Results 1-20 of 11,287 for speaker:Matt Carthy

Defamation (Amendment) Bill 2024: Report Stage (2 Jul 2025)

Matt Carthy: I also hope these provisions address the issues the Minister outlined. I do not dispute anything he said, including the argument that politicians should have thick skins. I endeavour to live up to those standards daily. I am a passionate advocate of freedom of speech. I believe it is essential in a functioning democracy that people can feel to say things - even nasty things or critical...

Defamation (Amendment) Bill 2024: Report Stage (2 Jul 2025)

Matt Carthy: I support these amendments.

Defamation (Amendment) Bill 2024: Report Stage (2 Jul 2025)

Matt Carthy: I do not argue with the Minister about any of that and that is why we are not opposing this section. I will make one point. The Minister suggested that the media never go out of their way to lie about someone. Can I suggest that he is saying that with the luxury of being a Fianna Fáil representative? If he were a representative of my party, he would not be able to say that. There...

Defamation (Amendment) Bill 2024: Report Stage (2 Jul 2025)

Matt Carthy: I thank the Minister for his remarks. Most people will welcome the clarification that these amendments bring. However, we need to be very clear as a House in terms of setting out precisely the need for this, if you want simplification of the defence of public interest. My position on this matter is fairly straightforward: media organisations or anybody who is publishing information...

Defamation (Amendment) Bill 2024: Report Stage (2 Jul 2025)

Matt Carthy: I will make a couple of points. On the retail defamation, as it is called, and section 8, as I have indicated before, it is incredibly important that we have this defence. It is equally important that this defence is not abused. There is clearly a communication issue. I met a retailer in the House today, a member of a representative organisation, who expressed real concerns that this...

Defamation (Amendment) Bill 2024: Report Stage (2 Jul 2025)

Matt Carthy: I move amendment No. 6: In page 6, lines 22 to 24, to delete all words from and including “a” in line 22 down to and including line 24 and substitute the following: “the court may, on the application of any party to a defamation action in the High Court, or a question of fact or an issue arising in such an action, order that the action or any issue of fact in the...

Defamation (Amendment) Bill 2024: Report Stage (2 Jul 2025)

Matt Carthy: I do not know if the Minister realises, but he has undershot the entire premise and logic put forward for this Part. If I am right, he dismissed the costs that might be incurred but he said there might be an impact on the time. I would argue that the time saved would be minuscule. The Minister seems to accept that we are now in a situation following the Higgins case where there is a...

Defamation (Amendment) Bill 2024: Report Stage (2 Jul 2025)

Matt Carthy: I feel the Minister is chasing his tail trying to find reasons to support this provision when he knows in his own heart, and with his own legal experience, that there is no credible reason to do it. This was a move on the part of a predecessor of his, predominantly pressed by large-scale media outlets and owners, to address one particular issue and then a number of other issues were thrown...

Defamation (Amendment) Bill 2024: Report Stage (2 Jul 2025)

Matt Carthy: I move amendment No. 4: In page 6, to delete lines 18 to 35, and in page 7, to delete lines 1 to 9. I will also speak to amendment No. 6. Amendment No. 4 is a simple but substantive amendment. We have spoken about this previously. Our principal objection to this legislation is the abolition of juries in all cases. I believe the Minister would privately accept that this is a bad,...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (2 Jul 2025)

Matt Carthy: It is like an episode of "Love Island".

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (2 Jul 2025)

Matt Carthy: It is scandalous that there are children with special needs today whose parents do not know whether they will be able to start school in the new term because the necessary SNA support is not yet in place. To give one example, there is a rural school in County Monaghan which has one SNA and one pupil who depends full time on this support. Another pupil is due to start at the school next...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (2 Jul 2025)

Matt Carthy: Yes.

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (2 Jul 2025)

Matt Carthy: That is no comfort to this family.

GPO and Moore Street Regeneration as a 1916 Cultural Quarter: Motion [Private Members] (1 Jul 2025)

Matt Carthy: Ba chóir go mbeadh náire ar an Rialtas seo as an méid atá á dhéanamh aige. The Government's attitude to the GPO is part of a long history of failure in respect of O'Connell Street, its history and heritage. The street where the Irish Republic was declared and where the workers of Dublin fought the Dublin Metropolitan Police, DMP, during the 1913 Lock-out has...

GPO and Moore Street Regeneration as a 1916 Cultural Quarter: Motion [Private Members] (1 Jul 2025)

Matt Carthy: -----the GPO and the Moore Street site.

GPO and Moore Street Regeneration as a 1916 Cultural Quarter: Motion [Private Members] (1 Jul 2025)

Matt Carthy: And the Black and Tans.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Home Affairs and Migration: General Scheme of the Guardianship of Infants (Amendment) Bill 2025: Discussion (1 Jul 2025)

Matt Carthy: Tá fáilte romhaibh go léir. Apologies have been received from Senator Ruane and Deputy Ward. Deputy Devine is attending as a substitute for Deputy Ward. I remind members to turn off their mobile phones or switch them to flight mode. The purpose of this meeting is engagement stakeholders as part of the committee's pre-legislative scrutiny of the guardianship of infants...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Home Affairs and Migration: General Scheme of the Guardianship of Infants (Amendment) Bill 2025: Discussion (1 Jul 2025)

Matt Carthy: I thank Mr. French. I now invite members in the order in which they indicated to engage with the witnesses. Each member has eight minutes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Home Affairs and Migration: General Scheme of the Guardianship of Infants (Amendment) Bill 2025: Discussion (1 Jul 2025)

Matt Carthy: I call Deputy Gannon.