Results 3,901-3,920 of 18,728 for speaker:Michael McDowell

Seanad: Order of Business (4 Apr 2017)

Michael McDowell: May I interrupt?

Seanad: Order of Business (4 Apr 2017)

Michael McDowell: I intended to formally second Senator Craughwell's amendment.

Seanad: Order of Business (4 Apr 2017)

Michael McDowell: I thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach.

Seanad: Companies (Accounting) Bill 2016: Second Stage (4 Apr 2017)

Michael McDowell: I welcome the Minister to the House. I wish to dwell on a number of points that I am anxious to have clarified in the course of this debate. This is a transposition measure in the main and I share the disquiet expressed by Senator Davitt that it took so long to transpose the relevant directive into Irish law. The point I want to make above all is that in 2014, we enacted the Companies Act...

Seanad: Order of Business (29 Mar 2017)

Michael McDowell: Arising out of what Senator Feighan said earlier, it is important for us in this House to look at what has emerged in respect of the governance of An Garda Síochána. In my view, what has emerged is disgraceful. A systematic pattern of cover-up, procrastination, deception and facade-keeping has characterised the management of An Garda Síochána. The issues with the fixed...

Seanad: Heritage Bill 2016: Committee Stage (Resumed) (29 Mar 2017)

Michael McDowell: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Heritage Bill 2016: Committee Stage (Resumed) (29 Mar 2017)

Michael McDowell: That is not possible.

Seanad: Heritage Bill 2016: Committee Stage (Resumed) (29 Mar 2017)

Michael McDowell: This debate, which is on a substitute section 8, has, perforce, gravitated towards a discussion on the section 8 in the Bill. This is no surprise because in essence it is quite clear this section is designed to pre-empt any measure such as section 8 without a baseline data study being put in place to justify it. There are a few points we must consider on what is being proposed. The...

Seanad: Heritage Bill 2016: Committee Stage (Resumed) (29 Mar 2017)

Michael McDowell: It seems to me if this is one of the genuine motivating factors one would expect it to appear as one of the criteria by which regulations would be crafted, but we do not see this. In a spirit of genuine conciliation in this debate it seems to me the Minister should indicate she is open to accepting the introduction of road safety as one of the constraining factors in section 8 if her section...

Seanad: Heritage Bill 2016: Committee Stage (Resumed) (29 Mar 2017)

Michael McDowell: Indeed, I forgot about that. If the Minister is actually saying this is the justification for this, how will anybody control it? I come back to the point about the provision on cutting, grubbing and destroying being a nationwide operation as section 8(2) stands. There is not the mechanism, machinery, resources or capacity on the part of any wildlife agency or conservation body to do...

Seanad: Heritage Bill 2016: Committee Stage (Resumed) (29 Mar 2017)

Michael McDowell: There is nothing wrong with Senator Ross's beanbags.

Seanad: Heritage Bill 2016: Committee Stage (Resumed) (29 Mar 2017)

Michael McDowell: Well that is one advantage.

Seanad: Heritage Bill 2016: Committee Stage (Resumed) (29 Mar 2017)

Michael McDowell: This is not a case of a minority of tree-huggers or people who live in some sort of idealistic world. This is a case of real ordinary people who are upset about this. It is a significant group in Irish society. As somebody who uses them myself, I cannot object to there being some order on them and if resources permitted somebody might enforce minimum standards of safety on the use of our...

Seanad: Heritage Bill 2016: Committee Stage (Resumed) (29 Mar 2017)

Michael McDowell: I do not think it would be regarded as a humiliation for the Minister if at this stage, she said she would like to think about it further. There are an awful lot of people outside this House who would say she should get on with her Bill and leave out section 8. Those people would be well disposed to the Minister if they felt that she had listened to a debate in this House where considered...

Seanad: Heritage Bill 2016: Committee Stage (Resumed) (29 Mar 2017)

Michael McDowell: Where is the majority in the Dáil?

Seanad: Heritage Bill 2016: Committee Stage (Resumed) (29 Mar 2017)

Michael McDowell: They are not being pressed.

Seanad: Heritage Bill 2016: Committee Stage (Resumed) (29 Mar 2017)

Michael McDowell: Is there a reason why it should not be deleted now?

Seanad: Order of Business (28 Mar 2017)

Michael McDowell: I want to raise the question of the appointment of judges. We have an increasing number of judicial vacancies and it would appear the legislation which was the subject of some pre-publicity has not materialised. The court system is becoming increasingly overburdened due to the absence of judges and, most importantly, the outlook is very poor. The role of the Minister for Transport, Tourism...

Seanad: Order of Business (28 Mar 2017)

Michael McDowell: The simple fact is the composition of our Supreme Court is so important there is only one organ in our Constitution which is vested with the responsibility for it and that is the Government. Efforts to hem it in and prevent it from making appointments are, in my view, very misguided. I notice the general secretary of the Law Society advocates drawing our Judiciary from a broader spectrum of...

Seanad: Order of Business (28 Mar 2017)

Michael McDowell: They all talk about petty political criteria for putting people on the bench. The quality of judicial appointments has, unfortunately, declined in recent times due to a number of economic factors.If we allow the quality of the Judiciary to decline, we will suffer economically and internationally in the long run as far as our reputation is concerned. I ask the Leader to arrange for the...