Results 121-140 of 3,356 for speaker:Feargal Quinn

Seanad: Order of Business (25 Jun 2015)

Feargal Quinn: I also welcome Ms Ann Widdecombe. In addition to playing a large part in British politics, she has been a very active member of the pro-life movement in opposing abortion and the trend in that direction. She is very welcome and I know that she will continue to act with the same enthusiasm she has shown in the past. I have often asked ambassadors how they measure success. Those involved in...

Seanad: Communications Regulation (Postal Services) (Amendment) Bill 2015: Second Stage (25 Jun 2015)

Feargal Quinn: I welcome the Minister back to the House. He was demoted to the Lower House several years ago but he was previously an active Member of this House. I look forward to hearing Members' views and, I hope, a healthy debate on this Bill. I was the chairman of An Post in the 1980s. After we introduced postcodes in Dublin, we constructed a new sorting office on Fortfield Road and told the people...

Seanad: Consumer Protection (Regulation of Credit Servicing Firms) Bill 2015: Second Stage (24 Jun 2015)

Feargal Quinn: The Minister of State is welcome. I realise it did not sound as if he was being made welcome by Senator O'Brien earlier.

Seanad: Consumer Protection (Regulation of Credit Servicing Firms) Bill 2015: Second Stage (24 Jun 2015)

Feargal Quinn: No, he did not. He was careful about the way he worded it. We have seen the Minister of State in the House on several occasions recently. On this occasion he is wearing a particular hat. I welcome this Bill, which aims to give more protection to individuals and small and medium-sized enterprises.There is a loophole whereby certain loans that are bought by third parties may not be covered...

Seanad: Petroleum (Exploration and Extraction) Safety Bill 2015: Second Stage (24 Jun 2015)

Feargal Quinn: Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. The Minister has been a regular here for many years. We get on very well together and he puts a lot of effort into his work and it is good to see him back again. I note that this particular directive is about minimising risks of offshore accidents throughout the European Union, a move in the right direction, but I want to make some comments on...

Seanad: Master Plan for the City of Dublin: Motion (24 Jun 2015)

Feargal Quinn: I second the motion. The Minister of State is very welcome. There is an old saying in the theatre that one should not follow children or animals onto the stage. One should also include Senator David Norris. I just love to listen to him speak on anything about which he is passionate and he is passionate about everything on which he speaks. I congratulate him. He is quite right. He...

Seanad: Master Plan for the City of Dublin: Motion (24 Jun 2015)

Feargal Quinn: Yes, I agree that we did it also, but we have moved a little away from it.

Seanad: Master Plan for the City of Dublin: Motion (24 Jun 2015)

Feargal Quinn: I refer to two unfortunate examples - the ancestral home of the Duke of Wellington in County Meath and the home of Field Marshall Bernard Montgomery – Monty – in Moville, County Donegal. They have gone to rack and ruin. Perhaps in the case of the Duke of Wellington’s house it is too far gone, but a house such as Montgomery’s could be turned into a major tourist...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership: Discussion (23 Jun 2015)

Feargal Quinn: I am sorry, I missed a little of the debate because I had to leave for a vote. The Minister may have covered part of this question already. It relates to energy. Will there be an effort to get a level playing field in energy? In Britain today I understand they have given permission for shale fracking in Lancashire. This may be the start of fracking to obtain energy from under the ground....

Seanad: Order of Business (18 Jun 2015)

Feargal Quinn: A few months ago, I tabled a Bill here, which got some attention but was not accepted, to do with essential services and to ban the willingness of workers to have a strike that would affect essential services. There was a good debate on the Bill, and a good discussion about the various aspects of it, but it seems to be something the Government should keep its eye on. It should be aware that...

Seanad: Order of Business (18 Jun 2015)

Feargal Quinn: We should discuss quite soon the challenge to us if Britain leaves the European Union. That will not happen until next year if it has a referendum but it could happen. We should take contingency measures and watch what we should do to ensure our own economy is protected if that happens.

Seanad: Order of Business (16 Jun 2015)

Feargal Quinn: Our thoughts go out to the families whose loved ones died in Berkeley, California. My wife and I have five children, all of whom worked in the United States when they were students. Some of our grandchildren have done so as well. The thought of receiving a telephone call to say that one has just lost one's child is horrific. While we are aware that five people were killed, there is a...

Seanad: National Minimum Wage (Low Pay Commission) Bill: Committee Stage (11 Jun 2015)

Feargal Quinn: I welcome the Minister of State to the House for the Committee Stage debate on a very interesting Bill. I listened very carefully to Senator Landy's comments. I believe it was 100 or 150 years ago when Members of Parliament in Britain were first paid, but many members of the Conservative Party did not want to be paid. However, under-privileged Members of Parliament argued that they had to...

Seanad: National Minimum Wage (Low Pay Commission) Bill: Committee Stage (11 Jun 2015)

Feargal Quinn: I understand the wording the Minister of State has used in the Schedule. It states, under membership at paragraph (2)(b): "3 shall be appointed from among persons who, in the opinion of the Minister, have an understanding of the interests of employers, particularly small to medium-sized employers and those operating in traditionally low pay sectors".The Minister of State's heart is in the...

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Jun 2015)

Feargal Quinn: I draw the House's attention to a new law that has been introduced in France that will force the big supermarkets to give unsold food to charities. I do not believe there is need for the same legislation in Ireland because the vast majority of supermarkets already give unsold food to charities. It is interesting to see how much unsold food there is and how much food is thrown away when...

Seanad: Order of Business (9 Jun 2015)

Feargal Quinn: I support the comments made by Senators Ó Murchú and Mooney on the messages that have come from Europe on abortion. Let me remind Senators what happened in Britain. The Conservative Party in Britain discovered that a very large number of people were unhappy with the instructions from Europe and a referendum will be held to see if the country can temper such instructions. It is...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Strategic Plan: Bord na Móna (9 Jun 2015)

Feargal Quinn: Mr. Quinn will know that the Quinns are generally recognised as being optimists but if he is coming to work on a Monday morning does he have a worry in the back of his mind that would make him say, "I hope this is not on my desk today"? In other words, what are his concerns? What could go wrong? Is there a particular aspect about which he is concerned, especially in regard to competition?...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Strategic Plan: Bord na Móna (9 Jun 2015)

Feargal Quinn: When I was involved in the food business, the two issues that worried us every Monday morning was whether there would be a food poisoning scare or a strike or some other industrial relations problem. I am sure Bord na Móna has all types of problems like that which it is obliged to handle.

Seanad: Order of Business (28 May 2015)

Feargal Quinn: I was planning to congratulate the Leader on arranging the debate on Aer Lingus because it was not planned yesterday but we were told one was scheduled late last evening. However, having listened to Senators Darragh O'Brien and Byrne today, it does not make sense to have a debate at 5 p.m. after the Dáil has made its decision, nor does it make sense because, as Senator Byrne said,...

Seanad: Aer Lingus Share Disposal: Statements (28 May 2015)

Feargal Quinn: May I share one minute of my time with Senator Norris?