Results 41-60 of 289 for speaker:Patricia Stephenson

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: General Scheme of Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill 2025: Discussion (Resumed) (15 Jul 2025)

Patricia Stephenson: We still imposed it.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: General Scheme of Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill 2025: Discussion (Resumed) (15 Jul 2025)

Patricia Stephenson: My next question is for Mr. Shatter. He has spoken before about the Bill being antisemitic and likened it to something from Nazi Germany. Just yesterday, we received a letter from a number of high-profile Israelis who strongly support the Bill, among them a former Israeli attorney general, supreme court judges, recipients of Israel’s highest national prize, speakers of the Knesset...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: General Scheme of Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill 2025: Discussion (Resumed) (15 Jul 2025)

Patricia Stephenson: That is it. I thank Mr. Shatter very much.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: General Scheme of Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill 2025: Discussion (Resumed) (15 Jul 2025)

Patricia Stephenson: I am running out of time.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: General Scheme of Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill 2025: Discussion (Resumed) (15 Jul 2025)

Patricia Stephenson: We really appreciate that, but we have a quite tight time slot-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: General Scheme of Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill 2025: Discussion (Resumed) (15 Jul 2025)

Patricia Stephenson: I thank Mr. Shatter very much. Earlier, he spoke a little about the peace process. He might be able to tell I am from the North. Regarding our own peace in Northern Ireland, the Mitchell principles set out that peace negotiations can work only when all parties agree to ceasefire activity, having regard to international law. In the context of what we are seeing now, Israel is quite...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: General Scheme of Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill 2025: Discussion (Resumed) (15 Jul 2025)

Patricia Stephenson: I thank Mr. Shatter. I have a got few seconds left, so I will make the most of my time. Mr. Shatter said that this Bill is a matter of consensus in the political bubble only, but polling in the Irish Independent just a few weeks ago showed an overwhelming majority of the Irish public support the Bill. I believe the number is 74%. The public support a ban on trade in goods, and indeed...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: General Scheme of Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill 2025: Discussion (Resumed) (15 Jul 2025)

Patricia Stephenson: I specifically thank Ms Al Tamimi for coming in. It is not easy to talk about things that are impacting your family and loved ones in this kind of setting. I am sure it can be quite emotional and exhausting, so I thank her. The ICJ last year found that Israel’s legislation and measures impose and serve to maintain a near complete separation in the West Bank and East Jerusalem...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: General Scheme of Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill 2025: Discussion (Resumed) (15 Jul 2025)

Patricia Stephenson: I suppose Mr. Shatter recognises, then, that there is diversity of opinion within the Jewish community and Israeli state.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (10 Jul 2025)

Patricia Stephenson: I also pay my respects to the victims of Srebrenica and their families. It is particularly difficult to stand for a minute's silence when we know there is also a genocide happening in Gaza. While standing I was asking myself what day we will be standing to commemorate all the Palestinians who have been slaughtered. This week, the Journal Investigates team published figures after analysing...

Seanad: Transport Policy: Statements (10 Jul 2025)

Patricia Stephenson: That is a hard act to follow. We know public transport outside our major urban centres is, to one degree or another, poor or practically non-existent. I want to raise serious concerns about the issue of rural transport, particularly in Carlow and Kilkenny, where families are being let down time and again by a system that is underfunded, pretty complicated and failing in many cases to...

Seanad: Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2025: Second Stage (10 Jul 2025)

Patricia Stephenson: I am really concerned about the latest amendments to the Planning and Development Act, which further entrench a developer and investor-first approach to our already incredibly shambolic and failed planning system. The 2024 Act has still not been fundamentally implemented and yet here we are pushing through amendments to that Act without any pre-legislative scrutiny. I find that really...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (9 Jul 2025)

Patricia Stephenson: In 2024, the Government made a commitment to bring 30 seriously ill children from Gaza to Ireland for lifesaving treatment. This was a scheme many of us welcomed. However, so far only 12 of those children have arrived here. What is happening to the other children? We have heard there is an issue with their visas. There seems to be some sort of spat between the Department of Health and...

Seanad: Defamation (Amendment) Bill 2024: Second Stage (9 Jul 2025)

Patricia Stephenson: Yes. I welcome the opportunity to speak on the Defamation (Amendment) Bill. The Bill is both necessary and overdue and I welcome steps being taken to modernise our defamation laws and rebalance the rights of freedom of expression and the right to a good name and to respond to the rapidly evolving digital environment. However, while I welcome elements of the Bill, it is a missed opportunity...

Seanad: Pregnancy Loss (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2025: Second Stage (9 Jul 2025)

Patricia Stephenson: I thank the Sinn Féin Senators and particularly Senator Ryan for introducing this legislation. I speak in full support of it. It is important to note the bravery Senator Ryan has consistently shown when she has tabled amendments and legislation, and particularly today in sharing her story, because it is not easy and I know it will not be easy for any other Senator here who may be doing...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: General Scheme of Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill 2025: Discussion (Resumed) (9 Jul 2025)

Patricia Stephenson: I thank the witnesses for coming in. In his 2018 opinion, Professor Tridimas concluded that a ban on trade with the settlements is compliant with EU law. He specifically stated that the concept of public policy must be interpreted as taking into account the objectives of the Geneva Convention and customary international law which allow member states some discretion in deciding the steps...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: General Scheme of Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill 2025: Discussion (Resumed) (9 Jul 2025)

Patricia Stephenson: On services, Professor Tridimas concluded that public policy provides a derogation not only from the free movement of goods but also the freedom to provide services. I ask him to confirm that there is a legal basis under public policy for Ireland to carry out obligations both for goods and services.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: General Scheme of Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill 2025: Discussion (Resumed) (9 Jul 2025)

Patricia Stephenson: My next question is for Professor Butler regarding the public policy derogation under the EU trade law he spoke about in his opening remarks. He said that there is no case law which clearly supports its use in this instance. I think he also said that existing case law offers no clear precedence supporting its use. I wish to talk about the word "clear" in that context. Is a caveat needed...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: General Scheme of Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill 2025: Discussion (Resumed) (9 Jul 2025)

Patricia Stephenson: Has there any been any cases within that area that Professor Butler has considered?