Results 541-560 of 1,035,683 for in 'Dáil debates' OR (speaker:Micheál Martin OR speaker:Pearse Doherty) in 'Committee meetings'

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (23 May 2024)

Micheál Martin: Yes. I have also met the representative associations to discuss the wide range of points that were presented to the committee. I met them bilaterally and indicated the ones I was prepared to move on in advance of Committee Stage, which I did. There were two heads involved. In respect of head 25, I withdrew it and wrote to the committee to indicate same. I also informed the associations...

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (23 May 2024)

Micheál Martin: With regard to Deputy Howlin's amendment, we talked about the primacy of civilians. I take it from comments that we want our Defence Forces to be apolitical. If they were not, it would have implications for the future of our democracy and the fundamentals of democracy.

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (23 May 2024)

Micheál Martin: Yes. This is nothing new. The only change is the inclusion in primary legislation. This is a positive Bill. It is statutorily providing for association with ICTU, which has never happened before. It is only in the past year that that development has arisen.

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (23 May 2024)

Micheál Martin: No. The association will not be spancelled regarding what it has been doing up to now, namely, representing its members. That activity will not be stymied or undermined by this legislation. An idea has been put forward that the body will not be able to advocate. I have made the position clear in amendments we have made already and also in my communication with the associations. They will...

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (23 May 2024)

Micheál Martin: There is a similar principle. Committee members have referred to the association. I come back to the matter of the individual. On Deputy Stanton's point, the section deals with specified activities "while in uniform".

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (23 May 2024)

Micheál Martin: Surely we accept members of the Defence Forces in uniform should not be turning up at protest marches. That could lead in any direction and compromise the work of the Defence Forces in terms of impartiality and objectivity. While out of uniform and as civilians, members have rights as civilians. If not identifying themselves as members of the Defence Forces, they are in a position to air...

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (23 May 2024)

Micheál Martin: How does one define "controversy"? One person's controversy is another's mundane event.

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (23 May 2024)

Micheál Martin: It would be very difficult to define "controversy" in a Bill, although I take the points that have been made. I do not want to be suppressing citizens' right to have views. One of the reasons I am reflecting on this is that there could be potential unintended consequences for individuals if they made a comment, for example, in a certain context. It does not necessarily have to be in the...

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (23 May 2024)

Micheál Martin: It is not quite a get-out-of-jail card. There is command and control generally, so the required behaviour would be the norm. There has to be some chain of command. There are people who participate in academic societies and there is some very good work done in the archives and so on. To me, that is not a political matter, but somebody might say they need permission to make an address based...

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (23 May 2024)

Micheál Martin: The chain of command would apply, and this would entail the person immediately above one. Again, these prohibitions apply only where a member of the Defence Forces is in uniform or otherwise identifiable. That is all we are talking about here. I believe we all accept that the military plays a unique role. There has been strong military advice on this requiring that military command,...

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (23 May 2024)

Micheál Martin: People could identify themselves on social media.

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (23 May 2024)

Micheál Martin: The phrase is "making himself or herself identifiable". If they do not do that, there is no issue.

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (23 May 2024)

Micheál Martin: We have a small country. That is fine.

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (23 May 2024)

Micheál Martin: That is being examined by the Attorney General’s office and the perfecting of the order is still live before the courts. The judge himself identified this as a delicate balance and understood the issues that are before the court. He highlights that the issue is a difficult one that needs to be dealt with “in a manner which takes account of the interests and sensitivities of...

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (23 May 2024)

Micheál Martin: No decision has been made, but the Attorney General is examining the judgment and the case is still live before the courts in the context of the perfecting of the judgment. We have to wait and see what happens.

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (23 May 2024)

Micheál Martin: Not specifically this section, but more broadly in respect of what the implications of the judgment are.

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (23 May 2024)

Micheál Martin: This relates to the phrase "while in uniform", however.

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (23 May 2024)

Micheál Martin: That relates to a person, by their own activism or decision-making, making themselves identifiable. If a school principal says someone is a member of the Defence Forces, that person is not making himself or herself identifiable.

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (23 May 2024)

Micheál Martin: All of this is already in legislation. In some respects, it is probably a loosening of what is already in regulations.

Select Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Defence (Amendment) Bill 2024: Committee Stage (23 May 2024)

Micheál Martin: It is in law in terms of regulations.