Results 3,241-3,260 of 18,728 for speaker:Michael McDowell

Written Answers — Refugee Status: Refugee Status (5 May 2005)

Michael McDowell: Immigration officers operating at ports and airports throughout the State are members of the Garda Síochána. They are obliged under the provisions of the Refugee Act 1996, as amended, to grant permission to land to a non national "who arrives at the frontiers of the State seeking asylum in the State or seeking the protection of the State against persecution or requesting not to be returned...

Written Answers — Work Permits: Work Permits (5 May 2005)

Michael McDowell: There has been no change in policy regarding access to employment of a non-EEA national awaiting a decision on a residency application based on marriage to an Irish citizen. Marriage to an Irish national does not grant any automatic right to enter or reside in the State solely on that basis. It has always been the case that the non-national concerned could not work without a valid work permit...

Seanad: Registration of Deeds and Title Bill 2004: Second Stage. (5 May 2005)

Michael McDowell: I am pleased to have this opportunity to introduce the Registration of Deeds and Title Bill 2004 and to outline its provisions. Before doing so, however, I wish to explain why the provisions set out in the Bill are so important. I also wish to inform Senators about a related joint project involving my Department and the Law Reform Commission, currently under way, which aims to modernise all...

Seanad: Registration of Deeds and Title Bill 2004: Second Stage (Resumed). (5 May 2005)

Michael McDowell: In short, there is now an urgent need to replace the current system with provisions more suited to modern conditions. This will involve the outright repeal of the eight old statutes under which the Registry of Deeds currently operates and their replacement, where necessary, with modern provisions. I think Senator Norris will be struck by the following matter. The Registration of Deeds Act...

Seanad: Registration of Deeds and Title Bill 2004: Second Stage (Resumed). (5 May 2005)

Michael McDowell: This is to be taken off our Statute Book.

Seanad: Registration of Deeds and Title Bill 2004: Second Stage (Resumed). (5 May 2005)

Michael McDowell: That was before the soup days. In the early 21st century we will repeal a post-penal law statute. I want to acknowledge that the Registry of Deeds has served this country well since its establishment back in 1707. I also want to take this opportunity to thank the Registrar of Deeds and the registry's staff for their commitment and hard work. I visited the registry recently, having studied for...

Seanad: Registration of Deeds and Title Bill 2004: Second Stage (Resumed). (5 May 2005)

Michael McDowell: One would not want to be near somebody else's basket——

Seanad: Registration of Deeds and Title Bill 2004: Second Stage (Resumed). (5 May 2005)

Michael McDowell: I am taken by the last proposal. If I can write off my house, it would be useful. I was also taken by Senator Leyden's comments about wills. That one can effectively revoke one document with another while the whereabouts of the revoking document is a complete mystery is an extraordinary system. Wills must be registered in some countries but there are implications to registration, such as the...

Seanad: Registration of Deeds and Title Bill 2004: Second Stage (Resumed). (5 May 2005)

Michael McDowell: There are some ways around this.

Seanad: Registration of Deeds and Title Bill 2004: Second Stage (Resumed). (5 May 2005)

Michael McDowell: Exactly.

Seanad: Registration of Deeds and Title Bill 2004: Second Stage (Resumed). (5 May 2005)

Michael McDowell: I have not encountered the level of skullduggery Senator Leyden has.

Seanad: Registration of Deeds and Title Bill 2004: Second Stage (Resumed). (5 May 2005)

Michael McDowell: Senator Leyden did remind me of a time when a now deceased senior counsel who was prone to grandiloquent language put it to a witness in a will case that he was trying to establish the testator was beyond making wills and was perhaps a bit "gaga". He suggested to the elderly relative that the testator was in the habit of soliloquising, a terminology the relative did not follow. The counsel...

Seanad: Registration of Deeds and Title Bill 2004: Second Stage (Resumed). (5 May 2005)

Michael McDowell: As someone who has always lived on unregistered land, however, it amazes me that we have such a complex system of proving title. I agree with another point in Senator Tuffy's contribution concerning lawyers. It is not in the interest of any lawyer that the land law should be so complex. There may be a few nerds in the legal profession who like this kind of work. However, the great majority of...

Seanad: Registration of Deeds and Title Bill 2004: Second Stage (Resumed). (5 May 2005)

Michael McDowell: I thank the House for its support for this Bill. It will be some weeks before I receive the amendments which are with the Parliamentary Counsel and the Office of the Attorney General at present. However, I will forward the scheme for the amendments to interested parties so their substance does not come as a major surprise when they are finally produced.

Written Answers — Child Care Services: Child Care Services (10 May 2005)

Michael McDowell: The equal opportunities child care programme, EOCP, 2000-2006, is a central pillar in the Government's child care strategy and is intended to increase the availability and quality of child care supports for parents in employment, education or training. The programme is funded by the Exchequer and the European Union Structural Funds as part of the regional operational programmes of the...

Written Answers — Crime Levels: Crime Levels (10 May 2005)

Michael McDowell: I propose to take Questions Nos. 315 to 322, inclusive, together. In regard to crime figures, the Deputy will be aware that on becoming Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, I arranged for the publication of headline crime statistics on a quarterly basis to improve the quality of information available to the public. While caution should be exercised in interpreting levels of crime...

Written Answers — Crime Levels: Crime Levels (10 May 2005)

Michael McDowell: I propose to take Questions Nos. 323 to 326, inclusive, together. As regards crime figures, the Deputy will be aware that on becoming Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, I arranged for the publication of headline crime statistics on a quarterly basis to improve the quality of information available to the public. While caution should be exercised in interpreting levels of crime...

Written Answers — Crime Levels: Crime Levels (10 May 2005)

Michael McDowell: As regards crime figures the Deputy will be aware that on becoming Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, I arranged for the publication of headline crime statistics on a quarterly basis to improve the quality of information available to the public. While caution should be exercised in interpreting levels of crime between quarters, I am pleased to note that during my term of office as...

Written Answers — Asylum Support Services: Asylum Support Services (10 May 2005)

Michael McDowell: The Reception and Integration Agency, RIA, continues to operate under pressure in meeting the accommodation and ancillary needs of asylum seekers against a backdrop of a severe shortage of suitable accommodation of every type in the State. The number of asylum seekers currently accommodated is more than 8,000. Against this background, the RIA entered into a short-term contract for the...

Written Answers — Visa Applications: Visa Applications (10 May 2005)

Michael McDowell: The applications in question were received in my Department in February 2005. When assessing applications, the visa officer will consider, among other factors, whether the level of salary of the worker would come within the ambit of qualifying for payment from public funds. In this regard, the criteria set by the Department of Social and Family Affairs for eligibility for family income...