Results 12,561-12,580 of 12,604 for speaker:Willie O'Dea

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

Willie O'Dea: In theory, yes. We are having some input in that we are passing the legislation which enables us to make regulations to provide for this. I do not want to add another 30 or 40 pages to primary legislation with matters more appropriate to regulations. I will inquire whether the regulations can be debated in the House and communicate with the Senator.

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

Willie O'Dea: With regard to Senator Cox's point about the pre-confinement period being fixed at four weeks, I agree with Senators O'Toole and Kett and everyone else who has made this point. However, the Attorney General's advice is that to reduce the period of four weeks would be contrary to Article 1.3 of the relevant European directive. We are members of the European Union, from which we have derived...

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

Willie O'Dea: As I understand matters, a European directive cannot be amended.

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

Willie O'Dea: The advice of the Attorney General is that, while we would love to change this, legally we cannot do it. I will have the matter looked at again.

Seanad: Auctioneering Profession: Motion. (28 May 2003)

Willie O'Dea: I begin my contribution to the debate by expressing the regrets of my colleague, the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Deputy Michael McDowell, at the fact that he is unable to be with us this evening due to other important commitments.

Seanad: Auctioneering Profession: Motion. (28 May 2003)

Willie O'Dea: I thank the Senator. His confidence is touching. The Minister has asked me to thank him and the Independent Senators for raising this important issue and giving me an opportunity to update the House in relation to the matter.

Seanad: Auctioneering Profession: Motion. (28 May 2003)

Willie O'Dea: The review will not be conducted exclusively, or otherwise, by officials from the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform nor will it be conducted exclusively by members of the auctioneering profession. It will be a representative body. We will also consider the possibility of imposing a deadline by which the body should report, as such reviews can drag on forever.

Seanad: Criminal Justice (Joint Investigation Teams) Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (20 May 2003)

Willie O'Dea: In accordance with Article 11 of the framework decision, a joint team can be set up by mutual agreement of the competent authorities of two or more member states setting up the team. The team will be set up in one or more of the member states in which the investigations are expected to be carried out. Members of the joint investigation team for member states other than the member state in...

Seanad: Criminal Justice (Joint Investigation Teams) Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (20 May 2003)

Willie O'Dea: I understand the Senator's concerns and will consider the matter further to see if the wording of the provision can be improved.

Seanad: Criminal Justice (Joint Investigation Teams) Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (20 May 2003)

Willie O'Dea: I thank the Senator for tabling these amendments. The difficulty is that some states will accept communications and requests from the Garda Commissioner while others will not. Section 2 provides that the Commissioner will be the competent authority in Ireland for the purposes of the Bill but that where the competent authority of another member state requires that requests in relation to the...

Seanad: Criminal Justice (Joint Investigation Teams) Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (20 May 2003)

Willie O'Dea: As drafted, section 5 provides that a joint investigation team shall be established for a specific purpose and a limited period. Where necessary, that period may be extended for an additional period or periods as agreed by the competent authorities concerned. All countries involved in a joint investigation will have to agree to the extension. The amendment proposed seeks to allow the period...

Seanad: Criminal Justice (Joint Investigation Teams) Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (20 May 2003)

Willie O'Dea: The deployment of gardaí and the assigning of tasks to them are matters for the Garda Commissioner. As the Senator rightly points out, while we are in about third place in Europe in the ratio of gardaí to the population, there is a perception that there is a scarcity of officers. The Government believes we can use more gardaí. I take the Senator's point in that regard. Gardaí constitute a...

Seanad: Criminal Justice (Joint Investigation Teams) Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (20 May 2003)

Willie O'Dea: Investigating and detecting crime costs money. In this situation, the competent authority, namely the Garda Commissioner, provides the initiative to set up the joint investigation team. We cannot introduce something into domestic law which compels competent authorities in other countries to calculate costs in advance. The Garda Commissioner will calculate costs and ensure taxpayers' money is...

Seanad: Criminal Justice (Joint Investigation Teams) Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (20 May 2003)

Willie O'Dea: I do not disagree with some of the Senator's sentiments. The question of increasing the number of gardaí is a separate one. I agree that we would benefit from having more gardaí. The Government has certain commitments in that regard, which have been the subject of recent controversy. The commitment in the election manifesto and the programme for Government, as I recall it, was to provide...

Seanad: Criminal Justice (Joint Investigation Teams) Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (20 May 2003)

Willie O'Dea: This is a tricky area. Section 5(4) allows the State to join a joint investigation team which has already been established on such terms and conditions as the Irish competent authority may agree with the competent authorities of the member states involved in the original establishment of the team. In other words, under this section the team has already been set up. The effect of the proposed...

Seanad: Criminal Justice (Joint Investigation Teams) Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (20 May 2003)

Willie O'Dea: I take the Senator's point. There seem to be no criteria to guide the competent authority of the State in deciding whether to join a joint investigation team which has already been set up. I will ask the chief parliamentary counsel to reconsider this between now and Report Stage. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. Section 5 agreed to. SECTION 6.

Seanad: Criminal Justice (Joint Investigation Teams) Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (20 May 2003)

Willie O'Dea: This amendment would provide for an additional category of person to be appointed as a member of a joint investigation team, namely, a non-Garda CAB officer. However, having examined the amendment, I am a little lost about the purpose behind it. Section 6(2), as drafted, allows the Minister to appoint to a joint investigation team officers of customs and excise, the Revenue Commissioners, any...

Seanad: Criminal Justice (Joint Investigation Teams) Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (20 May 2003)

Willie O'Dea: I understand what the Senator is saying. Section 6 deals with membership of a joint team and provides that members of the Garda Síochána, officers of the Customs and Excise, officers of the Revenue Commissioners and officers of any other Minister may be assigned or appointed to a joint team. In addition, section 6(2)(c) allows the Minister to appoint any other person who, in his or her...

Seanad: Criminal Justice (Joint Investigation Teams) Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (20 May 2003)

Willie O'Dea: The public service, excellent though it may be, is not the sole repository of wisdom, experience and expertise. In complex fraud investigations, we may need to bring in representatives of some of the top accountancy firms. In cases of trafficking of children for sexual or other reasons, we may have to bring in representatives of the authorities in other countries, such as Albania, where such...

Seanad: Criminal Justice (Joint Investigation Teams) Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (20 May 2003)

Willie O'Dea: Section 10 amends the Garda Síochána Act 1989 by adding joint investigation teams to the list of overseas organisations or units with which a member of the Garda Síochána may serve. The proposed amendment seeks to further amend that Act by providing that it should explicitly state that the Garda disciplinary regulations apply to gardaí referred to in section 3 of the Garda Síochána Act...