Results 6,521-6,540 of 11,469 for speaker:Ivana Bacik

Seanad: Parole Bill 2016: Committee and Remaining Stages (11 Jul 2019)

Ivana Bacik: I am very grateful to the Minister of State for that clarification. It is very helpful.

Seanad: Parole Bill 2016: Committee and Remaining Stages (11 Jul 2019)

Ivana Bacik: I express my strong support for the amendment.It is a very important one. It makes sense to ensure there is a mechanism for persons with certain convictions to seek High Court permission to serve on the parole board. Support for the amendment is present in the current wording of section 12(4), which only disqualifies people in respect of certain convictions, for example, convictions on...

Seanad: Parole Bill 2016: Committee and Remaining Stages (11 Jul 2019)

Ivana Bacik: I listened with courtesy to what Senator O'Donnell said. I acknowledge her great passion and commitment, and her work with AdVIC. I too have worked with AdVIC and have worked on victims' rights for many years. However, I have also worked with offenders, both as a criminal justice practitioner and as an activist. I take grave exception to the Senator's critiques of the IPRT and her attacks...

Seanad: Parole Bill 2016: Committee and Remaining Stages (11 Jul 2019)

Ivana Bacik: I wish to come back in briefly to clarify the remarks made by Senator Conway. I would never say any person or organisation was infallible. I do not believe that.

Seanad: Parole Bill 2016: Committee and Remaining Stages (11 Jul 2019)

Ivana Bacik: I thank colleagues who have spoken in support of my proposition. To clarify, what I favour is more wholesale reform of sentencing for murder. As Senator Conway is well aware, we do not have the concept of first or second degree murder in our law. Anyone convicted of murder, regardless of the context, receives a mandatory life sentence. That is what I would like to see us change. I accept...

Seanad: Parole Bill 2016: Committee and Remaining Stages (11 Jul 2019)

Ivana Bacik: That is the case in the US.

Seanad: Parole Bill 2016: Committee and Remaining Stages (11 Jul 2019)

Ivana Bacik: I wish to speak in support of this amendment. I have already spoken about my issue with lengthening the time before a person becomes eligible for parole from seven years, which is the current practice, to 12 years. I am concerned that this will reduce the potential for rehabilitation of individuals. As the Irish Penal Reform Trust has pointed out to us, the parole process does take some...

Seanad: Parole Bill 2016: Committee and Remaining Stages (11 Jul 2019)

Ivana Bacik: I return to a point I raised earlier that relates to a number of sections. I am grateful to my colleague, Tony McGillicuddy, BL, for raising the matter with me. There seems to be a discrepancy in the wording of the sections, including in that of the section before us, about whether notifications are to be made to the parolee or to his or her representative. It arises in section 31(6),...

Seanad: Parole Bill 2016: Committee and Remaining Stages (11 Jul 2019)

Ivana Bacik: I welcome the passage of the Parole Bill, which is long overdue, where we will be placing the parole board and process on a statutory framework and footing. It is in keeping with my party's long-standing policy and with many recommendations from different bodies, including the Joint Committee on Justice and Equality. I am grateful to the Minister of State, his officials and for the help and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Colombian Peace Process: Discussion (11 Jul 2019)

Ivana Bacik: I thank the witnesses for their comprehensive presentations. I also welcome the Colombian ambassador. I am struck by the comment that it is a bleak assessment but, as Ms Kohon said, it is important to try to take a balanced approach. It would be a mistake to characterise it as a dying peace agreement. I am struck by the European Parliament report on Colombia of May 2019, which we were...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Colombian Peace Process: Discussion (11 Jul 2019)

Ivana Bacik: Just to clarify that interesting point, the parties Mr. Callinan means are-----

Seanad: CervicalCheck Tribunal Bill 2019: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Jul 2019)

Ivana Bacik: I welcome the Minister and support Senator Nash in proposing the amendment. I also support Senator Nash in seeking a statement on the overnight revelations about the 800 women who have seen delays in the disclosure of their results due to an IT fault. I listened to what Lorraine Walsh and Sharon said on the radio this morning and was struck by the fair comments that IT faults happen but the...

Seanad: CervicalCheck Tribunal Bill 2019: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Jul 2019)

Ivana Bacik: I thank the Minister for giving a statement on the new revelations about a group of 800 women whose results have been delayed and for giving them reassurance. He stated that these were primarily repeat tests. Is there a small number which were not precautionary repeat tests? On the amendment, Senator Nash and I are seeking clarification. The Minister stated that he accepts that the scope...

Seanad: CervicalCheck Tribunal Bill 2019: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Jul 2019)

Ivana Bacik: Hear, hear.

Seanad: CervicalCheck Tribunal Bill 2019: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Jul 2019)

Ivana Bacik: Hear, hear.

Seanad: CervicalCheck Tribunal Bill 2019: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Jul 2019)

Ivana Bacik: I just want to voice my support for the amendment. We are putting it forward again in a constructive manner, as we have done throughout the process, in order to try to ensure that the legislation is strengthened. To reiterate what Senator Nash said about confidence in the system, it is welcome to hear the Minister state that the numbers of women going for cervical screening have increased...

Seanad: CervicalCheck Tribunal Bill 2019: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Jul 2019)

Ivana Bacik: No.

Seanad: CervicalCheck Tribunal Bill 2019: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Jul 2019)

Ivana Bacik: The Minister must be coming down with-----

Seanad: Blasphemy (Abolition of Offences and Related Matters) Bill 2019: Second Stage (25 Sep 2019)

Ivana Bacik: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Stanton, to the House. I am delighted to express my support and the support of the Labour Party Senators for this Bill. I listened, not exactly with surprise, to the previous speaker. I was disappointed that so much of Senator Mullen's input was devoted to saying what a waste of time this all was. The waste of time was the introduction in 2009 by...

Seanad: Blasphemy (Abolition of Offences and Related Matters) Bill 2019: Second Stage (25 Sep 2019)

Ivana Bacik: That was the waste of time, which Senator Norris and I opposed when we argued that its introduction was pointless. We further argued at that point for the removal of the constitutional offence. The referendum was necessary to tidy up what is the foundational legal document of the State. As I think Senator Mullen will agree, the text of the Constitution matters. Having gone through all of...