Results 1-20 of 118 for at speaker:Vincent P Martin

Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs: Northern Ireland Protocol (Article 16) (resumed): Engagement with Mr. Maroš Šefovi (16 Feb 2021)

Vincent P Martin: I thank the Vice-President for attending the committee and I appreciate his generosity of time this morning. I believe it is important that we extol for Northern Ireland the virtues, the benefits and the potential of the new-found arrangement in which finds itself. It is a living arrangement. Northern Ireland, in a sense, should be at the consultative table, at the very top, to express...

Seanad: British Government Legacy Proposals: Motion (13 Oct 2021)

Vincent P Martin: No. Nationalist, but at times it is a bit of a kindergarten. The nationalist, republican house of the Twenty-six Counties is fractured at the moment. We should begin by healing the house of nationalism in the Republic of Ireland before we lecture the people in Northern Ireland. There is an awful lot more we could do here. There are people who have done terrible things in the name of a...

Seanad: Criminal Justice (Perjury and Related Offences) Bill 2018: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (15 Jun 2021)

Vincent P Martin: I wish to comment before the Minister of State speaks. I commend the realignment and reconfiguration of the penalties on a statutory basis. They are justifiably significant at the upper end of indictable offences if they are brought home. It will be a reminder for all legislators that a great deal is at stake. The standard principles of beyond reasonable doubt and the presumption of...

Seanad: Finance (Covid-19 and Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2021: Committee and Remaining Stages (13 Jul 2021)

Vincent P Martin: The decision to retain the 9% VAT rate will be most welcome among stakeholders and is a sign the Government is listening. I concur with the remarks of Senator Kyne that it will be a lifeline for them. While there may be grounds to extend it further, at least this extension gives sufficient space to have that discussion at a later date. It is a positive and essential move for a sector that...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Enforcement of Road Traffic Offences: Discussion (4 Oct 2022)

Vincent P Martin: I am at an advanced stage of researching a Bill for regulation of the sale, supply and manufacture of number plates. The cloning and fraudulent use of number plates is a problem for An Garda Síochána. Although my Bill is aimed at combatting crime or making crime more difficult, it would come into play in this regard as well. It would be complementary in the sense that there would...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (3 Oct 2023)

Vincent P Martin: Houseboat owners along the canals throughout Ireland are concerned that their permit fees will shoot up as Waterways Ireland drafts updated by-laws for these communities. The proposed steep hike in annual fees being considered would lead to people paying 12 times the amount they are paying at the moment. County Kildare is the nerve centre of concern, with a large number of houseboat...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Equine Industry (26 Jan 2021)

Vincent P Martin: I thank Senator O'Loughlin for taking this initiative. I am aware at first hand of the love, care, connection and passion as well as the economic appreciation of horses and their welfare. The equine industry in Kildare is second to none. It is a world leader. As I said before, the horse or equine industry is to Kildare what Semple Stadium and Croke Park are to the GAA. It is the...

Seanad: Election of Cathaoirleach (16 Dec 2022)

Vincent P Martin: I would like to be associated with the warm congratulatory remarks. I offer the heartiest of congratulations to the Cathaoirleach and extend my best wishes to all of those leaving their posts, including Senator Mark Daly but also Senator Doherty who will pass on her position to a wonderful replacement in Senator Chambers. I recognise the work she has been done in pushing the boundaries....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs: Brexit Negotiations: Members of the House of Lords (21 Oct 2020)

Vincent P Martin: I anticipated an answer along those lines. I thank Lord Kerr in particular. I fully accept that it is Ireland's prerogative in the first instance. That is a given. When Deputy Ó Cuív and others spoke about it, it was about North-South reconciliation but maybe there is an added dynamic that we should look at, of east-west economic co-operation. Talking about unthinkables, while...

Seanad: Animal Health and Welfare (Dogs) Bill 2022: Second Stage (14 Dec 2022)

Vincent P Martin: I welcome the Minister of State, Senator Hackett, to a particular seat in the Chamber. It is always good to see her there. She has a keen interest in the subject matter of the Bill. I commend the Sinn Féin Seanad group on putting together a most worthwhile Bill. The Bill further strengthens provisions in animal health and welfare legislation relating to dogs, in particular re-homed...

