Results 6,341-6,360 of 20,831 for speaker:David Norris

Seanad: Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Bill 2013: Report and Final Stages (15 Dec 2015)

David Norris: Can the Minister address the question of the role played by the Mental Health Commission? Will it have a directing role? Will it be responsible? How independent will it be?

Seanad: Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Bill 2013: Report and Final Stages (15 Dec 2015)

David Norris: I second the amendment. Through the Chair, I ask Senator van Turnhout or the Minister of State whether the term "legal capacity" is defined in the Bill already.

Seanad: Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Bill 2013: Report and Final Stages (15 Dec 2015)

David Norris: Well then the amendment also needs a definition of "legal capacity" because, as I understand it, Senator van Turnhout is moving in certain circumstances away from mental capacity towards legal capacity, and she cites in support of her evidence two human rights scholars who have described mental capacity in these instances as being meaningless. The amendment requires also a definition. It...

Seanad: Courts Bill 2015: Committee and Remaining Stages (11 Dec 2015)

David Norris: Will Senators, please, make audible interruptions?

Seanad: Courts Bill 2015: Committee and Remaining Stages (11 Dec 2015)

David Norris: Yes, but I cannot hear the interruptions.

Seanad: Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Bill 2015: Committee Stage (11 Dec 2015)

David Norris: I would like to support this amendment. There was a discussion on the word "pornography". It comes from the Greeks who defined it as the writings of or about prostitutes and prostitution. It seems pornography is very widely accepted, apparently. I have not visited the petrol stations or the newsagents patronised by other Members of the House, or at least I have not seen this material...

Seanad: Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Bill 2015: Committee Stage (11 Dec 2015)

David Norris: Section 3(6) provides that a child "means a person under the age of 18 years". In section 4, child "means a person under the age of 15 years" and section 5 defines a child as "a person under the age of 17 years". In the space of three consecutive sections, the word "child" has three different meanings, namely, a person aged 18, 17 and 15 years, respectively. This is completely...

Seanad: Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Bill 2015: Committee Stage (11 Dec 2015)

David Norris: The entire episode was utterly revolting and shocking. Jimmy Saville, in his autobiography, drew attention to the fact that he was molesting children. He was brazen in the extreme and it was shocking that he was not prosecuted at the time. Senators should consider the case of Cliff Richard who is a decent man as far as I know. While I have never met him, I have always liked him and his...

Seanad: Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Bill 2015: Committee Stage (11 Dec 2015)

David Norris: The Senator is also humble. His humility is second only to mine.

Seanad: Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Bill 2015: Committee Stage (11 Dec 2015)

David Norris: That is great. The Minister of State is a neighbour.

Seanad: Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Bill 2015: Committee Stage (11 Dec 2015)

David Norris: The Minister of State is much younger than I am. I did not have my house when I was his age.

Seanad: Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Bill 2015: Committee Stage (11 Dec 2015)

David Norris: I understand what the Minister of State is saying to the effect that we are bringing these things into alignment with international law. On the other hand, there is nothing to prevent him from taking out the word "child" and putting in "a person of such and such", which would remove the apparent contradiction. It does look like a contradiction. I would say that if in international law one...

Seanad: Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Bill 2015: Committee Stage (11 Dec 2015)

David Norris: I could not quite hear the Minister of State. Is he going to look at the definition of a child for Report Stage?

Seanad: Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Bill 2015: Committee Stage (11 Dec 2015)

David Norris: I thank the Minister of State. I am not trying to change the offence. It would be a good idea to substitute the phrase "a person of 15, 17 or 18 years." That would remove the question of these conflicting definitions of a child which are repugnant to reason and leaving that definition of a child-----

Seanad: Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Bill 2015: Committee Stage (11 Dec 2015)

David Norris: I beg the Cathaoirleach's pardon.

Seanad: Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Bill 2015: Committee Stage (11 Dec 2015)

David Norris: I understand that the definition of a child is 18 years but in some cases it is 15 years and in other cases it is 17 years. It is all perfectly logical.

Seanad: Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Bill 2015: Committee Stage (11 Dec 2015)

David Norris: Does that mean the legislation will be guillotined?

Seanad: Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Bill 2015: Committee Stage (11 Dec 2015)

David Norris: That means a guillotine.

Seanad: Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Bill 2015: Committee Stage (11 Dec 2015)

David Norris: The Committee and Remaining Stages of the Court Bill.

Seanad: Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Bill 2015: Committee Stage (11 Dec 2015)

David Norris: Yes.