Results 1,801-1,820 of 4,608 for speaker:Joe O'Toole

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Apr 2008)

Joe O'Toole: Not in Ireland.

Seanad: Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs: Motion (9 Apr 2008)

Joe O'Toole: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs: Motion (9 Apr 2008)

Joe O'Toole: Senator Corrigan is learning the rules of the game quickly. It was the best eight minutes I have ever heard. I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I congratulate Fine Gael on tabling the motion. I have a reasonably balanced record in the House of giving credit where it is due but Senator Corrigan's criticism of Fine Gael for not acknowledging developments is misplaced. I said to...

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Apr 2008)

Joe O'Toole: The Leader is safe enough now.

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Apr 2008)

Joe O'Toole: I wish the new leader of Fianna Fáil well and I congratulate party members on making their decision so promptly. I hope it all works out well for them. I heard one cautionary tale about Deputy Cowen earlier, which would make me very afraid if I was facing him on the other side of the House. When he was a minor playing hurling for Clara in a match against Lusmagh, his team was behind and...

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Apr 2008)

Joe O'Toole: I recommend to people in Fianna Fáil and in the Opposition who never heard of Lusmagh that it is worth visiting and reading about the Lusmagh revolution and agrarian revolt and reform in the late 1950s and early 1960s. A lot would be understood about the nature of people from that part of world, including our Cathaoirleach. Inné fuarthas an tuarascáil bhliantúil ón gCoimisinéir Teanga....

Seanad: Order of Business (8 Apr 2008)

Joe O'Toole: What a loss that would be for the rest of us.

Seanad: Order of Business (8 Apr 2008)

Joe O'Toole: I echo the points made by Senator Fitzgerald concerning the Taoiseach's announcement of his resignation. It would be very helpful in dealing with this in an efficient manner, if the Leader could find some reason for inviting the Taoiseach to the House. The best reason would be to get an update, as he sees it on leaving office, of the Northern situation, the Lisbon treaty and the...

Seanad: Order of Business (8 Apr 2008)

Joe O'Toole: ——-from a regime which has mobile execution chambers and kills people to sell their organs. China is opening coal stations at the rate of one a week, flooding people out of their homes in order to create electricity and engaged in numerous other activities. For polite people to be speaking to us as politicians and talking about the positive image of sport and not connecting it with...

Seanad: Order of Business (8 Apr 2008)

Joe O'Toole: The Minister for Education and Science has had an instructive Easter travelling to the various teaching, education and management conferences and will no doubt have learned a lot. It would be very helpful if we could hear what she has learned over the past three weeks, especially the advances she has made on issues affecting primary education, such as class size, capital funding and special...

Seanad: Order of Business (13 Mar 2008)

Joe O'Toole: In recent months, 13 Members have, on different occasions, raised issues to do with the schools building programme and related matters. I note that Senator Doherty will raise this matter on the Adjournment today. Some of those who have spoken on this issue were Government Members, including Senators Cannon and Ó Domhnaill. Members on this side of the House have described similar problems...

Seanad: Protection of Employees (Agency Workers) (12 Mar 2008)

Joe O'Toole: I, along with Senator Doherty, congratulate Senator Kelly and his Labour Party colleagues on bringing forward this important and testing Bill. It has been terrible to listen to Members trying to avoid agreeing with the very ordinary, sensible and pragmatic measures of the Bill. There were weasel words, false arguments and a specious approach to the relevant issues. The legislation is very...

Seanad: Protection of Employees (Agency Workers) (12 Mar 2008)

Joe O'Toole: It is a simple question. People will then state that we will get them to work for nothing or for half nothing so that we can be competitive. They will end up telling me that that is right and that is the basis on which we build our economy. Members on all sides of the House fought for 40 years to ensure we were fair and protected people in employment. There were 100,000 people on the...

Seanad: Order of Business (12 Mar 2008)

Joe O'Toole: I am sorry to hear that.

Seanad: Order of Business (12 Mar 2008)

Joe O'Toole: In terms of the cost of travel, there were two items on "RTE News" this morning. One was the cost of sending Ministers abroad and the exorbitant cost of hiring a full aeroplane and canvassing all over Europe to send a few asylum seekers back to Africa. The latter cost double the price of sending the Ministers abroad. RTE should get its act together on the relative importance of issues, if...

Seanad: Schools Building Projects (11 Mar 2008)

Joe O'Toole: Dromclough national school, Listowel, County Kerry, has been already brought to the attention of the Department of Education and Science by Senator Ned O'Sullivan, who shares my interest and concern in this regard. I wish also to raise the situation at Rahan national school, Mallow, County Cork. Both schools have experienced various problems for many years. Of concern to both schools is...

Seanad: Schools Building Projects (11 Mar 2008)

Joe O'Toole: I thank the Minster of State for his reply and appreciate what he said. I wish to make two points following his reply which he might also convey to the Minister. He said it was agreed that accommodation should be provided for Drumclough national school, of which the school authorities have been advised. I am trying to ascertain for them what will happen next in the process and when it will...

Seanad: Schools Building Projects (11 Mar 2008)

Joe O'Toole: I totally agree.

Seanad: Criminal Law (Human Trafficking) Bill 2007: Report and Final Stages (11 Mar 2008)

Joe O'Toole: I move amendment No 14: In page 12, after line 13, to insert the following: 15.—Section 7 of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 1993 is hereby amended as follows— (a) by deleting the words "in a street or public place", and (b) after the word "prostitution", to insert "or any person who uses the services of a prostitute".". The Long Title states clearly that it is for the purposes of...

Seanad: Criminal Law (Human Trafficking) Bill 2007: Report and Final Stages (11 Mar 2008)

Joe O'Toole: All I am saying is that I have total empathy with the points the Senator made. This amendment is a tidying up exercise. It would not mean a major change. It would simply create a sense of equity and equality of guilt wherever it happens. I am not raising the big debate of legalising or otherwise prostitution. I am simply saying that what is criminal on the street should be criminal...