Results 12,541-12,560 of 12,604 for speaker:Willie O'Dea

Seanad: Maternity Protection (Amendment) Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (2 Dec 2003)

Willie O'Dea: This is one of the series of consequential amendments that result from the deletion of section 9. Amendment agreed to.

Seanad: Maternity Protection (Amendment) Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (2 Dec 2003)

Willie O'Dea: This section makes no change whatsoever to existing law. Its purpose is to incorporate the relevant provisions contained in SI 337 of 2001 into the maternity protection and unfair dismissals legislation by amending the Maternity Protection (Amendment) Bill 2003 to provide for the repeal of the provisions of the statutory instrument. If anyone needs me to go through that in more detail, I will...

Seanad: Maternity Protection (Amendment) Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (2 Dec 2003)

Willie O'Dea: This makes no substantive change to the law. Section 22 of the Maternity Protection (Amendment) Bill 2003 provides for the amendment of Schedule 3, paragraph 5 of the Redundancy Payments Act 1967 to take account of the new rights to time off to attend antenatal classes and breastfeed. The proposed amendments to section 22 are necessary to ensure consistency with the new provisions contained...

Seanad: Maternity Protection (Amendment) Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (2 Dec 2003)

Willie O'Dea: I thank everyone who contributed. I take all the points which have been made about the fact that Leinster House is not exactly a shining beacon to which people can look in terms of facilities for female Members. However, the new commission which has been established to run the affairs of the House will be bound by the terms of this legislation. I will communicate the suggestions made in this...

Seanad: Immigration Bill 2002 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] : Report and Final Stages. (3 Jul 2003)

Willie O'Dea: I thank all Senators for their contributions to this very important legislation. In relation to a few points that have been made, the explanatory memorandum, prepared by officials in the Department of Justice Equality and Law Reform, has been on the Department's website since 23 June. Since then it has been available for scrutiny by Members of both Houses, interest groups and all members of...

Seanad: Immigration Bill 2002 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] : Report and Final Stages. (3 Jul 2003)

Willie O'Dea: There was obviously plenty of time to consider it.

Seanad: Adjournment Matters. - Murder of Councillor. (25 Jun 2003)

Willie O'Dea: On behalf of the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, I thank Senator Higgins for raising this matter and for providing me with an opportunity to address it. Let me state, unequivocally, my abhorrence at the heinous murder of Mr. Eddie Fullerton, who was at the time a Sinn Féin councillor on Donegal County Council, in the early hours of the morning of 25 May 1991. The attack was...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters. - Murder of Councillor. (25 Jun 2003)

Willie O'Dea: I assure the Senator if new information is made available to the Garda, it will be investigated by the force. With regard to the other matters he raised, I will pass on his comments to the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform. However, we remain convinced the Garda is the proper authority to investigate a case of this nature and new information will be fully investigated and pursued....

Seanad: Offences Against the State (Amendment) Act 1998: Motion. (24 Jun 2003)

Willie O'Dea: The resolution before the House today seeks approval for the continuance in force of those sections of the Offences Against the State (Amendment) Act 1998 which would otherwise cease to be in operation on 30 June 2003.

Seanad: Offences Against the State (Amendment) Act 1998: Motion. (24 Jun 2003)

Willie O'Dea: I thank everyone who spoke on the motion, particularly Senators Jim Walsh, Minihan, Kett, Mansergh, Tuffy and Brian Hayes for their support. I thank Senator Brian Hayes for seconding the motion. I have taken note of various points made during the course of the debate which I will discuss with the Minister and the Garda Síochána. These include: the question of dissident terrorists trying to...

Seanad: European Convention on Human Rights Bill 2001: Second Stage. (18 Jun 2003)

Willie O'Dea: It was very interesting to be here today to hear Senator Norris agreeing with Professor Binchy. This must be the first time ever this has happened.

Seanad: European Convention on Human Rights Bill 2001: Second Stage. (18 Jun 2003)

Willie O'Dea: I sincerely thank all Senators for their erudite contributions. I am sorry for only being here for the last hour of what was no doubt a very interesting debate in which very many interesting points were raised. I am sure Committee Stage will be very interesting. Senator Jim Walsh raised a point about the involvement of the Human Rights Commission. To clarify the position, the commission will...

Seanad: European Convention on Human Rights Bill 2001: Second Stage. (18 Jun 2003)

Willie O'Dea: —regarding the genuine concerns some have about sovereignty. We have to take their points of view into account. I always listen with great interest to Senator Norris but particularly on this occasion because he is, as he rightly pointed out, the only Member of the Oireachtas who has had the initiative and courage to take a case all the way to Strasbourg, on which I compliment him.

Seanad: European Convention on Human Rights Bill 2001: Second Stage. (18 Jun 2003)

Willie O'Dea: Unfortunately, the Senator's first reading or understanding of the Bill may have been slightly flawed. The position, as I understand it, is that, as matters stand, a litigant may go all the way to Strasbourg but all he or she will get there by way of compensation are damages. Looking back at the tradition of the awards given in Strasbourg, I understand the amounts are parsimonious.

Seanad: European Convention on Human Rights Bill 2001: Second Stage. (18 Jun 2003)

Willie O'Dea: Indeed. As matters stand, when the Bill becomes law, if the State or any public body is found to be acting in a way which is in breach of the convention, the person concerned will be able to receive damages, not ex gratia but as of right, provided the action in respect of which he or she is getting damages also involves a breach of the Constitution. It is only where the Constitution has not...

Seanad: European Convention on Human Rights Bill 2001: Second Stage. (18 Jun 2003)

Willie O'Dea: One's right to go to Strasbourg will remain unaffected. If one wants to take that route, it will still be available. On the question of appealing the amount, it is not appropriate to talk about appealing something declared to be ex gratia but I will check that point for the Senator.

Seanad: European Convention on Human Rights Bill 2001: Second Stage. (18 Jun 2003)

Willie O'Dea: The Senator quoted from various documents. I understand where he is coming from but, unfortunately, the people who submitted these proposals do not have a monopoly of wisdom. We have received an equal, if not greater, amount of representations from the other side. There is the continuing question of sovereignty. The Senator decried our decision to take the United Kingdom model but we are not...

Seanad: European Convention on Human Rights Bill 2001: Second Stage. (18 Jun 2003)

Willie O'Dea: In reality, the Minister has found a very innovative solution to this thorny question. The debate so far has been very interesting and I am sure the debate on Committee Stage will be no less robust. We look forward to it. Question put. Tá

Seanad: Maternity Protection (Amendment) Bill 2003: Second Stage. (28 May 2003)

Willie O'Dea: This Bill amends the Maternity Protection Act 1994 by making a number of improvements to its provisions which protect employees who are pregnant, or who have recently given birth. The Bill implements the recommendations made by the working group on the review and improvement of the maternity protection legislation. The working group, which reported in January 2001, was set up in accordance...

Seanad: Maternity Protection (Amendment) Bill 2003: Second Stage. (28 May 2003)

Willie O'Dea: I thank everyone who contributed to the debate and welcome their contributions. Senator Terry raised a question about section 5 regarding additional maternity leave being terminated in the event of illness. My advice is that the provision to allow an employee to transfer, with the consent of the employer, from additional maternity leave to sick leave in the event of the woman's illness does...