Results 781-800 of 1,415 for speaker:Tom Kitt

Seanad: Statute Law Revision Bill 2007: Second Stage (7 Feb 2007)

Tom Kitt: I welcome the opportunity to launch this Bill in the Seanad. From previous experience, I know that Members of the House have a keen interest in statute law reform and I am sure that the Bill will have as interesting and thorough a debate as others of its kind. The Bill is the greatest single statute law revision measure undertaken in the State. It will repeal 3,188 statutes, more statutes...

Seanad: Statute Law Revision Bill 2007: Second Stage (Resumed). (7 Feb 2007)

Tom Kitt: I thank the Cathaoirleach and Members for the courtesy they have shown in this debate and for their genuine interest in this Bill. It is always a pleasure to come to this House. I will do my best to respond to some of the Members' specific queries but I cannot deal with all of them. I give a commitment, however, to respond before Committee Stage with relevant information, summaries of Acts...

Order of Business (8 Feb 2007)

Tom Kitt: She might do a better job.

Biofuels (Blended Motor Fuels) Bill 2007: First Stage (8 Feb 2007)

Tom Kitt: No.

Membership of Committees: Motion (8 Feb 2007)

Tom Kitt: I move: That Deputy Máire Hoctor be discharged from the Select Committee on Justice, Equality, Defence and Women's Rights and Deputy Niall Blaney be appointed in substitution for her; that Deputy Seán Haughey, Minister of State at the Department of Education and Science, be discharged from the Select Committee on the Environment and Local Government and Deputy Michael Moynihan be appointed...

European Development Fund: Motion (13 Feb 2007)

Tom Kitt: I move: That the proposal that Dáil Éireann, approves the ratification by Ireland of the Internal Agreement concerning the 10th European Development Fund, signed in Brussels on 17 July, 2006, which was laid before Dáil Éireann on 5 February, 2007, be referred to the Select Committee on European Affairs, in accordance with paragraph (1) of the Orders of Reference of that Committee, which,...

Seanad: Statute Law Revision Bill 2007: Committee Stage (14 Feb 2007)

Tom Kitt: To answer the Senator's question, it is new and innovative. It was generally welcomed here on the last occasion. I asked my officials to study the various pieces of legislation that were mentioned by Members and we have explained in the circulated list why some measures were retained and others repealed. I hope the list will be of some help to Members.

Seanad: Statute Law Revision Bill 2007: Committee Stage (14 Feb 2007)

Tom Kitt: I brought the last such Bill through the House. The process is innovative in that sense.

Seanad: Statute Law Revision Bill 2007: Committee Stage (14 Feb 2007)

Tom Kitt: On the Schedule.

Seanad: Statute Law Revision Bill 2007: Committee Stage (14 Feb 2007)

Tom Kitt: I thank Senator Mansergh for his clarification. The 1922 Act bringing into force the Free State Constitution is a matter of UK law. This Act is obsolete following the enactment of the 1937 Constitution, which also repealed the Irish Act that enacted the Free State Constitution. Therefore, the Act is suitable for repeal. We can deal with these matters towards the end of the debate.

Seanad: Statute Law Revision Bill 2007: Committee Stage (14 Feb 2007)

Tom Kitt: I understand they were passed by the Parliament but not sent to the royal publisher at the time. I will provide Members with some interesting facts in this regard. The volume of old legislation is so great that the only way to approach the question of statute law revision is to proceed in stages. We have already dealt with some of the legislation in an earlier stage of our discussions....

Seanad: Statute Law Revision Bill 2007: Committee Stage (14 Feb 2007)

Tom Kitt: I will have to find that figure for the Senator.

Seanad: Statute Law Revision Bill 2007: Committee Stage (14 Feb 2007)

Tom Kitt: We do not know how many such Acts were unpublished. Much work has been done. Senator Ryan rightly referred to those who have undertaken commendable research on the legislation.

Seanad: Statute Law Revision Bill 2007: Committee Stage (14 Feb 2007)

Tom Kitt: Senators have touched on the relevant reasons for doing what we are doing. Subsection (3) has the effect of repealing a part of the Bill of Rights 1688. This is the only partial appeal contained in the Bill. It arises because some provisions of the Bill of Rights may be of continuing legal relevance and, therefore, the entire Bill cannot be repealed. However, as certain elements of the...

Seanad: Statute Law Revision Bill 2007: Committee Stage (14 Feb 2007)

Tom Kitt: The Act is not suitable for repeal at this time, primarily because it may be relevant to the law regarding parliamentary privilege. Therefore, it has a relevance in that sense.

Seanad: Statute Law Revision Bill 2007: Committee Stage (14 Feb 2007)

Tom Kitt: Perhaps I might take Senators through this section and try to clear up this matter. Section 3(1) provides for the setting out in Schedule 2 of those statutes specifically repealed by the Bill. Some 3,188 statutes listed in the Bill for appeal have been found to be unnecessary or to have ceased to be in force. That list does not include those Acts that clearly never applied to Ireland. The...

Seanad: Statute Law Revision Bill 2007: Committee Stage (14 Feb 2007)

Tom Kitt: In dealing with this legislation, we aimed at certainty with the white list and Schedules 1 and 2. There clearly will be various Acts that we will miss in such a situation, and if they are lost, they are gone. However, I remind Members that we will be conducting further work on this ongoing process.

Seanad: Statute Law Revision Bill 2007: Committee Stage (14 Feb 2007)

Tom Kitt: I am told that, after the consultation with the Taoiseach was launched, if anyone made a submission regarding legislation, it was set aside in Schedule 1.

Seanad: Statute Law Revision Bill 2007: Committee Stage (14 Feb 2007)

Tom Kitt: It is very simple. Section 4 assigns Short Titles to all public general Acts that are not being repealed but that do not currently have a Short Title. The section is based on section 1(1) of the Short Titles Act 1962. For the sake of consistency, we are giving a similar structure to the legislation with which we are dealing.

Seanad: Statute Law Revision Bill 2007: Committee Stage (14 Feb 2007)

Tom Kitt: Section 5 amends the Short Titles Act 1896, which provided Short Titles for a large number of English, British and United Kingdom statutes. The section will correct two unconventional Short Titles conferred by that Act, one being "1 Will. & Mary, Sess. 2. c. 2". Senators can see what we are doing: we are obviously trying to use standardised terminology.