Results 6,261-6,280 of 18,761 for speaker:Michael McDowell

Civil Unions Bill 2006: Second Stage (20 Feb 2007)

Michael McDowell: I know when people are grandstanding.

Civil Unions Bill 2006: Second Stage (20 Feb 2007)

Michael McDowell: This is grandstanding. This is the first Government——

Civil Unions Bill 2006: Second Stage (20 Feb 2007)

Michael McDowell: ——-to bring in an Equal Status Act, an Employment Equality Act——

Civil Unions Bill 2006: Second Stage (20 Feb 2007)

Michael McDowell: ——-and all of the measures to which I referred, which were designed to give fairness to gay and lesbian people. It was the first and only Government to do it.

Civil Unions Bill 2006: Second Stage (20 Feb 2007)

Michael McDowell: Labour was in Government from 1992 to 1997 and achieved nothing in this area.

Civil Unions Bill 2006: Second Stage (20 Feb 2007)

Michael McDowell: Despite having a full-time Minister for Equality and Law Reform, it achieved nothing tangible for the gay and lesbian community.

Civil Unions Bill 2006: Second Stage (20 Feb 2007)

Michael McDowell: The Deputy keeps repeating it is not true but I tell him it is.

Civil Unions Bill 2006: Second Stage (20 Feb 2007)

Michael McDowell: All of the legislative innovations, including Mr. Charlie McCreevy's huge steps forward in regard to inheritance law and taxation, which were done in part for the gay and lesbian community, have happened on our watch and not on the Labour Party's watch.

Civil Unions Bill 2006: Second Stage (20 Feb 2007)

Michael McDowell: The suggestion that this Government has achieved nothing, is being hypocritical, is avoiding the issues or is afraid to deal with the issues is simply untrue.

Civil Unions Bill 2006: Second Stage (20 Feb 2007)

Michael McDowell: It is simply untrue. The Bill is a lazy-minded, ten section effort to achieve what a Bill in the United Kingdom took 264 sections to achieve.

Civil Unions Bill 2006: Second Stage (20 Feb 2007)

Michael McDowell: It is lazy-minded grandstanding. That is the first point. The second point is that the Bill does not address the position of cohabitants, which the Law Reform Commission suggested should be reformed.

Civil Unions Bill 2006: Second Stage (20 Feb 2007)

Michael McDowell: It is not a separate issue. It is the same issue.

Civil Unions Bill 2006: Second Stage (20 Feb 2007)

Michael McDowell: It is the same issue, namely, there are people in our society who are not in a position to enter into a marriage, for one reason or another, but who want to have legal recognition for the attributes of mutual dependency which arise out of their relationship. The third point is that the Bill assumes the only set of recognition principles this House will make available to anybody is a status...

Civil Unions Bill 2006: Second Stage (20 Feb 2007)

Michael McDowell: I came into the House——

Civil Unions Bill 2006: Second Stage (20 Feb 2007)

Michael McDowell: I came into the House to point out what has been and what will be achieved by the Government. I had one thing in mind, namely, that having listened to Deputy Howlin, I would put on the record the difficulties and problems with his Bill, but Deputy Howlin has constantly interrupted me. The truth is that in five years the Labour Party did nothing. The Government, however, has done a hell of...

Civil Unions Bill 2006: Second Stage (20 Feb 2007)

Michael McDowell: I move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following: "That Dáil Éireann: Affirms that any legislative reform in this area must be fully consistent with the provisions of the Constitution and in particular the State's constitutional duty to protect with special care the institution of marriage; and accepts the need for legislative reform for the...

Civil Unions Bill 2006: Second Stage (20 Feb 2007)

Michael McDowell: We need to build on a number of developments which have already materialised. We should bear in mind that a major development in our constitutional jurisprudence will inevitably arise, one way or another, from the Supreme Court's decision on the Zappone appeal.

Civil Unions Bill 2006: Second Stage (20 Feb 2007)

Michael McDowell: I thank the Chair.

Civil Unions Bill 2006: Second Stage (20 Feb 2007)

Michael McDowell: It is coming.

Civil Unions Bill 2006: Second Stage (20 Feb 2007)

Michael McDowell: It is coming.