Results 3,121-3,140 of 18,727 for speaker:Michael McDowell
- Seanad: Public Health (Alcohol) Bill 2015: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (10 Oct 2018)
Michael McDowell: As the Minister is aware, I am probably in a minority in this House in that I have not been an enthusiastic supporter of most of the legislation, only parts of it. There are parts that I still think are misguided, inoperable and a waste of time and that come from an attitude which is a little intolerant. Senator David Norris complains-----
- Seanad: Public Health (Alcohol) Bill 2015: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (10 Oct 2018)
Michael McDowell: -----that he goes to parties where people consume alcohol and become boring, monotonous and self-obsessed. Some start like that at parties. I will not put it any further. There has been a good deal of public rhetoric about the Bill which I have found annoying in this respect. A load of Members have said lobbyists and lobby group have been lobbying Senators and Members of Dáil...
- Seanad: Public Health (Alcohol) Bill 2015: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (10 Oct 2018)
Michael McDowell: Second, the drinks industry in Ireland, taken at its broadest, is an important economic activity. It would be very strange if it did not organise to lobby for its interests. Third - this is the point I wish to make most strongly - the lobbying the other way by State-sponsored bodies which are fully funded by the taxpayer has been much more intense. I can say with certainty that the number...
- Seanad: Public Health (Alcohol) Bill 2015: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (10 Oct 2018)
Michael McDowell: There are a few other remarks I want to make, but I want to be orderly and speak to the amendment.Today I was listening to Radio 4 and looking at The Times, English edition. It is interesting to note that the number of people under the age of 25 in England who say they are non-drinkers has grown from one in five to one in three. Social attitudes to drink change. It is not just an...
- Seanad: Public Health (Alcohol) Bill 2015: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (10 Oct 2018)
Michael McDowell: People are making up their own minds. I presume there probably is a lag between Irish behaviour and English behaviour in some respects, but I do think that there is room to be optimistic that the worst days of binge drinking are over and that people are-----
- Seanad: Public Health (Alcohol) Bill 2015: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (10 Oct 2018)
Michael McDowell: It is not because of this Bill. The Bill is not law yet and large portions of it may never be commenced, so let us remember that. I am concerned about the labelling of alcohol products. I did express my views before on this matter.
- Seanad: Public Health (Alcohol) Bill 2015: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (10 Oct 2018)
Michael McDowell: I will wait until the next group then.
- Seanad: Public Health (Alcohol) Bill 2015: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (10 Oct 2018)
Michael McDowell: I have no particular objection to the amendments that are being made here. I believe I was the person who pointed out the English and Irish language issue.
- Seanad: Public Health (Alcohol) Bill 2015: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (10 Oct 2018)
Michael McDowell: I thank the Minister-----
- Seanad: Public Health (Alcohol) Bill 2015: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (10 Oct 2018)
Michael McDowell: -----for upholding the status of the Irish language in this legislation. One thing that is possibly a little bit tangential to what we are talking about is that I notice the power to make a regulation under the Bill can apply to different types of containers. This amendment does not apply to this. If one sells wine by the case, will the case have to be broken open? Is that the intention or...
- Seanad: Public Health (Alcohol) Bill 2015: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (10 Oct 2018)
Michael McDowell: -----on the outside of the case be enough? If a person buys six or 12 bottles of wine in a container, which some people, including myself, do on occasion, will the person in the off-licence have to open up the container and start sticking labels on everything inside it, or will it be sufficient to put the label on the outside of the case?
- Seanad: Public Health (Alcohol) Bill 2015: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (10 Oct 2018)
Michael McDowell: Quite a lot of bottles are sold in boxes or novelty boxes. Is it going to be important that the box will have to opened up to put the label on the bottle?
- Seanad: Order of Business (4 Oct 2018)
Michael McDowell: He is still looking for a floating vote.
- Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (4 Oct 2018)
Michael McDowell: On a point of order, we were having a discussion on section 22 and the Minister was about to reply to some queries which were put to him.
- Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (4 Oct 2018)
Michael McDowell: We are not allowed. It is a criminal offence to talk about it.
- Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (4 Oct 2018)
Michael McDowell: The Minister briefly mentioned section 28 and he said we would be coming back to it. In the last debate here, I recall asking the Minister whether it was his understanding of the legislation that its purpose was to bring about a situation in which the members of the Government, for a time, would be kept in the dark about which of the High Court, Court of Appeal or Supreme Court judges had...
- Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (4 Oct 2018)
Michael McDowell: I will elaborate.
- Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (4 Oct 2018)
Michael McDowell: I flag them as points on which I require answers. To answer Senator Norris's point, if a High Court judge was interested in promotion to the Supreme Court or the Court of Appeal, or a Court of Appeal judge was interested in promotion to the presidency of that court or the Supreme Court or to Chief Justice, or a member of the Supreme Court was interested in promotion to Chief Justice, the...
- Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (4 Oct 2018)
Michael McDowell: When we come to section 28, we will have to deal with the question of whether it is the effect of the Bill, as it currently exists, that the people to whom I referred will have to apply to get onto the new body.
- Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (4 Oct 2018)
Michael McDowell: I am just explaining it to Senator Norris.