Results 81-100 of 487 for speaker:Vincent P Martin

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (3 Oct 2023)

Vincent P Martin: Houseboat owners along the canals throughout Ireland are concerned that their permit fees will shoot up as Waterways Ireland drafts updated by-laws for these communities. The proposed steep hike in annual fees being considered would lead to people paying 12 times the amount they are paying at the moment. County Kildare is the nerve centre of concern, with a large number of houseboat...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (26 Sep 2023)

Vincent P Martin: Many Members may have read a very interesting piece published in yesterday's The Irish Timesby a member of the Social Democratic and Labour Party, Matthew O'Toole. He used the literary device of a metaphor to make his point in respect of the poisoning of Lough Neagh. The poisoning of the lough is partly a product of poor decision-making at Stormont over decades. But it is also a metaphor...

Seanad: Garda Síochána (Recording Devices) Bill 2022: Second Stage (26 Sep 2023)

Vincent P Martin: Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire chuig an Seanad inniu. In moving that the Bill be read a Second Time, the Minister outlined some helpful clarifying and constructive explanations in support of this initiative, which the Green Party grouping supports. The Bill provides for the wearing of body-worn cameras by gardaí and this is something for which gardaí have called for a number of...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (13 Jul 2023)

Vincent P Martin: I closely associate myself with the warm remarks made by fellow Senators as we approach the summer vacation and as the Seanad rises today. So much work goes on behind the scenes. It always looks like a seamless operation but I have no doubt that it involves countless dedicated hours of work, led by Mr. Martin Groves who sets an exceptionally high standard. The respect for process and...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Traffic Management (12 Jul 2023)

Vincent P Martin: Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire chuig an Seanad ar maidin. As part of the programme for Government that the Greens successfully negotiated, the ratio of Government investment in transport was flipped from 2:1 in favour of roads to 2:1 in favour of public transport and active travel. As part of this, in October 2022, the Minister announced 35 groundbreaking pathfinder projects around the...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Traffic Management (12 Jul 2023)

Vincent P Martin: I thank the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, for his clear unambiguous statement. That clarification, I hope, will be a catalyst for positive action and translating words into action. This is real. The Minister is a frequent visitor to Naas. I hope to see him there again soon. The Minister will be aware at first hand of the benefits of this project. I regret to say that there is no sign of...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Traffic Management (12 Jul 2023)

Vincent P Martin: It is nearly ten months in.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (12 Jul 2023)

Vincent P Martin: The Derry minor team recently won the All-Ireland football championship by defeating Monaghan, which was trying to win its first All-Ireland at this grade, having lost the 1939 final. I welcome the new All-Ireland champions. I was taken aback by a lovely message from Rían Ó Néill, who was waiting in Moneymore, County Derry, to welcome home the minor All-Ireland champions. He...

Seanad: Disability (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2023: Second Stage (11 Jul 2023)

Vincent P Martin: The Minister of State is very welcome, as always. I also welcome our special guests, the Clonan family. In the lifetime of this Seanad, I am challenged to think of more serious legislation that could come before us for consideration. The Bill seeks to create a legal requirement to provide treatment, therapy supports and services for persons with a disability. It inserts new sections after...

Seanad: Energy (Windfall Gains in the Energy Sector) (Temporary Solidarity Contribution) Bill 2023: Second Stage (6 Jul 2023)

Vincent P Martin: The Minister of State is very welcome to the Chamber, as always. In his opening remarks he said the Russian invasion of Ukraine in early 2022 led to exceptionally high energy prices, that the Government is aware of this, and that the Government is recognising and responding in an appropriate way. Russia has used energy as a weapon of war in its illegal and unprovoked brutal war in Ukraine....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: General Scheme of the Defamation (Amendment) Bill: Discussion (Resumed) (4 Jul 2023)

Vincent P Martin: This is an important exchange of opinions. I thank the witnesses for their contributions. I do not know if they had the chance to hear the recent contribution to the committee by Mr. Justice Bernard Barton. He is a retired High Court judge and a highly respected figure who presided over many of the main defamation cases for well over a decade. I was struck by the strong, compelling nature...

Committee on Scrutiny of Draft EU-related Statutory Instruments: Committee Work Programme (4 Jul 2023)

Vincent P Martin: It is a big departure from convention for us to speak before the Minister of State and I thank him for that. It is a red-letter day for this new committee and he is the first Minister to address us. I concur with the remarks of Senator McDowell. We would like the draft size, be they in the form of heads or the equivalent of a general scheme. We would like a heads-up. I am sorry we went...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: General Scheme of the Defamation (Amendment) Bill: Discussion (Resumed) (4 Jul 2023)

Vincent P Martin: This will be my final contribution. We agree to disagree on some issues, but I can safely say we all agree that the right to one's good name and reputation is a legitimate, constitutional issue. It is a sacrosanct right. We all agree on that. It has been very well put forward that the transparency argument is a reason to get rid of juries. You do not get a reasoned award. There is a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: General Scheme of the Defamation (Amendment) Bill: Discussion (Resumed) (4 Jul 2023)

Vincent P Martin: We are very fortunate to have such esteemed contributors. Is any of them kind enough to respond to my second contribution in respect of a non-legally aided person who is convicted in the Circuit Court? There is a mystery to it all, there is no reason in the world, and there is no transparency. Where do the representatives stand on that? Is it a fair comparison to make?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: General Scheme of the Defamation (Amendment) Bill: Discussion (Resumed) (4 Jul 2023)

Vincent P Martin: I did not get an answer to my-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: General Scheme of the Defamation (Amendment) Bill: Discussion (Resumed) (4 Jul 2023)

Vincent P Martin: I qualified my question by saying they are very different creatures. I was asking just to be devil's advocate on it.

Seanad: Death of Former Member: Expressions of Sympathy (21 Jun 2023)

Vincent P Martin: On behalf of the Green Party grouping, I convey our deepest sympathy to the late Mary Jackman's husband, Nick, her daughter, Nicola, sister, Ursula, and her extended family. As has been said, former Senator, Mary Jackman, was first elected as a member of Limerick County Council, representing the Castleconnell electoral area in 1985. It was an exciting time in Irish politics. She went on to...

Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community: Election of Cathaoirleach (21 Jun 2023)

Vincent P Martin: I would also like to convey congratulations to the Cathaoirleach and state, especially on behalf of the Green Party grouping, how pleased we are to see her accede and to have her elevated to this role today. I was privileged to have as a lecturer in third level education the late Reverend Micheál Mac Gréil, a famous campaigning sociologist. He said on record many times that the...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: School Accommodation (31 May 2023)

Vincent P Martin: Go raibh maith agat a Chathaoirleach Gníomhach agus cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire sa Seanad inniu. Scoil Mochua in Celbridge is a thriving primary school going from strength to strength since first opening its doors in 1985. It is the cherished heartbeat of the local community. It is a mainstream school which places huge emphasis on inclusion. It caters for all, including those...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: School Accommodation (31 May 2023)

Vincent P Martin: The reality on the ground in this specific case is upsetting. A young child attending this school has to move to a different school because the family wants her to access a special class, yet the child's home is across the hedge from the school. It is literally a stone's throw away. The child and her family are very happy in that community. The school staff are passionate about education....