Results 1,921-1,940 of 4,608 for speaker:Joe O'Toole

Seanad: Defamation Bill: Committee Stage (Resumed) (11 Dec 2007)

Joe O'Toole: The Senator should put it to a vote.

Seanad: Defamation Bill: Committee Stage (Resumed) (11 Dec 2007)

Joe O'Toole: I support the Minister on this issue and will try to defend him against his party colleagues. Senator Jim Walsh referred to the Personal Injuries Assessment Board legislation. The Cathaoirleach will recall we faced a similar situation when that legislation was brought before the House by the then Minister, Deputy Mary Harney, because he was the Government Whip. The problems were on the...

Seanad: Defamation Bill: Committee Stage (Resumed) (11 Dec 2007)

Joe O'Toole: It is only marginal.

Seanad: Defamation Bill: Committee Stage (Resumed) (11 Dec 2007)

Joe O'Toole: It is before the court.

Seanad: Defamation Bill: Committee Stage (Resumed) (11 Dec 2007)

Joe O'Toole: That statement has troubled me very much. There is almost a "prove your innocence" aspect to it. It does not seem to fit with the general approach in legislation that a person would have to prove he or she did not act out of spite, for whatever reason. The first part of the subsection refers to reasonableness but how does one prove one did not act out of spite? How can one quantify the...

Seanad: Defamation Bill: Committee Stage (Resumed) (11 Dec 2007)

Joe O'Toole: While I do not wish to be awkward, I do not understand the point. I am trying to visualise a relevant situation. There is an important point with regard to the claim of reasonableness, which I thoroughly support. I believe it is a major move forward and I support what we are trying to achieve in subsection (4). However, I cannot understand how the "defence of fair and reasonable...

Seanad: Defamation Bill: Committee Stage (Resumed) (11 Dec 2007)

Joe O'Toole: I accept the point.

Seanad: Merits of Farmers' Markets: Statements (6 Dec 2007)

Joe O'Toole: Ba mhaith liom an Aire Stáit a fháiltiú go dtí an Teach arís. Gabhaim buíochas leis as ucht teacht anseo, mar go raibh mé ag lorg an díospóireacht seo le cúpla mí anuas. Tá mé thar a bheith sásta go bhfuil sé ar siúl. Tá sé ar intinn agam labhairt níos leithne ná na margaí iad fhéin. Labhróidh mé ar ábhair éagsúla a bhaineann le córas bia na tíre seo. I...

Seanad: Merits of Farmers' Markets: Statements (6 Dec 2007)

Joe O'Toole: The butcher told me they were doing a great business with the hotel until they received a visit from the food fascists — I should say, the food Nazis — who told them they could no longer supply the hotel. The fact that they were selling meat to the hotel which might then sell it to me on a plate meant they had become wholesalers and would have to comply with a new set of regulations. I...

Seanad: Order of Business (6 Dec 2007)

Joe O'Toole: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Order of Business (6 Dec 2007)

Joe O'Toole: I can tell the Senator there is no confusion on this side of the House.

Seanad: Order of Business (6 Dec 2007)

Joe O'Toole: And the FARC.

Seanad: Order of Business (6 Dec 2007)

Joe O'Toole: No wonder he said that because they started out up there.

Seanad: Order of Business (6 Dec 2007)

Joe O'Toole: The Senator has a vested interest in the FARC affair.

Seanad: Order of Business (6 Dec 2007)

Joe O'Toole: I support the point made by Senator Fitzgerald. I welcome that the Minister will take questions at the end of the debate on food and the merits of farmers' markets. That is a welcome development and we should show we can use it usefully without abusing it. On the issue I raised yesterday and which Senator Fitzgerald raised earlier, namely, the question of Íngrid Betancourt, we should take...

Seanad: Order of Business (6 Dec 2007)

Joe O'Toole: There is a vested interest on the other side of the House which——

Seanad: Order of Business (6 Dec 2007)

Joe O'Toole: The difference on this occasion, in case anybody misunderstands my suggestion, is that this will be done with the will of Parliament as opposed to gunslingers going out there one after the other.

Seanad: Order of Business (6 Dec 2007)

Joe O'Toole: Members of both Houses received by post recently a book called Best of Irish Poetry 2007, from the Munster Literature Centre. I draw Members' attention to that because accompanying it was the startling information that literature is the only aspect of the arts which does not have a permanent home in Dublin city. There is one in Cork, in fairness to Cork County Council or Cork City Council,...

Seanad: Budget Statement 2008: Statements (Resumed). (5 Dec 2007)

Joe O'Toole: The Senator should see if the Government is still sitting in five years.

Seanad: Budget Statement 2008: Statements (Resumed). (5 Dec 2007)

Joe O'Toole: I propose to share time with Senator Doherty.