Results 241-260 of 1,048,369 for in 'Dáil debates' OR in 'Committee meetings' (speaker:Rory O'Hanlon OR speaker:Jennifer Whitmore OR speaker:Catherine Connolly)

Criminal Justice (Amendment) Bill 2024: Second Stage (24 Sep 2024)

Michael Collins: The main point of the changes being made in this criminal justice Bill is to address how young people who commit serious crimes like murder are sentenced. Specifically, it deals with the situations where someone commits a crime as a child but is sentenced after they reach the age of 18. We are speaking about the sentencing of young people. I was talking to a mother the other day on the...

Criminal Justice (Amendment) Bill 2024: Second Stage (24 Sep 2024)

Helen McEntee: That is not true.

Criminal Justice (Amendment) Bill 2024: Second Stage (24 Sep 2024)

Peadar Tóibín: Every day, more and more gardaí are resigning and retiring. Every day, gardaí are being attacked in this country. There is a breakdown in the criminal justice system which is leading to a situation where some criminals feel they can get away with murder with impunity if necessary. That is a very serious issue. I will repeat the core points on this issue. We certainly want to...

Criminal Justice (Amendment) Bill 2024: Second Stage (24 Sep 2024)

Mattie McGrath: I am. I was at a briefing with the Ceann Comhairle. Interestingly, it was about the security of Members and staff. I certainly want to comment on this situation. It is very important that we try to take all measures to protect all of our citizens, and not only Members of this House and whoever else. The situation is very bad at present. It has deteriorated rapidly under the...

Criminal Justice (Amendment) Bill 2024: Second Stage (24 Sep 2024)

Catherine Connolly: I want to remind the Deputy that we are on the Criminal Justice (Amendment) Bill 2024.

Criminal Justice (Amendment) Bill 2024: Second Stage (24 Sep 2024)

Mattie McGrath: I know that. I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle. There are a lot of amendments and changes that need to be made. Some of them are here, and some are missing. We can have all the amendments, Bills and legislation that we like, but we do not have basic numbers of members of An Garda Síochána. We should cut out the spin and the announcements of how many gardaí are being...

Criminal Justice (Amendment) Bill 2024: Second Stage (24 Sep 2024)

Catherine Connolly: I am loath to stop Deputy McGrath, but I have stopped a lot of TDs today. This Bill is about disapplying the mandatory life sentence for murder for minors. Please direct the discussion to the subject of the Bill.

Criminal Justice (Amendment) Bill 2024: Second Stage (24 Sep 2024)

Mattie McGrath: Of course it is. We have seen the murder of members of An Garda Síochána and different people. Any murder, the taking of life, is the most heinous crime there is. Of course there should be mandatory sentences, and not a slipshod version of it - that is not a life sentence. Life should mean life because after all, somebody has taken another person's life. The situation regarding...

Criminal Justice (Amendment) Bill 2024: Second Stage (24 Sep 2024)

Michael Healy-Rae: Amending the Criminal Justice Act 1990 was always going to be a very difficult and tenuous thing to do because of what is involved. How we deal with young offenders - especially people who take the life of a person, even if the person taking that life is under 18 years of age - is obviously a very serious thing. The deterrents have to be in place. We have to highlight the fact that taking...

Criminal Justice (Amendment) Bill 2024: Second Stage (24 Sep 2024)

Peadar Tóibín: I understand what the Minister is seeking to do with this Bill. We support the objective behind the Bill in this case. The law in this area has to be changed because current practice has been deemed unconstitutional. All minors should be treated equally under the law when considering their age. That is a really important issue. A couple of issues arise in the context of what is...

Criminal Justice (Amendment) Bill 2024: Second Stage (24 Sep 2024)

Brendan Howlin: As the Minister stated, this is very short, focused legislation to deal with the anomaly that has arisen on foot of the High Court case, one that was considered by the justice committee in light of an application by the Minister to waive pre-legislative scrutiny. I am not a member of the justice committee anymore, but waiving pre-legislative scrutiny is not something I am particularly...

Criminal Justice (Amendment) Bill 2024: Second Stage (24 Sep 2024)

Catherine Connolly: I have given great leeway to Deputy Ó Murchú.

Criminal Justice (Amendment) Bill 2024: Second Stage (24 Sep 2024)

Ruairi Ó Murchú: I appreciate the leeway the Leas-Cheann Comhairle has given me.

Criminal Justice (Amendment) Bill 2024: Second Stage (24 Sep 2024)

Catherine Connolly: My leniency is-----

Criminal Justice (Amendment) Bill 2024: Second Stage (24 Sep 2024)

Ruairi Ó Murchú: On some level, there is general agreement on this legislation and the fact it fixes the legal issue. There is scope, however, for considerable sentences being issued where the Bill applies to an offender. We are not opposing the passage of the Bill at this point in time. There is, however, a considerable amount of work which needs to be done, particularly in that field that relates to...

Criminal Justice (Amendment) Bill 2024: Second Stage (24 Sep 2024)

Imelda Munster: As my colleague has explained, Sinn Féin will not be opposing the Bill, which will remove both the mandatory life sentence for murder and the minimum custodial period for capital murder for people who are under the age of 18 when they commit the offence. We support legal certainty in sentencing, particularly in cases such as the one that has resulted in this legislation and related to a...

Criminal Justice (Amendment) Bill 2024: Second Stage (24 Sep 2024)

Catherine Connolly: As I reminded the Deputy’s colleague, we are on the Criminal Justice (Amendment) Bill 2024.

Criminal Justice (Amendment) Bill 2024: Second Stage (24 Sep 2024)

Imelda Munster: I know but this is interlinked in some way.

Criminal Justice (Amendment) Bill 2024: Second Stage (24 Sep 2024)

Catherine Connolly: I am desperately trying to see it. I will show leniency.

Criminal Justice (Amendment) Bill 2024: Second Stage (24 Sep 2024)

Imelda Munster: I will continue a bit more and perhaps the Leas-Cheann Comhairle will see the link. The Government’s approach has had disastrous consequences and has caused upset for people coming into the country seeking protection, as well as for people in local communities in some cases. The Government has approached the issue by throwing money at the situation, with millions of euro flowing from...