Results 81-100 of 3,356 for speaker:Feargal Quinn

Seanad: Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Bill 2015: Committee Stage (Resumed) (5 Nov 2015)

Feargal Quinn: The Minister of State is welcome. From his time as a Senator, we know that he is a listening Minister of State.

Seanad: Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Bill 2015: Committee Stage (Resumed) (5 Nov 2015)

Feargal Quinn: He was demoted to the Lower House. There is a case to be made for this amendment. Senator Barrett touched on it. Some of the best debates that the Seanad has had in my 22 years here have been on the environment and climate change. If this amendment is accepted, both Houses would be included. I urge the Minister of State to consider doing so.

Seanad: Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Bill 2015: Committee Stage (Resumed) (5 Nov 2015)

Feargal Quinn: One of the frustrations I have found here in the past has been the delays which occur in many areas. Senator Barrett is correct, and I am sure Senator Cullinane is making an effort. Their amendments propose substituting "30 days" after submitting its annual report to either "10 days" or, better still, "Simultaneously". When I came here first I found the annual reports I was seeking...

Seanad: Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Bill 2015: Committee Stage (Resumed) (5 Nov 2015)

Feargal Quinn: I was about to make the exact point that has just been made by the Leader. It seems that there has been a slip-up. Of course, those who draft legislation can make mistakes occasionally. This is certainly a case of a Bill that should refer to "the Oireachtas" rather than "Dáil Éireann". I imagine that this will be changed on Report Stage.

Seanad: Order of Business (4 Nov 2015)

Feargal Quinn: There has been an interesting development in Britain regarding efforts to address absenteeism. I noted some figures from Ireland which show that the direct cost of absenteeism to small businesses, particularly those with sick pay schemes, is more than €490 million per annum. Under the radical new scheme introduced in Britain, anyone who has been sick for more than four weeks will...

Seanad: Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2015: Second Stage (4 Nov 2015)

Feargal Quinn: The Minister is very welcome and it is good to have him looking after this Bill. He has attended the House before and has shown his interest in this topic. I am loath to speak on this, particularly after Senator Moran and Senator van Turnhout who are such experts in this area. However, I have five children and 16 grandchildren and therefore I feel I know something about this area. I do...

Seanad: National Mortgage and Housing Corporation Bill 2015: Second Stage (4 Nov 2015)

Feargal Quinn: I congratulate Senator Barrett on this Bill and I welcome the Minister of State. I know he is a great listener and will pay attention to what is being said here. One of the great things we can do in this and the other House is to look around the world to see if we can learn anything from other parts of the world. That is what Senator Barrett has done in this case. I welcome the Bill. It...

Seanad: Order of Business (3 Nov 2015)

Feargal Quinn: Way back in 1995, I suggested to the Minister of the day that tagging of criminals should be an automatic occurrence. Nothing happened until this week. I commend the Minister for Justice and Equality on her announcement that she will do something about this. It takes a long time to get things done and, apparently, there were challenges. Something similar happened last year. I tabled an...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Increasing Employment through Training: Innopharma Labs (3 Nov 2015)

Feargal Quinn: What is the position regarding Springboard, to which Dr. Jones referred? I know something about this initiative and it seems to have done a very efficient job. Is there anything he would like to see it do differently? If he was Minister, what changes would he make if he had the opportunity to do so?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Increasing Employment through Training: Innopharma Labs (3 Nov 2015)

Feargal Quinn: It seems that Dr. Jones is thinking of the future a great deal. Will he indicate what is going to happen in five or ten years' time and what will be challenges he will face?

Seanad: Order of Business (22 Oct 2015)

Feargal Quinn: The figures that were published yesterday by the Irish Kidney Association on organ donation transplants in Ireland were quite startling. They show that Ireland had a record of 13% last year but in the UK, it was 20%, in France, it was 24%, in Portugal, it was 28%, and in Spain and Croatia, it was 36%.We have totally failed in this area and to a large extent this failure has occurred because...

Seanad: Order of Business (20 Oct 2015)

Feargal Quinn: I was very impressed to read yesterday of the Taoiseach's enthusiasm for cycling and for cycle runs, particularly the one in the midlands. Our attention has been drawn to the opportunities for Ireland in the area. Apparently some 20 million people in Europe cycle and Germany alone has 70,000 km of cycle runs, but we have practically none. We have the opportunity to do something about that...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Annual Report 2014: Enterprise Ireland (20 Oct 2015)

Feargal Quinn: It has been very interesting to listen to the witnesses and learn how much is going on. I had a visit earlier this year from a group of Chinese investors. They may have been invited by Enterprise Ireland. I was impressed that they were visiting only two countries in Europe, Ireland and The Netherlands. Who are Enterprise Ireland’s competitors? The Netherlands must be one. Who...

Seanad: Order of Business (1 Oct 2015)

Feargal Quinn: I agree entirely with Senators Mary Ann O'Brien and Mark Daly with regard to pensions. We had a very good debate last night on Senator Crown's Bill which I am delighted the Government accepted on Second Stage, but that debate was a reminder that we are facing a crisis. It is a crisis about which we must do something. Too often in these Houses we pass laws which propose solutions but we do...

Seanad: Order of Business (30 Sep 2015)

Feargal Quinn: News emerged last night of how it may be necessary to vacate a large number of homes in the Dublin docklands area or how their owners may be obliged to pay a large sum of money because they were built, I think in 2006, but now turn out to be a fire hazard. The cost to the individuals living in those homes will be approximately €20,000 each and they simply cannot afford to pay this....

Seanad: Pre-Budget Outlook: Statements (30 Sep 2015)

Feargal Quinn: I welcome the Minister and the opportunity to have this debate because in previous years we did not have the opportunity to express our opinion before the budget. There is little doubt that there is a confidence in the country that did not exist before. That confidence has come about because the Government has got the economy back on track. I congratulate it on that. It was not just from...

Seanad: Order of Business (29 Sep 2015)

Feargal Quinn: It is interesting to hear a debate already starting. Senator Norris referred to the underground railway that was proclaimed at least ten years ago. Senator Barrett asked us to consider the development taking place in terms of privatising transport from the airport. There is little doubt that that has worked very well. It is a debate we should be having, and when I hear Senator Norris...

Seanad: Order of Business (29 Sep 2015)

Feargal Quinn: Senator Cáit Keane referred to the Garda using technology to check car tax, insurance and licences. I am not sure it is the job of the Garda to check tax and insurance. Modern technology enables us to do that in a much more efficient way. I saw a huge traffic jam recently where gardaí had stopped traffic on the north side of the city. It must have gone back 2 km or 3 km while...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2015: Vote 32 - Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (29 Sep 2015)

Feargal Quinn: I welcome the Minister and his team. He must be proud of the achievements that have become evident in the past year. Is there a possibility that the Government's targets were not high enough? The Comptroller and Auditor General has today criticised some of the shortfalls that have occurred in the past, though not necessarily in the Minister's area. There was criticism that we have not...

Seanad: Order of Business (23 Sep 2015)

Feargal Quinn: I also send my best wishes to Senator Jimmy Harte. He impacted on all of us in this House when he spoke. It is a reminder of how quickly his political life could stop. We wish him well and hope he has a speedy recovery. The legislative programme published yesterday does not include Seanad reform, yet Senators Crown and Zappone and I have put down amendments, motions and Bills on this...