Results 21,641-21,660 of 26,960 for speaker:Richard Boyd Barrett

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (3 Jul 2013)

Richard Boyd Barrett: It is unfortunate people are choosing to score political points.

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (3 Jul 2013)

Richard Boyd Barrett: I made a point which I stand over. The context is the Savita Halappanavar case where time and delays were an issue. It is reasonable to point to that and say women would have concerns and fears. I said the Minister was not acknowledging the fact that this fear of delay was a legitimate concern.

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (3 Jul 2013)

Richard Boyd Barrett: Deputy Ó Cuív made a reasonable point.  

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (3 Jul 2013)

Richard Boyd Barrett: I did not hear Deputy Creed's points.  In the case of Savita Halappanavar the issue of time and urgency was a factor.  Where disputes or uncertainty arise, time becomes a factor.  There is great value in underlining in the legislation the need for urgency to ensure any life-saving procedure or consultation required is expedited.  That is important in light of events that...

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill 2013: Committee Stage (Resumed) (3 Jul 2013)

Richard Boyd Barrett: Are we dealing with amendment No. 18?

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education and Training Boards Issues (3 Jul 2013)

Richard Boyd Barrett: 45. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the impact of the move from Dun Laoghaire to Tallaght, Dublin, for the staff of Dun Laoghaire Vocational Education Committee and the delivery of services in the area; if he has considered the impact on education services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32244/13]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (3 Jul 2013)

Richard Boyd Barrett: 60. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills when a school (details supplied) in County Dublin may expect to receive funding for much needed refurbishment; when this refurbishment is scheduled to take place in view of the fact that it was due to be re-developed in 2011; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32242/13]

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill 2013: Committee Stage (2 Jul 2013)

Richard Boyd Barrett: I wish to signal a couple of points I intend to raise on Report Stage. First, I intend to bring forward an amendment which would insert a definition of "appropriately qualified practitioner" in line 25 of page 5. This relates to other amendments we will propose further down the road. In some places the current draft Bill is too prescriptive about who the practitioners should be. We need...

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill 2013: Committee Stage (2 Jul 2013)

Richard Boyd Barrett: That is a good idea.

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill 2013: Committee Stage (2 Jul 2013)

Richard Boyd Barrett: I am concerned about the intent behind some of these proposals. Amendment No. 45, in particular, is effectively proposing the provision of directive counselling for women. That is an important point to make. The Minister said he will bring forward an amendment on Report Stage to deal with some of the concerns reflected in the proposals by Deputies Billy Kelleher and Denis Naughten. I...

European Council in Brussels: Statements (2 Jul 2013)

Richard Boyd Barrett: The utterly shocking revelations arising from the Anglo tapes obviously provided a critically important context to last week's EU Council meeting. Much of the discourse and media debate around those revelations has focused on the reputational damage to Ireland. We need to move away from the idea that such damage has been done. President Higgins was correct in stating that the outrageous...

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill 2013: Committee Stage (2 Jul 2013)

Richard Boyd Barrett: I oppose the amendments. They second guess the doctors' medical assessment of the case in such a way as to put pressure on them to take into consideration factors other than the health of the woman. That is problematic because it is directive when it should not be. This is entirely misplaced and could lead to the uncertainty that surrounded the Savita Halappanavar case, whereby people are...

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill 2013: Committee Stage (2 Jul 2013)

Richard Boyd Barrett: The Minister of State acknowledged that there is no certainty.

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill 2013: Committee Stage (2 Jul 2013)

Richard Boyd Barrett: Exactly, that is the point. Even with the Bill, setting aside this issue, the Minister is having to go on the balance of probability and the best advice he can get as to whether what he has put forward as being compatible with the Constitution will pass muster if it is challenged legally. The Minister does not have certainty, yet he is pressing ahead because he feels it is important to...

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill 2013: Committee Stage (2 Jul 2013)

Richard Boyd Barrett: My point is that given the seriousness of the issue, given the tragic nature of these situations and their frequency, and the moral obligation on all of us to do everything we possibly can to avert a situation where more women must unnecessarily go through these tragic circumstances, surely the Minister has an obligation to explore every possibility for including this element in the Bill. ...

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill 2013: Committee Stage (2 Jul 2013)

Richard Boyd Barrett: I did not really get an answer on that point.

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill 2013: Committee Stage (2 Jul 2013)

Richard Boyd Barrett: We are discussing this because very brave women who faced a horrendous, cruel and unacceptable situation had the courage to come forward and tell of their truly tragic circumstances, when they had wanted pregnancies but received a diagnosis that the foetus they were carrying had a condition that was incompatible with life. I repeat, incompatible with life. That is the key phrase which...

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill 2013: Committee Stage (2 Jul 2013)

Richard Boyd Barrett: This is relevant to the discussion. It is a question of whether there can be a legal challenge to this legislation or whether we have constitutional certainty even about the existing legislation that the Minister is proposing. The Minister of State, Deputy Creighton, has pointed out that we do not have constitutional certainty about the Bill as a whole.

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill 2013: Committee Stage (2 Jul 2013)

Richard Boyd Barrett: This is about the Bill.

Committee on Health and Children: Select Sub-Committee on Health: Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill 2013: Committee Stage (2 Jul 2013)

Richard Boyd Barrett: I am not casting any aspersions. I am talking about an argument that she made, that even setting this aside, there is no legal certainty about this Bill. It can be challenged. On the basis of the argument that the Minister of State is using we would have to strike down other elements of the Bill but the Minister of State is not proposing to do that. The Minister of State, Deputy White's,...