Results 1,581-1,600 of 4,787 for speaker:Aodhán Ó Ríordáin

Seanad: Criminal Justice (Burglary of Dwellings) Bill 2015: Second Stage (11 Dec 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: I am pleased to present the Criminal Justice (Burglary of Dwellings) Bill 2015 on behalf of the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Fitzgerald, who is unavoidably detained on other important business. The Bill aims to tackle persistent offenders charged with multiple offences of burglary of homes. It will enhance the provisions for refusal of bail in appropriate cases and provide for...

Seanad: Criminal Justice (Burglary of Dwellings) Bill 2015: Second Stage (11 Dec 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: He, along with the 87 other members of the force who have given their lives in the line of duty, did so out of a sense of service, a vocation to care for and protect their fellow citizens. There are no words of sorrow or gratitude equal to that service and that sacrifice. We can, as legislators and Government, show our support for the members of An Garda Síochána in a practical...

Seanad: Criminal Justice (Burglary of Dwellings) Bill 2015: Second Stage (11 Dec 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: I appreciate the contributions made across the House and the support for the Bill. I listened with interest to what Senators had to say and I thank all those who contributed to the debate. It is clear that all of us here are of the view that burglary is an odious offence, particularly when it interferes with what should be the peaceful haven of a person's home. In tackling burglary, the...

Seanad: Criminal Justice (Burglary of Dwellings) Bill 2015: Second Stage (11 Dec 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: It represents in this Bill, a short Bill, a technically complex Bill which carefully balances constitutional rights to ensure the Garda and the courts can respond fairly but effectively to the crime caused by prolific burglars. This legislation, together with Operation Thor, and the joint agency response to crime is focused on tackling and managing prolific offenders. It forms part of a...

Seanad: Prisons Bill 2015: Committee and Remaining Stages (11 Dec 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: On behalf of the Minister, Deputy Fitzgerald, I thank Senator Barrett for bringing forward this amendment. It arose from an interesting point he made on Second Stage regarding the appropriateness of attaching the name "St. Patrick's" to a place where young persons are detained in view of the circumstances under which St. Patrick was reputedly brought to Ireland and subjected to forced...

Seanad: Prisons Bill 2015: Committee and Remaining Stages (11 Dec 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: We are making a little history today. I thank all of the Members who contributed to the debate on the Bill. The Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Frances Fitzgerald, and I are grateful for the support of Senators for the proposals contained in the Bill. The Prisons Bill finally delivers on the calls to close St. Patrick's Institution which have been made for the past 30 years. The...

Seanad: Courts Bill 2015: Committee and Remaining Stages (11 Dec 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: The purpose of the proposed new sections is to amend the law relating to judicial appointments but with only one dimension of the law considered, that is, making legal academics eligible for appointment as judges of all courts by extending to them the qualifying and eligibility provisions which currently apply to practising barristers and solicitors. Effectively, the amendments would equate...

Seanad: Courts Bill 2015: Committee and Remaining Stages (11 Dec 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: My understanding of the amendment is that its desired effect is to standardise the retirement age of District Court judges with all other judges to a fixed retirement age of 70. I have been informed the Minister has been in consultation with the Judiciary on this matter and agrees the retirement age of District Court judges should be raised to 70, but I do not believe the amendment would...

Seanad: Courts Bill 2015: Committee and Remaining Stages (11 Dec 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: As has been stated, the principle behind the amendment is accepted; it is just the mechanisms around it over which we may be in disagreement. I am informed the review is due to go forward in the early part of 2016.

Seanad: Courts Bill 2015: Committee and Remaining Stages (11 Dec 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: The desired effect of the amendment is to provide for the eligibility of District Court judges for appointment to the High Court, the Court of Appeal or the Supreme Court. I have been informed that the Minister has been in consultation with the Judiciary on this matter and is inclined to agree that District Court judges should be eligible for appointment beyond the Circuit Court. However,...

Seanad: Courts Bill 2015: Committee and Remaining Stages (11 Dec 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: I thank the Senators for their contributions. The issue at hand is agreed and the principle behind the amendment is accepted but it is a question of how we achieve what is proposed. A judicial appointments Bill is currently being prepared and is due to be introduced to the Houses of the Oireachtas early in 2016. That is the vehicle by which we feel this issue might best be addressed.

Seanad: Courts Bill 2015: Committee and Remaining Stages (11 Dec 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: I am told it will be ready early in 2016, which is when the Bill to which I have referred will be introduced.

Seanad: Courts Bill 2015: Committee and Remaining Stages (11 Dec 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: I am informed it is at an advanced stage. It must be presented to the Government in the form of a scheme of a Bill. Early 2016 is still my response.

Seanad: Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Bill 2015: Committee Stage (11 Dec 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: I thank Senators for their comments. When debating this Bill, we all are united in our attempts to tackle this most heinous of crimes. The Senator refers to explicit material. There is a deliberate attempt among commercial enterprises to sexualise young people and children, to shorten their childhood and to make them aware of their sexual power above any other power. It is quite...

Seanad: Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Bill 2015: Committee Stage (11 Dec 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: The purpose of amendment No. 3 is to allow the court to impose a fine instead of, or in addition to, a term of imprisonment on a person who is convicted on indictment of an offence under this section. A fine is already available as a penalty or part thereof for summary convictions under this section but was omitted in respect of convictions on indictment. It is unusual to provide both a...

Seanad: Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Bill 2015: Committee Stage (11 Dec 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: This is standard legal practice, it is not unusual. To not do it would be an anomaly. The amendment is a standard framing of penalties in the State. A range of penalties are available for offences in the Bill and it is a standard in the drafting of penalties for offences. It is not in any way to suggest that a fine in this area is an appropriate sentence, it is just the way that...

Seanad: Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Bill 2015: Committee Stage (11 Dec 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: To clarify one matter, I do not live in the leafy suburbs but in Ballybough, an area that has leaves.

Seanad: Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Bill 2015: Committee Stage (11 Dec 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: Yes, although my house is not as big as the Senator's house.

Seanad: Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Bill 2015: Committee Stage (11 Dec 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: I do not wish to diminish the seriousness of the topic we are discussing. On the issue of fines and mandatory prison sentences, mandatory imprisonment is limited to a small number of offences, namely, certain drugs and firearms offences. The sexual exploitation of a child is addressed in the Child Trafficking and Pornography Act 1998 and carries a penalty of a life sentence. We are dealing...

Seanad: Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Bill 2015: Committee Stage (11 Dec 2015)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin: I refer Senators to the comments I made previously. If further clarification is required on the issue of additional fines and imprisonment, then we will be happy to provide it on Report Stage.