Results 2,861-2,880 of 18,761 for speaker:Michael McDowell
- Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (21 Nov 2018)
Michael McDowell: I know why she is proposing to do it-----
- Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (21 Nov 2018)
Michael McDowell: I can speak on the question of whether she should be given leave to withdraw it, which is what I am doing now.
- Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (21 Nov 2018)
Michael McDowell: When the Chair asked that, he did not look in my direction. In any event, the point I am making is that this is an important amendment. Even though, in one respect it is only the word "and" or "or", it has significance. In a second respect, the postgraduate research is also an important issue. Everybody carries out non-postgraduate research. As Senator Norris said, this idea that-----
- Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (21 Nov 2018)
Michael McDowell: On a point of order-----
- Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (21 Nov 2018)
Michael McDowell: The Minister should be aware that somebody cannot just put an amendment down and withdraw it and have the House assume that it is about to decide something of importance and then say it is not deciding it because I am withdrawing it. Once an amendment is tabled it cannot just be withdrawn unilaterally. The Member has to get the agreement of the House.
- Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (21 Nov 2018)
Michael McDowell: Senator Bacik now has the agreement of the House and I am grateful to her because she has explained it.
- Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (21 Nov 2018)
Michael McDowell: No.
- Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (21 Nov 2018)
Michael McDowell: I am merely saying that the Minister seems to think that any Member can table an amendment and withdraw it and just pull the rug out from under a debate without the leave of the House. That is not true.
- Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (21 Nov 2018)
Michael McDowell: There was no amendment down to remove the first few lines of this section which is about the eligibility of a District Court judge after two years' service to be "qualified for appointment as a judge of the High Court". I am against that proposition for the reasons I have already explained and I am not going to repeat them now. I do not want to delay the House unnecessarily. I am against...
- Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (21 Nov 2018)
Michael McDowell: I have not been following the debate exactly but I have the impression that the Oireachtas has already passed legislation for the technological universities.
- Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (21 Nov 2018)
Michael McDowell: Are they? Does the 1997 Act apply to them?
- Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (21 Nov 2018)
Michael McDowell: Has the other legislation been passed?
- Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (21 Nov 2018)
Michael McDowell: I am not trying to be troublesome but I believe the legislation is already enacted for those technological universities.
- Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (21 Nov 2018)
Michael McDowell: If we do not change this we may miss the bus on this definition of a university.
- Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (21 Nov 2018)
Michael McDowell: It was signed into law by the President on 19 March of this year. Unless there is a deeming provision that the provisions of the Universities Act also apply to the technological universities it would be necessary to make provision for it in this Act.
- Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (21 Nov 2018)
Michael McDowell: This is the first section in Chapter 2 of Part 6 of the Bill. We are now getting to a crucial portion of this proposed legislation. Chapter 2 is concerned with eligibility and preconditions for appointment to the relevant judicial offices. What I have a major problem with is that section 34(1) states: "Nothing in this Chapter shall be construed as being applicable to a judicial office to...
- Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (21 Nov 2018)
Michael McDowell: That is my point, a Leas-Chathaoirligh, I was just going to point that out. I therefore cannot agree with what is provided in section 34(1), which refers to that. I am opposed completely to the procedure set out in section 44. When this Bill started off, there was to be a fast-track for those positions which did not involve a visit to the judicial appointments commission. It was amended I...
- Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (21 Nov 2018)
Michael McDowell: I want to make one point. I see the point. I am sorry.
- Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (21 Nov 2018)
Michael McDowell: The Minister is signalling we will not reach the amendments on which this great discourse he is promising is going to happen today.
- Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (21 Nov 2018)
Michael McDowell: In view of that concession by the Minister, it is probably a good idea to put this section to a vote and we will deal with the matter on the next day.