Results 3,041-3,060 of 7,412 for speaker:Neasa Hourigan

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Film Relief Section 481 Tax Credit: Discussion (resumed) (18 Jan 2023)

Neasa Hourigan: Deputy Boyd Barrett, you cannot paraphrase a witness. The witness can answer.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Film Relief Section 481 Tax Credit: Discussion (resumed) (18 Jan 2023)

Neasa Hourigan: Deputy Boyd Barrett.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: General Scheme of the Health (Termination of Pregnancy Services (Safe Access Zones)) Bill 2022: Department of Health (Resumed) (18 Jan 2023)

Neasa Hourigan: I am happy to facilitate that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: General Scheme of the Health (Termination of Pregnancy Services (Safe Access Zones)) Bill 2022: Department of Health (Resumed) (18 Jan 2023)

Neasa Hourigan: I thank the witnesses for all their hard work on this. It is a really impressive level of engagement. It is a complex piece of legislation. Some of the questions around the timelines and so on which were a concern have been asked. I found the document we received in our briefings around the witnesses' response to the Garda Síochána really useful. I direct attention to page...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: General Scheme of the Health (Termination of Pregnancy Services (Safe Access Zones)) Bill 2022: Department of Health (Resumed) (18 Jan 2023)

Neasa Hourigan: No, that is a very comprehensive way of answering. I will outline my concern on involving the DPP. From our interaction with the Garda, we gathered that there is concern about the implementation of this law. I have a concern that, if it becomes an established standard within this legislation to involve the DPP where it is not really in the public interest actually to prosecute, and there...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: General Scheme of the Health (Termination of Pregnancy Services (Safe Access Zones)) Bill 2022: Department of Health (Resumed) (18 Jan 2023)

Neasa Hourigan: My response to that, if the Garda was here, would be that, until a case is prosecuted and tested, that cannot really be known. Sending it to the DPP just creates a kind of artificial barrier before the law even gets tested. If we continue to use the DPP as that barrier, we will never get to the point where it gets challenged and tested. It is very useful to do that. I have outlined my...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: General Scheme of the Health (Termination of Pregnancy Services (Safe Access Zones)) Bill 2022: Department of Health (Resumed) (18 Jan 2023)

Neasa Hourigan: That would be very useful because there is significant interest in the legislation. One of the conversations we had at length with the Garda was the recording of offences as it stands now and whether it was possible for gardaí to gather data in a meaningful way as they relate to these kinds of events. At the time the Garda did not have that data. Has it provided any additional data to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: General Scheme of the Health (Termination of Pregnancy Services (Safe Access Zones)) Bill 2022: Department of Health (Resumed) (18 Jan 2023)

Neasa Hourigan: No, it is useful. We could list out many more. I am aware of many. Is the way the clinical advisory forum is gathering that data formalised?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: General Scheme of the Health (Termination of Pregnancy Services (Safe Access Zones)) Bill 2022: Department of Health (Resumed) (18 Jan 2023)

Neasa Hourigan: So it is ad hoc?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: General Scheme of the Health (Termination of Pregnancy Services (Safe Access Zones)) Bill 2022: Department of Health (Resumed) (18 Jan 2023)

Neasa Hourigan: The Garda has not produced any further data or anything. Does Ms Mason know of any plans the Garda has from any of the discussions the Department has had with it?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: General Scheme of the Health (Termination of Pregnancy Services (Safe Access Zones)) Bill 2022: Department of Health (Resumed) (18 Jan 2023)

Neasa Hourigan: Well, we did, to be clear, but it has not provided it.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: General Scheme of the Health (Termination of Pregnancy Services (Safe Access Zones)) Bill 2022: Department of Health (Resumed) (18 Jan 2023)

Neasa Hourigan: That is very heartening. That is exactly the right approach, that is, a climate in which this does not happen. On that issue, the next section is about the advice of the OPC on the harassment of health service providers. I wish to clarify two items more for the record than anything else. We may see an unintended consequence, since these protests would not be possible within certain...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: General Scheme of the Health (Termination of Pregnancy Services (Safe Access Zones)) Bill 2022: Department of Health (Resumed) (18 Jan 2023)

Neasa Hourigan: On the previous page it is confirmed there is an intention to allow what may otherwise be prohibited conduct within 100 m of the Houses of the Oireachtas. For clarity, will people still be able to protest and still be able to come to the Houses of the Oireachtas?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: General Scheme of the Health (Termination of Pregnancy Services (Safe Access Zones)) Bill 2022: Department of Health (Resumed) (18 Jan 2023)

Neasa Hourigan: That is fantastic. I thank the witnesses again for all their hard work. I had one other question but it has completely gone out of my head.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Film Relief Section 481 Tax Credit: Discussion (resumed) (18 Jan 2023)

Neasa Hourigan: Would Ms Nash like to respond to that? It is about how we communicate the film industry to other regions.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Film Relief Section 481 Tax Credit: Discussion (resumed) (18 Jan 2023)

Neasa Hourigan: Let us try to keep ourselves out of hot water and not name.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Film Relief Section 481 Tax Credit: Discussion (resumed) (18 Jan 2023)

Neasa Hourigan: When Mr. Kavanagh states "how we usually do things" does he mean domestically?

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Film Relief Section 481 Tax Credit: Discussion (resumed) (18 Jan 2023)

Neasa Hourigan: Okay. I think that is the case.

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Film Relief Section 481 Tax Credit: Discussion (resumed) (18 Jan 2023)

Neasa Hourigan: This will be pretty much the last session we will do on section 481 and then we will go in to report-writing stage. Is there anything the witnesses wish to add to the information we have had today?

Committee on Budgetary Oversight: Film Relief Section 481 Tax Credit: Discussion (resumed) (18 Jan 2023)

Neasa Hourigan: I thank the witnesses for attending. I know we can tend to run late and that some of the witnesses travelled to be here. I thank them very much for their time. The discussion was illuminating.