Results 1,761-1,780 of 4,608 for speaker:Joe O'Toole

Seanad: Schools Building Projects: Motion (23 Apr 2008)

Joe O'Toole: The Minister did not say a word about these stages. This leaves the House with a shortfall in information. It precisely illustrates the point I am making that one can hear much but learn nothing. If the Minister says a particular school is in band 1 and outlines the appropriate criteria, I accept that without question. The question is, as Senator Norris asked, how a school can move from...

Seanad: Schools Building Projects: Motion (23 Apr 2008)

Joe O'Toole: I completely agree with the Minister that the urgent will always displace the less urgent. That is the nature of prioritising, and political leadership is about setting priorities. In the case at hand, I accept that a school which is considered the number one priority one week may, for various reasons, be displaced by another school the following week. There is nothing wrong with that....

Seanad: Schools Building Projects: Motion (23 Apr 2008)

Joe O'Toole: Hear, hear. Will the Senator explain that to the Minister? She seems to have missed that point completely. Congratulations to the Deputy on that point.

Seanad: Schools Building Projects: Motion (23 Apr 2008)

Joe O'Toole: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Schools Building Projects: Motion (23 Apr 2008)

Joe O'Toole: If the phone was answered, that could be achieved.

Seanad: Schools Building Projects: Motion (23 Apr 2008)

Joe O'Toole: The motion is not calling for resources.

Seanad: Schools Building Projects: Motion (23 Apr 2008)

Joe O'Toole: That is right.

Seanad: Schools Building Projects: Motion (23 Apr 2008)

Joe O'Toole: The customer charter reads well.

Seanad: Schools Building Projects: Motion (23 Apr 2008)

Joe O'Toole: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Haughey, to the House and thank him for paying attention to the debate. I thank all the Senators who spoke in the debate. These include Senators Keaveney, Healy Eames, Hannigan, Boyle, Buttimer, Fitzgerald, Ormonde, O'Sullivan, Norris, Mullen, McFadden, O'Reilly, Phelan and Burke and their contributions contained a common theme. I refer to the point...

Seanad: Schools Building Projects: Motion (23 Apr 2008)

Joe O'Toole: No, I did not. I asked for criteria. I am glad Senator Keaveney is paying such close attention. How does one go from the bands to the building? What have the bands got to do with a building being built?

Seanad: Schools Building Projects: Motion (23 Apr 2008)

Joe O'Toole: There has been no mention in the debate of the stages of the building process. These are the preliminary stage, initial sketch scheme, sketch and design stage, detailed design, tender action and evaluation, construction and hand-over of works.

Seanad: Schools Building Projects: Motion (23 Apr 2008)

Joe O'Toole: I move: That Seanad Éireann, noting: the inordinate amount of parliamentary time consumed by a continuous stream of adjournment debates on school building projects and the consequent repetitive, uninformative and unhelpful responses of Ministers; concerned at: the lack of transparency of the school building project processes; the lack of efficiency of the school building project management,...

Seanad: Schools Building Projects: Motion (23 Apr 2008)

Joe O'Toole: While I do not tend to get involved in schools building projects, generally speaking, I have taken up a few cases in recent times. I have learned that public representatives are unable to access information. If I cannot give people a proper explanation of what is going on, there is surely a problem. I will give an example of the difficulties I have encountered, without mentioning any names....

Seanad: Schools Building Projects: Motion (23 Apr 2008)

Joe O'Toole: The bands are not the problem. The problem relates to the stages of building.

Seanad: Order of Business (23 Apr 2008)

Joe O'Toole: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Order of Business (23 Apr 2008)

Joe O'Toole: Responsibility lies with the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform.

Seanad: Order of Business (23 Apr 2008)

Joe O'Toole: I discussed this matter with Senator Fitzgerald and I am happy to second that motion. I am also happy to accept the Cathaoirleach's ruling on the basis that the House knows the motion will be debated. I am sure others will wish to add their signatures before tomorrow. I accept the ruling that the motion cannot be taken today but the House should know that some of us are very disturbed by...

Seanad: Order of Business (23 Apr 2008)

Joe O'Toole: I wish to raise an issue. Last night Members of the House may have seen reports of comments made by Senator Hillary Clinton regarding Iran. This is an issue that Senator Mark Daly and I have raised on a number of occasions in the House. Our point is that the situation in Iran is like that of Iraq five or six years ago. We are being offered two alternatives: to go along with the...

Seanad: Order of Business (23 Apr 2008)

Joe O'Toole: ——who, unlike my privately educated colleague, is not from an old Celtic caste system or the nether regions of same, but is in sixth class in primary school and was well able to read and understand them.

Seanad: Order of Business (23 Apr 2008)

Joe O'Toole: Hear, hear.