Results 181-200 of 3,356 for speaker:Feargal Quinn

Seanad: Convention on the Future of Europe: Statements. (4 Mar 2003)

Feargal Quinn: I welcome the Minister of State who, as many other Members stated, is so enthusiastic about Europe. As Senator Henry and Senator Ryan stated, it is great to see somebody who actually fits into a job. However, I am somewhat concerned about that. I am reminded of the saying that when the Normans came to Ireland they became more Irish than the Irish themselves. I caution the Minister of State...

Seanad: Convention on the Future of Europe: Statements. (4 Mar 2003)

Feargal Quinn: I am sure they did.

Seanad: Convention on the Future of Europe: Statements. (4 Mar 2003)

Feargal Quinn: Let us ensure that the Minister of State, who has my enthusiastic support, does the same. I wish to quote a business maxim which goes, "There are three things you should never believe, and the first one is that the cheque is in the post". The second is, "Of course I will love you in the morning darling" and the third is, "I am here from head office and I am here to help you".

Seanad: Convention on the Future of Europe: Statements. (4 Mar 2003)

Feargal Quinn: "I am here from head office and I am here to help you". I am somewhat concerned about head office taking too much power unto itself and head office always believes it is there to help you. I like name-dropping and a couple of years ago I met Vaclav Klaus and got to know him quite well. He is now President Vaclav Klaus, having been elected President of the Czech Republic last week. During the...

Seanad: Convention on the Future of Europe: Statements. (4 Mar 2003)

Feargal Quinn: Yes, I am only making the point.

Seanad: Convention on the Future of Europe: Statements. (4 Mar 2003)

Feargal Quinn: I thought I had only started. Vaclav Klaus was not enthusiastic because he said he did not want to substitute a new big brother for that which his country had in Moscow for many years. My words of caution to the Minister of State are intended to help him keep an eye on the Convention and what is happening there. I wish to refer to three areas of concern.

Seanad: Convention on the Future of Europe: Statements. (4 Mar 2003)

Feargal Quinn: I thought I had five minutes.

Seanad: Convention on the Future of Europe: Statements. (4 Mar 2003)

Feargal Quinn: I apologise, I did not realise the position. I have only three questions.

Seanad: Convention on the Future of Europe: Statements. (4 Mar 2003)

Feargal Quinn: I have three questions about Articles 9, 11 and 12 of the Convention. Article 9 deals with the primacy of European law over the laws of member states. Is the Minister of State sure that he is protecting our interests in this area? Article 11 deals with exclusive competency over the common policy. The French are worried about their film industry in this area. Are there concerns for Ireland in...

Seanad: Convention on the Future of Europe: Statements. (4 Mar 2003)

Feargal Quinn: Well done.

Seanad: Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill 2003: Second Stage (Resumed). (4 Mar 2003)

Feargal Quinn: I wish to share my time with Senator Henry

Seanad: Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill 2003: Second Stage (Resumed). (4 Mar 2003)

Feargal Quinn: I remember being taken through the objectives of the legislation in 1997. I was unaware of it before then. Following that, I became an enthusiast for freedom of information and I was impressed by a Norwegian legislator whom I questioned before that legislation went through. Like me, he had been unaware of the implications. It was interesting to hear Senator Maurice Hayes talk about Civil...

Seanad: Order of Business. (5 Mar 2003)

Feargal Quinn: Over 20 years ago on St. Valentine's Day, a horrific fire occurred at the Stardust night-club in Dublin. Those of us close to that event still remember the deaths and disabilities suffered. Recently, three horrific fires have occurred at night-clubs world-wide, in Rhode Island, Chicago and South Korea. I call on the Leader to ask the responsible Ministers to ensure that the required vigilance...

Seanad: Broadcasting (Major Events Television Coverage) (Amendment) Bill 2003: Second Stage. (5 Mar 2003)

Feargal Quinn: I wish to share time with Senator Norris.

Seanad: Broadcasting (Major Events Television Coverage) (Amendment) Bill 2003: Second Stage. (5 Mar 2003)

Feargal Quinn: I believe in the free market economy and have grave doubts about anything that interferes with it. When the Bill came into my possession, I checked whether other countries had done something similar and discovered that some have done so. I then checked the record of Denmark, which decided not to do this because it did not wish to interfere with the free market economy. It was thought that if...

Seanad: Broadcasting (Major Events Television Coverage) (Amendment) Bill 2003: Second Stage. (5 Mar 2003)

Feargal Quinn: Because of competition.

Seanad: Order of Business. (12 Mar 2003)

Feargal Quinn: It is understandable that we are distracted by the Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill 2003 and the report of the Information Commissioner and I support the comments made in that context on this side of the House. However, let us not forget yesterday's inauguration of the International Criminal Court in the Hague. We passed a referendum two years ago to sign our participation with that...

Seanad: Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill 2003: Committee Stage (Resumed). (12 Mar 2003)

Feargal Quinn: Although I have been a Member of this House for ten years and taken part in debates on quite a few Bills, I have never seen anything like section 12(2)(c). It becomes meaningless if one includes a provision referring to "a person who is a member of such other class as may be prescribed". Why take a page and a quarter to deal with this, rather than simply making it applicable to any committee...

Seanad: Convention on the Future of Europe: Statements. (12 Mar 2003)

Feargal Quinn: I also congratulate Deputy John Bruton on the work he has done. It is highly admired. Sometimes we use big words to try to sell things. I talked to somebody recently who had travelled to Barcelona for the weekend because he and his wife had got the flights at such a cheap rate. He credited this to the European Union, Peter Sutherland and the late Jim Mitchell. He knew that Ryanair could not...

Seanad: Convention on the Future of Europe: Statements. (12 Mar 2003)

Feargal Quinn: I think the Deputy means Avis.