Results 6,441-6,460 of 7,765 for speaker:Maurice Cummins

Seanad: Leas Cross Nursing Home Report: Statements (29 Nov 2006)

Maurice Cummins: Probably.

Seanad: Leas Cross Nursing Home Report: Statements (29 Nov 2006)

Maurice Cummins: I welcome the Minister of State. When one leaves a mother, father or someone in a nursing home, the least one expects is that they will be cared for in a professional and caring fashion. What happened in Leas Cross was despicable. People were responsible for the grievous wrongs and practices visited on the old, infirm and vulnerable people in the nursing home. People were charged with...

Seanad: Order of Business (29 Nov 2006)

Maurice Cummins: I support Senator Ulick Burke on the need to address the lack of training for Garda drivers, an issue which has been raised previously on several occasions. The fact that Garda cars are not subject to the national car test gives rise to dangers to gardaí and the public. What are the intentions of the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform with regard to subjecting Garda cars to the...

Seanad: Prisons Bill 2006: Committee Stage (28 Nov 2006)

Maurice Cummins: I move amendment No. 47: In page 18, subsection (1), between lines 7 and 8, to insert the following: "(b) the Oireachtas,". It appears from section 20 that the Minister is giving notice of the development to everybody but the Oireachtas. This is a simple amendment which will require him to include the Houses of the Oireachtas in notices he will send out. It is not an overly-onerous task and...

Seanad: Prisons Bill 2006: Committee Stage (28 Nov 2006)

Maurice Cummins: Will the Minister comment on the suggestion that court services be involved on the site?

Seanad: Prisons Bill 2006: Committee Stage (28 Nov 2006)

Maurice Cummins: The Minister referred in his discourse to drugs in prisons. Is he aware that reference was made in this House to the fact that two prisoners from Wheatfield Prison spoke by mobile telephone on a radio programme today? They stated that the prison is awash with drugs. I invite the Minister to comment on this.

Seanad: Prisons Bill 2006: Committee Stage (28 Nov 2006)

Maurice Cummins: The Minister can go to see "La Bohème" as well.

Seanad: Prisons Bill 2006: Committee Stage (28 Nov 2006)

Maurice Cummins: Sorry, amendment No. 58 was not discussed.

Seanad: Prisons Bill 2006: Committee Stage (28 Nov 2006)

Maurice Cummins: I thank the Minister. Amendment No. 59——

Seanad: Prisons Bill 2006: Committee Stage (28 Nov 2006)

Maurice Cummins: I move amendment No. 59: In page 24, subsection (3), line 19, to delete "shall" and substitute "shall, within 3 months of receiving it,". I did not get the opportunity to speak. I did indicate I wished to speak. I have tabled a number of amendments in this grouping. Amendment No. 59 requires that the Minister lay the report before the Oireachtas within a specified time period of three...

Seanad: Prisons Bill 2006: Committee Stage (28 Nov 2006)

Maurice Cummins: I move amendment No. 63: In page 25, subsection (3), line 14, after "Oireachtas" to insert "not later than 31 May in any year". The Minister gave a commitment to return to this matter on Report Stage.

Seanad: Prisons Bill 2006: Committee Stage (28 Nov 2006)

Maurice Cummins: I stated earlier that I am not suggesting that it should be one of the inspector's functions to investigate individual complaints by prisoners. I tabled amendment No. 63 in order that the inspector's hands would not in any way be tied and that he would be in a position to examine complaints if he so desired.

Seanad: Prisons Bill 2006: Committee Stage (28 Nov 2006)

Maurice Cummins: I move amendment No. 65: In page 25, subsection (1)(c), line 25, to delete "it" and substitute "the application". This is a technical amendment which merely seeks to clarify what is intended in the relevant paragraph. Amendment No. 67 will ensure that both a prisoner and his legal team will receive notice of application. There is no reason a prisoner should be disenfranchised from the legal...

Seanad: Prisons Bill 2006: Committee Stage (28 Nov 2006)

Maurice Cummins: I move amendment No. 71: In page 27, subsection (2)(c), line 37, to delete "diet" and substitute "diets". This is a technical amendment to correct an error in section 35(2). Since prisoners cannot have a single collective diet and each has his or her own diet, the word should be expressed in the plural.

Seanad: Prisons Bill 2006: Committee Stage (28 Nov 2006)

Maurice Cummins: I move amendment No. 76: In page 29, line 4, to delete "shall" and substitute "shall, subject to subsection (2),". This amendment is technical and dependent on the acceptance of amendment No. 77, which provides vital discretion to the governor of a prison to decide whether he or she wants to demand payment for the services described in the legislation. There could be a number of reasons he...

Seanad: Prisons Bill 2006: Committee Stage (28 Nov 2006)

Maurice Cummins: I move amendment No. 12: In page 9, subsection (1), line 21, after "person" to insert "without delay". This is a technical amendment to make it clear that the Minister should not delay in revoking a certificate, which should be done as speedily as possible. On amendment No. 14, there is no indication in the Bill as drafted of the timeframe in which the Minister must deal with a complaint...

Seanad: Prisons Bill 2006: Committee Stage (28 Nov 2006)

Maurice Cummins: I move amendment No. 19: In page 11, subsection (1), line 28, to delete "information" and substitute the following: "information, other than to a governor or a contractor,". The function of these amendments is to protect the privacy of prisoners. Simply being in prison should not expose a prisoner to personal information about him or her being given to unnecessary third parties. While some...

Seanad: Prisons Bill 2006: Committee Stage (28 Nov 2006)

Maurice Cummins: I move amendment No. 23: In page 12, between lines 9 and 10, to insert the following subsection: "(4) A report produced under this section shall be laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas not later than 31 May in each year.". Under section 10 a report on the performance of a contractor must be supplied to the Minister by 31 March each year. This is an important document, particularly in...

Seanad: Prisons Bill 2006: Committee Stage (28 Nov 2006)

Maurice Cummins: I raised the issue of timing. The reports should be produced in a timely fashion. If there was anything in the report of a confidential nature or related to security of the State, it could be excluded. The proper way to do business is to lay these reports before the Houses to be examined and debated, if necessary.

Seanad: Prisons Bill 2006: Committee Stage (28 Nov 2006)

Maurice Cummins: I still cannot see why it cannot be done. An increasing amount of information is being made subject to the freedom of information legislation. The way things are going, a freedom of information request will be necessary to find out who is the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, and journalists and anybody else who wished to find out will be charged for the information. That is...