Results 1,461-1,480 of 4,787 for speaker:Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Medical Card Eligibility (26 Nov 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: Yes.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: UN Conventions Ratification (1 Dec 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: The Government, as the Deputy knows, published a roadmap to Ireland’s ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities on 21 October 2015. The roadmap details the legislative changes to be undertaken to enable Ireland to ratify the convention, along with the estimated timeframe involved and a clear and unambiguous deadline for ratification by...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: UN Conventions Ratification (1 Dec 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: I assure the Deputy that nobody is having a word in anyone's ear urging caution. The reality is that Ireland takes a different approach to these matters. There are many countries around the world which will ratify this convention but it will have no meaningful effect. Ireland does these things differently. This means that effectively when Ireland ratifies a convention it has material...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: UN Conventions Ratification (1 Dec 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: I can confirm the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Bill will be enacted by the end of the year. While I take the Deputy's point about the ratification of the convention, I have stated the reasons that Ireland has a different approach to other countries. In terms of the equality agenda, in every area I and the Minister, Deputy Fitzgerald, deal with, from LGBT rights to people with...

Topical Issue Debate: Drug Treatment Programmes (1 Dec 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: I thank Deputies Joe Costello and Maureen O'Sullivan for raising this issue. This morning I accompanied Mr. Tony Duffin and other members of the Ana Liffey Drug Project on a walk through the streets north and south of the River Liffey for an hour and a half. What I came across was particularly shocking. I saw drug paraphernalia, human excrement, the result of a drug user's withdrawal...

Topical Issue Debate: Drug Treatment Programmes (1 Dec 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: I thank the Deputies for their support. I thank all Members of Dáil Éireann for supporting this initiative. A memo has been sent to all Departments seeking their observations which should be with us by 15 December. Upon their receipt, we will proceed with inserting the relevant section into the Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) Bill which will be presented to the House in the new year....

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Traveller Community (1 Dec 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: The Deputy will be aware that there is a consultation process underway led by my Department to develop a new National Traveller and Roma Inclusion Strategy. Phase 1 (identification of key themes for the new Strategy) has been completed, and Phase 2 (identification and agreement of high-level objectives under each agreed theme) will commence shortly. The final Phase, Phase 3 (identification...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Traveller Community (1 Dec 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: The Deputy will be aware that there is a consultation process underway led by my Department to develop a new National Traveller and Roma Inclusion Strategy. Phase 1 (identification of key themes for the new Strategy) has been completed, and Phase 2 (identification and agreement of high-level objectives under each agreed theme) will commence shortly. The final Phase, Phase 3 (identification...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Traveller Community (1 Dec 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: The Deputy will be aware that there is a consultation process underway led by my Department to develop a new National Traveller and Roma Inclusion Strategy. Phase 1 (identification of key themes for the new Strategy) has been completed, and Phase 2 (identification and agreement of high-level objectives under each agreed theme) will commence shortly. The final Phase, Phase 3 (identification...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Traveller Community (1 Dec 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: The Deputy will be aware that there is a consultation process underway led by my Department to develop a new National Traveller and Roma Inclusion Strategy. Phase 1 (identification of key themes for the new Strategy) has been completed, and Phase 2 (identification and agreement of high-level objectives under each agreed theme) will commence shortly. The final Phase, Phase 3 (identification...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Proposed Legislation (1 Dec 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: The Programme for Government includes a commitment to "examine different mechanisms to promote the recognition of Irish sign language" and this process has already commenced. The National Disability Authority (NDA) facilitated consultations with the Deaf Community in Ireland in 2012 at the Department's request in relation to actions that could make improvements in the lives of deaf people...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Drug and Alcohol Task Forces (1 Dec 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: In line with the National Drugs Strategy, the Government is committed to continuing support for initiatives to tackle the drug problem. Drug and Alcohol Task Forces play a key role in assessing the extent and nature of the drug problem in their areas and coordinating action at local level, so that there is a targeted response to the problem of substance misuse in local communities. The...

Equality (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2013 [Seanad]: Committee and Remaining Stages (2 Dec 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: I thank Deputies for their contributions, many of which I have much support for and some of which were a little bit off tone. Several years ago, Deputies Ciara Conway, Dominic Hannigan and John Lyons, Senator Ivana Bacik and I came together to draft legislation to amend section 37 of the Employment Equality Act 1998.

Equality (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2013 [Seanad]: Committee and Remaining Stages (2 Dec 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: Over several years, painstakingly, through the Houses of the Oireachtas and the Office of the Attorney General, with amendments and counter-amendments and discussion from all sides of the Houses, we have come to the position today where we can amend section 37 of the Employment Equality Act 1998 to remove the chilling effect for people who work in religious-run State institutions which are-----

Equality (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2013 [Seanad]: Committee and Remaining Stages (2 Dec 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: That is not my intention.

Equality (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2013 [Seanad]: Committee and Remaining Stages (2 Dec 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: That is absolutely not my intention.

Equality (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2013 [Seanad]: Committee and Remaining Stages (2 Dec 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: Deputy Shortall took half an hour for her contribution and I find her recent conversion to a liberal Ireland quite fascinating.

Equality (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2013 [Seanad]: Committee and Remaining Stages (2 Dec 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: The point is on the amendment.

Equality (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2013 [Seanad]: Committee and Remaining Stages (2 Dec 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: On the amendment itself, the point is that this is the vehicle which we are trying to achieve tonight. What has been brought into this vehicle of amending legislation is an issue concerning the Equality Act. I have a huge amount of sympathy with the points made and what campaigners such as Paddy Monahan, John Suttle and others, who I have been dealing with and speaking to over a number of...

Equality (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2013 [Seanad]: Committee and Remaining Stages (2 Dec 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: It is not my intention in any way to talk down any clock. I am trying to give the House the time and the decency of the explanation that has been prepared to have a decent and proper understanding of what we are trying to achieve. As an aside, as someone who has been the focal point of heavy criticism in Catholic, right-wing and conservative newspapers and who has been shouted about and...