Results 221-240 of 31,083 for speaker:Paschal Donohoe

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed) (19 Jun 2008)

Paschal Donohoe: Senator Boyle referred to what he called the luxury of being in Opposition. It is clear there is a duty in being in Government which requires two things, namely, a recognition of when something is going wrong and that the Government takes responsibility upon itself to act in dealing with the issue. In fairness, at times there is occasionally a late recognition of when something needs action...

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed) (19 Jun 2008)

Paschal Donohoe: What always happens is that the responsibility is either handed over to another organisation or a new organisation is created to take responsibility for it. I raise this issue because it is now apparent that the Dublin Transport Authority, an organisation that is responsible for so many matters we raise regularly in this House,will have two features missing from it. The first is that no...

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed) (19 Jun 2008)

Paschal Donohoe: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Local Authority Housing (19 Jun 2008)

Paschal Donohoe: I am grateful for the opportunity to raise this matter. I welcome the Minister of State. I am particularly glad that he is present because he has direct responsibility for the matter in question and I look forward to his reply. I am sure the history of the Liberty House project and the relationship among the people who live there, Dublin City Council and the Department of the Environment,...

Seanad: Local Authority Housing (19 Jun 2008)

Paschal Donohoe: I thank the Minister of State for his response, which has been very helpful in illuminating an important point in the issue. Dublin City Council and the local residents currently believe they require a response from the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. The Minister of State's response clearly indicates the Department is awaiting response from the other parties....

Seanad: Local Authority Housing (19 Jun 2008)

Paschal Donohoe: I thank the Minister of State for his response. I fully accept the bona fides and intent of the Department. I hope that as a result of the contribution we will find some way to move this forward to the satisfaction of everybody.

Seanad: Order of Business (24 Jun 2008)

Paschal Donohoe: I support the calls of my colleagues for a debate on the state of the country's finances. I listened with great interest to what some of the Government speakers said about——

Seanad: Order of Business (24 Jun 2008)

Paschal Donohoe: ——the scale of the issues we are facing. There is one point we will never allow this Government to forget, namely, it was lucky enough to be in office during an unprecedented global boom and never missed a single opportunity to take credit for it. Now, when we find we are not doing as well as we would like, the Government regards it as somebody else's fault.

Seanad: Order of Business (24 Jun 2008)

Paschal Donohoe: When the economy is doing well, it is the Government's responsibility but it is also its responsibility when it is not. We want a demonstration of political leadership in this House and to hear it in the debate for which Senator Fitzgerald is calling.

Seanad: Order of Business (24 Jun 2008)

Paschal Donohoe: We want the Government to recognise the scale of the issue and to outline its response. As the Minister for Finance, Deputy Brian Lenihan, is taking time today to contemplate his own misery, he might take time to reflect on the 600 workers from a single company who lost jobs today. He might take the time to think about the people in O'Devaney Gardens and Dominic Street whose projects cannot...

Seanad: Order of Business (24 Jun 2008)

Paschal Donohoe: It is now apparent that, as difficult as the economic circumstances are, we are facing a political crisis. We are not witnessing any recognition on the part of the Government of the scale of the issues faced by the people it claims to represent. I can see Senator Cassidy grinning at me.

Seanad: Order of Business (24 Jun 2008)

Paschal Donohoe: He might take the time to think about the people we are trying to represent. No doubt he will stand up and accuse me of being born with a silver spoon in my mouth but——

Seanad: Order of Business (24 Jun 2008)

Paschal Donohoe: ——the people we are trying to represent want the Government to recognise the scale of the issue. We want to hear every Minister say what he or she will do to deal with it and demonstrate the leadership he or she was elected to provide.

Seanad: Order of Business (24 Jun 2008)

Paschal Donohoe: The Senator should talk to his own Minister for Finance.

Seanad: Order of Business (24 Jun 2008)

Paschal Donohoe: We are debating.

Seanad: Order of Business (25 Jun 2008)

Paschal Donohoe: I wish to second the proposal by Senator Fitzgerald for an amendment to the Order of Business. One of the points she forcefully made concerned examples of public moneys being wasted by the Government. An unfortunate example of this will take place in August when a new barrier system comes into operation on the M50. This House should examine where large amounts of Exchequer funding have...

Seanad: Order of Business (26 Jun 2008)

Paschal Donohoe: One year ago our party and the Government laid out competing visions for what should happen with the economy and the future of the country. On Tuesday, 1 May 2007 the then Minister for Finance and now Taoiseach, Deputy Brian Cowen, stated in reference to the plans Fine Gael had for the future of the economy and our intentions had we formed a Government that he intended to burn us slowly on a...

Seanad: Order of Business (26 Jun 2008)

Paschal Donohoe: That is right, look into the past. See how the Leader's Government handles things.

Seanad: Order of Business (26 Jun 2008)

Paschal Donohoe: I thank the Leader for responding to our request for a debate on the economy. He said the debate would take place next Wednesday and would be on the recent OECD report.

Seanad: Order of Business (26 Jun 2008)

Paschal Donohoe: Next Wednesday the Government will publish the Exchequer returns.