Results 641-660 of 1,683 for speaker:Derek McDowell

Seanad: Tributes to Deputy Head Usher of the Houses of the Oireachtas. (10 Dec 2004)

Derek McDowell: I do not intend to sound critical, but some ushers tend on occasion to be a little over deferential in a way——

Seanad: Tributes to Deputy Head Usher of the Houses of the Oireachtas. (10 Dec 2004)

Derek McDowell: ——that puts some distance between them and us. Frank Lane was never like that. He always approached Members as people involved equally in the public service, which is as it should be. He was friendly and gave advice, which was sometimes quite caustic or clear, as to what should or should not be done. He did so always in a fashion intended to be helpful. I am sorry he is leaving. He bears...

Seanad: Order of Business. (10 Dec 2004)

Derek McDowell: I join with colleagues in seeking a debate on Northern Ireland. There was a time in the early part of the peace process when most of the parties engaged in a measure of constructive fudge. In fairness, it got us over some humps and difficulties which might otherwise have been difficult to avert. That time is now over. As we hopefully move to closure on a final agreement there is a need for...

Seanad: Order of Business. (10 Dec 2004)

Derek McDowell: —— that we know what is happening and that everything is up front. If it is necessary to make difficult or unpleasant decisions we should at least know what has been agreed in our name by our sovereign Government. We owe a debt of gratitude to the Tánaiste for making it clear that it is not just the issue of photographs that is outstanding. I urge the Leader to speak to the Taoiseach, in...

Seanad: Order of Business. (10 Dec 2004)

Derek McDowell: However, it is right and necessary that it should be a balanced approach and that we should seek to get the representatives of both communities. Efforts to do that will necessarily be damaged if Seanad reform appears to be driven by the needs, requirements or desires of one party, which appears to be happening at present. I join Senator Brian Hayes and Senator Norris in seeking a debate on...

Seanad: Road Traffic Bill 2004: Second Stage. (9 Dec 2004)

Derek McDowell: I apologise on behalf of my colleague, Senator McCarthy, who intended to take this Bill but unfortunately had to attend to a matter in Cork. I welcome my constituency colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Callely, to the House. I do not think I have had an opportunity to congratulate him on the record before, which I now do. I am bothered by section 34 of the Bill which deals with the...

Seanad: Garda Síochána Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (7 Dec 2004)

Derek McDowell: I give Senator Brian Hayes the assurance that I will draw attention to the view of this House that there should be representation in recruitment. I certainly will make that a priority as far as I am concerned. I am sure the Commissioner does not need persuasion on this issue. He is a highly intelligent, highly-motivated individual and he probably senses this as strongly, if not more strongly,...

Seanad: Irish Nationality and Citizenship Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (3 Dec 2004)

Derek McDowell: This produces a very curious situation. The Minister fairly and reasonably gave us chapter and verse about the shady circumstances in which some passports were issued between 1988 and 1994. However, as I understand it, he is now effectively saying that if those guys were to come back and apply again — I assume they got time limited passports in the same way as most normal Irish citizens do...

Seanad: Irish Nationality and Citizenship Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (3 Dec 2004)

Derek McDowell: I take it that an application for a fresh passport is merely an opportunity to update the photograph and to pay €75 and that it is not, in any sense, a fresh application for citizenship.

Seanad: Irish Nationality and Citizenship Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (3 Dec 2004)

Derek McDowell: The Minister is in a curious situation. In his position as a corporation sole in succession to his predecessors, he is not in a position to do anything about an application granted in shady circumstances. Perhaps that is something we should further examine in addition to circumstances in which we would revoke citizenship. To tease the matter out a little more in the context of this Bill, I...

Seanad: Irish Nationality and Citizenship Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (3 Dec 2004)

Derek McDowell: The reason for my last question was to try to tease this out. We now have an amendment to the jus soli rule whereby children born here to non-national parents must also establish residence. If information is provided to establish the residence of the parents for three years and we discover subsequently that wrong or misleading information was given on the forms to be filled in to establish...

Seanad: Irish Nationality and Citizenship Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (3 Dec 2004)

Derek McDowell: Even if they already had a passport?

Seanad: Irish Nationality and Citizenship Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (3 Dec 2004)

Derek McDowell: I do not wish to press the amendment but I understood the Minister to state that the power to revoke only arose in the case of naturalisation and did not arise if somebody was seeking to claim on the basis of jus soli, now amended.

Seanad: Irish Nationality and Citizenship Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (3 Dec 2004)

Derek McDowell: I move amendment No. 15: In page 14, line 13, after "appoint" to insert "being not earlier than the 24th day of April, 2005". This amendment was tabled in the Lower House by Deputy Costello. I read it a number of times to try to work out what on earth it meant. Now that I have worked out what it means, I have decided that I do not intend to progress it any further. I will pass up on the...

Seanad: Irish Nationality and Citizenship Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (3 Dec 2004)

Derek McDowell: Yes, I understand that it did.

Seanad: Irish Nationality and Citizenship Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (3 Dec 2004)

Derek McDowell: The reason I ask is that in paragraph (d)(ii) it simply refers to "a British citizen". The Minister has said what I would have understood to be the case, namely, that we are simply conferring this right on the children of British citizens who are entitled to reside in the United Kingdom. Is the phrase "a British citizen" equivalent to what the Minister has just described? Does it refer to...

Seanad: Irish Nationality and Citizenship Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (3 Dec 2004)

Derek McDowell: I move amendment No. 4: In page 5, before section 4, to insert the following new section: 4.—(1) There stands established an Appeals Committee whose function is to hear appeals from non-national parents of Irish born children, against the decision of the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform to refuse leave to remain in respect of either or both parents (2) The Appeals Committee...

Seanad: Irish Nationality and Citizenship Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (3 Dec 2004)

Derek McDowell: It is.

Seanad: Irish Nationality and Citizenship Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (3 Dec 2004)

Derek McDowell: I move amendment No. 5: In page 5, line 18, to delete "person's birth" and substitute "date of the application". I believe these amendments have been tabled largely for clarification purposes. I will deal with amendment No. 6 first, if I may, which seeks to insert the word "ordinarily" in page 5, line 19, after "been". Will the Minister clarify, for the sake of the record, whether very brief...

Seanad: Irish Nationality and Citizenship Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (3 Dec 2004)

Derek McDowell: The amendments in the names of the Labour Party Senators amount to the same as those proposed by Senator Norris. The latter point is of some importance. It would be great if we were able to deal with all applications for refugee status within six months but the reality is that we are not and have not done so in the past, although the period is shortening. While discounting a period of six...