Results 15,541-15,560 of 18,736 for speaker:Michael McDowell

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (26 Sep 2018)

Michael McDowell: I am not very conversant with the procedures of the Law Society but I agree with Senator Bacik that the reference should be to the president of the Law Society. In respect of section 19(1)(f), is being struck off by the High Court the only way a person can cease to be a practising solicitor? Can a person not write to the secretary general of the Law Society or someone and ask to have their...

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (26 Sep 2018)

Michael McDowell: I am sorry to interrupt but the point I was making is a bad one. This is covered under section 11(5)(a) already. If one ceases to be a practising lawyer, then one is out.

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (26 Sep 2018)

Michael McDowell: I was looking back on section 11(5)(a) and (b) and thinking that if one ceases to be a practising barrister or solicitor, one ceases to be a member of the commission automatically. In that context, paragraphs (f) and (g) may be surplus to requirements. How one does it - whether one is struck off by the High Court or whatever - is actually captured by section 11(5)(b). One ceases to be a...

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (26 Sep 2018)

Michael McDowell: Section 21 says that the director of the commission is to be accountable to the Committee of Public Accounts. I want some indication from the Minister as to whether this is purely in relation to the existing Comptroller and Auditor General report procedure or whether it goes wider than that. Should the responsibility of the Accounting Officer and the Committee of Public Accounts deal with...

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (26 Sep 2018)

Michael McDowell: This section must be viewed in the context of the previous section. It will be noted that we have just voted to insert into the Bill, although personaly I was opposed to it, a provision to enable the director of the commission to testify before the Committee of Public Accounts on the economy and efficiency of the commission in the use of its resources, as well as on the system procedures and...

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (26 Sep 2018)

Michael McDowell: Yes, but what policy are we talking about? If the chairman appears before a committee to discuss the general administration of the commission, how could he or she be involved in a debate on Government policy before the committee? How could that arise unless it was a resources issue and the Government was determined only to give the commission half of what the commission believes necessary...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2018: Vote 29 - Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment (2 Oct 2018)

Michael McDowell: He may answer Deputy Stanley first.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2018: Vote 29 - Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment (2 Oct 2018)

Michael McDowell: The non-collection is one item that has been mentioned and there is the cost of collection. That is approximately €12 million and it goes to An Post. That leaves €50 million which is either not collected or collected and given to a body other than the intended beneficiary. I reiterate my view that if the local property tax is in the hands of Revenue, as well as details every...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2018: Vote 29 - Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment (2 Oct 2018)

Michael McDowell: -----and RTÉ and all the rest of it. The Minister's predecessor, former Deputy Pat Rabbitte, talked about only people in caves not having some form of such things and then we got the celebrated cave tax, as was proposed. If we are being honest about it, there is a very simple mechanism, which is to impose a sum per household regardless of whether they have a big yoke up on the wall or...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2018: Vote 29 - Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment (2 Oct 2018)

Michael McDowell: Before the Minister gets away with what he just tried to do, he may recall that I indicated my concern that someone who, for instance, lived in Tallaght and had a caravan in Courtown was being asked by the Minister to pay for two television licences per annum. If that person was paying at the top rate of tax, which most workers reach quickly, it would entail him or her earning approximately...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2018: Vote 29 - Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment (2 Oct 2018)

Michael McDowell: I meant we would not have a television in respect of-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2018: Vote 29 - Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment (2 Oct 2018)

Michael McDowell: I have had to keep writing letters to my local would-be inspectors pointing this out. It is absurd that, within the law, I can start looking at my laptop or mobile phone in a holiday home and see an RTÉ programme without being required to have a licence. If this fee were placed on the local property tax, two people with an expensive holiday home in Roscommon and another in Dublin would...

Seanad: Order of Business (3 Oct 2018)

Michael McDowell: I return to the topic raised by Senator Ruane, namely, homelessness and the housing crisis that exists in this country. It is about time that we realised a few basic facts. First, there is no prospect of resolving the housing crisis unless the supply of social and affordable housing is increased. Second, that supply will only increase if the Government takes direct action. Third, the...

Seanad: Order of Business (4 Oct 2018)

Michael McDowell: He is still looking for a floating vote.

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (4 Oct 2018)

Michael McDowell: On a point of order, we were having a discussion on section 22 and the Minister was about to reply to some queries which were put to him.

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (4 Oct 2018)

Michael McDowell: We are not allowed. It is a criminal offence to talk about it.

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (4 Oct 2018)

Michael McDowell: The Minister briefly mentioned section 28 and he said we would be coming back to it. In the last debate here, I recall asking the Minister whether it was his understanding of the legislation that its purpose was to bring about a situation in which the members of the Government, for a time, would be kept in the dark about which of the High Court, Court of Appeal or Supreme Court judges had...

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (4 Oct 2018)

Michael McDowell: I will elaborate.

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (4 Oct 2018)

Michael McDowell: I flag them as points on which I require answers. To answer Senator Norris's point, if a High Court judge was interested in promotion to the Supreme Court or the Court of Appeal, or a Court of Appeal judge was interested in promotion to the presidency of that court or the Supreme Court or to Chief Justice, or a member of the Supreme Court was interested in promotion to Chief Justice, the...

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (4 Oct 2018)

Michael McDowell: When we come to section 28, we will have to deal with the question of whether it is the effect of the Bill, as it currently exists, that the people to whom I referred will have to apply to get onto the new body.