Results 1-20 of 21 for blasphemy speaker:Dermot Ahern

Written Answers — Proposed Legislation: Proposed Legislation (25 Mar 2010)

Dermot Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 14 and 42 together. My views on the question of a referendum on blasphemy are as stated in the House during the debate on 20 May 2009 of Committee Stage of the Defamation Bill 2006. I clearly stated that I hoped that the matter could be addressed by referendum at a suitable opportunity in the near future. In debates on the Bill in this House I explained the...

Referendum on Blasphemy. (25 Mar 2010)

Dermot Ahern: My views on the question of a referendum on blasphemy are as stated in the House during the debate on 20 May 2009 on Committee Stage of the Defamation Bill 2006. I clearly stated that I hoped the matter could be addressed by referendum at a suitable opportunity in the near future. In debates on the Bill in this House, I explained the nature of the constitutional obligation imposed, not just...

Referendum on Blasphemy. (25 Mar 2010)

Dermot Ahern: ...on the floor of the House whether I should hold a referendum. That is a matter for Government to propose and for the Oireachtas to dispose of. The Government has no plans to hold a referendum on blasphemy in the immediate future. However, as the Deputy knows, the programme for Government did indicate the possibility of referendums on a number of issues being considered by the Joint...

Referendum on Blasphemy. (25 Mar 2010)

Dermot Ahern: To answer the first part of the Deputy's question, the last words of my original reply to the House were: "I would be happy to propose to the Government a referendum on blasphemy at the appropriate time." I did say that, given the fact that the programme for Government indicated there would be two or three referendums in the lifetime of the Government, if memory serves, it may be appropriate...

Referendum on Blasphemy. (25 Mar 2010)

Dermot Ahern: I asked him a direct question about whether it is Fine Gael policy to have a referendum on blasphemy at the same time as the referendum on the Lisbon treaty and he said he was not saying that.

Seanad: Criminal Justice (Amendment) Bill 2009: Second Stage (14 Jul 2009)

Dermot Ahern: ..."playing the man, not the ball" was used. There has been a major element of that in this House in recent times, not only in respect of this legislation but also in respect of that relating to blasphemy.

Seanad: Defamation Bill 2006 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] : Report and Final Stages (9 Jul 2009)

Dermot Ahern: ...offences. We must also be mindful of the decision of the Supreme Court in the Corway v. Independent Newspapers in 1999, where the Supreme Court indicated a need to address the law on blasphemy. At this stage, I would suggest our duty is to ensure that there is no gap created in the case of these offences, which are recognised by the Constitution. [Indeed, they are the only criminal...

Seanad: Defamation Bill 2006 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] : Report and Final Stages (9 Jul 2009)

Dermot Ahern: -----asking at the same time if they want to take blasphemy out of the Constitution. I hazard a guess that Senator Norris might not get the response he wants when he knocks on doors in O'Hanlon Park.

Seanad: Defamation Bill 2006 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] : Report and Final Stages (9 Jul 2009)

Dermot Ahern: ...to blasphemous or obscene libel, offences which were presumed to exist at common law. However, the decision of the Supreme Court in the 1999 case of Corway v . Independent Newspapers - the only blasphemy case brought since the Constitution came into effect - held that the common law offence of blasphemous libel did not survive the adoption of the Constitution. That decision created an...

Seanad: Defamation Bill 2006 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] : Report and Final Stages (9 Jul 2009)

Dermot Ahern: ...same advice we are being given today, which is that if one is to legislate for all aspects of defamation, under the Constitution one must provide for an offence of blasphemous libel. The crime of blasphemy has been included in our laws, in accordance with the Constitution, since 1961. Severe doubts about the definitions used in those laws were raised in the Corway case. Nothing has been...

Seanad: Defamation Bill 2006 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] : Report and Final Stages (9 Jul 2009)

Dermot Ahern: ...ceases to amaze me. I listened intently to Senator Regan and, whether we like it, he made his case. He acknowledged that we are obliged under the Constitution to provide for a criminal offence of blasphemy. There is no getting away from that. He tried to claim that I said there was no alternative, even though I made it clear that there are two alternatives - to hold a referendum on the...

Seanad: Defamation Bill 2006 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] : Report and Final Stages (9 Jul 2009)

Dermot Ahern: ...Bill the section that is being discussed by this House now, the Labour Party tried to amend it. It was clear that the Labour Party, in tabling its amendments, had been advised that an offence of blasphemy needed to be provided for. Deputy Rabbitte ultimately spoke against his own amendments, which was ludicrous. I accept that Senator Bacik has not tabled any amendments today. The...

Seanad: Defamation Bill 2006 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] : Report and Final Stages (9 Jul 2009)

Dermot Ahern: However, it does not change the hard fact that the Constitution, whether we like it, requires that blasphemy be an offence. It cannot be put any plainer than "the publication or utterance of blasphemous....matter is an offence which shall be punishable in accordance with law". If we choose to ignore the Constitution, or to take an À la carte approach to it, we will be abdicating our...

Seanad: Defamation Bill 2006 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] : Report and Final Stages (9 Jul 2009)

Dermot Ahern: -----under the issue of academic value. We are trying to comply with the constitutional requirement in relation to the article on blasphemy and the requirement that it is to be punishable in accordance with the law. We are not having a constitutional referendum for the reason Senator Walsh referred to, namely, we have other priorities as a Government and as a Parliament. We should stick to...

Seanad: Defamation Bill 2006 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] : Report and Final Stages (9 Jul 2009)

Dermot Ahern: I meant the jurisdiction of the High Court. Again, I can put it no further. Probably most of us accept that having the offence of blasphemy is anathema to the type of society we have today. That reminds me of the linguistic gymnastics I mentioned. Senator Regan suggested, and Senator Bacik agrees, that we should deal with this in the incitement to hatred legislation. Although there may be...

Seanad: Defamation Bill 2006 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] : Report and Final Stages (9 Jul 2009)

Dermot Ahern: I have nothing more to say other than what I said about trying to suggest blasphemy and incitement to hatred are the same issue; they are not.

Seanad: Defamation Bill 2006 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] : Report and Final Stages (9 Jul 2009)

Dermot Ahern: The definition of blasphemy we have put in this Bill is along the same lines as that recommended by the Law Reform Commission. Senator Regan made the case that there needs to be an offence of blasphemy. He acknowledged that on his first and second interventions. However, his amendment proposes to delete the entire article.

Seanad: Defamation Bill 2006 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] : Report and Final Stages (9 Jul 2009)

Dermot Ahern: ...to have another amendment passed when his initial amendment was not successful. In effect, he accepted the principle of my argument that there is a requirement under the Constitution to have blasphemy made an offence punishable in accordance with the law. We may not like it but, as I indicated, linguistic gymnastics will not get around this statement, which is one of the starkest in the...

Written Answers — Constitutional Amendments: Constitutional Amendments (7 May 2009)

Dermot Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 88 and 90 together. The Government has no immediate proposals for the holding of a referendum on blasphemy. The 1961 Defamation Act provides that a person can be both fined and imprisoned for a maximum of seven years for the crime of blasphemous libel. The Government is moving to reform that Act - for example by removing the possibility of imprisonment while...

Written Answers — Human Rights Issues: Human Rights Issues (6 Feb 2008)

Dermot Ahern: ...Pakistani authorities. The situation of minorities was among the issues raised at the most recent demarche, which took place in June 2007. The EU expressed its continued concerns over abuses of the blasphemy laws, which are often used to harass members of minority communities as well as Muslims. An additional current concern is the Ahmadi community's claim that they are being discriminated...