Results 3,821-3,840 of 4,717 for speaker:Martin Mansergh

Seanad: Family Law: Motion. (5 May 2004)

Martin Mansergh: Adding our amendment to the motion put forward by Senator Henry should satisfy the interests of all sides of the House.

Seanad: Twenty-seventh Amendment of the Constitution Bill 2004: Committee Stage (Resumed). (5 May 2004)

Martin Mansergh: Perhaps we should look for it under freedom of information.

Seanad: Twenty-seventh Amendment of the Constitution Bill 2004: Committee Stage (Resumed). (5 May 2004)

Martin Mansergh: This raises the interesting question of whether a parent is a parent regardless of whether he or she is alive or dead. I have a bad habit in public discourse of referring to my late father. My wife constantly corrects me on this, saying that he is my father, always was my father and always will be my father. It does not follow that a person should cease to be a parent simply because he or she...

Seanad: Twenty-seventh Amendment of the Constitution Bill 2004: Committee Stage (Resumed). (5 May 2004)

Martin Mansergh: Beginning with me.

Seanad: Twenty-seventh Amendment of the Constitution Bill 2004: Committee Stage (Resumed). (5 May 2004)

Martin Mansergh: No.

Seanad: Twenty-seventh Amendment of the Constitution Bill 2004: Committee Stage (Resumed). (5 May 2004)

Martin Mansergh: What the Minister said is correct but as a former diplomatic officer who had to deal with consular, passport and nationality matters I would like to put Senator Tuffy's mind at rest about a person, who is an Irish citizen, who goes abroad, marries and comes back here. One parent is sufficient to provide citizenship. Otherwise, the founder of our party and our State would have been in trouble....

Seanad: Family Law: Motion. (5 May 2004)

Martin Mansergh: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Family Law: Motion. (5 May 2004)

Martin Mansergh: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Parlon, and his officials. I also welcome the motion tabled by the Independent Senators on which there has already been an extremely worthwhile debate. It is far better in this type of area to proceed by means of debate, clarification and consensus. Like most Members, I recall that 20 years ago this type of debate could have been quite divisive with one...

Seanad: Family Law: Motion. (5 May 2004)

Martin Mansergh: The debate must be broader than that. I recall instances where brothers and sisters, friends or whomever lived together. We should not, therefore, view relationships in terms of sexuality. As Senator O'Toole stated, outside of marriage, people's precise relationship with each other, regardless of its nature, is no one else's business. There is an exception, however, if there are children...

Seanad: Family Law: Motion. (5 May 2004)

Martin Mansergh: The Minister agreed with me.

Seanad: Twenty-seventh Amendment of the Constitution Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (5 May 2004)

Martin Mansergh: If we continue the Committee Stage for another 15 minutes, we can take Private Members' business until 7.15 p.m.

Seanad: Twenty-seventh Amendment of the Constitution Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (5 May 2004)

Martin Mansergh: This is a matter in which I have a deep interest not least because of its connection to the Good Friday Agreement. I have complete confidence in the way the Minister is going about dealing with this matter. To refer this Bill to the All-Party Oireachtas Committee on the Constitution would be simply a delaying tactic. This is a relatively straightforward and simple change and it addresses two...

Seanad: Twenty-seventh Amendment of the Constitution Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (5 May 2004)

Martin Mansergh: On the point of two articles of the Constitution being read together, there is an exact parallel in the Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956. One of the articles in that legislation states that every child born is an Irish citizen, while a separate article states that if a person is born outside the jurisdiction in Northern Ireland he or she must make a declaration to take up citizenship....

Seanad: Ombudsman's Report: Statements. (5 May 2004)

Martin Mansergh: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Parlon, and his officials to the House. I am an enthusiast for the office of the Ombudsman, which was established in 1980. The establishment of the office was one of the many excellent administrative reforms introduced by the much-maligned Government that served between 1977 and 1981. The creation of an independent electoral commission was a similar...

Seanad: Order of Business. (5 May 2004)

Martin Mansergh: Perhaps Hanly is in the accident and emergency department rather than being dead or alive.

Seanad: Order of Business. (5 May 2004)

Martin Mansergh: I hope we will have an economic debate some time this session. I am pleased to see Ireland moving back up to tenth place in the world competitiveness league, only behind Finland, Denmark and Luxembourg and ahead of all the larger states of the EU. The Minister and the Government deserve some credit for establishing the Commission on Electronic Voting.

Seanad: Order of Business. (5 May 2004)

Martin Mansergh: The Opposition wants to damn us if we do and damn us if we do not.

Seanad: Order of Business. (5 May 2004)

Martin Mansergh: The Senator wanted it rather quickly.

Seanad: Twenty-seventh Amendment of the Constitution Bill 2004: Second Stage (Resumed). (30 Apr 2004)

Martin Mansergh: Come back, all is forgiven.

Seanad: Twenty-seventh Amendment of the Constitution Bill 2004: Second Stage (Resumed). (30 Apr 2004)

Martin Mansergh: May I take the opportunity to welcome Senator White to the House? I thinkshe represented many of us in seeing thatjustice would be done. As I said to Senator Ross, we would not have to send out rescue parties forher, she would be returning in clouds oftriumph. I welcome the Minister to the House. I am a little surprised that Article 2 should be a matter of such controversy so soon again, but...