Results 5,321-5,340 of 6,375 for speaker:Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (23 Jan 2018)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: I move amendment No. 38:In page 13, line 37, to delete “determine.” and substitute the following:“determine, and (c) submit to the Director, a Declaration of Interests, within 1 month of appointment, and thereafter, in January of each year.”. This is a very straightforward amendment. The section relates to terms and conditions of membership who are part of the...

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (23 Jan 2018)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: I take on board the comments and may return to the issue on Report Stage.

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (23 Jan 2018)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: I am of two minds on this, but I am inclined not to support the amendment. I might think differently were the period longer, for example, a renewable five-year term, but even a total block of six years if reappointed would not be excessively long. If the commission had six different lay members every three years, their influence within the process might be reduced, given that it would take...

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (23 Jan 2018)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: I have some sympathy for the intention behind the amendment although I do not support it. Notwithstanding whatever issues may exist or may have existed with any of the organisations referred to, these are official representative bodies. They are organisations that have policies and have developed views around sentencing, the appointment of judges and court procedures. It is probably the...

Topical Issue Debate: Public Transport Initiatives (17 Jan 2018)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: There has been a great deal of talk in recent years, particularly in the past 12 months, about the need for balanced regional development. One of the core areas in the better balancing of population will be Cork, particularly the Cork metropolitan area. I have tabled parliamentary questions before on this matter to the Minister, but I felt it was important to tease out the details with him...

Topical Issue Debate: Public Transport Initiatives (17 Jan 2018)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: I take some positives from the Minister's response. The transport strategy is welcome and I look forward to examining it when it is published. I hope it will show the ambition required. I am aware of some of the items which have been funded, including the city centre movement strategy and the DLUTS. There are many good points in them, but most of them have to do with managing traffic....

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (17 Jan 2018)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: I will be brief. Regarding some of the points made by Deputy Wallace, we support the idea of a lay majority on the judicial appointments commission. We believe it is in line with what is in place in many other jurisdictions and in many other professions and organisations, and that is something that we will be supporting throughout this process. A point that was clearly made is that lay...

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (17 Jan 2018)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: As I noted with the previous set of amendments, the procedures committee would have a very specific role to play in guiding the diversity and representation of the Judiciary and it was worth preserving. Having said that, the multiple committees of 11 members drawn from a commission of 13 members amount to an overly complex system. It is unnecessary. It would be desirable for one body to...

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (17 Jan 2018)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: We will be supporting all the amendments. At the heart of our position will be support for a lay majority, but I think there are other ways of doing this. I have no problem with a commission of 17. Perhaps the Government does, but I certainly do not. One of the issues arising from this bureaucracy is that there would be six lay members, but only five on each committee. There would be lay...

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (17 Jan 2018)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: I move amendment No. 13:In page 9, line 24, to delete "5 years" and substitute "3 years". The two amendments are very straightforward and I simply felt it appropriate, given the weight, importance and complexity of the legislation, that it would be reviewed sooner. I am proposing that after the establishment of the commission, a review would take place after three years rather than five...

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (17 Jan 2018)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: I am willing to take into consideration what the Minister has said in terms of the ongoing review. I may possibly return to it on Report Stage but for the minute, I am happy to withdraw the amendment.

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (17 Jan 2018)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: I move amendment No. 16:In page 10, between lines 2 and 3, to insert the following:"Recommendations to be based on merit 7.(1) No person shall be recommended, under this Act, for appointment to judicial office unless they are of sufficient merit to discharge with distinction the responsibilities of the office to which they are appointed (the "Merit Principle").(2) Subject always to the Merit...

Select Committee on Justice and Equality: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (17 Jan 2018)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: Having listened to a number of the points made, I believe that amendment is the best way of dealing with that issue. However, in the interests of being expeditious, I will withdraw it. I will reintroduce and press it on Report Stage but I wish to facilitate the subsequent amendments now. What I want to emphasise is why I think this is necessary and proportionate. Essentially, the new...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Directives: Minister for Justice and Equality (17 Jan 2018)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: I have a question and a comment. Some of the questions so far have already clarified the situation in so far as it can be clarified. Certainly, until the legislation is in place, things could be quite messy. Much of the language in the notes gives the appearance of enthusiasm for and anxiousness to reform the area whereas in reality the Government is seeking to put a brave face on the fact...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: EU Directives: Minister for Justice and Equality (17 Jan 2018)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: The question I asked has not been answered completely. The directive does not deal solely with labour market access and, as the Minister said, there are a number of other areas including children's rights to health and education. Some of those areas may well be covered by existing Irish legislation, but my question is whether any of the directive's requirements other than labour market...

Hospital Trolley Crisis: Motion [Private Members] (16 Jan 2018)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: I take the opportunity to express the hope that the Minister of State's husband makes a full recovery and that he is in good health. I echo her comments in regard to the hospital staff. There is no doubt about it and all Deputies have reflected on the fact the quality of staff in our health service is extraordinary right through the ranks. The Minister of State said we need to set...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Civil Defence (16 Jan 2018)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: 115. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the amount of funding allocated to the Civil Defence in the national budget in the past five years, in tabular form. [54986/17]

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Civil Defence (16 Jan 2018)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: 116. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the ratio of funding for the Civil Defence which comes from the national budget. [54987/17]

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Civil Defence (16 Jan 2018)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: 117. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the guidelines in place to ensure that Civil Defence vehicles are maintained; and the person or body responsible for ensuring said maintenance is carried out. [54988/17]

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Civil Defence (16 Jan 2018)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: 118. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the number of personnel within the Civil Defence in each of the past five years, by unit, in tabular form. [54989/17]