Results 1,301-1,320 of 18,808 for speaker:Michael McDowell

Seanad: Planning and Development Bill 2020: Committee Stage (30 Nov 2020)

Michael McDowell: We have been talking about the need for public consultation, public meetings and the like. Given that we are in the middle of a Covid-19 pandemic I would like to take this opportunity to draw to the Minister of State’s attention that there is one venue for public meetings in Rathmines Town Hall which, unfortunately, is used for ridiculous other purposes. A tiny group of ad...

Seanad: Reopening Ireland (Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment): Statements (26 Nov 2020)

Michael McDowell: I welcome the Minister of State. I want to make a few general points about opening up the economy. I am not one of these sceptics who believes in deriding the measures taken by the Government but I am sceptical about blanket measures which are non-discriminating in the effects they have and are not based on proper science. I echo the remarks made by Deputy Eoghan Murphy recently in a...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (18 Nov 2020)

Michael McDowell: I wish to move an amendment to the Order of Business to delete the motion relating to the sixth report of the Seanad Committee on Procedure and Privileges on Standing Order 45, which is scheduled to be considered without debate. I do so on the basis that this matter is one for which there was no adequate notice to my group of the proposal to further curtail the amount of time available to...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (18 Nov 2020)

Michael McDowell: I read the speech and I think it took approximately 20 minutes to deliver, and he was frequently interrupted. Our procedures now are such that we are reducing ourselves to almost the status of old-fashioned telegram boys. We are not debating things seriously or providing for serious debate. We are reducing the role of the House as a legislative organ, especially in respect of legislation,...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (18 Nov 2020)

Michael McDowell: It was not on the agenda.

Seanad: Seanad Bill 2020: Second Stage (18 Nov 2020)

Michael McDowell: I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time."It is important, perhaps, to note that on 1 February 2018 the then Taoiseach, now Tánaiste and Minister, Deputy Varadkar, came to this House and endorsed the principle of the Manning report and announced his intention to establish an all-party implementation group and spoke strongly in favour of the principle of amending the way Seanad...

Seanad: Seanad Bill 2020: Second Stage (18 Nov 2020)

Michael McDowell: They will have to buy more stamps.

Seanad: Seanad Bill 2020: Second Stage (18 Nov 2020)

Michael McDowell: On a point of information, the number of Irish passport holders amounts to approximately 800,000.

Seanad: Seanad Bill 2020: Second Stage (18 Nov 2020)

Michael McDowell: Will the Senator give way for a point of information?

Seanad: Seanad Bill 2020: Second Stage (18 Nov 2020)

Michael McDowell: I always put on the record the fact that the efforts to have the Citizens' Assembly, which came up with a diverse set of proposals, to consider this proposal were stopped as well. The assembly was prohibited from discussing the matter.

Seanad: Seanad Bill 2020: Second Stage (18 Nov 2020)

Michael McDowell: I thank the Minister of State for his remarks and I thank everybody who has participated in this debate. It is important that this debate should have occurred. I do not have as heavy a heart as I had when I stood up to move the Bill. The reason is that I accept what the Minister of State has said, that he is committed to reform of the Seanad. The fact that there was not unanimity on every...

Seanad: Seanad Bill 2020: Second Stage (18 Nov 2020)

Michael McDowell: The point I am making is that the number of Senators allocated to each of those panels under the present constitutional framework is variable. One could slash the agricultural panel to five Senators and increase the allocation to those involved in voluntary social services on the administrative panel to ten Senators. There is nothing sacrosanct about the present distribution of seats....

Seanad: Political Donations: Motion (11 Nov 2020)

Michael McDowell: I want to hear the answers.

Seanad: Political Donations: Motion (11 Nov 2020)

Michael McDowell: This motion raises important fundamental points. Although there has been considerable crossfire in the Chamber this evening, there are historical matters which must be addressed too. I was in Weston Park in Britain in 2001 when the Irish Government was informed that senior members of the republican movement were in Colombia. They were selling military know-how to FARC, a Marxist guerilla...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs: Conference on the Future of Europe: Discussion (11 Nov 2020)

Michael McDowell: I thank our guests for a very interesting set of contributions and responses. I hope Dr. Day is not frightened by this, but I agree with her approach, in that we should examine issue-based rather than theory-based changes in planning out the future of Europe. We have to go through a few logical steps. First, what is not happening that people in Europe want to happen? Second, does it need...

Seanad: Seanad Electoral (University Members) (Amendment) Bill 2020: Second Stage (10 Nov 2020)

Michael McDowell: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Seanad Electoral (University Members) (Amendment) Bill 2020: Second Stage (10 Nov 2020)

Michael McDowell: I welcome the Minister of State and thank Senator Cassells for his very generous encomium, which is not entirely deserved. I reiterate my thanks to him, along with Senators Warfield and Higgins, for their enthusiastic and totally committed support of the Seanad implementation group process. If we are talking about between 800,000 and 1 million people as part of this electorate for six seats...

Seanad: Seanad Electoral (University Members) (Amendment) Bill 2020: Second Stage (10 Nov 2020)

Michael McDowell: The Minister of State will not be missed.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (6 Nov 2020)

Michael McDowell: I wish to move an amendment to the Order of Business, that No. 8 be taken before No. 1. This concerns the Children (Amendment) Bill 2020. On the issue of voting for business next Tuesday, I appreciate the problems we face with accommodation, votes and the like. I have tried to be constructive, as has my group, on all of these matters. Some people feel that in these Covid days, we must...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (6 Nov 2020)

Michael McDowell: Yes, I suppose so.