a problem with it. Having said that, nothing I have to say reflects in any way on the excellent people who operate EirGrid, whom I have met. My problem with the Bill has nothing to do with them as I hold them in the highest of regard. They are diligent, decent people who...
- Seanad: Order of Business (24 Jun 2008)
Joe O'Toole: Cúpla uair i rith na bliana, dúirt mé leis an Leader gur chóir go mbeadh dÃospóireacht againn ar staid na Gaeilge agus polasaithe Ghaeilge. In particular I have pointed out the discrepancy between support for Gaeltacht schools and for gaelscoileanna or Irish schools outside of the Gaeltacht. Gaeltacht schools nowadays must invite in extra Irish teachers because there are so many...
- Seanad: Order of Business (19 Jun 2008)
Joe O'Toole: I congratulate Senator Regan on making the jump from backbencher to leading statesperson without any intervening period.
- Seanad: Order of Business (19 Jun 2008)
Joe O'Toole: On a morning when men must feel inadequate at working 39 minutes less per day than their female colleagues, at least Senator Regan has shown flexibility and the ability to multitask, something to which we all aspire. I wish to raise the issue of insurance premia, which tags on to the issue of prices; it is an issue on which the Leader has taken a particular interest and done substantial work....
- Seanad: Order of Business (18 Jun 2008)
Joe O'Toole: You never told us that last week.
- Seanad: Broadcasting Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (18 Jun 2008)
Joe O'Toole: I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I have two amendments in this grouping, Nos. 36b and 36c. Similar issues arise in the next grouping of amendments. An rud atá i gceist agam anseo ná go mbeadh tacaÃocht agus tuiscint ann do mhuintir na nGaeltachtaà agus do GhaeilgeoirÃ. NÃl sé ar intinn agam aon strus nó stró a chur ar RTE nó ar aon ghrúpa a bheadh ag...
- Seanad: Order of Business (18 Jun 2008)
Joe O'Toole: I wish to raise a number of issues but before doing so I seek a ruling from the Chair with regard to No. 1 on the Order of Business, relating to Thornton Hall. I have a close personal interest in this matter but I am not raising it as a personal issue and I am not seeking an amendment to the Order of Business. However, this is different from almost any order the House has dealt with...
- Seanad: Order of Business (18 Jun 2008)
Joe O'Toole: People must explain these matters to the electorate. That is the reality. We now need to examine how we will take the matter forward. We will discuss it this afternoon and I will put forward my views on how to proceed, what issues must be sorted out and what our agenda on Europe should be in the future. We must work our way through it. The issue raised by Senator Fitzgerald is crucial....
- Seanad: Broadcasting Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (18 Jun 2008)
Joe O'Toole: I want to put this matter in simple terms. If we do not make progress, I will bring it back on Report Stage in more technical terms. I will speak as simply as I can. This concerns broadcasting and has much to do with the fact we are changing from medium wave to long wave. While this is not the business of the legislation, it is what prompted me to bring this issue forward. When RTE...
- Seanad: Broadcasting Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (18 Jun 2008)
Joe O'Toole: It is cutting across RTE. Radio Algeria is broadcasting at full strength but we are not. I could go on. I feel let down by RTE on this issue. I argued with those who argued against the elimination of medium wave and I stated that long wave was better. Long wave is technically better as long as we are using our output, which we are entitled to do. I do not want the Minister to come back...
- Seanad: Broadcasting Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (18 Jun 2008)
Joe O'Toole: I feel I have been misled by RTE on this issue. Other groups feel the same. No one has been told until now about the reduction in the transmission output. This is not a problem for which the Minister should be answerable and that is not the point of my amendment. Its point is to take it from the hands of RTE that it could reduce output at its own discretion. I want us to use our full...
- Seanad: Broadcasting Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (18 Jun 2008)
Joe O'Toole: I move amendment No. a83a: In page 75, subsection (2)(e), line 15, after "programmes" to insert the following: "including programmes in the Irish language and programmes pertaining to Irish Culture". An rud atá i gceist agam anseo ná go mbeadh fáil ar chláracha, fógraà agus a leithéid as Gaeilge. Labhair mé nÃos luaithe ar seo agus chuir mé na hargóintà céanna. Tá sé thar a...
- Seanad: Broadcasting Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (18 Jun 2008)
Joe O'Toole: There are plenty of people who want access to the Irish language in the North and compulsory education through Irish in the South but one will not find anybody other than me who will take a non-partitionist view on the Irish language. Whether it be for education or watching television I want to provide every possible support for Gaelgeoirà and muintir na nGaeltachtaÃ. I appeal to the...