Results 4,941-4,960 of 8,986 for speaker:Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Equality and Fairness of State Pension: Discussion (21 Jan 2015)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: Is Mr. Gaynor’s preference for the State pension to remain at 65 and apply to everybody equally or, if that is not possible, that legislation is introduced stipulating that an employer must employ the person until the State pension age? At the very least, there is a lacuna there.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Equality and Fairness of State Pension: Discussion (21 Jan 2015)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: I draw Mr. Gaynor’s attention to a letter I referred to earlier from the office of the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation. It asserts:While Section 34(4) of the Employment Equality Acts provides that it is not unlawful for an employer to fix a compulsory retirement age for employees, the Equality Tribunal has, in recent decisions, interpreted those Acts in the light of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Equality and Fairness of State Pension: Discussion (21 Jan 2015)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: The next sentence of the letter reads:However, the CJEU has further found that this discrimination can be justified if it arises as a result of a legitimate aim in a State's social or employment policy. I ask Mr. Gaynor to provide examples. He said this section of law was a grey area for the European Court of Justice. I would appreciate if he sent us on some examples to strengthen his case...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Equality and Fairness of State Pension: Discussion (21 Jan 2015)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: We will send the transcript of Mr. Gaynor's presentation and today's discussion to the Department of Social Protection and the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation so they can respond to the issues raised by him. Following Senator Ó Clochartaigh's proposal, we will seek an estimate from the Department of the cost savings that will accrue from this pension initiative and its...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Firearms Licences: (Resumed) Discussion (21 Jan 2015)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: I apologise for being late. I have had a chance to read the submissions, so I have a good sense of the issues the witnesses are raising. As an Oireachtas justice committee, we must try to find a balance between the different perspectives. As the witnesses know, representatives of the Garda Síochána and the Department attended the committee before Christmas and now we have the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Firearms Licences: (Resumed) Discussion (21 Jan 2015)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: The witnesses will probably be aware that when senior members of An Garda Síochána made a presentation here before Christmas, they circulated photographic examples of weaponry, and a number of times they used the phrase "military-type weapons". These would obviously cause concern to the public. Why would anybody need military-type weapons? I note that Mr. Slattery has particular...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Firearms Licences: (Resumed) Discussion (21 Jan 2015)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: Yes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Firearms Licences: (Resumed) Discussion (21 Jan 2015)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: That is fine.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Firearms Licences: (Resumed) Discussion (21 Jan 2015)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: The practical issue as I understood it from the Garda was that it did not want anybody to have possession of a weapon.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Firearms Licences: (Resumed) Discussion (21 Jan 2015)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: I will explain why I use the word "weapon". I do not agree with the delegates' point. They must remember that they are members of sports clubs, that we are lay people in the Oireachtas and that the vast majority of citizens would not draw a distinction between a weapon and a firearm. We live in the world of Hollywood culture and watch movies. While the delegates are focusing on the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Firearms Licences: (Resumed) Discussion (21 Jan 2015)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: That is a fair point.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Firearms Licences: (Resumed) Discussion (21 Jan 2015)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: It is a fair point which is accepted.

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Disciplinary Proceedings (21 Jan 2015)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: 140. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of serving and former members of the Garda who have been disciplined for telling lies to the forensic division; and the sanctions that are placed on members who are found to have been lying. [2928/15]

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: National Car Test (21 Jan 2015)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: 234. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his plans to address the current difficulties faced by motorists encountering long waits for a national car test that can lead to their NCT certificates going out of date despite their attempts to attain a new one. [2894/15]

Northern Ireland and the Stormont House Agreement: Statements (20 Jan 2015)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: I thank the Tánaiste - she was a great help during negotiations.

Northern Ireland and the Stormont House Agreement: Statements (20 Jan 2015)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: The cynicism just drips off the Tánaiste.

Order of Business (20 Jan 2015)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: When will the promised legislation on Government appointments to State boards be brought before Members? Second, will the Taoiseach have a specific look at the Western Development Commission? Of the nine board members, three are former Fine Gael councillors, while another was a failed Labour Party election candidate. Another member may also be a member of the Taoiseach's party.

Order of Business (20 Jan 2015)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: That gives a majority of board members who are former councillors, candidates or party members. Will the Taoiseach examine the issue?

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Legislative Process (20 Jan 2015)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: 338. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality further to Parliamentary Question No. 334 of 2 December 2014, in view of the UK Court of Appeal decision in a case (details supplied), her plans to address the ongoing delay in completing the drafting amendments required to the Spent Convictions Bill and the National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Act 2012 in the view of the...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Parliamentary Questions (20 Jan 2015)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: 342. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality her views on response times to parliamentary questions submitted to her and forwarded to the Garda Commissioner; and if she will ensure that all parliamentary questions requiring a further detailed reply are dealt with within a 15-day limit similar to the way other Departments operate. [2681/15]