Results 5,121-5,140 of 10,459 for speaker:Bertie Ahern
- Leaders' Questions. (7 Jun 2006)
Bertie Ahern: Perhaps the Deputy would listen. I do not believe any Member of this House would have supported the proposition that we should criminalise unmarried mothers. This would be repulsive law.
- Leaders' Questions. (7 Jun 2006)
Bertie Ahern: I ask Deputy Joe Higgins to listen. There are other values and interests that were sought to be protected by section 5 of the Act, aside from ensuring that we did not criminalise unmarried mothers. There were issues of a health concern in regard to young girls, which also need to be addressed. One such issue is that a young girl who has had consensual sexual intercourse may need medical care,...
- Leaders' Questions. (7 Jun 2006)
Bertie Ahern: This was the reason for the inclusion of section 5, namely, that there were a variety of circumstances where after consensual intercourse and before a girl would know if she was pregnant, she would need to disclose that she had engaged in that act for her own medical protection. That was the reason for that section. It is not considered legally that this is in any way flawed nor is that...
- Leaders' Questions. (7 Jun 2006)
Bertie Ahern: I am answering Deputy Rabbitte's question.
- Leaders' Questions. (7 Jun 2006)
Bertie Ahern: Perhaps the Deputy is a better senior counsel than all the others who are behind this but all those who are behind it believeââ
- Leaders' Questions. (7 Jun 2006)
Bertie Ahern: I am trying to answer Deputy Rabbitte's question. I know the Leas-Cheann Comhairle has been lenient with us all as regards time but perhaps at least order could be maintained while I am answering this question. I think I have answered all Deputy Rabbitte's questions.
- Leaders' Questions. (7 Jun 2006)
Bertie Ahern: The Government will create a new independent position of special rapporteur for child protection. It is envisaged the independent legal expert will be appointed to that position. The rapporteur's functions will be to keep under review, and audit, legal developments for the protection of children; to assess what impact, if any, litigation in national and international courts will have on child...
- Leaders' Questions. (7 Jun 2006)
Bertie Ahern: This system is used effectively elsewhere to study the broad legislation and keep ahead of it, perhaps in different ways. Deputy Rabbitte asked many questions. Let me take a few of them. According to the protocols and recommendations in the 1995 report, the Attorney General should have been informed ten days before that case. He and the DPP appointed the same counsel for the case and for the...
- Leaders' Questions. (7 Jun 2006)
Bertie Ahern: I am answering Deputy Rabbitte. Perhaps some people writing in legal gazettes or magazines, or on the street, thought the case would go against the Attorney General and the DPP but they had won comprehensively in the High Court. To judge from what I have learnt in the past fortnight that was not their view. There is always that risk but they could not be certain. However they did not go in...
- Leaders' Questions. (7 Jun 2006)
Bertie Ahern: Let us be fair. Even if the Attorney General was informed ten days ahead we would not have had draft legislation ready to rush into this House as soon as the judgment was handed down. I have never seen that happen.
- Leaders' Questions. (7 Jun 2006)
Bertie Ahern: I have never seen it happen. It may have happened in a few cases but it is not that simple and it is not correct to say it is.
- Leaders' Questions. (7 Jun 2006)
Bertie Ahern: I am replying to Deputy Rabbitte.
- Leaders' Questions. (7 Jun 2006)
Bertie Ahern: Deputy Rabbitte asked me about the high level group. There are not two committees. We are talking about an all-party committee that would have available to it the experts to undertake the work on the broad issue.
- Leaders' Questions. (7 Jun 2006)
Bertie Ahern: No. In part of the committee there is, in so far as it will help the committee. Unfortunately, like many things in life this has a fairly simple explanation and the House should wait. It will not take Mr. O'Sullivan long to complete his examination. He may want to write some new protocols or recommendations but the Attorney General has done that. There is a human reason why it was not passed...
- Leaders' Questions. (7 Jun 2006)
Bertie Ahern: Deputy Jim O'Keeffe has an awful habit of asking questions during Leader's Questions.
- Leaders' Questions. (7 Jun 2006)
Bertie Ahern: Why does he not use parliamentary questions which he hardly ever uses? He just uses this time. I am trying to concentrate and answer Deputy Rabbitte's question and each day Deputy O'Keeffe comes in, never on his own Leader's time but on Deputy Rabbitte's time. Would he please not do that?
- Leaders' Questions. (7 Jun 2006)
Bertie Ahern: I am not answering Deputy Jim O'Keeffe. He can put down a question if he wishes.
- Leaders' Questions. (7 Jun 2006)
Bertie Ahern: Let that examination take place. Today I announced protocols that directly involve the Attorney General.
- Leaders' Questions. (7 Jun 2006)
Bertie Ahern: There are numerous cases, I do not know how many, involving serious High Court and Supreme Court challenges. There are not only one or two a year. The volume of work in the High Court and Supreme Court leads to work pressure. In fairness, the Office of the Attorney General does a good job. I will take responsibility for it and for any of its failings, as is my job in this House. It did a good...
- Leaders' Questions. (7 Jun 2006)
Bertie Ahern: It is not the view of the Government or the extensive number of legal advisers to whom we have talked that this is botched legislation. The legislation does what it was primarily intended to do. It restores offences of statutory rape in a way that respects the judgment of the Supreme Court, and that is what it set out to do. While people may wish to see further measures or a different...