Results 1-20 of 602 for speaker:Fiach MacConghail

Seanad: Order of Business (3 Feb 2016)

Fiach MacConghail: Ba mhaith liom buíochas a ghabháil le chuile dhuine - chuile Sheanadóir anseo - as ucht an t-am suimiúil agus spreagúil a bhí againn le ceithre bliana anuas. I acknowledge this important day. I acknowledge the Taoiseach who nominated me as a Senator. It was a deep privilege for me to be inside, working in a democratic institution, albeit in grave need of...

Seanad: Death of Former Member: Expressions of Sympathy (27 Jan 2016)

Fiach MacConghail: I offer my deep condolences to Anne, Mary, Sally, Judy, David and all of the grandchildren. Sally, David and Mary are in the Visitors Gallery, as are some of the McLoones, the Friels and the Morrisons.I also wish to acknowledge the presence in the Visitors Gallery of the chairman of the Abbey Theatre, Dr. Bryan McMahon. This is an emotional day for me as he was a friend, a critic and a...

Seanad: Direct Provision: Motion (27 Jan 2016)

Fiach MacConghail: I second the motion. I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin. This might be our last time engaging formally. The Minister of State might be busy over the next while as we wait to be nominated or re-nominated. I wish him all the best in the general election. In his short time as Minister he put an impetus and full public support behind the report of...

Seanad: Direct Provision: Motion (27 Jan 2016)

Fiach MacConghail: It is. As someone said to me yesterday a 15 year old is still a child. There are demands on children on a weekly basis. I have two daughters myself who were once teenagers. Costs arise when they go to the party of a classmate or go out with friends. Having seen the direct provision centre in Athlone I do not know how children could go from there to see a film or become involved in...

Seanad: Direct Provision: Motion (27 Jan 2016)

Fiach MacConghail: Hear, hear.

Seanad: National Cultural Institutions (National Concert Hall) Bill 2015: Report and Final Stages (2 Dec 2015)

Fiach MacConghail: Normally I would agree with Senators Barrett and Ó Clochartaigh on this, but there are complications. Whether I like it or not - and I have seen it on both sides - to achieve the goals of any cultural institution, a good working relationship is needed between the chairperson of that institution and the Minister. I welcome the National Cultural Institutions (National Concert Hall) Bill...

Seanad: National Cultural Institutions (National Concert Hall) Bill 2015: Report and Final Stages (2 Dec 2015)

Fiach MacConghail: This is a historic day because we are passing a new Bill that copperfastens the future of the National Concert Hall. I congratulate the Minister because it is the first Bill she has guided through as Minister for arts and culture. She should be proud of herself, particularly because she became quite an open and listening Minister, taking everything on board. The debates, particularly in...

Seanad: National Cultural Institutions (National Concert Hall) Bill 2015: Committee Stage (Resumed) (19 Nov 2015)

Fiach MacConghail: We had a fairly good debate last time on the issue of Oireachtas committees and so forth. I wish to clarify one point. Other than in the Committee of Public Accounts, when a chief executive officer is asked about Government policy before a committee, is there a prohibition on his or her making such comments?

Seanad: National Cultural Institutions (National Concert Hall) Bill 2015: Committee Stage (Resumed) (19 Nov 2015)

Fiach MacConghail: I may appear to be a cynic but I acknowledge that one of the main concerns with the original draft of the Bill was around support for the National Concert Hall in particular because it is a quasi-commercial organisation and needs to consider how it derives its income from other sources. If memory serves, I think a great deal of its income comes from sources other than the State. During the...

Seanad: National Cultural Institutions (National Concert Hall) Bill 2015: Committee Stage (Resumed) (19 Nov 2015)

Fiach MacConghail: I thank the Minister for alerting me to section 28(10). It refers to approval by the board of directors of a relevant company, the board of the National Concert Hall and the Minister. As such, what is the Minister's role in looking at appointing or acknowledging or confirming the appointment of a corporate vehicle under the section?

