Results 4,941-4,960 of 19,409 for speaker:Aengus Ó Snodaigh

Criminal Justice (Surveillance) Bill 2009: Report and Final Stages (24 Jun 2009)

Aengus Ó Snodaigh: I move amendment No. 2: In page 4, after line 39, to insert the following: "(c) the targeted, ongoing and repeated photographing of persons for the purposes of monitoring and/or recording the movements, activities and communications of such persons,". These amendments follow the recommendation of the Irish Human Rights Commission, IHRC, which believes that the Bill's definition of...

Criminal Justice (Surveillance) Bill 2009: Report and Final Stages (24 Jun 2009)

Aengus Ó Snodaigh: It is a pity that the Minister cannot accept that the intention of the amendments was not to in any way hamper the day-to-day activities of the Garda. I cannot ask the Minister to consider an alternative wording at this Stage. The wording in the amendment is one we came up with in an effort to be helpful. Surveillance, as defined in the Bill, covers a great deal of Garda activities....

Criminal Justice (Surveillance) Bill 2009: Report and Final Stages (24 Jun 2009)

Aengus Ó Snodaigh: I am disappointed by the attitude of the Minister in that nowadays most cameras are electronic devices in any case. I presume that gardaí, in their day-to-day activity, must have to sign off on the use of cameras and video cameras. This may involve obtaining permission from a senior officer. There is obviously a high threshold set for most of the surveillance devices in question. Perhaps...

Criminal Justice (Surveillance) Bill 2009: Report and Final Stages (24 Jun 2009)

Aengus Ó Snodaigh: I move amendment No. 3: In page 4, after line 39, to insert the following: "or (c) using officers or informants to monitor and/or record the movements activities and communications of a subject in a targeted, ongoing and repeated way,".

Criminal Justice (Surveillance) Bill 2009: Report and Final Stages (24 Jun 2009)

Aengus Ó Snodaigh: I move amendment No. 4: In page 5, line 1, after "devices" to insert "including tracking devices". This amendment is similar to those we have just discussed. It deals with tracking devices and is based on the report given to us by the Irish Human Rights Commission, which stated there should be an explanation offered as to why tracking devices are not included in the definition of...

Criminal Justice (Surveillance) Bill 2009: Report and Final Stages (24 Jun 2009)

Aengus Ó Snodaigh: I will not dwell on this too much. A tracking device can now be quite sophisticated and can track more than an individual's general location. It could track somebody going to the toilet, for example. Therefore, a question arises over interference with the right to privacy. All we are trying to do is ensure that the Bill does not fall foul of laws establishing the right to privacy and...

Criminal Justice (Surveillance) Bill 2009: Report and Final Stages (24 Jun 2009)

Aengus Ó Snodaigh: I move amendment No. 5: In page 5, line 12, after "access" to insert the following: "and except where a camera is used for the targeted, ongoing and repeated photographing of persons for the purposes of monitoring and/or recording the movements, activities and communications of such persons".

Criminal Justice (Surveillance) Bill 2009: Report and Final Stages (24 Jun 2009)

Aengus Ó Snodaigh: I move amendment No. 6: In page 5, line 19, after "Síochána," to insert the following: "officers of an Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission,". These amendments try to ensure that the powers of surveillance that we are trying to grant to the Garda Síochána in this Bill are also available to the members of the Defence Forces and to another organisation set up to investigate crime...

Criminal Justice (Surveillance) Bill 2009: Report Stage (Resumed) (24 Jun 2009)

Aengus Ó Snodaigh: I welcome Deputy Byrne's intervention and I agree that the intention of the legislation is to tackle crime. As I stated on Committee Stage, if that crime is carried out by a person in uniform, it is even more appalling. It is interesting that the Minister repeated what he stated on Committee Stage, that at some future stage we should examine this. The same attitude was adopted with regard...

Criminal Justice (Surveillance) Bill 2009: Report Stage (Resumed) (24 Jun 2009)

Aengus Ó Snodaigh: I welcome the legislation. The focus is to ensure compliance with the European Convention on Human Rights and to allow the Garda to comply with the convention in carrying out its duties while also giving officers the legal powers to carry out their duties in gathering evidence. I tabled a number of amendments, some of which would add to the powers they have or make them more practical. We...

Criminal Justice (Surveillance) Bill 2009: Report Stage (Resumed) (24 Jun 2009)

Aengus Ó Snodaigh: I move amendment No. 8: In page 5, line 35, after "Síochána," to insert the following: "an officer of an Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission,".

Criminal Justice (Surveillance) Bill 2009: Report Stage (Resumed) (24 Jun 2009)

Aengus Ó Snodaigh: I move amendment No. 9: In page 5, line 37, after "surveillance" to insert ", including by means of a tracking device,".

Criminal Justice (Surveillance) Bill 2009: Report Stage (Resumed) (24 Jun 2009)

Aengus Ó Snodaigh: I move amendment No. 10: In page 6, to delete lines 8 and 9. This is an amendment I tabled on Committee Stage. The power referred to in this case is that the surveillance being sought to be authorised is necessary for the purpose of maintaining the security of the State. The amendment proposes the deletion of those words. This is vague and does not add to the Bill. Most of subsections (a)...

Criminal Justice (Surveillance) Bill 2009: Report Stage (Resumed) (24 Jun 2009)

Aengus Ó Snodaigh: The intention in these amendments is not to undermine the security of the State. In amendment No. 46, "the security of the State" is substituted by "current or future criminal prosecutions". The Bill seeks to ensure surveillance for the purpose of gaining criminal prosecutions against those who are carrying out crime or likely to do so. I believe the term "the security of the State" is too...

Written Answers — Local Authority Funding: Local Authority Funding (24 Jun 2009)

Aengus Ó Snodaigh: Question 51: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the levels of funding he has provided to each local authority for grants in respect of adaptations or extensions to private housing under the housing adaptation grant schemes for older people and people with a disability, and the mobility aids grant scheme for each of the past five years; and if this funding...

Written Answers — Private Rented Accommodation: Private Rented Accommodation (24 Jun 2009)

Aengus Ó Snodaigh: Question 76: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the average length of time it takes the Private Residential Tenancies Board to process a dispute resolution; the optimal time for which they are aiming; and the backlog of work that the PRTB is facing. [25108/09]

Order of Business (25 Jun 2009)

Aengus Ó Snodaigh: This an urgent matter which requires urgent address. If it is necessary for the House to sit longer hours or additional days, we should consider doing so. Given that additional and late sittings are scheduled for next week and proposed for the following week, it should be possible to commence a debate on the matter under discussion. If such a debate cannot be concluded in the next two...

Order of Business (25 Jun 2009)

Aengus Ó Snodaigh: It is a very serious matter.

Order of Business (25 Jun 2009)

Aengus Ó Snodaigh: The Chair does not have to worry about matters in his constituency.

Criminal Justice (Surveillance) Bill 2009: Report and Finals Stages (Resumed) (25 Jun 2009)

Aengus Ó Snodaigh: I have tabled a number of amendments. The first in my name in this grouping is amendment No. 17, which seeks to insert three additional points which would be required for the record of approval, namely, the grounds on which the approval was granted, the less intrusive or other means considered and determined insufficient and the efforts made to secure an emergency judicial hearing. It does...