Results 3,601-3,620 of 5,132 for speaker:Trevor Ó Clochartaigh

Seanad: Order of Business (25 Nov 2015)

Trevor Ó Clochartaigh: First, I commend Women's Aid on the excellent conference it organised today on the challenge of online and technology abuse in shaming and stalking in intimate partner relationships. It draws some very stark conclusions regarding the lack of up-to-date legislation in this area. It is an area that is changing very quickly. We have held a number of debates on this issue but it would be...

Seanad: Order of Business (25 Nov 2015)

Trevor Ó Clochartaigh: We all remember the debates in this House when the former Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Phil Hogan, told us Irish Water would save the water system. What has become clear, however, is that the local authorities were actually doing a much better job than the new body is. In my own area, for example, there was at least a plan in place under the local authority...

Seanad: Order of Business (25 Nov 2015)

Trevor Ó Clochartaigh: Some of them, moreover, are eligible for 15% bonuses on top of that. It would be useful for the Minister to come to the House to give a breakdown of how much we are paying these Irish Water executives and indicate whether we are getting value for money or if the money would be better spent on progressing projects around the country to deal with the sewage problems that have been highlighted...

Seanad: Legal Services Regulation Bill 2011: Report Stage (26 Nov 2015)

Trevor Ó Clochartaigh: I do not want delay proceedings but, as has been noted, we are concerned that so many amendments have been tabled so late in the day. We also had hundreds of amendments on Committee Stage which came to us only two days beforehand. I accept we did have a briefing with the Minister's officials but I am concerned that if technical changes are being made at this late stage that something could...

Seanad: Legal Services Regulation Bill 2011: Report Stage (26 Nov 2015)

Trevor Ó Clochartaigh: On amendments Nos. 183, 185, 188, 189, 197 to 200, inclusive, and 202 to 211, inclusive, obviously we have a difference in policy. I accept that. However, I want to put on record on Report Stage that these amendments reflect Sinn Féin's opposition to the multidisciplinary practices where solicitors, barristers and accountants operate one practice under the same roof and the same...

Seanad: Legal Services Regulation Bill 2011: Report Stage (26 Nov 2015)

Trevor Ó Clochartaigh: It is a bit disingenuous for the Minister to say that we are not supporting-----

Seanad: Legal Services Regulation Bill 2011: Report Stage (26 Nov 2015)

Trevor Ó Clochartaigh: I just make the point that it is a bit disingenuous. We have shown support for the general thrust of the Bill. This is the one section we do not agree with. That should be recognised.

Seanad: Legal Services Regulation Bill 2011: Report Stage (26 Nov 2015)

Trevor Ó Clochartaigh: I wish to clarify that we are only discussing amendment No. 31.

Seanad: Legal Services Regulation Bill 2011: Report Stage (26 Nov 2015)

Trevor Ó Clochartaigh: I move amendment No. 32:In page 29, line 10, after "may" where it firstly occurs to insert ", after consultation with the professional bodies,". Sinn Féin is concerned that the staff currently employed by the Law Society of Ireland and the Bar Council of Ireland to handle and investigate complaints may lose their jobs and be replaced by staff in the new authority essentially carrying...

Seanad: Legal Services Regulation Bill 2011: Report Stage (26 Nov 2015)

Trevor Ó Clochartaigh: I move amendment No. 33:In page 29, between lines 11 and 12, to insert the following:“(2) The Authority should initially seek to appoint members of the Law Society and the Bar Council’s existing administrative staff, with the requisite qualifications and whose positions will be displaced with the commencement of the authority.”. Again, the section and these amendments...

Seanad: Legal Services Regulation Bill 2011: Report Stage (26 Nov 2015)

Trevor Ó Clochartaigh: I move amendment No. 34:In page 29, line 12, after “Authority,” to insert “after consultation with the professional bodies and”. There is no need to rehash the argument. We have a difference of opinion on it. For the reasons already outlined regarding amendments No. 32 and 33, we are pressing the amendment.

Seanad: Emergency Department Waiting Times: Statements (26 Nov 2015)

Trevor Ó Clochartaigh: I would like the Chair to clarify whether other Members will be allowed to speak.

Seanad: Emergency Department Waiting Times: Statements (26 Nov 2015)

Trevor Ó Clochartaigh: It does not say group spokespersons only, it says group spokespersons. Surely it is very unusual in a debate such as this in this House that only they speak. In no other debate I have attended has been confined to spokespersons. This discriminates against any Senator in the House who is not in a group and is a mechanism to gag other Senators who want to speak and who have stayed here until...

Seanad: Emergency Department Waiting Times: Statements (26 Nov 2015)

Trevor Ó Clochartaigh: I am asking for a ruling. I have listened carefully to the Acting Chairman but there is no reference to group spokespersons only being allowed to contribute. May other Senators speak to the issue?

Seanad: Emergency Department Waiting Times: Statements (26 Nov 2015)

Trevor Ó Clochartaigh: Yes.

Seanad: Emergency Department Waiting Times: Statements (26 Nov 2015)

Trevor Ó Clochartaigh: That is usually what we hear and in the normal course of any debate I have listened to which has been ordered similarly, after the group spokespersons, others are allowed to contribute. It does not exclude anybody else or refer to group spokespersons only. That is misleading. I call on the Acting Chairman to make a ruling on that.

Seanad: Legal Services Regulation Bill 2011: Report Stage (Resumed) (1 Dec 2015)

Trevor Ó Clochartaigh: I have held my counsel until now. I have listened very closely to the debate. It appears to me that the debate is becoming a little bit shambolic because of the number of amendments to Committee Stage amendments, etc. I am concerned that we and the Government may make some grave mistakes in the Bill because we are amending parts of it that we cannot see in front of us. I call on the...

Seanad: Legal Services Regulation Bill 2011: Report Stage (Resumed) (1 Dec 2015)

Trevor Ó Clochartaigh: The Minister mentioned the word "clarity". Everything about the Bill is unclear. It is like asking an artist to paint a picture with a blindfold on. The amendments are all very confusing. The fact that amendment No. 122 is to delete an amendment the Minister made on Committee Stage adds credence to the argument that the farce should be stopped and the Bill suspended until a copy of the...

Seanad: Legal Services Regulation Bill 2011: Report Stage (Resumed) (1 Dec 2015)

Trevor Ó Clochartaigh: I am concerned that we are getting additional amendments on Report Stage because mistakes or omissions have been spotted on Committee Stage.Even on Report Stage we are getting additional amendments to Committee Stage amendments because mistakes or omissions were spotted in the Committee Stage of the Bill. If we continue with this charade of amendments, I am concerned that a similar situation...

Seanad: Legal Services Regulation Bill 2011: Report Stage (Resumed) (1 Dec 2015)

Trevor Ó Clochartaigh: I move amendment No. 183:In page 74, to delete lines 1 to 15.