Results 3,401-3,420 of 4,723 for speaker:Dessie Ellis

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Taxi Regulations (19 Feb 2013)

Dessie Ellis: The Government signed up to the Good Friday Agreement, an internationally recognised agreement, where people who took part in the conflict would be treated in a certain way. That should be binding. This is putting serious pressure on people who have been in the taxi industry for many years. The fact the Minister of State is looking at this retrospectively is the problem. I understand the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Taxi Regulations (19 Feb 2013)

Dessie Ellis: I thank the Minister of State. New taxi regulations could result in the disqualification or suspension of drivers who have convictions relating to the conflict between republicans and the British State on this island. It is recognised that this conflict was a special circumstance and that those who received convictions in the course of the conflict should not be treated as common criminals....

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Taxi Regulations (19 Feb 2013)

Dessie Ellis: In any consideration of an individual's constitutional rights, such as the right to a livelihood or ownership of property, the doctrine of proportionality would apply. In the case of Cox v. Ireland, the Supreme Court considered section 34 of the Offences Against the State Act 1939 which provides that a State employee who is convicted of a scheduled offence in the Special Criminal Court shall...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Taxi Regulations (19 Feb 2013)

Dessie Ellis: I will come back and ask a number of questions. Has the Minister of State looked at the Bill properly? Sinn Féin have sought legal advice and we believe it is unconstitutional. What legal proofing did the Minister do of the Bill? The Minister of State mentioned the Department of Justice and Equality. The Government signed the Good Friday Agreement but the Bill puts disproportionate...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Taxi Regulations (19 Feb 2013)

Dessie Ellis: To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the discussions he has had with the Department of Justice and Equality and experts on the Good Friday Agreement over the course of the drafting of the Taxi Regulation Bill in view of the devastating effect its measures may have on former political prisoners related to the conflict on this island; the reason for not including any recognition...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Waste Management Issues (19 Feb 2013)

Dessie Ellis: To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his plans to reopen Dunsink Lane linking Finglas to Castleknock, Dublin, in view of the resolution of many of the issues which resulted in its closure. [8576/13]

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Provision (19 Feb 2013)

Dessie Ellis: To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government in view of the Pullen and others versus Dublin City Council section 62 Judgement, when he intends to bring forward legislation to facilitate local authorities in refusing to house applicants who are involved in drug dealing and severe anti-social behaviour. [8293/13]

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Waiting Lists (19 Feb 2013)

Dessie Ellis: To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the number of persons currently on the housing waiting list for the Ballymun and Finglas area of Dublin city. [8295/13]

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Authority Housing Waiting Lists (19 Feb 2013)

Dessie Ellis: To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the number of persons currently on housing waiting lists for local authorities across the State; the reason they were assessed as having a housing need; if he will provide a breakdown by local authority and the number of applicants currently waiting over five years and over ten years respectively. [8296/13]

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Waiting Lists (19 Feb 2013)

Dessie Ellis: To ask the Minister for Health the reason a person (details supplied) in Dublin 9 will have to wait until 10 October 2014 to see a consultant respiratory physician at Beaumont Hospital, Dublin, despite their persistent respiratory difficulties. [8729/13]

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Taxi Regulations (19 Feb 2013)

Dessie Ellis: To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if his attention has been drawn to the serious problems taxi drivers are having with registration on the new taxi portal site and the worrying failure of the phone helpline or email service to properly explain the process exacerbated by many phone calls going unanswered and emails bouncing back not received. [8965/13]

Other Questions: Prescription Charges (14 Feb 2013)

Dessie Ellis: To ask the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the fact that there is a double charging of the prescription charge on medical card holders where the prescription item, as prescribed by the general practitioner, is not available in the milligram dosage prescribed, for example, 15mg of a given tablet available only in 10mg and 5mg, 7.5mg of a given tablet available only in...

Topical Issue Debate: Traveller Community (14 Feb 2013)

Dessie Ellis: There have been cases of judges making horrible and derogatory comments about members of the Traveller community and using terms such as the K-word to describe them in open court. I use the latter term because using the actual word for which it is substituted is no less heinous than using the N-word.

Topical Issue Debate: Traveller Community (14 Feb 2013)

Dessie Ellis: The incident such as that which happened in Donegal should be viewed in the same light as racism. I am aware of another incident in my constituency involving people who were walking home to a refugee centre. On four different occasions cars drove by them and objects were thrown. This type of incident can lead to something much worse. Is there any way we can strengthen our anti-hate laws...

Topical Issue Debate: Traveller Community (14 Feb 2013)

Dessie Ellis: I have heard Deputies in the House use the same anti-Traveller tone as that employed by the councillors in question.

Topical Issue Debate: Traveller Community (14 Feb 2013)

Dessie Ellis: Ireland is proud of its place in the world. It is a nation, almost alone in Europe, which since the first formation of its nationhood has owned no slaves, colonised no land, divided no peoples. This is only half of Ireland's story. Ireland has a great shame that it denies. The great stain on this nation's character is the grave mistreatment of a small but significant population of Irish...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Taxi Regulation Bill 2012: Discussion with Tiománaí Tacsaí na hÉireann (14 Feb 2013)

Dessie Ellis: I wish to return to the issue of transferability. It has been a major issue for the industry. The taxi review group indicated that it would not happen, but there appears to have been a change of mind. Will the witness indicate how he thinks that could work? With regard to the taxi review group that drafted the document, the big disappointment from the taxi drivers' point of view was that...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Taxi Regulation Bill 2012: Discussion with Tiománaí Tacsaí na hÉireann (14 Feb 2013)

Dessie Ellis: It will be in the Dáil next week.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications: Taxi Regulation Bill 2012: Discussion with Tiománaí Tacsaí na hÉireann (14 Feb 2013)

Dessie Ellis: I, too, thank Mr. McGuinness for his presentation. I have a number of questions for the delegates. Mr. McGuinness has mentioned that the organisation proposes to submit a number of amendments to the Bill. I look forward to receiving them. On the lack of taxi ranks, which is the responsibility of the local authorities and causing much concern for many members of TTnH, I do not know how...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Services (14 Feb 2013)

Dessie Ellis: To ask the Minister for Health the reason the new epilepsy monitoring unit at Cork University Hospital and the redevelopment unit at Beaumont Hospital, Dublin, remain unopened, in view of the completion of the units in the autumn of 2012 at an estimated spend of €900,000; if he will address this situation in the interest of epilepsy patients here; the timeframe for the opening of these...