Results 181-200 of 212 for speaker:Kieran Phelan

Seanad: National Sports Facilities: Statements. (3 Nov 2004)

Kieran Phelan: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Batt O'Keeffe, to the House. I did not get an opportunity in public to wish him well in his new portfolio. I have no doubt he will do an excellent job. I wish Senator Feighan well in his new position as spokesperson on arts, sports and tourism. There is more to Ireland than Roscommon when it comes to sport but I will leave it at that for now. I am...

Seanad: Land Bill 2004: Second Stage. (7 Oct 2004)

Kieran Phelan: I welcome our new Minister to the House and wish her well. She did a fantastic job in her previous portfolio and no doubt she will do an excellent job in this one also. I am delighted to be able to support this welcome legislation. The provisions of the Land Bill 2004 will simplify matters regarding ownership. A significant number of previous Land Acts are outdated and complicated. The...

Seanad: Land Bill 2004: Second Stage. (7 Oct 2004)

Kieran Phelan: He is still there and always will be. From 1932 to 1948 the Fianna Fáil Government did a great job in giving land to those who needed it most, which helped to ensure the survival of our rural way of life. Irish landowners were able to purchase 13.5 million acres of land under the supervision of the Land Commission. Times have changed dramatically since the 1930s and 1940s with regard to land...

Seanad: Draft Guidelines on Rural Housing: Statements (Resumed). (6 Apr 2004)

Kieran Phelan: I welcome the Minister of State to the House. His Department deserves a great deal of credit for introducing the guidelines. The public has reacted positively to the measures which have been announced. Despite the negative criticism of the scheme from some quarters, the vast majority of people can see the value of the guidelines. My colleagues and I have been working to resolve this issue for...

Seanad: Proposed Stadium at Lansdowne Road: Statements. (5 Feb 2004)

Kieran Phelan: At 10.30 a.m. on Wednesday, 11 February 2004.

Seanad: Proposed Stadium at Lansdowne Road: Statements. (5 Feb 2004)

Kieran Phelan: I welcome the Minister to the Seanad and congratulate him and the Taoiseach on all the effort they have put into making this development a reality. As the Minister said, this will be a fantastic development, a stadium of which the country can rightly be proud. The development will comprise a state-of-the-art bowl-shaped all-seater stadium with a capacity for 50,000. It will consist of two...

Seanad: Proposed Stadium at Lansdowne Road: Statements. (5 Feb 2004)

Kieran Phelan: Surely that is a positive step. Would those who criticise the Government on this matter rather it had not taken such a considered approach?

Seanad: Proposed Stadium at Lansdowne Road: Statements. (5 Feb 2004)

Kieran Phelan: I am sure they would be complaining that we did not think through the decision in those circumstances. It is true that the Taoiseach is on record as stating he would like to build a national stadium at Abbotstown. This project was christened with the rather unfortunate title of the "Bertie bowl". The name aside, what was so wrong with it? What aspect of it so galled the Opposition?

Seanad: Proposed Stadium at Lansdowne Road: Statements. (5 Feb 2004)

Kieran Phelan: It would have been a fantastic development, even larger and more adaptable than the current proposal. It would have been one of the most fantastic venues in Europe and would have provided the kind of capacity to allow supply to meet demand for tickets for big events. I have thought long and hard about why some members of the Opposition were so stringently against that project and I can come...

Seanad: Proposed Stadium at Lansdowne Road: Statements. (5 Feb 2004)

Kieran Phelan: Had the project not been nicknamed the "Bertie bowl", I doubt the criticism it received would have been quite so acidic.

Seanad: Proposed Stadium at Lansdowne Road: Statements. (5 Feb 2004)

Kieran Phelan: In giving it that nickname, the Opposition was giving the Taoiseach credit for the project and every time the issue was discussed in public, the Taoiseach was being discussed with it. That is not the kind of publicity one would want for the Taoiseach.

Seanad: Proposed Stadium at Lansdowne Road: Statements. (5 Feb 2004)

Kieran Phelan: Our Taoiseach is rightly recognised as a tremendous lover of sport, perhaps the most active sports follower in the Oireachtas.

Seanad: Proposed Stadium at Lansdowne Road: Statements. (5 Feb 2004)

Kieran Phelan: He and the Government have not been found wanting in their provision of assistance to sport and the sporting bodies in this country.

Seanad: Proposed Stadium at Lansdowne Road: Statements. (5 Feb 2004)

Kieran Phelan: In 1997, when the Taoiseach came into office, funding for sport was a mere €17 million. In 2004, that figure is €176.2 million, ten times the amount spent by the Opposition when in office in 1997.

Seanad: Proposed Stadium at Lansdowne Road: Statements. (5 Feb 2004)

Kieran Phelan: Since 1998, almost €270 million paid out under the national lottery sports capital programme has been spent on the development of more than 3,500 sports and recreational projects. These are real figures that have made a significant difference to the development of sport and will continue to make a difference well into the future. While the Opposition likes nothing more than to talk about...

Seanad: Proposed Stadium at Lansdowne Road: Statements. (5 Feb 2004)

Kieran Phelan: The Abbotstown stadium may not have come to pass, but that does not mean it was not a worthy development. Given the changing financial climate, it was decided that it would not be the most prudent move to make and the cheaper option of redeveloping Lansdowne Road was chosen. Rather than criticise the Government for changing its mind, the Opposition should congratulate it on its pragmatic...

Seanad: Proposed Stadium at Lansdowne Road: Statements. (5 Feb 2004)

Kieran Phelan: ——and for doing what was best for the country and Irish sport. The Abbotstown plan was visionary. When was it a fault of Government to be far-sighted? Surely, we should favour dynamic proposals and should encourage innovation.

Seanad: Proposed Stadium at Lansdowne Road: Statements. (5 Feb 2004)

Kieran Phelan: Before concluding I would like to comment on the GAA. Many people have voiced the opinion that the GAA should open Croke Park to other sports. They put this forward as a solution to the national stadium debate. Let us, for a moment, ignore that the sheer bulk of matches and overlapping dates would make it virtually impossible to host all important sporting fixtures in a single venue. How dare...

Seanad: Report of Tourism Policy Review Group: Statements. (19 Nov 2003)

Kieran Phelan: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Aylward, who has done a great deal for agri-tourism in the midlands.

Seanad: Waste Management: Statements. (5 Nov 2003)

Kieran Phelan: I wish to share time with Senator Brennan.