Results 14,261-14,280 of 18,736 for speaker:Michael McDowell

Criminal Justice Bill 2007: Report Stage (Resumed). (5 Apr 2007)

Michael McDowell: I wish to speak about the amendment. Deputy Ó Snodaigh asked about remuneration. It must be flexible. Obviously, one will not pay them more than the Commissioner because that would be——

Criminal Justice Bill 2007: Report Stage (Resumed). (5 Apr 2007)

Michael McDowell: It is not a full-time job, rather it is a weekly job. They are non-executive directors. I cannot say it is going to be €20,000 or €50,000. I do not know. However, it must be sufficiently attractive to get somebody of capacity to devote at least one day a week to the job.

Criminal Justice Bill 2007: Report Stage (Resumed). (5 Apr 2007)

Michael McDowell: The function of this board is as an executive board. Its function is not to advise the Oireachtas or me, but to get stuck into the executive functions of the Garda Síochána. While I appreciate what the Deputy is getting at, I do not want to go down that road.

Criminal Justice Bill 2007: Report Stage (Resumed). (5 Apr 2007)

Michael McDowell: I want to leave that function with the Commissioner.

Criminal Justice Bill 2007: Report Stage (Resumed). (5 Apr 2007)

Michael McDowell: It is not intended that the board would have anything to do with the Minister of the day or his responsibilities. I am very anxious that the joint policing committees be rolled out, but their primary relationship is with gardaí at a local level. It is not——

Criminal Justice Bill 2007: Report Stage (Resumed). (5 Apr 2007)

Michael McDowell: There is no evaluation currently. I went ahead with a number of the joint policing committees in order to get the CCTV systems up and running. I had boxed myself into a corner as I could not put in a CCTV system without a local policing committee to approve it. There was a slightly arbitrary approach to decide which places got them. I hope to roll them out right across the country. We...

Criminal Justice Bill 2007: Report Stage (Resumed). (5 Apr 2007)

Michael McDowell: This provision is designed to allow for special inquiries to be held on a number of aspects of the Garda Síochána, such as administration, operation, practice or procedure or the conduct of members. For example, if it was alleged that members of the Garda were or were not favouring a particular insurance company in a manner that has been recently alleged, but heavily denied in today's...

Criminal Justice Bill 2007: Report Stage (Resumed). (5 Apr 2007)

Michael McDowell: Perhaps, but let us suppose that something like that emerged and it was not a matter for the Garda Ombudsman Commission to look at it, I want to be in a position to have an effective means of inquiry to get at the truth of such a matter. In drafting the Garda Síochána Act 2005, we discovered that we had watered down the scope of our capacity to appoint a special inquiry, in anticipation...

Criminal Justice Bill 2007: Report Stage (Resumed). (5 Apr 2007)

Michael McDowell: How long did it take? We had two to three years to do it.

Criminal Justice Bill 2007: Report Stage (Resumed). (5 Apr 2007)

Michael McDowell: This issue certainly needs to be examined.

Criminal Justice Bill 2007: Report Stage (Resumed). (5 Apr 2007)

Michael McDowell: I understand the ombudsman commission plans to commence operations on 8 May. This is a welcome development. I remind Members that the establishment of a body of this type requires huge preparation. If the commission were to open its doors before being certain of how it will do its work, it would be discredited almost immediately. It is independent in making its decisions and the chairman...

Criminal Justice Bill 2007: Report Stage (Resumed). (5 Apr 2007)

Michael McDowell: However, I am not in a position to direct the commission to initiate a particular inquiry. This means that in a case where everybody in this House sought an inquiry into a particular matter, for example, I might not be able to initiate it. This is another reason for having an alternative means of inquiry. The commission might decide it is not its business to conduct a particular inquiry,...

Criminal Justice Bill 2007: Report Stage (Resumed). (5 Apr 2007)

Michael McDowell: I dealt with the three issues to which the Deputies referred during Leaders' Questions yesterday. The forgery, if it is a forgery, is a serious matter whatever way one looks at it. I will look into the matter raised by Deputy Howlin in regard to AXA Insurance. The Garda Commissioner regards all these as serious matters. The allegations are based, as I understand it, on the allegedly forged...

Criminal Justice Bill 2007: Report Stage (Resumed). (5 Apr 2007)

Michael McDowell: Exactly, it is a question of balance.

Criminal Justice Bill 2007: Report Stage (Resumed). (5 Apr 2007)

Michael McDowell: I do not propose to go down this road. What is envisaged in this section is not necessarily a tribunal of inquiry substitute. The provisions could be employed in many different circumstances. Looking ahead, I do not propose to accept Deputy Ó Snodaigh's amendment No. 138, which proposes that all reports should be published. If I go down that road, I will get into issues such as those...

Criminal Justice Bill 2007: Report Stage (Resumed). (5 Apr 2007)

Michael McDowell: I share the concerns expressed by Deputies about the fishing industry. However, the dagger pointed at the throat of decent, honest fishermen all around Ireland is held by a minority who break the law, destroy our capacity to fish and bring down the wrath of the EU Commission which will take steps against us, as happened recently. That is the dagger at the throat of every innocent, decent...

Criminal Justice Bill 2007: Report Stage (Resumed). (5 Apr 2007)

Michael McDowell: It is purely to give fisheries protection officers the right to search premises. If they do not weed out the tiny minority who are betraying the great majority, we will have worse consequences next year. More boats will be tied up and the cycle will be repeated. The point was made that the measure should not be in this Bill, but I have explained honestly and patiently why it is in the...

Criminal Justice Bill 2007: Report Stage (Resumed). (5 Apr 2007)

Michael McDowell: The Deputy is talking the debate out.

Criminal Justice Bill 2007: Report Stage (Resumed). (5 Apr 2007)

Michael McDowell: He is.

Criminal Justice Bill 2007: Report Stage (Resumed). (5 Apr 2007)

Michael McDowell: I have given the House my reasoning behind sentencing provisions. Regarding the detention provisions, I carefully considered, as did the Attorney General, the newspaper article to which the Deputy refers. I am satisfied that the provisions are not unconstitutional or in breach of the European Convention on Human Rights and the Attorney General has advised me that this is the case. If these...