Results 1,501-1,520 of 7,765 for speaker:Maurice Cummins

Seanad: Criminal Justice Bill 2007: Second Stage (26 Apr 2007)

Maurice Cummins: The Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Deputy McDowell, has promised us this Bill will do many things. He told us it will strengthen our system and make life more difficult for criminals, and I hope it does. However, I am not convinced and several parts of the Bill will have the opposite effect. Without time to consider and amend it, we will have several problems in years to come.

Seanad: Criminal Justice Bill 2007: Second Stage (26 Apr 2007)

Maurice Cummins: As I have done. However, I will not do so in this instance.

Seanad: Schools Building Projects. (26 Apr 2007)

Maurice Cummins: Blessed Edmund Ignatius Rice founded the Christian Brothers and set up his first school in Waterford at Mount Sion. Although I am a De La Salle man, I am deeply proud of the Christian Brothers' beginnings and traditions and of Mount Sion and the host of luminaries it has produced in the academic, political and sporting fields in County Waterford and the country. The board of management, the...

Seanad: Schools Building Projects. (26 Apr 2007)

Maurice Cummins: With all due respect to the Minister of State, his response included several red herrings regarding other schools. Mount Sion wants to know if and when it will get its new school. The Government is obviously not going to answer that question although the former Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Woods, announced the money for it more than five years ago. It is a disgrace that a...

Seanad: Order of Business (27 Apr 2007)

Maurice Cummins: The preliminary findings of the mental health attitudes and awareness of Ireland survey was published yesterday. It found that suicide is now regarded as the single most significant mental health-related problem in Ireland. The survey also found that one third of people reported they do not attend any social or leisure events. This finding of social isolation is evident throughout the...

Seanad: Criminal Justice Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (27 Apr 2007)

Maurice Cummins: I move amendment No. 1: In page 8, before section 5, but in Part 1, to insert the following new section:

Seanad: Criminal Justice Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (27 Apr 2007)

Maurice Cummins: I am pleased the Minister agrees with some of my amendments. However, that he is not prepared to accept them highlights what is going on here. While the Minister may find some amendments worthy, he will not accept any of them, which is out of character for him as on previous occasions he accepted a number of amendments from this side of the House. What we are doing today is a farce as no...

Seanad: Criminal Justice Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (27 Apr 2007)

Maurice Cummins: I move amendment No. 5: In page 8, before section 5, but in Part 1, to insert the following new section: "PART 2 WITNESS INTIMIDATION 5.—The Minister shall, by regulation under this section, make provision for identification of suspects by witnesses, victims and other persons where the suspect can be identified through a one-way screen and the identity of the witness, victim or other person...

Seanad: Criminal Justice Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (27 Apr 2007)

Maurice Cummins: I welcome the Tánaiste's response. He has put the case for one-way mirrors better than I would have, but will we introduce guidelines as a matter of urgency given that we are in agreement? Is it intended to issue guidelines to put one-way mirrors in place soon?

Seanad: Criminal Justice Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (27 Apr 2007)

Maurice Cummins: I move amendment No. 6: In page 8, before section 5, but in Part 1, to insert the following new section:

Seanad: Criminal Justice Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (27 Apr 2007)

Maurice Cummins: It is crazy.

Seanad: Criminal Justice Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (27 Apr 2007)

Maurice Cummins: Are there similar provisions in the United States, for instance, such as the so-called plain sight rule? Would such provisions not be similar to what I am talking about?

Seanad: Criminal Justice Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (27 Apr 2007)

Maurice Cummins: I move amendment No. 9: In page 12, line 21, after "bail" to insert "and shall otherwise be of good behaviour". I am surprised that this amendment was not accepted when it was moved in the other House. Does the Tánaiste believe that a person on bail should not otherwise be of good behaviour? Given the significant volume of crime committed by persons on bail, I ask him to reconsider the...

Seanad: Criminal Justice Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (27 Apr 2007)

Maurice Cummins: I move amendment No. 10: In page 20, before section 24, but in Part 3, to insert the following new section: "24.—In this Part— "Freedom of Information Acts" means the Freedom of Information Acts 1997 to 2003; "law terms" refers to the four periods (to wit Michaelmas, Hilary, Easter and Trinity) of prescribed sittings for the Superior Courts, as defined in Order 118, rule 1 of the Rules of...

Seanad: Criminal Justice Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (27 Apr 2007)

Maurice Cummins: The Minister has accepted the principle of the amendment and obviously the cost comes into play. I am not suggesting we have a monopoly of wisdom in this regard but some register of sentencing should be kept. This is done in other jurisdictions and I hope a number of researchers would be employed to refer to a register of sentencing. What the amendment suggests is somewhat rigid but I am...

Seanad: Criminal Justice Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (27 Apr 2007)

Maurice Cummins: I welcome the information given by the Minister which demonstrates that at least something is happening in this area.

Seanad: Criminal Justice Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (27 Apr 2007)

Maurice Cummins: I will not even entertain Senator Walsh's suggestion that the Minister will be back in office.

Seanad: Criminal Justice Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (27 Apr 2007)

Maurice Cummins: I move amendment No. 14: In page 21, between lines 28 and 29, to insert the following subsection: "(2) Subject to subsection (3), where a person (other than a person under the age of 18 years)— (a) has been convicted on indictment of an offence specified in Schedule 2 (in this section referred to as "the first offence"), (b) has been sentenced to imprisonment for a term of not less than 12...

Seanad: Criminal Justice Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (27 Apr 2007)

Maurice Cummins: I move amendment No. 20: In page 33, before section 32, to insert the following new section: "32.—Prior to the commencement of any section in this Part, the Minister shall make such changes and amendments as are necessary to the Judges' Rules and to the form of caution given to persons to whom this Part applies.". Amendment No. 25——

Seanad: Criminal Justice Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (27 Apr 2007)

Maurice Cummins: Yes.