Results 661-680 of 1,683 for speaker:Derek McDowell

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

Derek McDowell: Like Senator Norris I agree with almost everything the Minister said but he did not address the net point of the amendment at any great length. He says that we want to provide citizenship for children where there is a "proven long-term commitment" and the main criterion for assessing that is that they have been here for three years. People who have been here for three years, even if two were...

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

Derek McDowell: Is it necessary, as part of that application, virtually to re-establish that one is a refugee?

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

Derek McDowell: Are there Bosnians here who are acknowledged, accepted and welcomed as refugees?

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

Derek McDowell: Are they here as refugees or have they been naturalised?

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

Derek McDowell: I do not wish to labour this but are there any who could now be applying for naturalisation as refugees notwithstanding that we know the situation in Bosnia is infinitely better than it was and that if these people were applying ab initio as refugees we would probably say Bosnia is relatively peaceful?

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

Derek McDowell: I move amendment No. 11: In page 12, lines 5 and 6, to delete "a person is of Irish associations if--" and substitute ", reference to Irish associations shall not include the making of an investment in Ireland but shall include circumstances where a person meets one of the following criteria--". This section seeks essentially to eliminate what was colloquially called the "passports for sale"...

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

Derek McDowell: I was primarily interested in determining that this was the case. On that basis, I am happy to withdraw the amendments.

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

Derek McDowell: In a sense I was teasing out the same question. I assume the passports in question were ten-year passports, as are most passports issued. On expiry after ten years a fresh application must be made. That period would now be almost up. I am wondering if applications for renewal have been made in the case of any of those individuals. Is it open to the Department to look again at the...

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

Derek McDowell: Amendment No. 3 in the name of the Labour Party Senators seeks to draw a line under what has been a difficult and painful issue for the State in recent years. The bottom line is that we were extremely poor in dealing with the influx of refugees and asylum seekers to this country over the past five or six years. We were not properly geared up to deal with it efficiently or humanely. We all...

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

Derek McDowell: I come somewhat late to this debate and I am here primarily because Senator Tuffy is not. Therefore, I do not wish to drive the Minister down roads he has been down a number of times before. However, the Minister attributed to speakers on this side of the House views which we did not articulate.

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

Derek McDowell: No one said someone who was driving a taxi in Bucharest has a right to come here just because he is bored with his life. No one suggested that Saddam Hussein, if he had an Irish born child, would be brought within the contemplation of the Opposition amendments. We are talking about a very clear case of the parents of Irish citizens. The Minister may say such people do not have rights or may...

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

Derek McDowell: Saddam Hussein is not the parent of an Irish born child. At least we do not think he is.

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

Derek McDowell: The Minister is saying he will deal with these applications differently from how he would have dealt with them before, that he will exercise his discretion in a fashion that is informed by the passing of this legislation and that there is a problem in the pipeline that must be addressed. He has not, however, told us the new criteria that will apply, assuming there are new criteria. The...

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

Derek McDowell: There are different forms of British citizenship which can be conferred on people born in Commonwealth countries that were part of the empire. Does the entitlement we are enacting apply to all British citizens? There are some British citizens who do not have an entitlement to reside in Britain and presumably the right to be an Irish citizen would not be conferred on the children of those people.

Seanad: Order of Business. (3 Dec 2004)

Derek McDowell: Does the Leader share my concern about the resignation today of one of the SIPTU representatives on the board of the Dublin Airport Authority? This seems to raise two issues. First, the nature of the deal apparently made in Shannon where for the first time a State airport has moved to a point where we accept the argument made by Michael O'Leary and Ryanair that airports should pay airlines to...

Seanad: Aer Lingus: Statements. (2 Dec 2004)

Derek McDowell: They will need to be provided by the State.

Seanad: Aer Lingus: Statements. (2 Dec 2004)

Derek McDowell: We all agree there is a need for a decision. It is now five years since the Leader announced there would be an IPO of Aer Lingus, we have gone through a number of contortions since and we still do not have a final decision from the Government. All of us agree that the delay is damaging the company's market value and the morale of staff and management, who do not know where they or the company...

Seanad: Aer Lingus: Statements. (2 Dec 2004)

Derek McDowell: There are people who are prepared to pay for those frills. There are two distinct markets which are served adequately by Aer Lingus and Ryanair. I doubt there is room in this country for two directly competing low fare airlines that have no distinctions other than fare. That is what customers actually want, not that we would necessarily be any better off because of that. The issue of equity...

Seanad: Council of Europe Development Bank Bill 2004: Committee and Remaining Stages. (25 Nov 2004)

Derek McDowell: This section refers to the Schedule which sets out the terms of the agreement. I was going to ask the Minister of State to summarise the agreement for us but we will spare him that duty. How can the terms of the agreement be varied? Is it an intergovernmental agreement and is it open to amendment by the board? How can it be amended?

Seanad: Council of Europe Development Bank Bill 2004: Committee and Remaining Stages. (25 Nov 2004)

Derek McDowell: I appreciate that. The articles are quite detailed and set out the terms under which the bank operates. Is it an intergovernmental agreement — I presume it was part of the treaty to establish the Council of Europe — and how can it be varied or changed?