Results 2,181-2,200 of 18,851 for speaker:Fergus O'Dowd
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: British Government Legacy Proposals: Discussion (7 Jul 2022)
Fergus O'Dowd: I warmly welcome the representatives of the model Bill team, Professor Kieran McEvoy of Queen's University Belfast and Mr. Daniel Holder of the Committee on the Administration of Justice, to discuss the response of the model Bill team to the UK Government's Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Bill. Before we begin, I will explain the usual limitations on parliamentary...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: British Government Legacy Proposals: Discussion (7 Jul 2022)
Fergus O'Dowd: A number of us recently visited Washington in the United States. We met with the Ancient Order of Hibernians, AOH, and it made a recommendation to us at that time that we make such a recommendation to the Government if and when the legislation was passed. Some Senators were absent due to a vote. We agreed that the order would be Fine Gael, Sinn Féin, Fianna Fáil, the SDLP,...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: British Government Legacy Proposals: Discussion (7 Jul 2022)
Fergus O'Dowd: That was a particularly important reference because it made the UK Government reverse its policy.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: British Government Legacy Proposals: Discussion (7 Jul 2022)
Fergus O'Dowd: The witnesses mentioned, in their opening remarks, that victims groups from all sides are also deeply concerned about the legislation. I live in County Louth. There are two particularly appalling murders that I can remember, those of Tom Oliver and Jean McConville. No matter who murdered those people, they were appalling, evil acts. There are people outside of state forces who carried out...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: British Government Legacy Proposals: Discussion (7 Jul 2022)
Fergus O'Dowd: This amnesty will also apply to them. That is the case, is it not?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: British Government Legacy Proposals: Discussion (7 Jul 2022)
Fergus O'Dowd: I think it is important to stress the balance in that view, in that whoever carried out evil acts and murdered people should be held to account and subject to due process. That is an important point to make.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: British Government Legacy Proposals: Discussion (7 Jul 2022)
Fergus O'Dowd: We will move on to the Sinn Féin slot now.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: British Government Legacy Proposals: Discussion (7 Jul 2022)
Fergus O'Dowd: One point is that under the Stormont House Agreement the Director of Public Prosecutions, DPP's, office decided who would be prosecuted. Not having that is an appalling vista.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: British Government Legacy Proposals: Discussion (7 Jul 2022)
Fergus O'Dowd: That is a fair point to make. I do not know if other people found it to be the same, but from the discussions we have had with people, there seems to be an increasing credibility in the system as it has developed up to now. Various people have said that to me.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: British Government Legacy Proposals: Discussion (7 Jul 2022)
Fergus O'Dowd: Our State could only start that process after the legislation was passed.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: British Government Legacy Proposals: Discussion (7 Jul 2022)
Fergus O'Dowd: Stopping inquests.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: British Government Legacy Proposals: Discussion (7 Jul 2022)
Fergus O'Dowd: The witnesses' contributions have been helpful. Moving on to the second round, I will ask a question. A solution was found to the problems in South Africa that was acceptable, but this legislation clearly is not acceptable. What should we do now to-----
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: British Government Legacy Proposals: Discussion (7 Jul 2022)
Fergus O'Dowd: The proposal in this legislation is that, once the individual makes a statement on the matter, that is it.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: British Government Legacy Proposals: Discussion (7 Jul 2022)
Fergus O'Dowd: Obviously, there are opposition parties in the United Kingdom. I do not mean this in a rude way, but what effort was put in to make sure that the arguments the witnesses are making now and that we are hearing were made to members of the UK Parliament? I would have thought that the Labour Party at least would take an interest in the point about Mr. Pinochet and company because Pinochet was a...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: British Government Legacy Proposals: Discussion (7 Jul 2022)
Fergus O'Dowd: I know other members want to come in. When a state actor who died during a legal process was being buried in the UK, there was a huge crowd at his funeral. We watched it on the television. The crowd included Members of Parliament and so on. He was a hero to those people. In other words, there is a huge issue with the policy we are making being reflected in the media or in people's...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: British Government Legacy Proposals: Discussion (7 Jul 2022)
Fergus O'Dowd: How were the witnesses able to fund their work? I am sorry, Senator McGahon.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: British Government Legacy Proposals: Discussion (7 Jul 2022)
Fergus O'Dowd: I will call Ms Gildernew if she is still online.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: British Government Legacy Proposals: Discussion (7 Jul 2022)
Fergus O'Dowd: We lost the last part of what Ms Gildernew was saying.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: British Government Legacy Proposals: Discussion (7 Jul 2022)
Fergus O'Dowd: And with victims at the centre.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: British Government Legacy Proposals: Discussion (7 Jul 2022)
Fergus O'Dowd: That is what the Stormont House Agreement was supposed to be about.