Results 281-300 of 1,683 for speaker:Derek McDowell

Seanad: Road Traffic Bill 2006: Committee Stage. (14 Jun 2006)

Derek McDowell: The initial intention is to prohibit the use of mobile phones and the rest could be done at some stage in the future. The Minister does not have a pocketful of regulations he is ready to implement.

Seanad: Road Traffic Bill 2006: Second Stage. (8 Jun 2006)

Derek McDowell: In anticipation of this debate, last night I read the Road Safety Strategy 2004-06. It makes for interesting reading and it is quite obvious that many of the provisions in today's Bill are inspired by that strategy. One aspect of the strategy which struck me forcefully — I presume I understood the figures correctly — was the statistics for road fatalities over the decades. In a sense...

Seanad: Road Traffic Bill 2006: Second Stage. (8 Jun 2006)

Derek McDowell: I am delighted with the Minister's comments. Without that kind of information and analysis, we are working on instinct — hopefully, reasonably well informed instinct — but not on the basis of serious research and analysis, which is what we need to make reasonable decisions. My party supports all the provisions of the Bill. However, I will speak with less enthusiasm on one or two of those...

Seanad: Road Traffic Bill 2006: Second Stage. (8 Jun 2006)

Derek McDowell: It is not just a matter of ensuring that drivers must have their hands free but that they are not hopelessly distracted by in-car communications.

Seanad: Road Traffic Bill 2006: Second Stage. (8 Jun 2006)

Derek McDowell: Senator Morrissey in his closing remarks made interesting comments about immigrants and drivers on foreign licences who are probably driving foreign cars. It is an issue with which we will have to come to grips. The Bill provides for the recognition of foreign licences, which is a start, but we must reach a position — this is being worked on and may have happened — on the recognition of...

Seanad: Road Traffic Bill 2006: Second Stage. (8 Jun 2006)

Derek McDowell: It was on a road with which the Minister is familiar. I agree with the points made with regard to periods of disqualification, which it is right to increase. I used to practice as a solicitor, although I have not been in court for a while. The Minister will be aware that it is common practice that on the earliest day possible, a solicitor or a person who had been disqualified will go to court...

Seanad: Road Traffic Bill 2006: Second Stage. (8 Jun 2006)

Derek McDowell: Yes, and a driver can only use that provision once in a period of ten years. The previous system was crazy and the measures in the Bill are an improvement. I do not have an ideological problem with the operation of speed cameras by the private sector. However, we must be concerned with what may be a potential practical problem. Senator Norris referred to clamping, which has, by and large,...

Seanad: Road Traffic Bill 2006: Second Stage. (8 Jun 2006)

Derek McDowell: The strategy touches on the issue of whether the use of cameras should be overt or covert——

Seanad: Road Traffic Bill 2006: Second Stage. (8 Jun 2006)

Derek McDowell: ——and whether the intention is to catch people unawares or to clearly have a camera in place to encourage people to slow down.

Seanad: Road Traffic Bill 2006: Second Stage. (8 Jun 2006)

Derek McDowell: Perhaps we should retire to a public house to discuss it. I believe the cameras should be visible so people know where they are. They are intended to scare people and to slow them down. There is no harm in that. It is as well that they be seen and that people appreciate that they are there for a purpose. My party supports random breath testing but I have some concerns, perhaps due to my...

Seanad: Road Traffic Bill 2006: Second Stage. (8 Jun 2006)

Derek McDowell: ——but I am concerned about how it will work in practice. We are not replacing the existing system but adding a new way of doing it or a different and parallel regime. I support the updating of the penalties. These have lagged way behind for too long. The Minister correctly pointed out that we updated them a few years ago but some of them are still quite low. The lowest maximum fine at...

Seanad: Order of Business. (8 Jun 2006)

Derek McDowell: I endorse what others have said with regard to yesterday's proceedings reflecting on last week's proceedings. The defence the Leader made of the Minister was well made and justified. The fault lies with the Whips in the other House. This is not the first time they have behaved in the fashion they did last Friday and it will not be the last. It is worth making the point that we had a good...

Seanad: Order of Business. (8 Jun 2006)

Derek McDowell: It was in complete contrast to the barracking, heckling and interchanges which characterised what passed for a debate in the Dáil. There is merit in discussing what are obviously emotive issues in a somewhat less emotional way. This House is a good place to do that. The decision of the European Central Bank to increase interest rates is worthy of a decent debate in the House. I must be one...

Seanad: Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Bill 2006: Second Stage. (2 Jun 2006)

Derek McDowell: I thank the House for agreeing to meet at this time to consider this important legislation. I thank Members for coming here today to participate in the debate. I come, as the House will appreciate, from another House, where we have had a fairly rancorous and difficult time. Nonetheless, valuable work was done there and significant amendment was made to the legislation during the passage of...

Seanad: Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Bill 2006: Second Stage. (2 Jun 2006)

Derek McDowell: I am sorry to interrupt Senator Norris, but it might assist the House to know that the State has won its case and Mr. A has been ordered to be re-arrested.

Seanad: Supreme Court Judgment on Statutory Rape: Statements. (31 May 2006)

Derek McDowell: I will have to start by dealing with a number of Senator Tuffy's points. It is undoubtedly the case that section 14 of the 1935 Act was examined in the PG section of the Supreme Court's two-phased dealings, which ended with the CC case. In PG's case, it was found that sexual assault does allow the defence of mistaken belief and its constitutionality was upheld. Likewise, it is undoubtedly the...

Seanad: Supreme Court Judgment on Statutory Rape: Statements. (31 May 2006)

Derek McDowell: The third point I wish to make pertains to issues raised by Senator Cummins. He is perfectly entitled to be adversarial and to question the truthfulness of what I have said. However, I can tell him that I did not know about this matter. Had I known about it, it would have been much more convenient for me to say so, because stating that I did not know about the matter carried with it an...

Seanad: Supreme Court Judgment on Statutory Rape: Statements. (31 May 2006)

Derek McDowell: Unfortunately, nothing seemed to happen and the Department was unaware of subsequent developments, including the victory in the High Court, let alone what happened in the Supreme Court. While the Senator can be critical of these things, that is the truth. It would be much more convenient for me to say that I was monitoring this affair very closely, was reading every submission and all the...

Seanad: Supreme Court Judgment on Statutory Rape: Statements. (31 May 2006)

Derek McDowell: I am simply apprising the Senator of the situation. He did his job professionally and to the best of his ability. While I regret I was unaware of these things, that is the truth of the matter. The statements made yesterday were also substantially true. If one used a motoring analogy, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions was in the driving seat while the Office of the Attorney...

Seanad: Supreme Court Judgment on Statutory Rape: Statements. (31 May 2006)

Derek McDowell: I hope Senator O'Toole will report that to him. I make the point that when introducing that legislation in 1993, the former Minister for Justice, Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, made significant changes across the sexual offences area, including prostitution and other matters. Hence, given that a major piece of sex offence legislation was enacted after the Law Reform Commission's proposals were made,...