Results 47,261-47,280 of 51,305 for speaker:Micheál Martin

Seanad: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (3 Jul 2024)

Micheál Martin: Paragraph G of section 2A of the Defence (Amendment) Bill states that the provisions on the making of public statements or comments are without prejudice to the purpose of an association of representing members. In other words, we have clarified it now, and can go back to the Attorney General prior to going into the other House. Nothing can prevent the members identified there, members of...

Seanad: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (3 Jul 2024)

Micheál Martin: Yes, paragraph G of proposal in 2A.

Seanad: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (3 Jul 2024)

Micheál Martin: To be helpful, on page 9 of the Bill, this is what we are debating at the moment: "Section 103 of the Principal Act is amended by the insertion of the following subsection after subsection (1): “(1A) Without prejudice to the Defence (Amendment) Act 1990 and any regulations made thereunder, a member of the Permanent Defence Force shall not— ". The Defence (Amendment) Act 1990...

Seanad: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (3 Jul 2024)

Micheál Martin: A member of an organisation is in a position to work out its policy positions.

Seanad: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (3 Jul 2024)

Micheál Martin: They have annual general meetings.

Seanad: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (3 Jul 2024)

Micheál Martin: No, the representative body can represent its members and its advocacy is in respect-----

Seanad: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (3 Jul 2024)

Micheál Martin: It does not do a wide canvass on every single issue.

Seanad: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (3 Jul 2024)

Micheál Martin: It is necessary to go back to the parent Act that established the representative association. It did not envisage ten associations or splinter groups. It did not envisage that at all. There is a structure for representing the interests of members. That is through the representative association and invariably there are internal consultation processes that RACO and PDFORRA conduct. They...

Seanad: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (3 Jul 2024)

Micheál Martin: That is the fundamental point that has just been made. Mr. Kevin O'Higgins said in 1924 that those who wear the uniform of the State must serve the State and that principle has stood us in good stead. I have been working in the best interests of the Defence Force members. We have done a lot in the last year and a half and before that in terms of improving matters across the board. In many...

Seanad: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (3 Jul 2024)

Micheál Martin: Yes, if they are in a room, they put their hand up and say they are members of the Defence Forces and they believe in X, Y, or Z. On the point about Government policy, let us turn it around. Are we really saying that we are inviting members of the Defence Forces to criticise Government policy publicly, left, right and centre? If we do not have a provision like this in the legislation, that...

Seanad: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (3 Jul 2024)

Micheál Martin: -----the positivity of all of that is in the context of diversity. Senator Craughwell put it very eloquently when he spoke of the changes that have occurred in terms of diversity within our Defence Forces. I also regret that the Defence Forces were not facilitated to reflect that diversity. The vast majority of our Defence Forces have no truck with those who engage in serious assaults on...

Seanad: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (3 Jul 2024)

Micheál Martin: We are on the way back up.

Seanad: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (3 Jul 2024)

Micheál Martin: If members of the Reserve Defence Forces are called out - for example one member of the Reserve Defence Forces is in Lebanon - while they are on that service, for that period, they are not in a position to comment, but off that service they are under their own HR.

Seanad: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (3 Jul 2024)

Micheál Martin: The Senator has resigned from them.

Seanad: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (3 Jul 2024)

Micheál Martin: It does not, unless they are on permanent service, which is rare.

Seanad: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (3 Jul 2024)

Micheál Martin: Yes.

Seanad: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (3 Jul 2024)

Micheál Martin: I have dealt with the matter already.

Seanad: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (3 Jul 2024)

Micheál Martin: Does the Senator wish "Government policy" to be removed?

Seanad: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (3 Jul 2024)

Micheál Martin: That is without prejudice to the representative associations' ability and capacity to advocate on behalf of their members' interests, which is quite a broad range.

Seanad: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (3 Jul 2024)

Micheál Martin: Yes, it does. They advocate for housing. The representative bodies have been established with a function, to represent their members. The representational nature and function of the representative bodies is in no way stymied or undermined by any provision in this Bill. The inclusion of "without prejudice" is to make that legally crystal clear. The Attorney General and his office are...