Results 13,461-13,480 of 18,736 for speaker:Michael McDowell

Criminal Justice Bill 2007: Second Stage (Resumed) (23 Mar 2007)

Michael McDowell: We did something in the 2006 Act to tighten up the position.

Criminal Justice Bill 2007: Second Stage (Resumed) (23 Mar 2007)

Michael McDowell: That is not true. I did not rubbish it.

Criminal Justice Bill 2007: Second Stage (Resumed) (23 Mar 2007)

Michael McDowell: The Deputy had a row with the senior Garda officer.

Leaders' Questions (27 Mar 2007)

Michael McDowell: The Deputy was a member of the infamous group to be found in Gardiner Place.

Criminal Justice Bill 2007: Second Stage (Resumed) (27 Mar 2007)

Michael McDowell: I thank all Deputies who contributed to the debate over the two days last week in the House. Many important and useful points were made and they have all been noted. I was encouraged to see a significant degree of support from all sides in the House for the measures in the Bill. I am not surprised by this as I know all Deputies share a common aim of defeating gangland crime. This Bill...

Criminal Justice Bill 2007: Second Stage (Resumed) (27 Mar 2007)

Michael McDowell: The Attorney General is drafting the legislation regarding the taking of statements. He wanted to get the language regarding not being required to put the information in writing absolutely right. He was not convinced that I had given him enough time between the publication of the report on Tuesday and Friday to get it right.

Criminal Justice Bill 2007: Second Stage (Resumed) (27 Mar 2007)

Michael McDowell: No, the matter will be dealt with on Report Stage.

Criminal Justice Bill 2007: Second Stage (Resumed) (27 Mar 2007)

Michael McDowell: These are important changes that will free up Garda time and allow better use to be made of new technology without in any way interfering with anyone's rights.

Criminal Justice Bill 2007: Second Stage (Resumed) (27 Mar 2007)

Michael McDowell: Increased reliance on video evidence will be seen as enhancing the protection of suspects and Garda questioners alike. These changes will also address what one hears about the use and abuse of recordings given to arrested persons when they are apparently used to convince the "boss" and accomplices that nothing incriminating was said in the interview. Deputies Sexton and Fiona O'Malley spoke...

Criminal Justice Bill 2007: Second Stage (Resumed) (27 Mar 2007)

Michael McDowell: That is exactly right. That is the more classical system.

Criminal Justice Bill 2007: Second Stage (Resumed) (27 Mar 2007)

Michael McDowell: The second type of monitoring, which the Deputy referred to, is by GPS tracking. This is the remote surveillance of a person's location as he or she moves from place to place. It uses locational technology more often associated with tracking ships and other vehicles. It is more sophisticated than tagging, but the expectations, technical challenges and costs are higher too, as the Deputy...

Criminal Justice Bill 2007: Second Stage (Resumed) (27 Mar 2007)

Michael McDowell: While their implementation in full would depend on the availability of reliable, economical GPS technology, the introduction of a system of tagging in the old-fashioned sense of a home-based unit would allow implementation in part. The Department will conduct a feasibility test prior to commencing the electronic monitoring provisions introduced in the Criminal Justice Act 2006. The exercise...

Criminal Justice Bill 2007: Second Stage (Resumed) (27 Mar 2007)

Michael McDowell: One could say that a person must be inside during certain hours of the day.

Criminal Justice Bill 2007: Second Stage (Resumed) (27 Mar 2007)

Michael McDowell: It has proven successful and operable. For example, if one wanted to tell a paedophile that he or she could not go near a school, one would need the GPS system.

Criminal Justice Bill 2007: Second Stage (Resumed) (27 Mar 2007)

Michael McDowell: A range of opinions were expressed about the Bill's proposals on the right to silence. Deputy Ó Snodaigh was critical while Deputy Jim O'Keeffe believed I was being too cautious. Perhaps I can take some consolation from being in the middle of this divergence of opinion and suggest that we may have achieved the right balance on this sensitive issue. As is clear to Deputies, the interim...

Criminal Justice Bill 2007: Second Stage (Resumed) (27 Mar 2007)

Michael McDowell: I will examine the matter before Committee Stage and discuss it with the Deputy. I will mention some Committee Stage amendments that I will be proposing. I have already spoken on the proposals in respect of statements taken by electronic means. There will be amendments of a technical nature clarifying further some of the Bill's provisions on the destruction of fingerprints and similar...

Criminal Justice Bill 2007: Second Stage (Resumed) (27 Mar 2007)

Michael McDowell: That proves my point.

Criminal Justice Bill 2007: Second Stage (Resumed) (27 Mar 2007)

Michael McDowell: This is the second time the debate has been interrupted by someone who wants to prevent the debate being replied to during a closing speech or an attempt to make one. Regarding the course of the debate, it was striking that when Deputy McHugh, an Independent, spoke, he pointed out that three parties had no Deputies present, namely, the Green Party, Labour and Fine Gael. It was also striking...

Criminal Justice Bill 2007: Second Stage (Resumed) (27 Mar 2007)

Michael McDowell: ——when the debate started on Friday. I do not engage in parliamentary tactics of that kind as they do not add to the dignity of the House.

Criminal Justice Bill 2007: Second Stage (Resumed) (27 Mar 2007)

Michael McDowell: Deputy Ó Snodaigh's interruption of the proceedings of this House shows the shallowness of all the posturing on the debate. The Bill will be debated over three weeks. It will also be debated in the Seanad.