Results 1,001-1,020 of 1,683 for speaker:Derek McDowell

Seanad: Council of Europe Development Bank Bill 2004: Committee and Remaining Stages. (25 Nov 2004)

Derek McDowell: Will the Minister of State read into the record his speaking note on this section? Am I correct in saying that any borrowings made by the State will be credited to our Central Fund and will basically become part of Exchequer financing to be used in the normal way as opposed to being ring-fenced for a particular purpose?

Seanad: Council of Europe Development Bank Bill 2004: Committee and Remaining Stages. (25 Nov 2004)

Derek McDowell: I refer to section 3(2) which states: Any moneys received on behalf of the State from the Bank shall be placed to the credit of the account of the Exchequer and shall form part of the Central Fund and be available in any manner in which that Fund is available. I presume this refers to the Central Fund out of which the Exchequer operates.

Seanad: Council of Europe Development Bank Bill 2004: Committee and Remaining Stages. (25 Nov 2004)

Derek McDowell: Is it a full-time position?

Seanad: Council of Europe Development Bank Bill 2004: Committee and Remaining Stages. (25 Nov 2004)

Derek McDowell: I wish to be associated with my colleagues in complimenting the Minister of State and his officials on steering the Bill through the Houses. A difficulty arises with regard to the mechanisms we have in place for reporting on our participation in multilateral institutions, such as the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, inasmuch...

Seanad: Council of Europe Development Bank Bill 2004: Motion for Earlier Signature. (25 Nov 2004)

Derek McDowell: As a general principle, Senators do not like earlier signature motions. I ask the Minister of State, therefore, to indicate the reason in this case.

Seanad: Aer Lingus: Statements. (2 Dec 2004)

Derek McDowell: They will need to be provided by the State.

Seanad: Aer Lingus: Statements. (2 Dec 2004)

Derek McDowell: We all agree there is a need for a decision. It is now five years since the Leader announced there would be an IPO of Aer Lingus, we have gone through a number of contortions since and we still do not have a final decision from the Government. All of us agree that the delay is damaging the company's market value and the morale of staff and management, who do not know where they or the company...

Seanad: Aer Lingus: Statements. (2 Dec 2004)

Derek McDowell: There are people who are prepared to pay for those frills. There are two distinct markets which are served adequately by Aer Lingus and Ryanair. I doubt there is room in this country for two directly competing low fare airlines that have no distinctions other than fare. That is what customers actually want, not that we would necessarily be any better off because of that. The issue of equity...

Seanad: Order of Business. (3 Dec 2004)

Derek McDowell: Does the Leader share my concern about the resignation today of one of the SIPTU representatives on the board of the Dublin Airport Authority? This seems to raise two issues. First, the nature of the deal apparently made in Shannon where for the first time a State airport has moved to a point where we accept the argument made by Michael O'Leary and Ryanair that airports should pay airlines to...

Seanad: Irish Nationality and Citizenship Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (3 Dec 2004)

Derek McDowell: Amendment No. 3 in the name of the Labour Party Senators seeks to draw a line under what has been a difficult and painful issue for the State in recent years. The bottom line is that we were extremely poor in dealing with the influx of refugees and asylum seekers to this country over the past five or six years. We were not properly geared up to deal with it efficiently or humanely. We all...

Seanad: Irish Nationality and Citizenship Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (3 Dec 2004)

Derek McDowell: I come somewhat late to this debate and I am here primarily because Senator Tuffy is not. Therefore, I do not wish to drive the Minister down roads he has been down a number of times before. However, the Minister attributed to speakers on this side of the House views which we did not articulate.

Seanad: Irish Nationality and Citizenship Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (3 Dec 2004)

Derek McDowell: No one said someone who was driving a taxi in Bucharest has a right to come here just because he is bored with his life. No one suggested that Saddam Hussein, if he had an Irish born child, would be brought within the contemplation of the Opposition amendments. We are talking about a very clear case of the parents of Irish citizens. The Minister may say such people do not have rights or may...

Seanad: Irish Nationality and Citizenship Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (3 Dec 2004)

Derek McDowell: Saddam Hussein is not the parent of an Irish born child. At least we do not think he is.

Seanad: Irish Nationality and Citizenship Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (3 Dec 2004)

Derek McDowell: The Minister is saying he will deal with these applications differently from how he would have dealt with them before, that he will exercise his discretion in a fashion that is informed by the passing of this legislation and that there is a problem in the pipeline that must be addressed. He has not, however, told us the new criteria that will apply, assuming there are new criteria. The...

Seanad: Irish Nationality and Citizenship Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (3 Dec 2004)

Derek McDowell: There are different forms of British citizenship which can be conferred on people born in Commonwealth countries that were part of the empire. Does the entitlement we are enacting apply to all British citizens? There are some British citizens who do not have an entitlement to reside in Britain and presumably the right to be an Irish citizen would not be conferred on the children of those people.

Seanad: Irish Nationality and Citizenship Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (3 Dec 2004)

Derek McDowell: The reason I ask is that in paragraph (d)(ii) it simply refers to "a British citizen". The Minister has said what I would have understood to be the case, namely, that we are simply conferring this right on the children of British citizens who are entitled to reside in the United Kingdom. Is the phrase "a British citizen" equivalent to what the Minister has just described? Does it refer to...

Seanad: Irish Nationality and Citizenship Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (3 Dec 2004)

Derek McDowell: I move amendment No. 4: In page 5, before section 4, to insert the following new section: 4.—(1) There stands established an Appeals Committee whose function is to hear appeals from non-national parents of Irish born children, against the decision of the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform to refuse leave to remain in respect of either or both parents (2) The Appeals Committee...

Seanad: Irish Nationality and Citizenship Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (3 Dec 2004)

Derek McDowell: It is.

Seanad: Irish Nationality and Citizenship Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (3 Dec 2004)

Derek McDowell: I move amendment No. 5: In page 5, line 18, to delete "person's birth" and substitute "date of the application". I believe these amendments have been tabled largely for clarification purposes. I will deal with amendment No. 6 first, if I may, which seeks to insert the word "ordinarily" in page 5, line 19, after "been". Will the Minister clarify, for the sake of the record, whether very brief...

Seanad: Irish Nationality and Citizenship Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (3 Dec 2004)

Derek McDowell: The amendments in the names of the Labour Party Senators amount to the same as those proposed by Senator Norris. The latter point is of some importance. It would be great if we were able to deal with all applications for refugee status within six months but the reality is that we are not and have not done so in the past, although the period is shortening. While discounting a period of six...