Results 41-60 of 183 for going forward speaker:Michael McDowell

Seanad: Seanad Electoral (University Members) (Amendment) Bill 2020: Second Stage (10 Nov 2020)

Michael McDowell: ...was his triumph, above all, that this House was saved. His posthumous last article pointed out a few things which, I think, sometimes should bear repetition here today. The present programme for Government does not mention the reform of Seanad Éireann even though the Green Party, in fairness to it, attempted to insert it into its programme for Government. The second thing is that we...

Seanad: Commission of Investigation (Mother and Baby Homes and certain related Matters) Records, and another Matter, Bill 2020: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (23 Oct 2020)

Michael McDowell: ...not mind, I would say that when these Houses in 2015 established the particular commission, they did not request a detailed examination of what was done to every single person who wanted to come forward and give their account of what happened in these homes. They did not want to do that for the very simple reason that although the opportunity to testify as to one's personal experience is...

Seanad: Commission of Investigation (Mother and Baby Homes and certain related Matters) Records, and another Matter, Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Oct 2020)

Michael McDowell: That was my understanding too. The database that is going to Tusla has nothing to do with an individual who, in response to the appeal by the commission, came forward to give the confidential committee information about their experiences. Is this going to be transferred to Tusla as a database? I take it that it is not considered a related record. I wanted to be 100% clear on that because...

Seanad: Commission of Investigation (Mother and Baby Homes and certain related Matters) Records, and another Matter, Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Oct 2020)

Michael McDowell: If one goes back to 2004 and looks at the situation that the then Government found itself in, it wanted to do justice to the victims of clerical sexual abuse. It wanted to establish an inquiry into the Dublin archdiocese, which was conducted by Judge Murphy as well. She has been a huge pillar of the State in these matters. The only tools available to us at the time were the tribunal of...

Seanad: Commission of Investigation (Mother and Baby Homes and certain related Matters) Records, and another Matter, Bill 2020: Second Stage (14 Oct 2020)

Michael McDowell: I am concerned about the fact that section 6 appears in this Bill without any explanation whatsoever. No Members of this House, other than perhaps the Government Members, were consulted about section 6. I do not believe that. The Minister has not advanced the reasons this extension of time became necessary. I will leave it at that, but I do not think it is satisfactory that a justice...

Seanad: Ireland-China Relations: Motion (8 Oct 2020)

Michael McDowell: I second the motion put forward by Senator Mullen. I agree with everything he said. Earlier this year, I was privileged to be invited by the Government of Taipei to witness the elections in that country, which were conducted in January. I visited Taipei for the first time then, even though I have always supported the people of Taiwan in their desire to be free and to be free from communist...

Seanad: Business of Seanad: Motion (21 Jan 2020)

Michael McDowell: ...importance of civility. It seems to me that apart from simple friendship, of which there is an abundance in this House, there has always been civility. Recently when some people were urging me to go somewhere else with what remains of my political career, it did occur to me, and in fairness to Deputies, this should be said, that they are at war nearly every day. Nearly every day, they...

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Report Stage (Resumed) (26 Nov 2019)

Michael McDowell: ...is one the Minister may tire of hearing but which he never deals with in a substantive response. I have repeatedly said in the course of this debate that the Minister has brought proposals to Government for the appointment of excellent people as judges, people whose appointment has excited absolutely no controversy of any kind whatsoever and who are generally accepted to be highly...

Seanad: Seanad Reform Implementation Group: Statements (24 Sep 2019)

Michael McDowell: ...balances. I will not recite them all, but I wish to make clear that this House has many serious functions under the Constitution, not least of which is that its assent must be obtained before the Government surrenders our entitlement to unanimity on any issue in the European Union. This House has a veto in that regard and not solely in respect of the removal of judges or the President....

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (18 Jun 2019)

Michael McDowell: No, but the Leader is suffering from amnesia about what made him change between last Wednesday and Thursday when he went from two hours to seven hours. We then read in the newspapers that we were going to be sitting until after midnight, until this House said it would not be bullied in this way. The Leader will not get away with this kind of tactic. Do I have a problem with an applicant...

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (11 Jun 2019)

Michael McDowell: The Minister has stated I have consistently argued that sitting members of the superior courts should not be obliged to go through an interview process or to the commission. That is my view. The Minister then states he is considering an amendment under which at least the three most senior positions would be exempt from the process.Does that hint at ordinary members of the Supreme Court also...

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (9 May 2019)

Michael McDowell: I move amendment No. 96b:In page 32, between lines 17 and 18, to insert the following:“49.(1) The Government shall not be obliged to publish the names of persons who have not been appointed to judicial office following their recommendation by the Commission. (2) Nothing in this section shall prevent the Commission from informing persons who have applied to it to be recommended for...

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (10 Apr 2019)

Michael McDowell: ...than being interviewed by one's fellow members and putting them in the position of choosing to accept or reject, to short-list or not to short-list, he or she will indicate to the secretary to the Government that he or she is available to fill the position, rather than causing any embarrassment. What if the President of the High Court was appointed to be President of the Court of Appeal...

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (4 Apr 2019)

Michael McDowell: .... I was trying to put myself in the position of a person who had been recommended. If I had been recommended on a shortlist and subsequently read in Iris Oifigiúilthat Senator Norris had got the job rather than I and then a month later the process recommenced, I would say to myself, "Oh my God, do I have to go back, fill out all these forms again, go through the interview process...

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (4 Apr 2019)

Michael McDowell: ...this amendment is accepted, it would have the advantage of dealing with Senator Norris's grammatical point. The Minister has told us he intends to amend section 44 but he has not told us exactly how he is going to do that. It is unfortunate that we keep making provision for section 44 recommendations when we do not know how it will function. A series of additional amendments have been...

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (26 Feb 2019)

Michael McDowell: I was going to say the Minister has stated he is confident that various things will happen. I am not confident for the following reason. It is not that I doubt in any way the bona fides of the members of the commission, if it is ever established or if it ever comes into operation. Equally, it is not that I doubt that they will appreciate there must be some degree of urgency about their...

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (19 Feb 2019)

Michael McDowell: ...when one has cascading vacancies. That is what we are now dealing with. It is introducing an artificial and undesirable delay to the process of appointment to judicial office to stipulate that a Government which decides to appoint a judge to another position in the Judiciary would not be able to decide to appoint another person to fill the resultant vacancy. That was the practice...

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (19 Feb 2019)

Michael McDowell: The Minister is living in a fantasy world if he believes there is something improbable about consequential vacancies arising in the Judiciary when appointments of a senior kind are made. If one was going down to Paddy Power to bet that an outside person will be appointed and there will be no trickle down effect of a vacancy in the position of ordinary member of the Supreme Court, as a...

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (5 Feb 2019)

Michael McDowell: Under the Bill as currently drafted, if the Government rejects the three names sent forward to it, there is no provision for it to communicate that back to the commission and to ask it to compile a different list, by adding or subtracting somebody or coming up with three different names. There is no provision for that. I ask the Minister to confirm that I am right in saying that there is no...

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (5 Feb 2019)

Michael McDowell: The Minister has twice implied that if the three names sent forward are not accepted by Government somehow the thing goes back over the net into the commission's court. However, there is not one sentence, clause or word in this Bill, as I read it, which provides for that situation. There is not and the reason for that, if the Minister thinks about it, is that it would be remarkable if the...