Results 1,301-1,320 of 4,787 for speaker:Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

Seanad: Employment Equality (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2013: Report and Final Stages (9 Jul 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: I welcome Senator David Norris to our side of the House.

Seanad: Employment Equality (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2013: Report and Final Stages (9 Jul 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: I appreciate from where Senator Katherine Zappone is coming. I am reminded of the G. K. Chesterton quote about Christianity, that it would be great if anybody bothered to try it. Addressing amendments Nos. 4 and 11 to amendment No. 13 together, there is a weight of volumes setting out the belief systems of individual churches and other religious groups. There are theological and practice...

Seanad: Employment Equality (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2013: Report and Final Stages (9 Jul 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: The State should not find itself having to police these definitions in any way. Even if the State were to take that step, I suspect that, in practice, any such statement would be formulated at a sufficiently high level of abstraction to be of no particular use in dealing with the requirements we are setting out in amendment No. 13. I hope the Senators will accept the reason for my...

Seanad: Employment Equality (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2013: Report and Final Stages (9 Jul 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: I demand clarification on that.

Seanad: Employment Equality (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2013: Report and Final Stages (9 Jul 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: I had to resist the temptation to speculate on the number of individuals that constitute an orgy.

Seanad: Employment Equality (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2013: Report and Final Stages (9 Jul 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: Possibly we should put down an amendment to clarify the matter. Amendments Nos. 5, 7, 8 and 10 take different forms and address the matter in different ways, but they have in common a focus on the employee's right to privacy. My Department has consulted with the Office of the Attorney General and I am happy in light of the consultation to accept the spirit of the amendments. Comparisons...

Seanad: Employment Equality (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2013: Report and Final Stages (9 Jul 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: Amendment No. 9 is a difficult one. Elements of what it seeks to achieve are contained within the text on privacy which we discussed earlier. I signalled acceptance of the amendment from Senator Zappone which is in concert with the broad principle of what Senator Averil Power is also seeking to achieve. Other elements cross the line into territory where the Supreme Court is likely to...

Seanad: Employment Equality (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2013: Report and Final Stages (9 Jul 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: I disagree with the Senator. We are not afraid of something that is not there but are legislating for something that very much is there. We must be very mindful of it. While many school staffrooms are very inclusive places where people can be who they want, not every schoolteacher or medical professional feels the same, and we must ensure the chilling effect, as it has been described,...

Seanad: Employment Equality (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2013: Report and Final Stages (9 Jul 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: They said: "God, Sir, your girlfriend is massive." In Sheriff Street, the word "massive" is a compliment. It is very different from Monaghan, where telling somebody their wife or girlfriend is massive it has a different connotation. I had to spend a little time explaining that one. I digress. To speak bluntly to Senator Power's reservations, one cannot be seen to have been undermining...

Seanad: Employment Equality (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2013: Report and Final Stages (9 Jul 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: It is a well-established line. One person's interpretation of what a ring means is different from somebody else's. As Senator Bacik has clearly said, one's family status or civil status cannot be taken into consideration in these matters as undermining anything.

Seanad: Employment Equality (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2013: Report and Final Stages (9 Jul 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: It is explicit. There are nuances in schools and wearing a T-shirt with a particular political slogan on it would be considered inappropriate. There are many professions, such as the Garda Síochána and the Civil Service, in which expressions of political preference or ideology would not be appropriate. There is a line. If one answers a factual question and gives information that...

Seanad: Employment Equality (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2013: Report and Final Stages (9 Jul 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: That is a statement of fact and it is explicit in the legislation that a person is not undermining anything by being who he or she is and having a marriage into which he or she has entered.

Seanad: Employment Equality (Amendment) (No.2) Bill 2013: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (9 Jul 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: The intention of these amendments, which were introduced following consultation with the Department of Social Protection and the Department of the environment, Community and Local Government, is to prohibit, in the provision of accommodation, discrimination in regard to a tenant or prospective tenant on the basis that the person is or is not in receipt of rent supplement, or that the person's...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: National Drugs Strategy: Minister of State at the Department of Health (9 Jul 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: I welcome the invitation to address members of the Joint Committee on Health and Children and the Joint Committee on Justice and Equality on the national drugs strategy. I am delighted to have been given the opportunity to take on a ministerial role in this area. I see it as a vital role that needs the attention of a dedicated Minister. From my work as a teacher and principal in...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: National Drugs Strategy: Minister of State at the Department of Health (9 Jul 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: How long do I have to respond?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: National Drugs Strategy: Minister of State at the Department of Health (9 Jul 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: A wide range of issues have been raised and I appreciate the contributions that have been made. Deputy Ó Caoláin raised the issue of psychoactive substances and the effectiveness of the 2010 legislation. We have a cultural problem with addiction in Ireland. Every family in Ireland has an addiction problem. It is in every corner of the country. There is a traditional...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: National Drugs Strategy: Minister of State at the Department of Health (9 Jul 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: I thank members for their contributions. I agree with Senator John Crown's sentiments about it not being enough to continue on with what has been handed down to us but that we must instead form a logical view of what is happening and what needs to be done. As I said earlier, there is no point in clogging up the courts system and criminalising people for what is a medical need. There can be...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children: National Drugs Strategy: Minister of State at the Department of Health (9 Jul 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: Prior to the court case earlier this year, the Minister had the power to control substances. It was the court case that caused the confusion and the emergency legislation and that is why we are in this position. If I might suggest, the pre-legislative stage in this committee or committees would be key to teasing out those issues, be it the justice committee, the health committee or...

Social Services and Support: Motion [Private Members] (14 Jul 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: I welcome the motion. It is timely and well constructed. The contributions from both sides of the House serve us well as a Department when we deal with the issues around older people. As the Tánaiste outlined, there have been major challenges in recent years and it is a good time to take stock as to where we are and where we intend to go. One of my responsibilities relates to the...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Labour Activation Measures (14 Jul 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 437 and 438 together. The Employment Equality Act 1998 protects employees against discrimination on any of nine grounds (age, civil status, family status, gender, religion, sexual orientation, disability, race, or membership of the Traveller community). Claims under the legislation can be taken for assessment and adjudication to the Equality Tribunal and a...