Seanad: Protection of the Native Irish Honey Bee Bill 2021: Second Stage (2 Jun 2022)

Vincent P Martin: I thank my colleagues for their kind words and for their support, bar none, for this legislative initiative.I deliberately set out to have, if one looks at the list at the back of the Bill document, a representative from each of the groupings in this House and there are others who are not on the list who ought to be on the list. I know that Senator Keogan is a supporter as is...

Seanad: Planning and Development and Foreshore (Amendment) Bill 2022: Committee and Remaining Stages (8 Dec 2022)

Vincent P Martin: ...the chairperson the absolute discretion in one sense would not tie the hands of the chairperson. Because it is an absolute discretion, this person, who we would expect to be competent, can act and may decide in an awful situation to go directly to the Garda or may report it directly to the Minister, who is in a position to take action. I think the “may” is important because...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs: EU-UK relations and the implementation of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement and the Northern Ireland Protocol: Discussion (9 Nov 2022)

Vincent P Martin: ...moment since the Good Friday Agreement. It is not a high-level academic proposition, but there is a lack of trust. I am safe in my own comfort zone of coming from a school of republican nationalism. I believe the unionists' concerns are genuine. We all know the scars have not healed but I am worried they are not healing. We have an august gathering of expert guests today that is led...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (27 Sep 2022)

Vincent P Martin: I appreciate we will be talking about the budget later but I want to acknowledge that the Government really seemed to have a go today at making a tangible, robust response to the crippling issue of the cost of living. It has done so in a robust way but in a way that is not economically reckless. In this cost-of-living crisis, we should not lose sight of mental wellness and the power of...

Seanad: Death of Former Member: Expressions of Sympathy (7 Dec 2022)

Vincent P Martin: Senator Ó Donnghaile may be a relative newcomer to Seanad Éireann but Comhaontas Glas, or the Green Party, is brand new to it. This is our first time as a separate grouping in the Chamber. The opening words of Senators McGahern and O'Sullivan, who are from the two big parties that have been around since the foundation of the State, aptly summed up the late Senator Brennan. They...

Seanad: The Political Situation in Northern Ireland: Statements (25 Oct 2023)

Vincent P Martin: The Minister of State is very welcome to the Chamber. In opening the debate, the Tánaiste referred to parity of esteem. That is, of course, from the two governments who affirmed the importance of the principle of just and equal treatment for the identity, ethos and aspirations of both communities. As a guarantor of the agreement, one cannot say today that there is fairness,...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Medicinal Products (16 May 2023)

Vincent P Martin: I thank the Minister of State. Are we at the ready? Will things change? Sufferers want assurances. We have a track record of being in the Vauxhall non-league conference in terms of speed, when it comes to approving and funding such drugs. What is stopping Ireland being in the premier division? Then again, should we not all be equal in the context of the EU, as we are equal members of...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (22 Mar 2021)

Vincent P Martin: As Easter week approaches, I commend the initiative of Senator Keogan and others, who have arranged a Covid-compliant and safe press call tomorrow to ask the Government if it is doing enough to allow people of worship to return to their churches. Yesterday, the Bishop of Killaloe, Reverend Doctor Fintan Monahan, said people of faith have been shocked by the closure of our churches for public...

Seanad: Criminal Procedure Bill 2021: Second Stage (19 Apr 2021)

Vincent P Martin: The Minister is welcome to the Chamber, as always. The Green Party welcomes this Bill. It is a step in the right direction. Of course, we would like more but, because there has been, relatively speaking, such poor progress over many years in the administration of justice in the criminal courts, this is a significant step in the right direction. Justice delayed is justice denied. That is...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (10 Nov 2021)

Vincent P Martin: On behalf of the Green Party, An Comhaontas Glas, we closely associate ourselves with the remarks of the Cathaoirleach and previous speakers in conveying our deepest sympathy to Senator Currie and her family on the sad passing of Austin Currie. Austin was a fearless voice and an advocate of equality. Articulating those views at that time meant putting one's life in peril. It is only a...