Results 18,501-18,520 of 18,738 for speaker:Michael McDowell

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Legal Services Regulatory Authority: Discussion (18 Jun 2024)

Michael McDowell: I have one last question. With regard to issues the Bar Council's professional practices committee deals with, for example, behaviour towards other barristers and the like, is the committee's independent function satisfactorily operating or is there a clash or a friction point with the regulatory authority's jurisdiction?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Legal Services Regulatory Authority: Discussion (18 Jun 2024)

Michael McDowell: Yes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Legal Services Regulatory Authority: Discussion (18 Jun 2024)

Michael McDowell: They do have a professional practices committee-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Legal Services Regulatory Authority: Discussion (18 Jun 2024)

Michael McDowell: -----that imposes the Law Library or Bar rules.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Legal Services Regulatory Authority: Discussion (18 Jun 2024)

Michael McDowell: I am glad to hear that.

Seanad: Courts, Civil Law, Criminal Law and Superannuation (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024: Second Stage (25 Jun 2024)

Michael McDowell: I propose to share my time with Senator Craughwell, if that is agreeable to the House. I will speak for eight minutes and he for two. I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I welcome this legislation. It is kind of a mixed-goods wagon in railway parlance. I accept the proposition that the Title looks a bit clunky but the Bills Office would insist the Title has to reflect the...

Seanad: Offences against the State (Amendment) Act 1998 and Criminal Justice (Amendment) Act 2009: Motions (25 Jun 2024)

Michael McDowell: I support the two resolutions and it would be a mistake at this time to allow either set of legislative provisions to lapse. The Minister of State's speech makes reference to the attempted murder of an RUC officer and the finding of improvised explosives devices in Ravensdale, County Louth, in recent times. There is in our society a movement that still believes it is somehow part of the...

Seanad: Charities (Amendment) Bill 2023: Second Stage (25 Jun 2024)

Michael McDowell: I welcome the Minister of State. I am glad the law in respect of charities is the subject of updating legislation. I have a couple of problems I would ask the Minister of State to consider. On the provisions of sections 3 and 4, as I see it, the effect of these sections is to establish new definitions of charitable purposes for the purposes of the Charities Act. The introduction of the...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (26 Jun 2024)

Michael McDowell: I second the amendment proposed by Senator Keogan on the Order of Business. Whereas I do not share many of the views expressed in this House on in vitro fertilisation and some aspects of surrogacy that some of the people in my group hold, it is important that we have a constructive debate. There should be no emotion, just simple discussion, because there are serious issues involved. I...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (26 Jun 2024)

Michael McDowell: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (3 Jul 2024)

Michael McDowell: I welcome the Tánaiste. It occurs to me that it is a bit artificial that the Cabinet should be organising significant changes to the structure of the Defence Forces and here we are discussing a Bill that has some bearing on those matters and we do not have a complete picture of what is proposed. I appreciate that the Tánaiste said he intends to bring his proposals through the...

Seanad: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (3 Jul 2024)

Michael McDowell: It is Committee Stage.

Seanad: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (3 Jul 2024)

Michael McDowell: I accept that there is a normal process leading to legislative change. However, if the Cabinet has agreed the principles of that legislative change, I cannot see any reason what the Cabinet agreed should not be laid out for public consideration at this stage. I know that the drafting process involves putting together heads of a Bill and then pre-legislative scrutiny in the ordinary course...

Seanad: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (3 Jul 2024)

Michael McDowell: I have no problem with that.

Seanad: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (3 Jul 2024)

Michael McDowell: I have no problem-----

Seanad: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (3 Jul 2024)

Michael McDowell: There is no White Paper here. We do not know what is really being proposed.

Seanad: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (3 Jul 2024)

Michael McDowell: I take the point Senator Wall makes, which is reasonable. While the Tánaiste says some of the things that are now proposed are in line with the report by the Commission on the Defence Forces, but we presume that we will be notified if there are going to be deviations from that or if some aspects of the report are not going to be followed. We are entitled to that kind of general information.

Seanad: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (3 Jul 2024)

Michael McDowell: I do not see why we should wait until the Bill is published.

Seanad: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (3 Jul 2024)

Michael McDowell: No, I do not accept that at all.

Seanad: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (3 Jul 2024)

Michael McDowell: With respect, and through the Chair, if I stood up when I was a Minister and said I was going to reform An Garda Síochána and brought a memorandum to the Cabinet saying that, and then a debate on An Garda Síochána took place in the following days in Dáil Éireann or Seanad Éireann, and I went in and said that Members would find out in the fullness of time...