Results 401-420 of 544 for speaker:Vincent P Martin

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: General Scheme of the Defamation (Amendment) Bill: Discussion (Resumed) (4 Jul 2023)

Vincent P Martin: This will be my final contribution. We agree to disagree on some issues, but I can safely say we all agree that the right to one's good name and reputation is a legitimate, constitutional issue. It is a sacrosanct right. We all agree on that. It has been very well put forward that the transparency argument is a reason to get rid of juries. You do not get a reasoned award. There is a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: General Scheme of the Defamation (Amendment) Bill: Discussion (Resumed) (4 Jul 2023)

Vincent P Martin: We are very fortunate to have such esteemed contributors. Is any of them kind enough to respond to my second contribution in respect of a non-legally aided person who is convicted in the Circuit Court? There is a mystery to it all, there is no reason in the world, and there is no transparency. Where do the representatives stand on that? Is it a fair comparison to make?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: General Scheme of the Defamation (Amendment) Bill: Discussion (Resumed) (4 Jul 2023)

Vincent P Martin: I did not get an answer to my-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: General Scheme of the Defamation (Amendment) Bill: Discussion (Resumed) (4 Jul 2023)

Vincent P Martin: I qualified my question by saying they are very different creatures. I was asking just to be devil's advocate on it.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (26 Sep 2023)

Vincent P Martin: Many Members may have read a very interesting piece published in yesterday's The Irish Timesby a member of the Social Democratic and Labour Party, Matthew O'Toole. He used the literary device of a metaphor to make his point in respect of the poisoning of Lough Neagh. The poisoning of the lough is partly a product of poor decision-making at Stormont over decades. But it is also a metaphor...

Seanad: Garda Síochána (Recording Devices) Bill 2022: Second Stage (26 Sep 2023)

Vincent P Martin: Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire chuig an Seanad inniu. In moving that the Bill be read a Second Time, the Minister outlined some helpful clarifying and constructive explanations in support of this initiative, which the Green Party grouping supports. The Bill provides for the wearing of body-worn cameras by gardaí and this is something for which gardaí have called for a number of...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (3 Oct 2023)

Vincent P Martin: Houseboat owners along the canals throughout Ireland are concerned that their permit fees will shoot up as Waterways Ireland drafts updated by-laws for these communities. The proposed steep hike in annual fees being considered would lead to people paying 12 times the amount they are paying at the moment. County Kildare is the nerve centre of concern, with a large number of houseboat...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (4 Oct 2023)

Vincent P Martin: Following the extensive pre-legislative scrutiny undertaken by the Joint Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage, it was reported that yesterday the planning and development Bill 2023 has been approved by the Cabinet. The former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Mr. Justice Frank Clarke, who was a guest speaker at a conference held last Friday morning, warned that Government...

Seanad: Policing, Security and Community Safety Bill 2023: Second Stage (4 Oct 2023)

Vincent P Martin: The Bill, which the Minister moved to be read a Second Time this afternoon, contains a considerable amount of detail. It is substantial legislation which the Minister proposes to enact. It is important to emphasise that at its core is community safety. Some of the people listening to these proceedings may not be instantly or keenly interested in Garda oversight structures, internal...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (11 Oct 2023)

Vincent P Martin: The horrendous slaughter in Israel over the weekend was promptly and unequivocally condemned by the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Government. Indeed, I believe those words of condemnation have been uttered from all political parties in these Houses of the Oireachtas. For words of condemnation to have credibility and genuine meaning, they must have consistency. I am...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs: General Affairs Council: Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs (11 Oct 2023)

Vincent P Martin: I concur with other contributors and recognise that the Tánaiste and the Government were out very promptly, as, I think, were all political parties represented in these Houses, in condemning the barbaric slaughter of innocent people. A ceasefire, a de-escalation, a release of all the hostages and an opening of the humanitarian corridors are absolute imperatives. For words of...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Office of Public Works (18 Oct 2023)

Vincent P Martin: The Minister of State, Deputy Noonan, is, as always, very welcome to the Chamber. It is unfortunate the Minister of State with direct responsibility in the matter I am raising, Deputy O'Donovan, is unavoidably absent. I appreciate the Minister of State, Deputy Noonan, stepping in for him this morning. I know he will relay back to his colleague our deliberations and discussion. It is well...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Office of Public Works (18 Oct 2023)

Vincent P Martin: I thank the Minister of State. It has been said on many occasions that we acknowledge the very many millions of euro invested by the OPW to secure as much of the lands as it has done to date. The proposal to create a carpark in the meadow, which immediately adjoins the River Liffey, was off the wall and might not have been in compliance with planning laws. Thankfully, the proposal has been...

Seanad: Situation in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories: Motion (18 Oct 2023)

Vincent P Martin: As I said in this House last week and at a meeting of the Committee on European Union Affairs, it was disappointing that some people could not bring themselves to condemn barbaric slaughter. Apart from being disappointing, however, it was also reflective of how broken politics and geopolitics are. There should have been an instantaneous condemnation. I commend the Government, the...

Seanad: Screening of Third Country Transactions Bill 2022: Second Stage (18 Oct 2023)

Vincent P Martin: The Green Party will support the Bill because it brings us a step in the right direction. It protects us from what are often more subtle threats which influence or could or have control over strategic assets by hostile foreign actors. It will also help to guard against the interlinked threat of cutting-edge technology being exported from Ireland and getting into the wrong hands. One of the...

Seanad: Provision of Free HRT Treatment: Motion [Private Members] (18 Oct 2023)

Vincent P Martin: I second the motion.

Seanad: Situation in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories: Statements (19 Oct 2023)

Vincent P Martin: We can all agree on the seemingly obvious point that one should not execute people or children to advance a political aim. Slaughter is slaughter, no matter the flag or cause, and be it visited by any group or people on any other group or people in any name. It poisons the room of the peacemaker. My heart went out to the innocent Israelis attending a concert who were cut down and murdered...

Seanad: The Political Situation in Northern Ireland: Statements (25 Oct 2023)

Vincent P Martin: The Minister of State is very welcome to the Chamber. In opening the debate, the Tánaiste referred to parity of esteem. That is, of course, from the two governments who affirmed the importance of the principle of just and equal treatment for the identity, ethos and aspirations of both communities. As a guarantor of the agreement, one cannot say today that there is fairness,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs: Ireland and the EU 2023 Poll Results: Discussion (25 Oct 2023)

Vincent P Martin: I commend European Movement Ireland on the excellent work. It is quite fascinating and enlightening. In respect of polling in Northern Ireland, in years gone by, for example, before the Good Friday Agreement, it was reported by many that polling was notoriously unreliable due to personal security issues, perhaps. With this online version, I imagine European Movement Ireland is satisfied...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs: Ireland and the EU 2023 Poll Results: Discussion (25 Oct 2023)

Vincent P Martin: European Movement Ireland has achieved that. Well done.