Results 13,241-13,260 of 16,849 for speaker:Dermot Ahern

Gangland Killings. (25 Mar 2010)

Dermot Ahern: I decided that a dual response on the basis of-----

Gangland Killings. (25 Mar 2010)

Dermot Ahern: I assure the Deputy that-----

Gangland Killings. (25 Mar 2010)

Dermot Ahern: It is not in a shambles.

Gangland Killings. (25 Mar 2010)

Dermot Ahern: There has been a substantial reduction in the level of gun ownership as a result. That was one response.

Gangland Killings. (25 Mar 2010)

Dermot Ahern: The other response related to gangland crime. Another element of the Criminal Justice (Amendment) Act was not only the targeting of the person who pulled the trigger, seeing as how some old eejit was sent out on the mission more times than not, but the targeting of those behind the trigger, those who put the eejit up to it. Of everything the Oireachtas could have done, we decided to take...

Gangland Killings. (25 Mar 2010)

Dermot Ahern: If we had waited to debate the Bill further during the summer and something had occurred-----

Gangland Killings. (25 Mar 2010)

Dermot Ahern: Had something occurred during the-----

Gangland Killings. (25 Mar 2010)

Dermot Ahern: Let me answer. The Deputy is interrupting me.

Gangland Killings. (25 Mar 2010)

Dermot Ahern: Had something occurred during the summer and we had delayed with the legislation, the Deputy would be the very one criticising me and doing his weekly PR-----

Gangland Killings. (25 Mar 2010)

Dermot Ahern: The Deputy can put out as much PR as he likes, but I have the responsibility to act legally as regards the laws passed by this House.

Gangland Killings. (25 Mar 2010)

Dermot Ahern: If anyone is whittering on it is Deputy Reilly because he is merely repeating what was said a couple of minutes ago. I sponsored the Criminal Justice (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill to ensure that we would not have a gun culture in this country. In such a culture guns would be available in houses where one might be used in haste in a domestic violence situation.

Gangland Killings. (25 Mar 2010)

Dermot Ahern: In my view it was the correct legislation.

Gangland Killings. (25 Mar 2010)

Dermot Ahern: I faced down the vested interests which Deputy Reilly and others are representing. Gun clubs and others want to have what they call practical shooting. This is, in effect, running around and shooting at moving targets. In my view and in the view of the Garda Síochána this is akin to replicating the incidents which are happening, unfortunately, in certain areas of the country where people...

Gangland Killings. (25 Mar 2010)

Dermot Ahern: I decided to bring in two elements of legislation-----

Gangland Killings. (25 Mar 2010)

Dermot Ahern: -----to deal with the gun culture that I saw was about to happen.

Gangland Killings. (25 Mar 2010)

Dermot Ahern: A High Court judge clearly indicated that if the Oireachtas did not take some action in this regard we would have a gun culture. In view of Mr. Justice Peter Charlton's judgment in a seminal case that the matter should be looked at, I introduced the legislation.

Gangland Killings. (25 Mar 2010)

Dermot Ahern: Despite the fact that Deputy Flanagan's posterior is sore from sitting on the fence on this issue, it is the right legislation.

Gangland Killings. (25 Mar 2010)

Dermot Ahern: That legislation had nothing to do with the response of the Government to gangland crime. That was a matter for the criminal justice legislation.

Gangland Killings. (25 Mar 2010)

Dermot Ahern: Deputy Reilly is a doctor. I will not tell him how to do his job. He knows as little about the law as the chair in front of him.

Gangland Killings. (25 Mar 2010)

Dermot Ahern: The fact of the matter is that it takes a number of months for the Garda to put a case together.