Results 5,341-5,360 of 26,843 for speaker:Richard Boyd Barrett

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Terms of Reference of Sub-Committee on Global Taxation: Motions (3 Jul 2013)

Richard Boyd Barrett: No.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Terms of Reference of Sub-Committee on Global Taxation: Motions (3 Jul 2013)

Richard Boyd Barrett: I move: That the Joint Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform sub-committee on global corporate multi-taxation architecture shall invite in chief executive officers and other appropriate senior executives of multinational corporations and financial institutions to give information and answer questions in public session on their company's taxation policies and procedures.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Terms of Reference of Sub-Committee on Global Taxation: Motions (3 Jul 2013)

Richard Boyd Barrett: I have made most of my points so I will be brief. Some of us believe that we are talking about wrongdoing. However one defines it, aggressive tax avoidance by large multinationals is wrong. Whether or not it is illegal is of secondary interest to me and, I suspect, to the majority of people both here and abroad. People think it is morally wrong that corporations can make obscene profit...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Terms of Reference of Sub-Committee on Global Taxation: Motions (3 Jul 2013)

Richard Boyd Barrett: Is that for the select committee or the sub-committee?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Terms of Reference of Sub-Committee on Global Taxation: Motions (3 Jul 2013)

Richard Boyd Barrett: Can I ask one question? I accept that we have now made a decision on the multinationals. Outside the issue of the multinationals, is it still open to the sub-committee to make other suggestions not related to multinationals?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Terms of Reference of Sub-Committee on Global Taxation: Motions (3 Jul 2013)

Richard Boyd Barrett: Thank you for listening to me, Chairman.

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (3 Jul 2013)

Richard Boyd Barrett: Are we dealing with amendment No. 18?

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (3 Jul 2013)

Richard Boyd Barrett: Deputy Ó Cuív made a reasonable point.  

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (3 Jul 2013)

Richard Boyd Barrett: I did not hear Deputy Creed's points.  In the case of Savita Halappanavar the issue of time and urgency was a factor.  Where disputes or uncertainty arise, time becomes a factor.  There is great value in underlining in the legislation the need for urgency to ensure any life-saving procedure or consultation required is expedited.  That is important in light of events that...

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (3 Jul 2013)

Richard Boyd Barrett: What we know is that up until now the criminalisation of certain medical practices meant there was a chill factor. Frankly, the very draconian 14-year prison sentence could still act as a chill factor which could compromise medical objectivity when making decisions in these difficult circumstances. I do not accept the Minister’s assurances on this. He does not acknowledge that time...

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (3 Jul 2013)

Richard Boyd Barrett: The Deputy is politicising this.

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (3 Jul 2013)

Richard Boyd Barrett: It is unfortunate people are choosing to score political points.

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (3 Jul 2013)

Richard Boyd Barrett: I made a point which I stand over. The context is the Savita Halappanavar case where time and delays were an issue. It is reasonable to point to that and say women would have concerns and fears. I said the Minister was not acknowledging the fact that this fear of delay was a legitimate concern.

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (3 Jul 2013)

Richard Boyd Barrett: Deputy Healy has made an important point. There is a disagreement about this but the Minister and Minister of State have made a reasonable point about not interfering with-----

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (3 Jul 2013)

Richard Boyd Barrett: -----best medical practice and being too prescriptive. We have made a reasonable point about the need to underline urgency. If the Minister accepts the sentiment he might consider some way of addressing both those concerns, for example one could insert after if practical, "and with due regard to the urgency of the situation".

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (3 Jul 2013)

Richard Boyd Barrett: On the section.

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (3 Jul 2013)

Richard Boyd Barrett: I will do that.

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (3 Jul 2013)

Richard Boyd Barrett: I do not want to prolong the discussion, except to say that the Minister's response to the point that I and Deputy Seamus Healy have raised is inadequate. The Supreme Court felt it important enough to put in this important qualification in terms of what represents a real and substantial risk to the life of the woman. They felt it was necessary to clarify that such risk must not be...

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (3 Jul 2013)

Richard Boyd Barrett: Obviously, this is part of a group of amendments. The amendments put forward by Deputy Seamus Healy and supported by a number of us fall if the Minister's is accepted. This really gets to a very important aspect of the Bill. This is far to onerous a bar to jump over for women whose lives may be threatened because of suicidal ideation, and we do not see the justification for having three...

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (3 Jul 2013)

Richard Boyd Barrett: The Minister has stated that the suggestion or proposal that this legislation should include the qualification that the threat to a woman's life should neither be immediate or inevitable would be superfluous. I put it to the Minister in the strongest terms that this is wrong.