Results 5,061-5,080 of 13,375 for speaker:Pat Rabbitte

Written Answers — Residency Permits: Residency Permits (30 Jan 2008)

Pat Rabbitte: Question 1257: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the status of an application under the family reunification scheme for a person (details supplied) in Dublin 24; the length of time his Department is taking to process such applications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2220/08]

Hospitals Building Programme. (31 Jan 2008)

Pat Rabbitte: Question 6: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the plans there are to increase the capacity of the National Rehabilitation Hospital or to provide such a service elsewhere; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2713/08]

Written Answers — Infectious Diseases: Infectious Diseases (31 Jan 2008)

Pat Rabbitte: Question 64: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the information available to her on the incidence of MRSA, C Difficile and other infections in hospitals here; the measures being taken to reduce the spread of these infections; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2712/08]

Order of Business (5 Feb 2008)

Pat Rabbitte: Did the Taoiseach say that the sale of alcohol Bill will not be ready until the autumn? I have just attended a meeting of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Justice, Equality, Defence and Women's Rights at which Dr. Gordon Holmes told us he is to report to the Minister by 31 March on the latter's commitment to introduce the Bill before the summer. I take it from what the Taoiseach said that...

Written Answers — Motorway Service Areas: Motorway Service Areas (5 Feb 2008)

Pat Rabbitte: Question 147: To ask the Minister for Transport the number of applications for motorway service areas that have been submitted to his Department by the National Roads Authority; the number that have been approved to date by his Department; the reason there has been a delay in approving these applications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3396/08]

Written Answers — Garda Investigations: Garda Investigations (5 Feb 2008)

Pat Rabbitte: Question 659: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if in relation to his reply to Parliamentary Question No. 256 of 5 December 2007, there was correspondence from the Garda Commissioner to the Secretary General at the Department of Education and Science, the CEO of the Health Board and the then director of the children's centre, Finglas regarding co-operation in...

Written Answers — Overseas Missions: Overseas Missions (6 Feb 2008)

Pat Rabbitte: Question 146: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the Irish participation in a United Nations mandated EU force being deployed to Chad. [3689/08]

Written Answers — Human Rights Issues: Human Rights Issues (6 Feb 2008)

Pat Rabbitte: Question 120: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the discussions he and his Department have had with Chinese counterparts as well as representatives of the Chinese Government in Ireland with regard to continued mistreatment of practitioners and adherents of Falun Gong. [3690/08]

Criminal Law (Human Trafficking) Bill 2007: Report and Final Stages (7 Feb 2008)

Pat Rabbitte: I move amendment No. 2: In page 4, between lines 34 and 35, to insert the following new section: 3.—The Minister shall promulgate a code of victim's rights in respect of victims of trafficking which shall address the following issues: (a) protection of private life of victims; (b) appropriate medical assistance to victims; (c) secure accommodation; (d) recovery and reflection period...

Criminal Law (Human Trafficking) Bill 2007: Report and Final Stages (7 Feb 2008)

Pat Rabbitte: The House will be aware I am an admirer of the Minister but I have come to the view that barristers should not be let near the Office of the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform and teachers should not be Ministers for Education and Science. The Minister's stock in trade is the ability to argue any point on whichever side of the case he happens to stand. In this instance, his...

Criminal Law (Human Trafficking) Bill 2007: Report and Final Stages (7 Feb 2008)

Pat Rabbitte: I welcome the commitments put on record by the Minister as they will be of some ease to organisations working at the coalface. I reiterate the point made by Deputy Naughten that we will have no statutory provisions with regard to victims protection, and after this debate I am still at a loss in understanding why the amendment is being resisted. I am prepared to take on board Deputy...

Criminal Law (Human Trafficking) Bill 2007: Report and Final Stages (7 Feb 2008)

Pat Rabbitte: I move amendment No. 4: In page 5, line 3, after "child," to insert the following: "or (c) supplies or avails of the services of the child which the child has been trafficked to provide, knowing or having reasonable grounds to believe that the child was trafficked,". This relates to section 3 of the Bill, which provides for action against the trafficking of children in particular. I seek for...

Criminal Law (Human Trafficking) Bill 2007: Report and Final Stages (7 Feb 2008)

Pat Rabbitte: The Minister has broadened the debate on the argument that if we are to address this issue, we must address the purchase of sex per se and not just focus on an aspect of the problem, which is what the amendments do. The amendments seek to make it a crime to pay for sex knowing that the person offering sex has been trafficked. I have listened to the Minister and believe a number of people...

Criminal Law (Human Trafficking) Bill 2007: Report and Final Stages (7 Feb 2008)

Pat Rabbitte: I welcome the Minister's comments although I am not sure what they mean in the context of where we are in the legislative process. Like the Minister, I cannot see what harm it does to include these provisions. To include them does not diminish the section, rather it sends out a strong signal. I am reminded that John Mortimer is appearing in the Helix tonight. He deals with this issue in...

Criminal Law (Human Trafficking) Bill 2007: Report and Final Stages (7 Feb 2008)

Pat Rabbitte: I accept that.

Criminal Law (Human Trafficking) Bill 2007: Report and Final Stages (7 Feb 2008)

Pat Rabbitte: I welcome the Minister's amendments and remarks. It is true that there is a knock-on effect in accepting my proposal. I understand similar amendments are required to sections 4 and 5. I ask the Minister to indulge me in putting forward the case that my amendment No. 6 is more eloquent than his amendment No. 5. However, I am not prepared to go to the wire on that. The point is that it is...

Criminal Law (Human Trafficking) Bill 2007: Report and Final Stages (7 Feb 2008)

Pat Rabbitte: I move amendment No. 6: In page 5, to delete lines 9 to 11 and substitute the following: "(5) A person guilty of an offence under this section shall be liable upon conviction on indictment to imprisonment for life or a lesser term of imprisonment, or to such imprisonment and a fine, or, in the case of a body corporate, to a fine.". Question, "That the words proposed to be deleted stand", put...

Criminal Law (Human Trafficking) Bill 2007: Report and Final Stages (7 Feb 2008)

Pat Rabbitte: There is advice from the Attorney General in connection with the seizure of the assets of drug barons. People want the money to go to worthwhile programmes for drug addicts, but the advice of the Attorney General is that it must go the Exchequer.

Criminal Law (Human Trafficking) Bill 2007: Report and Final Stages (7 Feb 2008)

Pat Rabbitte: Amendment No. 12 was a third way of seeking to address the same issue. I do not want to labour the point. The Minister's amendment is probably as close to dealing with the issue as we are likely to get.

Criminal Law (Human Trafficking) Bill 2007: Report and Final Stages (7 Feb 2008)

Pat Rabbitte: The purpose of my amendment is to ensure that a victim of an offence created by the Bill cannot be prosecuted for having entered the State or for carrying out the labour or sexual acts envisaged. The Minister objected to these amendments on Committee Stage on grounds of admissibility of evidence. We have sought to meet that objection, but the nub of the argument still applies. Reference...