Results 2,281-2,300 of 3,998 for speaker:Martin Kenny

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Expenditure (3 Oct 2019)

Martin Kenny: 33. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the part of the budget of An Garda Síochána the estimated €15 to €18 million cost of the visits of President Trump and Vice President Pence came from; the breakdown of the expenditure in view of the cost and the fact that the visits were of short duration; and if he will make a statement on the matter....

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Operations (3 Oct 2019)

Martin Kenny: 38. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the position regarding passport checks taking place on the Border at Garda checkpoints and on public transport; the rationale for this activity; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40129/19]

UN Climate Action Summit: Statements (2 Oct 2019)

Martin Kenny: A great deal has been said about the various issues. I want to focus on agriculture, farming and land use policy. My party disagreed with a portion of the report of the Joint Committee on Climate Action, mainly with regard to the carbon tax. We also disagreed with the findings of the report on how to use our land in a way that works for communities, farmers and people in the agriculture...

Firearms and Offensive Weapons (Amendment) Bill 2019: Second Stage [Private Members] (2 Oct 2019)

Martin Kenny: I commend Deputy O'Callaghan on bringing forward the Bill. The issue of knife crime, as well as violent crime in general, has affected communities across the country. The use of knives has had a dramatic and terrible effect on many victims and, often, the perpetrators also. As was pointed out, the perpetrator may have been intoxicated or under the influence of drugs and ended up in a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Online Harassment and Harmful Communications: Discussion (2 Oct 2019)

Martin Kenny: I thank the delegates for their contributions. I want to tease out the issues a little. It was stated correctly that there were some pieces of legislation. I note that Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire has a Bill, as does Deputy Howlin. A number of Deputies have brought forward legislation to deal with some aspect of the subject. While that is part of it, our work involves looking at the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Online Harassment and Harmful Communications: Discussion (2 Oct 2019)

Martin Kenny: The chief superintendent is saying that there are no international examples of this. It is a matter of starting from scratch.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Online Harassment and Harmful Communications: Discussion (2 Oct 2019)

Martin Kenny: The chief superintendent has made the point that the Internet is instantaneous. That is what is brilliant about it. One pushes a button and gets one's information immediately. It is a little bit too much of us to expect these companies to be able to detect when somebody posts a false or hateful comment or an offensive image and to take it down immediately. With regard to the period of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Online Harassment and Harmful Communications: Discussion (2 Oct 2019)

Martin Kenny: The other-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Online Harassment and Harmful Communications: Discussion (2 Oct 2019)

Martin Kenny: I thank Mr. Church. That is fine.

Forestry Sector: Motion [Private Members] (1 Oct 2019)

Martin Kenny: I welcome the Green Party’s motion. I have spoken to the Minister of State on many occasions about the issue of forestry, particularly in County Leitrim where I live. The county has a significant problem, which has been acknowledged to some extent by the Government in its report on forestry. It highlighted many of the problems we have. Many people in Leitrim do not want to live...

Criminal Records (Exchange of Information) Bill 2019: Second Stage (25 Sep 2019)

Martin Kenny: Sinn Féin supports the Bill but the question that begs to be asked is why it has taken so long to come before the House. ECRIS has been in operation in Ireland since 2012, which means that there has been some level of failure in terms of the bringing forward this legislation. That is disappointing. However, as has been stated, the Garda Síochána has been operating this...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (25 Sep 2019)

Martin Kenny: I understand the beef exceptional aid measure, BEAM, scheme is undersubscribed. This scheme needs to be re-opened and redefined in terms of eligibility. Many suckler farmers cannot participate in this scheme because one of the criteria is that they must reduce the size of their herd. The average suckler herd farmer in Ireland has approximately 18 cows, with most of those living in and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Direct Provision: Discussion with Ombudsman (25 Sep 2019)

Martin Kenny: I thank the witnesses for their contribution. The manner in which the asylum process is dealt with, and how we progress it, is one of the key issues raised with us on a continuous basis. Asylum seekers may have concerns about accommodation and different things, but as Mr. Tyndall has rightly pointed out, the stuff about tension in the community, about which we have been hearing for many...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Direct Provision: Discussion with Ombudsman (25 Sep 2019)

Martin Kenny: Another issue has arisen in recent times, now that people in the asylum process are allowed to work and can gain employment. That is one of the most positive developments for several reasons. Many people in the asylum process worked previously. They had little part-time jobs. Nobody knew about it; they got a little bit of cash in hand and the people who employed them were delighted to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Direct Provision: Discussion with Ombudsman (25 Sep 2019)

Martin Kenny: The current position is that an asylum seeker must be in the process for nine months before he or she can apply for work. That seems a long time. People go through the process in approximately 14 months, or in more recent cases ten or 11 months. They will almost have passed through the system by the time they can seek a job. In many cases the work they are looking for is low-skilled...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Direct Provision: Discussion with Ombudsman (25 Sep 2019)

Martin Kenny: My other question concerns where the different people come from. Reference is often made to the idea that people from Africa are different from people from other places. That is a nonsense, but it has been put out there. Does the Ombudsman monitor which nationalities make more complaints or have more difficulties in the process? Is that something the office has examined?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Direct Provision: Discussion with Ombudsman (25 Sep 2019)

Martin Kenny: Does the Office of the Ombudsman have much contact with the countries these people come from? Does its staff try to learn from experiences in other places? What level of contact does the office have with other European countries to monitor how the process is evolving there?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Direct Provision: Discussion with Ombudsman (25 Sep 2019)

Martin Kenny: In that context, do issues arise where a person from a particular country is living in Ireland and a family member is seeking asylum in a different EU jurisdiction? I have come across one situation where people in this position have been trying to bring the family unit together. Does the Ombudsman have a role there or any advice in that respect? I understand that so far it is not allowed.

Agrifood and Rural Development: Motion (24 Sep 2019)

Martin Kenny: I commend the Rural Independent Group on bringing forward this motion. One of the key elements of the beef crisis, which is one of the things that has led to the focus on this, is the suckler farmer. Suckler farmers in the west of Ireland are under significant stress. When one looks at the economics of it, one can see that they do not work very well. I commend the Chairman of the...

Written Answers — Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Brexit Supports (24 Sep 2019)

Martin Kenny: 383. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the rules of the BEAM scheme will be reviewed (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38218/19]