Results 41-60 of 700 for speaker:Paddy McHugh

Appointments to Public Bodies Bill 2007: Second Stage (Resumed) (28 Mar 2007)

Paddy McHugh: I presume the Minister of State, Deputy Conor Lenihan, is playing snakes and ladders.

Appointments to Public Bodies Bill 2007: Second Stage (Resumed) (28 Mar 2007)

Paddy McHugh: I am pleased to have an opportunity to speak on the Green Party's Appointments to Public Bodies Bill 2007. While I compliment Deputy Boyle on introducing the Bill — I understand he did the spadework in this instance, as he so often does — I caution against the establishment of another quango to do quite a simple job. I have doubts about the practicality of the Bill's proposal that an...

Appointments to Public Bodies Bill 2007: Second Stage (Resumed) (28 Mar 2007)

Paddy McHugh: As almost 500 public bodies with a national remit are in operation — there were just 80 such bodies in 1980 — in effect, approximately 5,000 appointments at national level are in the gift of the Government. The public bodies which have a combined annual expenditure of €13 billion not only need to be accountable but also need to be seen to be accountable and transparent in the decisions...

Requests to move Adjournment of Dáil under Standing Order 31 (28 Mar 2007)

Paddy McHugh: I wish to seek the adjournment of the Dáil under Standing Order 31 to discuss a matter of national and local importance, namely, the threatened closure of Seamount College in Kinvara, County Galway; and the refusal of the Minister for Education and Science to deal effectively with the threat of its closure; the lack of spare capacity in the other two secondary schools in the area, Gort...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (27 Mar 2007)

Paddy McHugh: Question 512: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if home tuition funding will be provided for a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11665/07]

Pharmacy Bill 2007 [Seanad]: Second Stage (23 Mar 2007)

Paddy McHugh: I welcome the opportunity to speak to the Pharmacy Bill 2007. The Government decision to approve the Minister's proposal to prepare pharmacy legislation in two Bills is regrettable because it is almost universally accepted that a comprehensive approach to pharmacy legislation is required. The most comprehensive way to proceed would be to consider all relevant issues in one Bill. I say this...

Criminal Justice Bill 2007: Second Stage (22 Mar 2007)

Paddy McHugh: I welcome the opportunity to speak on this Bill, the thrust of which I welcome, although I can see the politics behind its introduction at this time, a few weeks before the election. By so doing, the Minister has made a valiant attempt to remove from the political agenda some of the issues that have been of concern to the public for some time. I said I welcome the thrust of the Bill but I...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (21 Mar 2007)

Paddy McHugh: Question 280: To ask the Minister for Education and Science when construction of a project (details supplied) in County Galway will commence; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10634/07]

Pupil-Teacher Ratio: Motion (Resumed) (21 Mar 2007)

Paddy McHugh: I commend the Labour Party for tabling this motion and compliment Deputy O'Sullivan on her grasp of the education portfolio and interest in the sector generally. I suspect the motion arises from the INTO campaign run around the country for the last few weeks. I compliment the INTO on the manner in which it has publicised the issue of class sizes. This publicity clearly indicates that the...

Leaders' Questions (21 Mar 2007)

Paddy McHugh: What make was the truck?

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (8 Mar 2007)

Paddy McHugh: Question 230: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food the reason a person (details supplied) in County Galway was refused the single farm payment in 2005 and 2006; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9217/07]

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (8 Mar 2007)

Paddy McHugh: Question 262: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if adequate support will be provided to trainee teachers to cover the cost of classroom materials during their time on teaching practice. [9190/07]

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2007: Second Stage (8 Mar 2007)

Paddy McHugh: It is the function of the Government to deliver.

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2007: Second Stage (8 Mar 2007)

Paddy McHugh: The Minister is provoking Deputy McCormack.

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2007: Second Stage (8 Mar 2007)

Paddy McHugh: Does the Minister recall Deputies Healy-Rae, Fox and Blaney?

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2007: Second Stage (8 Mar 2007)

Paddy McHugh: We are Independents.

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2007: Second Stage (8 Mar 2007)

Paddy McHugh: Therefore, it would not matter if the Minister was designated a Fine Gael candidate in the general election.

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2007: Second Stage (8 Mar 2007)

Paddy McHugh: I compliment the three people who took the court action to have this legislation amended. Mr. King, Mr. Cooney and Mr. Riordan deserve our thanks. If matters were left to the Government, there is no way it would have introduced any type of legislation which would have made life easier for Independent candidates. The Bill is welcome and it will, to a degree, eliminate the cumbersome...

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2007: Second Stage (8 Mar 2007)

Paddy McHugh: One has to ask why it was introduced in this manner. The only conclusion one can reach is that in the mindset of the people who introduced this legislation, Independent candidates were head-bangers who had to be controlled in some way and not let loose. They had to be contained and life made so difficult for them that they would not last the pace and give up, leaving the pitch to the...

Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2007: Second Stage (8 Mar 2007)

Paddy McHugh: They will continue to elect such candidates in the future. Take the west, for example. There is an Independent Deputy in Clare, Galway East, Mayo and Sligo, as well as in Cavan-Monaghan. In the past, these areas displayed bedrock support for the Minister's party and it is encouraging to see that people are now looking outside the circle, taking notice of what politicians are doing and not...