Seanad: National Cultural Institutions (National Concert Hall) Bill 2015: Committee Stage (Resumed) (19 Nov 2015)

Fiach MacConghail: There was discussion at the committee on whether RTE should be mentioned and I would have been of the minority view that it should not be. It would, for example, preclude the National Concert Hall from talking to TV3 or another broadcaster. The National Concert Hall board should be able to negotiate on an annual basis and not have its hands tied. If RTE were mentioned in the Bill, it would...

Seanad: National Cultural Institutions (National Concert Hall) Bill 2015: Committee Stage (Resumed) (19 Nov 2015)

Fiach MacConghail: That was also one of my points. Also, with regard to subsection (4) which reads, "Where an individual gift in any one calendar year exceeds the value 5 per cent of the annual turnover of the NCH, the gift shall be subject to the approval of the Minister", I want to know the thinking behind the requirement to seek approval. I imagine that the National Concert Hall, like any national cultural...

Seanad: National Cultural Institutions (National Concert Hall) Bill 2015: Committee Stage (Resumed) (19 Nov 2015)

Fiach MacConghail: -----does it need approval from the Minister for such a gift?

Seanad: National Cultural Institutions (National Concert Hall) Bill 2015: Committee Stage (11 Nov 2015)

Fiach MacConghail: I want to acknowledge and welcome the change to this section, as drafted, when presented to the committee for pre-legislative scrutiny. I welcome also that the Minister took on board the views of the committee during the pre-legislative phase around the independence of the National Concert Hall. It is clear she listened carefully to the views of the committee in regard to the independence...

Seanad: National Cultural Institutions (National Concert Hall) Bill 2015: Committee Stage (11 Nov 2015)

Fiach MacConghail: I welcome that section 9 acknowledges the increased role of the National Concert Hall, including from a commercial perspective. As I was unable to be here for the Second Stage debate I wish to put on record now that the reason I am not ultimately opposing the Bill is because much of the work done during the pre-legislative scrutiny stage has been taken on board.

Seanad: National Cultural Institutions (National Concert Hall) Bill 2015: Committee Stage (11 Nov 2015)

Fiach MacConghail: I bprionsabal aontaím leis an méid a bhí le rá ag an Seanadóir ó thaobh neamhspléachas an bhoird. It is a tricky one. One of the concerns I would like to impart, with Senators Norris and Ó Clochartaigh, is the perceived independence of the appointment process. Does the Bill, as currently drafted, offer a guarantee that the transparency, clarity and...

Seanad: National Cultural Institutions (National Concert Hall) Bill 2015: Committee Stage (11 Nov 2015)

Fiach MacConghail: I accept that and it is why I am asking the Minister whether there is a process of appointment that can be seen as transparent and clean. I am not disagreeing with Senator Norris, in principle, but I ask how we can come up with a practical answer that allays our fears. On Report Stage, we might need to insert wording on the policy of the Public Appointments Service in this regard.

Seanad: National Cultural Institutions (National Concert Hall) Bill 2015: Committee Stage (11 Nov 2015)

Fiach MacConghail: I thank Senator Diarmuid Wilson for his wisdom as he has alerted me to a few thoughts I had not had. It is about transparency and rigour. I have no issue with a board electing a chairperson if every single one of the nine members is suitable and sufficiently qualified. Who, on behalf of the State and the taxpayer, assesses the necessary skills and expertise of the board? Who satisfies the...

Seanad: National Cultural Institutions (National Concert Hall) Bill 2015: Committee Stage (11 Nov 2015)

Fiach MacConghail: I agree. I am not a mouthpiece for the Government, but a public appointments process has since been put in place. There is transparency, on which I would like to hear the Minister's views. There is the potential for some of the expertise required by the National Concert Hall to fall between stools if we do not have a satisfactory process of appointment.

Seanad: National Cultural Institutions (National Concert Hall) Bill 2015: Committee Stage (11 Nov 2015)

Fiach MacConghail: When we had a debate and took evidence during the pre-legislative scrutiny of the Bill, this gagging order is what most concerned me. I am the director of the Abbey Theatre and I hold many opinions although I acknowledge that the Abbey Theatre does not come under this legislation. I am also a Senator.If the director of the Abbey had to make a statement on direct provision policy for...