Results 10,441-10,460 of 20,768 for speaker:Mattie McGrath

Criminal Justice (Corruption Offences) Bill 2017: Second Stage (15 Nov 2017)

Mattie McGrath: Are we going to have to have something like that, to take that drastic a measure? I hope not, in our lovely democracy. I am glad that my learned friend has arrived and that he can give me an odd tip here and there. The actions of the banking sector and of receivers up and down the country would indicate that we have really made no meaningful progress. Questions must be asked, then, as...

Criminal Justice (Corruption Offences) Bill 2017: Second Stage (15 Nov 2017)

Mattie McGrath: Go raibh maith agat. Deputy O'Callaghan is on his way and he is more qualified than most of us to talk on this matter. I am agreeable to doing this and I thank the House for agreeing. The Long Title of the Bill reads that this is a, "Bill entitled an Act to amend the law regarding the prevention of corruption (including offences relating to corruption) and, in doing so, to give effect...

Health and Social Care Professionals (Amendment) Bill 2017: Report and Final Stages (15 Nov 2017)

Mattie McGrath: It saved them. It is the Government's duty as I see it to defend the Constitution until a constitutional issue is debated and voted on and a change is made to the Constitution, passed in this House and approved by the President. We can then certainly change the law. We are putting cart before horse with our desire and efforts to denigrate good agencies out there. Most of them are...

Health and Social Care Professionals (Amendment) Bill 2017: Report and Final Stages (15 Nov 2017)

Mattie McGrath: Not agreed.

Health and Social Care Professionals (Amendment) Bill 2017: Report and Final Stages (15 Nov 2017)

Mattie McGrath: I feel I have to take issue with the Minister and some of his comments. The Oireachtas Joint Committee on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution met today and dealt with this issue at length. At that meeting I was able to elicit from the HSE - the names of the witnesses elude me - information about the so-called investigation that I called for many times in this House when the Minister...

Housing (Homeless Families) Bill 2017: Second Stage [Private Members] (15 Nov 2017)

Mattie McGrath: I am delighted to speak on this issue. Unfortunately, homelessness in Ireland is increasing year on year. Between December 2014 and August of this year there was a net increase of 5,412 in the number recorded as homeless, an increase of 189%. The upward trend has existed for several years and the number becoming homeless is still increasing. Figures supplied to the Dáil by the former...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution: Socioeconomic Context: Dr. Caitriona Henchion and Mr. Niall Behan, Irish Family Planning Association (15 Nov 2017)

Mattie McGrath: Clearly it is not.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution: Socioeconomic Context: Dr. Caitriona Henchion and Mr. Niall Behan, Irish Family Planning Association (15 Nov 2017)

Mattie McGrath: It does not.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution: Socioeconomic Context: Dr. Caitriona Henchion and Mr. Niall Behan, Irish Family Planning Association (15 Nov 2017)

Mattie McGrath: Can I make a point of order, Chair? It is very dangerous for our guest to say that the gardaí were embarrassed. How would he know that?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution: Socioeconomic Context: Dr. Caitriona Henchion and Mr. Niall Behan, Irish Family Planning Association (15 Nov 2017)

Mattie McGrath: It is a very reckless thing to say, unless he has an inside track with the Garda Síochána.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution: Socioeconomic Context: Dr. Caitriona Henchion and Mr. Niall Behan, Irish Family Planning Association (15 Nov 2017)

Mattie McGrath: I welcome the guests. The IFPA received €360,000 from Irish Aid over the period 2016 to 2018 for a project in Bolivia named 'Promoting the sexual and reproductive health of youth in Bolivia'. The three partners in this project are the IFPA, the Centro de Investigación, Educación y Servicios, CIES, which is a Spanish or Portuguese organisation, and International Planned...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution: Socioeconomic Context: Dr. Caitriona Henchion and Mr. Niall Behan, Irish Family Planning Association (15 Nov 2017)

Mattie McGrath: No it does not.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution: Socioeconomic Context: Dr. Caitriona Henchion and Mr. Niall Behan, Irish Family Planning Association (15 Nov 2017)

Mattie McGrath: It does not. That is the witness's definite answer. The IFPA provides a secretariat for all-party Oireachtas interest groups on the sexual and reproductive health rights, SRHR. In an email to Irish Aid, on 4 May 2016, a Ms Maeve Taylor, a senior policy and advocacy officer of the IFPA stated that they prepared-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution: Socioeconomic Context: Dr. Caitriona Henchion and Mr. Niall Behan, Irish Family Planning Association (15 Nov 2017)

Mattie McGrath: Please, I would appreciate it. They prepared a briefing on the work of the CIES for the all-party Oireachtas interest group on SRHR. That is a nice sidetrack for the IFPA. Is any of the Irish Aid grant aid being used for this form of advocacy and campaigning, that is the secretarial services for Oireachtas members? Not the secretariat here, the secretariat of the IFPA and other agencies,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution: Socioeconomic Context: Dr. Caitriona Henchion and Mr. Niall Behan, Irish Family Planning Association (15 Nov 2017)

Mattie McGrath: We are 100% certain on that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution: Socioeconomic Context: Dr. Caitriona Henchion and Mr. Niall Behan, Irish Family Planning Association (15 Nov 2017)

Mattie McGrath: It is interesting to see this secretariat idea now being expanded by the National Women's Council of Ireland being the secretariat for the Oireachtas Women's Caucus that includes Ministers, Deputies Fitzgerald, Zappone and Mitchell O'Connor. Transparency I think here has been blurred and the lobbying Act may have been evaded too. I believe it was a crafty process. It was not-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution: Socioeconomic Context: Dr. Caitriona Henchion and Mr. Niall Behan, Irish Family Planning Association (15 Nov 2017)

Mattie McGrath: I am just wondering about it. I have just asked a question.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution: Socioeconomic Context: Dr. Caitriona Henchion and Mr. Niall Behan, Irish Family Planning Association (15 Nov 2017)

Mattie McGrath: They are in representing the IFPA so I am asking the question. Please chair. I am not accusing the Chair today of being biased but let me ask the questions.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution: Socioeconomic Context: Dr. Caitriona Henchion and Mr. Niall Behan, Irish Family Planning Association (15 Nov 2017)

Mattie McGrath: No, I am just referring to activities that they are carrying out and the secretariat work they are providing for other people.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution: Socioeconomic Context: Dr. Caitriona Henchion and Mr. Niall Behan, Irish Family Planning Association (15 Nov 2017)

Mattie McGrath: No. They are Ministers and I refer to the work carried out by this secretariat, not the one here.