Results 401-420 of 9,393 for speaker:Alex White
- Seanad: Criminal Law (Human Trafficking) Bill 2007: Report and Final Stages (11 Mar 2008)
Alex White: Exactly, that is what I was worried about.
- Seanad: Criminal Law (Human Trafficking) Bill 2007: Report and Final Stages (11 Mar 2008)
Alex White: I second the amendment.
- Seanad: Criminal Law (Human Trafficking) Bill 2007: Report and Final Stages (11 Mar 2008)
Alex White: I move amendmentNo. 10: In page 10, between lines 25 and 26, to insert the following: "12.âA victim of an offence under this Act shall not be prosecuted for entry into or presence in the State or for carrying out the labour or sexual acts, insofar as such entry, presence or carrying out labour or sexual acts were a consequence of the trafficking of that person.". As the Acting Chairman...
- Seanad: Criminal Law (Human Trafficking) Bill 2007: Report and Final Stages (11 Mar 2008)
Alex White: I am surprised at the Minister of State saying at least twice in his contribution that this amendment proposes blanket immunity from prosecution. It does not. The reason I read out the text of the amendment was to try to convey to the House that it is not a proposal that comprises blanket immunity from prosecution. It is most unfair for the Minister of State to describe it in those terms....
- Seanad: Criminal Law (Human Trafficking) Bill 2007: Report and Final Stages (11 Mar 2008)
Alex White: In the circumstances it seems unlikely to be successful at this stage and for that reason only it is not being pressed.
- Seanad: Passports Bill 2007: Committee Stage (12 Mar 2008)
Alex White: I move amendment No. 1: In page 4, line 11, after "2004" to insert the following: "or the corresponding provision of any statute repealed by that Act". This is a technical amendment. I understand the Minister of State has received advice on this and that he spoke about it in the other House. However, if the corresponding section is not amended in the way proposed, there is a risk that birth...
- Seanad: Passports Bill 2007: Committee Stage (12 Mar 2008)
Alex White: I agree with Senators Cummins and Ormonde on this issue. The phrase "contrary to the common good" is not unknown to the law. It is used by the legal authority to which the Minister of State referred. The term is capable of extraordinarily wide interpretation. The phrase "contrary to the common good" is used in section 12 which sets out the circumstances in which the Minister, to quote the...
- Seanad: Passports Bill 2007: Committee Stage (12 Mar 2008)
Alex White: I support what Senator Cummins said. We probably would have been assisted if the Minister of State had at least advanced some examples of what he has in mind although, to some extent, I understand his difficulty. We are providing for quite a power. Senator Quinn referred to circumstances where a person would engage in conduct contrary to the common good. That has some sense to it but the...
- Seanad: Passports Bill 2007: Committee Stage (12 Mar 2008)
Alex White: I move amendment No. 5: In page 9, subsection (2)(a), line 35, after "or" to insert "the person does not comply with section 18(6), or" The proposal refers to section 12(2)(a). Again we are dealing with a circumstance whereby the Minister may refuse to issue a passport. Section 12(2) states: The Minister may refuse to issue a passport to a person ifâ (a) the application for the issue of a...
- Seanad: Passports Bill 2007: Committee Stage (12 Mar 2008)
Alex White: I do not propose to press the amendment at this point. I might review the matter between now and Report Stage.
- Seanad: Passports Bill 2007: Committee Stage (12 Mar 2008)
Alex White: I move amendment No. 6: In page 10, subsection (1), line 6, after "child" to insert the following: "and, if the father of the child is not a guardian but is named on the birth certificate of the child, such father,".
- Seanad: Passports Bill 2007: Committee Stage (12 Mar 2008)
Alex White: What Senator Ormonde says is very fair. There are complex issues associated with the question of guardianship. When I finish here I shall be attending the Joint Committee on the Constitutional Amendment on Children, and we are wrestling with these issues, which are very complex and sensitive. These are issues which have come up in the course of public debate not just in this context of...
- Seanad: Passports Bill 2007: Committee Stage (12 Mar 2008)
Alex White: I move amendment No. 8: In page 12, subsection (1), line 26, after "duties" to insert the following: "or for related or other purposes in accordance with generally accepted international practice". Some of the provisions in section 16 are intriguing and worthy of further scrutiny. Section 16(1), which concerns diplomatic and official passports, states: The Minister may, on application in...
- Seanad: Passports Bill 2007: Committee Stage (12 Mar 2008)
Alex White: I have heard it suggested a Senator is always on official duties.
- Seanad: Passports Bill 2007: Committee Stage (12 Mar 2008)
Alex White: I understand the point made about former Ministers being involved in official duties and have no difficulty in that regard. However, my understanding â please correct me if I am wrong â is that diplomatic passports were being issued almost as a matter of course to former Ministers. I would have to apply for a diplomatic passport if I were to travel overseas on official duties, but are...
- Seanad: Passports Bill 2007: Committee Stage (12 Mar 2008)
Alex White: This question may be legalistic, but I will ask it. I understand the use of the term "official duties" by the Minister and in the Bill means duties associated with the State or a Government or quasi-Government activity. In other words, official means official State business of some kind. Am I correct?
- Seanad: Passports Bill 2007: Committee Stage (12 Mar 2008)
Alex White: It has been an interesting debate. I am not fully satisfied that my amendment would not improve what the Minister seeks to achieve. I will not press the amendment at this stage but I will certainly revisit it on Report Stage.
- Seanad: Passports Bill 2007: Committee Stage (12 Mar 2008)
Alex White: I move amendment No. 9: In page 14, subsection (1), line 19, after "paragraph" to insert "(a),"
- Seanad: Passports Bill 2007: Committee Stage (12 Mar 2008)
Alex White: I do not propose to press the amendments.
- Seanad: Protection of Employees (Agency Workers) (12 Mar 2008)
Alex White: Despite the talk of people being in favour of the spirit of the Bill, of everybody singing from the same hymn sheet and of the Bill being premature and not thought through, the Labour Party, with the support of others, is proposing a real and practical measure to protect agency workers which is being opposed by the Government. It is being rejected by the Government which will vote against...