Results 1,501-1,520 of 9,252 for speaker:Jim O'Callaghan

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Family Law Cases (16 Jan 2018)

Jim O'Callaghan: 555. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of family law cases initiated in the Dublin Circuit Court in 2017; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55239/17]

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Directives: Minister for Justice and Equality (17 Jan 2018)

Jim O'Callaghan: I welcome the Minister. I welcome the decision to opt in. I think it is the right thing to do. When is the legislation seeking to transpose the directive to be brought before the Dáil?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Directives: Minister for Justice and Equality (17 Jan 2018)

Jim O'Callaghan: Obviously the decision of the Supreme Court was taken on 30 May 2017. The court made its declaration then and gave the State six months to get its act together. The response came on 30 November. From what the Minister has said in his speech, it appears that the court was not receptive to the idea of waiting until the legislation was in place, and ruled that on 9 February 2018 the law will...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Directives: Minister for Justice and Equality (17 Jan 2018)

Jim O'Callaghan: As such, an applicant will not be entitled to seek work on 10 February?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Directives: Minister for Justice and Equality (17 Jan 2018)

Jim O'Callaghan: Is there any possibility that this will entitle applicants to damages from the State, on the basis that they have a constitutional right to seek work but they are being prevented from doing so?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Directives: Minister for Justice and Equality (17 Jan 2018)

Jim O'Callaghan: What is the Minister doing to speed up the process of review? It was indicated that people cannot apply if they are in the appeal process or the review process. Is the Government doing anything to speed up the review process at present?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Directives: Minister for Justice and Equality (17 Jan 2018)

Jim O'Callaghan: That is the initial stage. Everyone wants to have the initial decision made within a period of nine months. Can we do anything to speed up the review process that follows if somebody decides to seek judicial review before the courts? Has the Minister contemplated appointing more judges to deal with this, given the lists of asylum seekers outstanding?

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (17 Jan 2018)

Jim O'Callaghan: Amendment No. 8 is linked with a number of others, which I have just looked at. A lot of them are in my name and some are in the name of Deputy Wallace. The purpose of amendment No. 8 and many of the others in the grouping is to simplify the process set out by the Minister in the Bill. From the last occasion, it may be recalled that one of the arguments I made was that a very complicated...

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (17 Jan 2018)

Jim O'Callaghan: I will be very brief. I state formally that I support Deputy Wallace's amendments Nos. 84 and 85. I will not get an opportunity to speak on them again but I think I spoke on them before. I will be supporting them. There are many amendments on the procedures committee, but it all comes down to one issue, which is whether we need one. I do not know if members have the Bill before them, but...

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (17 Jan 2018)

Jim O'Callaghan: I move amendment No. 9:In page 8, to delete line 32. The Chairman referred to this as an extraordinary grouping. An extraordinary grouping requires an extraordinary response. I do not propose to go through each one of these amendments by way of an individual debate because they are all in my name and that of Deputy Chambers and they all concern the same net issue. Rather than saying...

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (17 Jan 2018)

Jim O'Callaghan: I do not think there is a huge amount of disagreement here. The Minister recognises that the presidents of the District Court and the Circuit Court should be involved. I think everyone agrees with that. Deputy Chambers and I believe that the committee structure is too complicated for the level of work that the Commission will have to do. If I was going to have any judge on this...

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (17 Jan 2018)

Jim O'Callaghan: Obviously, the legislation will not be cast in stone after this meeting of the committee. All we can do is table the amendments which the committee thinks are suitable, have a vote on them and see how they are. Everyone recognises further thought will have to be put into the legislation after Committee Stage concludes. No matter what happens, the Minister recognises this. In terms of the...

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (17 Jan 2018)

Jim O'Callaghan: Yes.

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (17 Jan 2018)

Jim O'Callaghan: I think a related amendment was defeated in the previous vote, so it is not being pressed. Am I right that, in the previous grouping, it was discussed with amendments Nos. 1 and 7?

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (17 Jan 2018)

Jim O'Callaghan: They were defeated. Therefore, on the basis that this would also be defeated, I am not moving it.

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (17 Jan 2018)

Jim O'Callaghan: The same point applies.

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (17 Jan 2018)

Jim O'Callaghan: I move amendment No. 12:In page 9, to delete lines 13 to 17.

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (17 Jan 2018)

Jim O'Callaghan: I support that as it is such a transformative piece of legislation. It is important that we have a review sooner rather than later to see that it is working effectively.

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (17 Jan 2018)

Jim O'Callaghan: I am supportive of putting expressly into the legislation a requirement that any recommendation should be based on merit. That is extremely important. The objective of every person in this room is to ensure that those appointed to the Bench get there because of their ability and the type of judge that they will be rather than any political affiliation, friendship or other connection that...

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (17 Jan 2018)

Jim O'Callaghan: Yes.