Results 10,121-10,140 of 20,831 for speaker:David Norris

Seanad: Taxi Regulation Bill 2012: Committee Stage (12 Feb 2013)

David Norris: I cannot afford it due to my libel action.

Seanad: Taxi Regulation Bill 2012: Committee Stage (12 Feb 2013)

David Norris: I do not think there is anything at all moderate about a ¤50,000 fine. I am pleased by the Minister of State's bashfulness in refusing to answer my repeated requests to address the nonsense of amendment No. 36. I shall take pleasure in voting against it.

Seanad: Taxi Regulation Bill 2012: Committee Stage (12 Feb 2013)

David Norris: One cannot withdraw a Government amendment.

Seanad: Taxi Regulation Bill 2012: Committee Stage (12 Feb 2013)

David Norris: Then the Leas-Chathaoirleach can do whatever he likes with it.

Seanad: Taxi Regulation Bill 2012: Committee Stage (12 Feb 2013)

David Norris: Yes, and so am I. I salute Senator Barrett, who in my opinion justifies the existence of the Senate every day. He has rooted out something very important in this regard because it looks as though Members are purporting to use a statutory instrument to overrule a judgment that was sustained by two High Court judgments - given by two distinguished High Court judges - and in an appeal to the...

Seanad: Taxi Regulation Bill 2012: Committee Stage (12 Feb 2013)

David Norris: Could I add something?

Seanad: Taxi Regulation Bill 2012: Committee Stage (12 Feb 2013)

David Norris: Yes, it is very short. Far be it from me to chide colleagues who wander, because I am noted for it myself, but a number of contributors have wandered from the essential crux of the amendment, which seems to me to be simply that Senator Barrett objects on a sound democratic principle to the use of a regulation to overrule a judge of the High Court or Supreme Court. That is a very important...

Seanad: Taxi Regulation Bill 2012: Committee Stage (12 Feb 2013)

David Norris: Once again the Minister of State has signally failed to address the point of principle involved. He has invoked the natural sympathy for wheelchair occupants and while one has every identification with them - I avoid the word "sympathy" because it is patronising - this is a red herring. Senator Barrett made the point effectively; we are attempting to overturn the judgments of the highest...

Seanad: Taxi Regulation Bill 2012: Committee Stage (12 Feb 2013)

David Norris: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Taxi Regulation Bill 2012: Committee Stage (12 Feb 2013)

David Norris: Can the Minister of State lay before the House any evidence to the effect that the performance of the Garda as licensing authority is unsatisfactory? It might be a compelling argument in defence of his case, but I am unaware of such evidence. The Garda, particularly its traffic section, is in constant contact with the taxi industry and other motorists. This supports the idea that it is an...

Seanad: Taxi Regulation Bill 2012: Committee Stage (12 Feb 2013)

David Norris: It should not be there.

Seanad: Taxi Regulation Bill 2012: Committee Stage (12 Feb 2013)

David Norris: I assume in my innocence that the Minister of State will accept this amendment. I base this on the fact that after a certain amount of obfuscation and prevarication he eventually came around, in response to our arguments about the superiority of judgments of the court and the impropriety that tended to overrule them by regulations, to say that this was a matter of qualitative rather than...

Seanad: Taxi Regulation Bill 2012: Committee Stage (12 Feb 2013)

David Norris: The Minister of State cannot; he should say "Yes" to it and we can then move on.

Seanad: Taxi Regulation Bill 2012: Committee Stage (12 Feb 2013)

David Norris: The Minister of State is rejecting it.

Seanad: Taxi Regulation Bill 2012: Committee Stage (12 Feb 2013)

David Norris: Once again I must strongly support Senator Barrett. He has dealt with the economic reasons and I will address myself to what I see as the political reasons. If these are not controlled it will not be only the Government that will introduce quantity licensing. This is to try to prevent the authority, which lacks the weight or democratic impact of the Government, from making regulations that...

Seanad: Taxi Regulation Bill 2012: Committee Stage (12 Feb 2013)

David Norris: I am now completely confused. The Minister of State, having stalwartly maintained that the Government would not introduce quantity licensing, went off on a tangent about Senator Barrett's ideological views on laissez-faire economics and all the rest of it. If Senator Barrett has those views, I certainly do not share them. The Minister of State then appeared to be making an argument for...

Seanad: Taxi Regulation Bill 2012: Committee Stage (12 Feb 2013)

David Norris: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Taxi Regulation Bill 2012: Committee Stage (12 Feb 2013)

David Norris: I invite the Minister of State to enlighten the House as to what the nature of the different circumstances would entail under section 7(4)(b). That would help us to make up our minds on that. With regard to section 7(4)(c), what are the different areas of the State? Will it be province by province, county by county or city by city? What would be the intrinsic characteristics of those...

Seanad: Taxi Regulation Bill 2012: Committee Stage (12 Feb 2013)

David Norris: I will be obedient and report progress.

Seanad: Order of Business (13 Feb 2013)

David Norris: A week ago, the British Parliament passed legislation about gay marriage. Yesterday, the French Parliament passed similar legislation, also by an overwhelming majority. It was described as a great and noble effort by the French Minister for Justice. This was done despite the machinations of the Roman Catholic Church, which gave its premises free of charge to house people and to mount...