Results 2,581-2,600 of 4,085 for speaker:Dan Boyle

Seanad: Passports Bill 2007: Second Stage (5 Mar 2008)

Dan Boyle: It is the principle rather than the content of the decision. There should be a greater onus on Parliament to enact legislation on foot of discrepancies that have been identified through judicial decisions. We have not done that as well as we should have in the past. My problem with this Bill is with the specific references about gender assignation. There is a far greater difficulty with...

Seanad: Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2008: Second Stage (5 Mar 2008)

Dan Boyle: I welcome the passage of the Bill through the House and its prior passage through the Dáil. It is the third item of automatic legislation that stems from budget 2008, the other two being the Finance Bill and the Social Welfare Bill, which takes care of provisions put in place from 1 January onwards. This legislation will deal with future increases in social welfare expenditure from 1 April...

Seanad: Electoral Commission: Motion (5 Mar 2008)

Dan Boyle: I move: That Seanad Éireann supports the commitment in the Programme for Government to work to bring into being an Electoral Commission. It is a pleasure to move this motion this evening in Green Party Private Members' time. I welcome the fact that an amendment to the motion has not been tabled and take it as a general degree of interest among all the parties in this Chamber in working...

Seanad: Electoral Commission: Motion (5 Mar 2008)

Dan Boyle: We will address this in the debate also.

Seanad: Electoral Commission: Motion (5 Mar 2008)

Dan Boyle: I am interested to hear from all sections of the House what proposals they might make in this regard. It is important to recognise that the need for this exists not only in terms of efficiency. We need a body such as an independent stand-alone electoral commission to have and restore public confidence in politics. I would like to think the Minister is open to suggestions. The Green Party...

Seanad: Electoral Commission: Motion (5 Mar 2008)

Dan Boyle: There are more people on the south side.

Seanad: Electoral Commission: Motion (5 Mar 2008)

Dan Boyle: I thank all who contributed to the debate this evening. It has been a rare occasion of harmony descending on the Seanad Chamber in Private Members' time. I cannot remember a Private Members' motion in the lifetime of this Seanad where there was such a degree of consensus. On a personal level I am heartened by it as it will help the eventual progress of necessary legislation in this area....

Seanad: Electoral Commission: Motion (5 Mar 2008)

Dan Boyle: We know that Bunreacht na hÉireann provides that there will be a local election every five years. We do not know, on the whim of a Taoiseach,——

Seanad: Electoral Commission: Motion (5 Mar 2008)

Dan Boyle: —— a vote of confidence in Dáil Éireann or whatever circumstances arise, when the Government may fall within the five year period. It is more difficult to set a six month or one year period before then for spending limits.

Seanad: Electoral Commission: Motion (5 Mar 2008)

Dan Boyle: I am in favour of extending it to general elections. Proportionality is an important part of the remit of a future electoral commission. The Constitution says Dáil constituencies should have between three and seven seats. We have no seven seat constituencies, but have five seaters at most. Senator Doherty mentioned this in his contribution and might be interested that in the early years...

Seanad: Electoral Commission: Motion (5 Mar 2008)

Dan Boyle: Amárach ar 10.30 a.m.

Seanad: Cluster Munitions: Motion (6 Mar 2008)

Dan Boyle: I second the motion. I understand the Minister would like to speak at this point. I will speak later.

Seanad: Cluster Munitions: Motion (6 Mar 2008)

Dan Boyle: I will begin by apologising to Senator Norris. A presumption was made on the basis that this is an all-party motion, that the issue is current in the media and that a window became available in the Seanad schedule — a rare commodity in itself. If this presumption led to a lack of proper consultation with the instigator of the motion, I apologise.

Seanad: Cluster Munitions: Motion (6 Mar 2008)

Dan Boyle: Sometimes this happens because of the early passage of business and it cannot be avoided. On the motion, which is an all-party motion, the existence of the arms industry is morally suspect in itself. There is often a moral relativism in debating subjects of this nature. One of the ironies about the war in Iraq since 2003 is the pretext for beginning the war, namely, the belief in the...

Seanad: Death of Former Member: Expressions of Sympathy (11 Mar 2008)

Dan Boyle: On behalf of the Green Party, Comhaontas Glas, I express sympathy on the passing of the former Senator and Deputy Kit Ahern. I was struck by two factors from reading media notices of her passing. The first one is the reputation she — having lived to the age of 92 — seemed to have maintained in the Kerry area well after she had exited public life. The second factor is a personal one....

Seanad: Defamation Bill 2006: Report and Final Stages (11 Mar 2008)

Dan Boyle: Amendment No. 34 is not being discussed with the amendments before us.

Seanad: Defamation Bill 2006: Report and Final Stages (11 Mar 2008)

Dan Boyle: Senator Walsh must deal with the amendments before us.

Seanad: Defamation Bill 2006: Report and Final Stages (11 Mar 2008)

Dan Boyle: I remind Senator Walsh that he is only speaking to the amendments now and that they must be formally moved later.

Seanad: Defamation Bill 2006: Report and Final Stages (11 Mar 2008)

Dan Boyle: We are discussing amendments Nos. 25 to 32 inclusive.

Seanad: Defamation Bill 2006: Report and Final Stages (11 Mar 2008)

Dan Boyle: The moving or withdrawing of amendments will happen in sequence. Therefore, the Deputy will have an opportunity to deal with them after the debate.