Results 321-340 of 20,831 for speaker:David Norris

Seanad: Order of Business. (11 Mar 2003)

David Norris: —and while the two principal Ministers concerned are gadding around in Cheltenham. (Interruptions).

Seanad: Order of Business. (11 Mar 2003)

David Norris: It is an absolute disgrace and the Cathaoirleach is quite wrong in saying the absence of the Minister is not relevant. It could not be more relevant. He is the Minister charged by the people with responsibility in this area.

Seanad: Order of Business. (11 Mar 2003)

David Norris: Will we have a debate on Tibet?

Seanad: Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (11 Mar 2003)

David Norris: Is our freedom of expression being threatened now?

Seanad: Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (11 Mar 2003)

David Norris: I welcome the Minister of State, although I do so in a muted fashion. I know him of old; he is a thoroughly decent, upright and competent man, but it is a disgrace that he should be placed in this position. Perhaps the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment has an input, but I cannot imagine what it might be. It is most invidious to place the Minister of State in this position. When...

Seanad: Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (11 Mar 2003)

David Norris: —but if they had been longer in Parliament, they would recognised that this is one of the ways in which Members on the other side hit back at a corrupt Government.

Seanad: Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (11 Mar 2003)

David Norris: As I am a tabloid journalist, it is in my nature.

Seanad: Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (11 Mar 2003)

David Norris: Why?

Seanad: Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (11 Mar 2003)

David Norris: I see.

Seanad: Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (11 Mar 2003)

David Norris: Is Senator Dardis not ashamed of being in the Chair? You have every right to be in this disgraceful debate.

Seanad: Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (11 Mar 2003)

David Norris: I regard what Senator Henry had to say as extremely germane to the Bill and she made an impressive and practical case. There is no doubt this is the sort of reality in which people operate and if somebody in her responsible position finds it impossible to get the kind of information on which proper decisions about the health of the country will be made as a result of the operation of this...

Seanad: Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (11 Mar 2003)

David Norris: To the position on the Bill. What we argued at the outset was that this was a complete and utter nonsense. I was challenged by Senator Mansergh about my use of the word "corruption", and it appeared he was gathering himself up to see if I would withdraw it. I will not withdraw it and I will tell him what I mean by "corruption". Corruption occurs where healthy tissue deteriorates as a result...

Seanad: Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (11 Mar 2003)

David Norris: There is no question that the democratic process is being corrupted because a Bill is being force-fed through the Oireachtas, the people responsible are out of the country, mitching like guilty schoolboys, we do not have information from the Information Commissioner—

Seanad: Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (11 Mar 2003)

David Norris: We got it in the past five minutes.

Seanad: Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (11 Mar 2003)

David Norris: The Minister of State did not know that when I asked.

Seanad: Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (11 Mar 2003)

David Norris: It was not a different question. The Minister of State might have thought it was a different question, but they said they did not have it. There is a very good piece about this in The Irish Times today in which the word "corruption" figures prominently in an analysis of the Bill by Fintan O'Toole. It states, "A corrosive public cynicism is eating away at the bonds between State and citizen."...

Seanad: Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (11 Mar 2003)

David Norris: —is prepared consistently to employ the image of corruption in this leading article and that is exactly what it is. I make no apologies for putting on the record of this House that this is corrupt Government, by which I do not mean that there is money involved.

Seanad: Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (11 Mar 2003)

David Norris: There is a practice whereby the welfare of the body politic is brought into disrepute.

Seanad: Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (11 Mar 2003)

David Norris: Well done.

Seanad: Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill 2003: Committee Stage. (11 Mar 2003)

David Norris: I agree with Senator O'Toole. That is precisely the point I wish to make, having observed the debate. I understood the Chair to have ruled that Senator O'Toole's amendments could not be put down at this stage but they could be put down at Report Stage. Those amendments simply could not have arisen until the report was given to Senator O'Toole. The Cathaoirleach's position is that he is...