Results 361-380 of 4,608 for speaker:Joe O'Toole

Seanad: Road Traffic Bill 2009: Second Stage (29 Jun 2010)

Joe O'Toole: I will take up some of the points raised in the last contribution. I introduced an amendment in this House to the Road Traffic Bill 1995 to give local authorities and the Minister power to introduce a minimum speed limit. It had an interesting history. It was Fianna Fáil legislation. Fine Gael was in Opposition, and Fine Gael supported me in my amendment. The Government then fell and...

Seanad: Order of Business (24 Jun 2010)

Joe O'Toole: Senator Coffey raised the attack by the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Gormley, on the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Climate Change and Energy Security. I do not have a problem with the Minister having a go at a committee if he wishes to do so. However, what he said was, in all fairness, completely wrong. The Minister said: ...the Oireachtas committee...

Seanad: Order of Business (24 Jun 2010)

Joe O'Toole: This is causing extraordinary difficulty for some members of Irish society. We should be proud enough to stand up and endorse our own republic, show ourselves to be grown up, stand toe to toe with our neighbours and invite the monarch of a neighbouring state to come visit us as a neighbour and simply say "we are proud of what we are and we respect what you are".

Seanad: Order of Business (24 Jun 2010)

Joe O'Toole: It is time we had that debate to allow people to come out and say what it is they have to say. We in County Kerry have profited from royal visits in the past, as I have no doubt Senator Coghlan will explain to us.

Seanad: Order of Business (24 Jun 2010)

Joe O'Toole: To the Kingdom.

Seanad: Environmental Protection: Motion (23 Jun 2010)

Joe O'Toole: In fairness, the Minister is inviting interruption.

Seanad: Environmental Protection: Motion (23 Jun 2010)

Joe O'Toole: On a point of order, the Minister made a comment regarding the lack of consensus among those on the Joint Committee on Climate Change and Energy Security which Members on this side of the House did not hear. Would be mind expanding on that matter?

Seanad: Environmental Protection: Motion (23 Jun 2010)

Joe O'Toole: I accept that. However, I could not think of any other way to intervene.

Seanad: Environmental Protection: Motion (23 Jun 2010)

Joe O'Toole: That was well spotted. This is why the Minister occupies his current position.

Seanad: Environmental Protection: Motion (23 Jun 2010)

Joe O'Toole: The Minister made a comment about a lack of consensus among the members of the Joint Committee on Climate Change and Energy Security and referred to people engaging in political opportunism.

Seanad: Environmental Protection: Motion (23 Jun 2010)

Joe O'Toole: The Minister's facts do not stand up to scrutiny.

Seanad: Environmental Protection: Motion (23 Jun 2010)

Joe O'Toole: He is being provoked.

Seanad: Environmental Protection: Motion (23 Jun 2010)

Joe O'Toole: In all fairness, the motion tabled by the Labour Party is not very critical of the Government. It simply asks for sufficient measures to be taken. It is good to see the Green Party feeling its oats again and coming out fighting. This is good and healthy and Members on the Independent benches are very pleased to see it happening.

Seanad: Environmental Protection: Motion (23 Jun 2010)

Joe O'Toole: The truth is the motion is not excessively condemnatory of Government policy.

Seanad: Environmental Protection: Motion (23 Jun 2010)

Joe O'Toole: The smart thing for the Government side to do would be to accept the motion because there is no problem with it. When the Minister, Deputy Gormley, moved from his script, he was completely wrong. I, too, am a member of the Joint Committee on Climate Change and Energy Security. I stand to be corrected, but I cannot remember any occasion - the Minister should check the record and correct...

Seanad: Environmental Protection: Motion (23 Jun 2010)

Joe O'Toole: The Minister spoke about a lack of consensus at the committee. I support Senator Coffey in the points he made. As Senator Boyle stated, the committee was established because of a demand made by the Green Party. I should have said I would like to share my time with Senator Norris.

Seanad: Environmental Protection: Motion (23 Jun 2010)

Joe O'Toole: The committee did something unique. It published a fully agreed Bill, the Foreshore Licensing Bill, which it sent to the Minister, but nothing has happened. It was a classic example of where all parties and none had got behind the Government in support of its policy. There was nothing in the Bill that caused a difficulty for the Government. It dealt with a very important issue that was...

Seanad: Environmental Protection: Motion (23 Jun 2010)

Joe O'Toole: Every time a Minister stands up to talk about water charges, he or she invites opposition. There must be recognition that the treatment and delivery of water are costly. There are fair ways of doing this. One can ensure everybody will receive a certain quantity of water before being charged.

Seanad: Environmental Protection: Motion (23 Jun 2010)

Joe O'Toole: The Minister of State might consider the following issue as being taken out of context, but it is not. The frequently mentioned proposal to get rid of town councils and smaller groups throughout the country would be disastrous.

Seanad: Environmental Protection: Motion (23 Jun 2010)

Joe O'Toole: I understood it had come from the Government side, but perhaps I am wrong. The people who will look after the environment are locals. Only when money raised from water charges and rates is spent by local groups will the matter receive attention. If it is spend on the wrong item, the people down the street will argue about it, whereas they take no notice at present. I do not know what is...