Results 1,701-1,720 of 4,608 for speaker:Joe O'Toole

Seanad: Broadcasting Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (4 Jun 2008)

Joe O'Toole: If we were to start gagging the psychics in this great House, we might have some very silent debates indeed. I agree with Senator Mullen that the Franciscans should be allowed to advertise for vocations. If they want to tell us that it is one true, Catholic and apostolic church, I do not have a problem with that either, but neither do I have a problem with psychics selling their services....

Seanad: Broadcasting Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (4 Jun 2008)

Joe O'Toole: They are saying that Kerry will win three in a row this year, so let us see.

Seanad: Broadcasting Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) (4 Jun 2008)

Joe O'Toole: They come up with ideas and there are all sorts of issues that come through. I quite like the section as it is but if Senator Mullen's interpretation is correct, it should be amended to deal with the points he has raised. We will leave the psychics to do their thing, however.

Seanad: Charter of Fundamental Rights: Statements (4 Jun 2008)

Joe O'Toole: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Roche, to the House and want to be associated with what was said earlier about his personal contribution to the campaign. It should be appreciated and acknowledged. The Charter of Fundamental Rights is seen by the Irish trade union movement as the prize in the Lisbon treaty. Three years ago when the then Taoiseach, Deputy Bertie Ahern, was negotiating...

Seanad: Order of Business (4 Jun 2008)

Joe O'Toole: As we send our good wishes to those who are sitting the leaving certificate, it is interesting to take the matter a little further by considering how many of the 60,000 students in question are likely to aspire to having a career in political life, involving public representation. One of the great problems we face when considering the future of this or any other society is the lack of...

Seanad: Prison Building Programme: Motion. (29 May 2008)

Joe O'Toole: I will revert to the Minister of State on that. Even though it is less than 16 miles from this House, Kilsallaghan is a completely rural area. It does not have a pub or a shop and its community comprises a couple of hundred people. It is not a village or a hamlet; it is merely a spread of houses. I ask Members to consider what this huge development will mean for the area. As the Minister...

Seanad: Order of Business (29 May 2008)

Joe O'Toole: I am asking for my constituency to be reformed. Six Members in this House are waiting to have that done.

Seanad: Order of Business (29 May 2008)

Joe O'Toole: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Prison Building Programme: Motion. (29 May 2008)

Joe O'Toole: I am sure it will.

Seanad: Prison Building Programme: Motion. (29 May 2008)

Joe O'Toole: I welcome the Minister of State and thank my Fine Gael colleagues, and Senator Regan in particular, for allowing me to speak first. I declare a strong and abiding personal interest in this matter in that my house will adjoin the prison wall and my brother-in-law sold the land for the prison site. I also want to make it clear that living beside a prison is not an issue for me. If I was...

Seanad: Order of Business (29 May 2008)

Joe O'Toole: I draw the attention of Members to one of the items that is being referred to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Justice, Equality, Defence and Women's Rights. I refer to No. 22 on the Order Paper, which is based on section 12 of the Employment Equality Act 1998. Members should consider this because it is a serious matter. I have referred to this legislation many times, together with the...

Seanad: Order of Business (29 May 2008)

Joe O'Toole: I apologise as I thought it was one of the aforementioned four items. The Order Paper is very long. I was referring to No. 22 on the Order Paper, which was laid before the House yesterday. As I presume Members will come to it next week, I will make my point then. I apologise to the Cathaoirleach. It is a case of being overly-organised. I completely agree with the point raised by Senator...

Seanad: Broadcasting Bill 2008: Second Stage (Resumed) (28 May 2008)

Joe O'Toole: A Leas-Chathaoirligh, caithfidh mé a rá gur thug tú an-sheans ar fad do mo chomhghleacaithe ar an dtaobh eile den seomra. Ba mhaith liom cur leis an méid atá ráite aige mar gheall ar an reachtaíocht seo. Bronnaim mo chomhghairdeas ar an tAire Stáit as ucht an jab nua ata faighte aige. Tá súil agam go n-éireoidh go breá leis. Tá mé sásta go bhfuil an-chuid oibre curtha...

Seanad: Broadcasting Bill 2008: Second Stage (Resumed) (28 May 2008)

Joe O'Toole: I do not refer to Dingle in this case. I refer to cases in which names do not reflect what they were supposed to be. Section 114 pertains to the availability of programmes, which relates to another point about RTE, namely, the establishment or maintenance of an emigrants' channel. While I am in favour of such a measure, I have many questions in this regard. Will it be free to air? I have...

Seanad: Broadcasting Bill 2008: Second Stage (Resumed) (28 May 2008)

Joe O'Toole: I know. I apologise. However, I could not find the magic words, to "educate, inform and entertain", which used to appear on RTE's objectives. Do they still remain extant somewhere or are they included in this fine legislation? I have been unable to find them and the Minister of State should reassure me that it is still part of RTE's requirements to do exactly that. As for what I have said...

Seanad: Broadcasting Bill 2008: Second Stage (Resumed) (28 May 2008)

Joe O'Toole: RTE should be broadcasting at 500 MW but is broadcasting at 250 MW instead. I regret that RTE did not inform Members of this. I was in London recently and tried to pick up long wave but could only barely do so. Moreover, the transmission of RTE long wave is being interfered with by Radio Algeria. This tells one how weak is the Irish broadcast. One can simply look at a map and work out...

Seanad: Order of Business (28 May 2008)

Joe O'Toole: I beg the indulgence of the Cathaoirleach and the Leader. On today's Order Paper is an item to be taken tomorrow, namely, a motion re the new prison in north County Dublin. I would like some help. Paragraphs (i) and (ii) of subsection (e) refer to markings A and B on the map left by the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform in the Oireachtas Library. This sounds easy, but the map...

Seanad: Order of Business (28 May 2008)

Joe O'Toole: On a point of order, I inform the House that I have received information from the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform on the issue I raised earlier. Therefore, I take back what I said about the Department.

Seanad: Order of Business (27 May 2008)

Joe O'Toole: It would be helpful if the Leader clarified the status of the Civil Partnership Bill 2004, which my colleague, Senator Norris, has pushed from the beginning. It has been suggested to us in quiet conversations that all is not well in the serried ranks of Fianna Fáil on this issue and that the Government is stepping back from the policy end because its Members are not as comfortable as...

Seanad: Transport 21: Motion (21 May 2008)

Joe O'Toole: I wish to share my time with Senator Pearse Doherty. I welcome the Minister of State and wish him well in his new portfolio and hope it goes well for him. It is a challenging role to play. I would like to say a few positive and negative things. I support the positive moves mentioned by Senator Martin Brady. There is no doubt the extra trains are welcome, as are the new roads being built...