Results 2,681-2,700 of 3,693 for speaker:Lynn Ruane

Seanad: Local Government Rates and Other Matters Bill 2018: Committee and Remaining Stages (10 Jul 2019)

Lynn Ruane: Given that the Department or the local authorities would be developing the scheme, it could be designed to disallow the large charity shops. Does the Minister of State know what I mean?

Seanad: Local Government Rates and Other Matters Bill 2018: Committee and Remaining Stages (10 Jul 2019)

Lynn Ruane: The amendment gives the power to develop what the scheme would look like. It is not necessarily about providing for a blanket inclusion.

Seanad: Local Government Rates and Other Matters Bill 2018: Committee and Remaining Stages (10 Jul 2019)

Lynn Ruane: I will make a brief note. We cannot address circumstances case by case. The point I will make is very local. I never do that, so I will allow myself this once. The Minister of State referred to the public consultation process, but the likes of the Manna Charity Shop will not exist when this Bill is signed into law. The rates section of the Department and the local authority need to...

Seanad: Local Government Rates and Other Matters Bill 2018: Committee and Remaining Stages (10 Jul 2019)

Lynn Ruane: I thank the Minister of State.

Seanad: Local Government Rates and Other Matters Bill 2018: Committee and Remaining Stages (10 Jul 2019)

Lynn Ruane: I will withdraw it based on the Minister of State's response.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Spent Convictions: Discussion (10 Jul 2019)

Lynn Ruane: I thank the Cathaoirleach and colleagues for allowing me to present to the committee today. I will mainly be covering the Private Members’ Bill, the Criminal Justice (Rehabilitative Periods) Bill 2019, which I was delighted to see pass Second Stage in the Seanad in February with unanimous, cross-party support. The Bill would expand access to spent convictions to people other than...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Spent Convictions: Discussion (10 Jul 2019)

Lynn Ruane: I agree with the IPRT. I was trying to judge what the mood was like. I wanted to bring people around to the idea that the single conviction rule is not enough and getting them to think in what other ways we can approach it. As my legislation moves through the Houses, I am open to working with everybody to make the legislation as accessible and as liberal as possible. I am not married to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Spent Convictions: Discussion (10 Jul 2019)

Lynn Ruane: Sometimes, we look at employment versus unemployment but there is also an issue about what jobs people are being pushed towards because of spent convictions. It is also about the type of employment, in particular if one is a young man from a working class community. We received many representations from young men who wanted to join the Army but who were excluded because of one minor offence...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Spent Convictions: Discussion (10 Jul 2019)

Lynn Ruane: It is covered slightly in the current legislation. It looks at a single incident. As someone who has worked in the addiction sector, I have supported people who either had an episode of psychosis and ended up realising after one week that they faced ten different charges being dealt with in ten different courts. It is the management of that. I do not know whether Ms Ní Chinnéide...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Spent Convictions: Discussion (10 Jul 2019)

Lynn Ruane: We constantly put the onus in terms of employment on the person with the conviction but an information campaign is also needed for employers to let them know it is Garda vetting, not Garda clearance. So many employers read the Garda vetting, see there is something on it and do not give the applicant the job, even though whatever is contained in the vetting has nothing to do with the skills...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Spent Convictions: Discussion (10 Jul 2019)

Lynn Ruane: Fortunately, while some barriers and concerns get raised the feedback has on the whole been hugely positive, publicly and politically. People have seemed open and welcoming to the idea of expanding spent convictions. That is probably down to the number of representations that people get in their offices and they see that it affects almost everybody, or almost every family, in some way. ...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Spent Convictions: Discussion (10 Jul 2019)

Lynn Ruane: In consultation with stakeholders, I created a table which contains a proportionality scale. It was an attempt to look at everything from fines upwards. At present, a person could have a fine or community service period on their record for seven years, although it is minor stuff. It did not feel proportionate to have a blanket seven years. What we attempted to do in the tables was to set...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Spent Convictions: Discussion (10 Jul 2019)

Lynn Ruane: I agree. For spent convictions and convictions in general, it is not about what the public will or will not say about the matter. I did not have any negative pushback when I introduced the legislation. People understand it. It highlights the disproportionate way in which such laws and regimes affect people in minority groups and lower social classes. It is not that the likelihood of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Spent Convictions: Discussion (10 Jul 2019)

Lynn Ruane: I return to the aspect of young adults and society. A reason I am so interested in the matter is, as I have written publicly, I was a young offender and it is only because of societal interventions that I am where I am. It is because people ignored the Garda vetting process to give me employment at a young age in the area of addiction. At home I have a shoebox full of letters from young...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Spent Convictions: Discussion (10 Jul 2019)

Lynn Ruane: I will have to find the research and submit it to the committee. I will follow up on Mr. Walsh's point. Research has been done in Scotland and it was found that when the spent convictions regime was improved there was a notable reduction in recidivism. That might be something we can look to in terms of research. The public would obviously like to see that any change results in a reduction...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Spent Convictions: Discussion (10 Jul 2019)

Lynn Ruane: I will answer the first question and then I will hand over to Dr. McIntyre for the second part.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Spent Convictions: Discussion (10 Jul 2019)

Lynn Ruane: It has been addressed somewhat, but Dr. McIntyre can repeat himself. The Department of Justice and Equality has been open to the legislation. We have had numerous positive interactions. Obviously, we have had support across the Houses on Second Stage. That can materialise but then disappear. I believe there is a will around this. I spoke earlier about the number of representations...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Spent Convictions: Discussion (10 Jul 2019)

Lynn Ruane: No, I think we have managed to cover everything. Dr. McIntyre's last point on the guidance from the Data Protection Commissioner in regard to people's privacy is an important one to consider. I thank the witnesses for their time and we look forward to the report.

Seanad Public Consultation Committee: Travellers Towards a More Equitable Ireland Post-Recognition: Discussion (9 Jul 2019)

Lynn Ruane: I have three questions. Mr. Joyce said something that stood out regarding collusion. I zoned in on that straightaway. Could he elaborate on that because as a working-class woman, I have wondered whether I am colluding and becoming part of a system and whether this is all worth it? If we do not see outcomes and change, is it collusion, box-ticking, a case of, "Look, we spoke to...

Seanad Public Consultation Committee: Travellers Towards a More Equitable Ireland Post-Recognition: Discussion (9 Jul 2019)

Lynn Ruane: I remember first meeting him when he was in second or third year. It might have been an event we were doing. Could he elaborate on the financial scholarship idea? Would that be done by the educational institutions or would it be a national support system? Over the next few years, it will be said, "Look what Patrick has done. He has a PhD. Why aren't the rest of you getting that?" That...