Results 7,181-7,200 of 21,096 for speaker:Charles Flanagan

Appointment to the Judiciary Nomination Procedure: Statements (21 Jun 2017)

Charles Flanagan: I want to deal with that question because this House is doing a great disservice to the Office of the President. I refer in particular to the Deputy who is laughing merrily at the back, Deputy Shortall.

Appointment to the Judiciary Nomination Procedure: Statements (21 Jun 2017)

Charles Flanagan: I want the House to be absolutely sure, and I want to refer to what the Taoiseach said here this morning, that is, that there was absolutely no attempt-----

Appointment to the Judiciary Nomination Procedure: Statements (21 Jun 2017)

Charles Flanagan: -----on the part of the Taoiseach to instruct in any way Áras an Uachtaráin or the President. There was absolutely no contact from anybody in the Department of Justice and Equality with Áras an Uachtaráin. For Deputy Shortall, Deputy Breathnach or anybody to suggest there was an attempt on the part of the Government, at any level, to characterise the relationship between...

Appointment to the Judiciary Nomination Procedure: Statements (21 Jun 2017)

Charles Flanagan: These are issues that strike at the heart of Cabinet confidentiality and I am not going to breach that doctrine. I am not going to act contrary to the Constitution. I say to Deputy Connolly what I said in my opening statement, namely that I am not in a position to go into any detail about who was in the room, who was not in the room, what was presented to those who were in the room, what...

Appointment to the Judiciary Nomination Procedure: Statements (21 Jun 2017)

Charles Flanagan: I stand by the Constitution here. If this House decides after this debate or at any future date to change the Constitution, we know the process.

Appointment to the Judiciary Nomination Procedure: Statements (21 Jun 2017)

Charles Flanagan: I would like to address Deputy Shortall's outrageous allegation.

Appointment to the Judiciary Nomination Procedure: Statements (21 Jun 2017)

Charles Flanagan: May I answer that, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle?

Appointment to the Judiciary Nomination Procedure: Statements (21 Jun 2017)

Charles Flanagan: There is no direction. There is no instruction or anything of that nature.

Appointment to the Judiciary Nomination Procedure: Statements (21 Jun 2017)

Charles Flanagan: It is most unfair, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle, to allow Deputies to make allegations like that and not to allow an answer----

Appointment to the Judiciary Nomination Procedure: Statements (21 Jun 2017)

Charles Flanagan: Of course, but I merely ask that if an outrageous allegation has been made-----

Appointment to the Judiciary Nomination Procedure: Statements (21 Jun 2017)

Charles Flanagan: I accept the Chair's ruling.

Appointment to the Judiciary Nomination Procedure: Statements (21 Jun 2017)

Charles Flanagan: Can I answer Deputy Brophy's question?

Appointment to the Judiciary Nomination Procedure: Statements (21 Jun 2017)

Charles Flanagan: Very briefly in response to Deputy Brophy, there are a number of precedents. In 1953, the former Attorney General, Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh, was appointed to the Supreme Court. In 1977, the former Attorney General, Declan Costello, was appointed to the High Court.

Appointment to the Judiciary Nomination Procedure: Statements (21 Jun 2017)

Charles Flanagan: In 1991, John Murray was appointed as a judge to the European Court of Justice. There are other examples of appointments of Attorneys General to distinguished posts both nationally and internationally.

Appointment to the Judiciary Nomination Procedure: Statements (21 Jun 2017)

Charles Flanagan: These are issues that have arisen over the past half hour. I will say again that I am precluded as a member of Government and Cabinet from entering into any discussion in this House or outside it-----

Appointment to the Judiciary Nomination Procedure: Statements (21 Jun 2017)

Charles Flanagan: -----on any of the issues that were raised about who was in the room and who said what.

Appointment to the Judiciary Nomination Procedure: Statements (21 Jun 2017)

Charles Flanagan: I am quite satisfied that in the circumstances surrounding this appointment the correct and proper procedures were employed from start to finish.

Appointment to the Judiciary Nomination Procedure: Statements (21 Jun 2017)

Charles Flanagan: I assume it is the current Taoiseach the Deputy is asking about.

Appointment to the Judiciary Nomination Procedure: Statements (21 Jun 2017)

Charles Flanagan: For the record, I did not enter into any discussions with any of my ministerial colleagues about this issue.

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Stations (21 Jun 2017)

Charles Flanagan: The Deputy will appreciate that the Garda Commissioner is primarily responsible for the effective and efficient use of the resources available to An Garda Síochána, and I as Minister have no role in the matter. As the Deputy will be aware, the Garda Síochána District and Station Rationalisation Programme gave rise to the closure of some 139 Garda stations, in 2012 and...