Results 1,201-1,220 of 4,399 for speaker:Martin Browne

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Passport Services (18 Nov 2021)

Martin Browne: Given the inconvenience people have been experiencing in regard to passport applications, it would be remiss of me not to get clarity on the changing situation. I have four quick questions for the Minister in this regard. Will the Minister tell us the average length of time it is now taking to process passport applications? Is he aware of requests for further information being issued to...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Passport Services (18 Nov 2021)

Martin Browne: I understand that, but people should be able to rely on the Passport Office to communicate effectively with them, answer their questions and give them confidence that they have a reasonable prospect of getting their passport either on time or at least by the target issue date. They have been told that right throughout the online tracking system. Some people for whom I have been making...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Passport Services (18 Nov 2021)

Martin Browne: The case of first-time passports has been a particular problem. I am aware of a case in which a mother had applied for her child's passport, only to be told more than nine weeks later there was no guarantee the child's passport would be issued. That warning came three days before they were supposed to go on holidays. Three other children were involved and there was much crying. This is...

Sex Offenders (Amendment) Bill 2021: Second Stage (Resumed) (18 Nov 2021)

Martin Browne: I thank the Minister for bringing forward the Bill. Sinn Féin will be supporting it. It is not before time that we see the 2001 Act being updated. To go 20 years without updating it is far too long. It must be noted that these amendments were originally introduced in 2018. Pre-legislative scrutiny was completed in January 2019. It has been a very slow process. I hope that will not...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Carbon Sequestration and Storage in Agriculture: Discussion (17 Nov 2021)

Martin Browne: I will have to leave soon for which I apologise. I welcome the guests. Teagasc is due to tell us what to do in order to maintain the forest carbon sink autonomous management, including reducing the itinerary and increasing the rotation age. However, it points out that the latter could lead to a short-term timber deficit of between 20% and 50% up to 2030. This is likely to worry the sector...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Residential Institutions (18 Nov 2021)

Martin Browne: I am raising this issue on behalf of the survivors of mother and baby homes and county institutions across the country, who are outraged, deeply upset and insulted at the provisions made in the redress scheme that the Minister has published. To be frank, the redress scheme announced this week is an exercise in exclusion rather than compassion. I have been contacted by a number of survivors...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Residential Institutions (18 Nov 2021)

Martin Browne: The Minister and I, and other Members, have met survivors. I assure him that whether they were there for one day, five months and 29 days or six months and two days, all these people were affected exactly the same by being separated from their families and decades of trying to get answers from the governments. This sliding scale effectively tells them that their forced separation and...

Committee on Public Petitions: Business of Committee (11 Nov 2021)

Martin Browne: I welcome everyone to our public virtual meeting using Microsoft Teams. Apologies have been received from Senator Craughwell. The Ceann Comhairle of the Dáil, Deputy Ó Fearghaíl, and the Cathaoirleach of the Seanad, Senator Mark Daly, have appealed to everybody in the parliamentary community to continue to follow public health advice, wear a mask and maintain social...

Committee on Public Petitions: Direct Provision Policy and Related Matters: Discussion (Resumed) (11 Nov 2021)

Martin Browne: The second item on the agenda is direct provision policy and related matters. This is our fifth public meeting on the topic. We have already met the Ombudsman, the Ombudsman for Children, Doras, the Irish Refugee Council, the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission and the Law Society of Ireland. I am delighted to extend a warm welcome to our witnesses today from the Department of...

Committee on Public Petitions: Direct Provision Policy and Related Matters: Discussion (Resumed) (11 Nov 2021)

Martin Browne: Dr. Lynch, the sound has been breaking up for the past minute. We do not know what you said.

Committee on Public Petitions: Direct Provision Policy and Related Matters: Discussion (Resumed) (11 Nov 2021)

Martin Browne: Will you repeat it to see if the sound improves?

Committee on Public Petitions: Direct Provision Policy and Related Matters: Discussion (Resumed) (11 Nov 2021)

Martin Browne: Senator Buttimer, do you wish to speak?

Committee on Public Petitions: Direct Provision Policy and Related Matters: Discussion (Resumed) (11 Nov 2021)

Martin Browne: I call Deputy Buckley.

Committee on Public Petitions: Direct Provision Policy and Related Matters: Discussion (Resumed) (11 Nov 2021)

Martin Browne: Yes, please.

Committee on Public Petitions: Direct Provision Policy and Related Matters: Discussion (Resumed) (11 Nov 2021)

Martin Browne: I have a few quick questions but I will come back in later as well. I was sent some stuff an hour or an hour and a half ago and I want to raise it with the Secretary General while he is here. I welcome you today and thank you for giving comprehensive answers. It is an ambitious agenda for change and we all need to embrace it and to improve the situation for people who are in these centres....

Committee on Public Petitions: Direct Provision Policy and Related Matters: Discussion (Resumed) (11 Nov 2021)

Martin Browne: What progress has been made on the driver licence?

Committee on Public Petitions: Direct Provision Policy and Related Matters: Discussion (Resumed) (11 Nov 2021)

Martin Browne: I have one last question before I let other members in for a second round. I appreciate you are working with the local authorities and housing bodies. Have you figured out how many houses you require per year and over what period?

Committee on Public Petitions: Direct Provision Policy and Related Matters: Discussion (Resumed) (11 Nov 2021)

Martin Browne: Deputy Devlin, do you wish to speak?

Committee on Public Petitions: Direct Provision Policy and Related Matters: Discussion (Resumed) (11 Nov 2021)

Martin Browne: I thank the Secretary General. Does Senator Murphy want to ask a question?

Committee on Public Petitions: Direct Provision Policy and Related Matters: Discussion (Resumed) (11 Nov 2021)

Martin Browne: Will the direct provision centres that exist at the moment no longer be used? Can the Secretary General guarantee that the current practice will definitely be abolished by the end of 2024? On the legal side, legal assistance was another area where shortfalls were identified. We heard from the Law Society of Ireland that too many people still have to go through the preliminary international...