Results 6,801-6,820 of 7,652 for speaker:Joanna Tuffy

Seanad: Order of Business. (17 Feb 2005)

Joanna Tuffy: Did she or did she not know that what was being done in putting forward that legislation was the legalising of the illegal taking of money——

Seanad: Order of Business. (17 Feb 2005)

Joanna Tuffy: The most vulnerable people in our society are being treated unfairly. I do not believe the Tánaiste's party would treat the wealthy in the same way. I do not remember any law being put forward by the Tánaiste to take away money retrospectively from any other sector of society. The Progressive Democrats Party makes a virtue of the fact that it has cut income tax over the years. Those income...

Seanad: Civil Partnership Bill 2004: Second Stage. (16 Feb 2005)

Joanna Tuffy: I support this Bill on behalf of the Labour Party and I thank Senator Norris for introducing it. In doing so, and in his previous work in the Seanad, the Senator promotes this House which is often ahead of the Dáil in introducing measures such as this. This Bill recognises social reality. Senator Kett mentioned the Taoiseach's referral of the issue to the All-Party Committee on the...

Seanad: Parental Leave (Amendment) Bill 2004: Report and Final Stages. (16 Feb 2005)

Joanna Tuffy: I move amendment No. 5: In page 6, to delete lines 14 to 26. I also proposed this amendment on Committee Stage. My colleagues and I believe the rule that states that blocks of parental leave must be ten weeks apart is inflexible and unnecessary. This amendment proposes to delete section 3(b), which enshrines inflexibility in the legislation by providing that a second period of parental leave...

Seanad: Parental Leave (Amendment) Bill 2004: Report and Final Stages. (16 Feb 2005)

Joanna Tuffy: I move amendment No. 6: In page 7, between lines 9 and 10, to insert the following: "4.—The Minister shall by regulations provide that— (i) an employee shall have a right to request more flexible parental leave arrangements than those provided for under the Parental Leave Acts 1998 and 2005, (ii) the employer is obliged seriously to consider any such request, and (iii) refusal of the...

Seanad: Parental Leave (Amendment) Bill 2004: Report and Final Stages. (16 Feb 2005)

Joanna Tuffy: On Senator Jim Walsh's point, I do not see how it is a free-for-all in terms of employees. First, parental leave is not paid and it will be difficult to encourage people to take it in the first place. It is not only for the common good but also for the good of the economy because it encourages people to stay in the workforce. It probably discourages people from taking sick leave...

Seanad: Parental Leave (Amendment) Bill 2004: Report and Final Stages. (16 Feb 2005)

Joanna Tuffy: I am saying that the onus should be on the employer to say why he cannot provide the flexibility sought by the employee.

Seanad: Parental Leave (Amendment) Bill 2004: Report and Final Stages. (16 Feb 2005)

Joanna Tuffy: I support Senator Terry's amendment, the substance of which may serve to give some momentum to the efforts to introduce paid parental leave. If a report as envisaged in the amendment is produced, it should look not only at the costs, but also the benefits. These potential benefits relate not only to financial considerations but should include such issues as improved quality of life. There are...

Seanad: Parental Leave (Amendment) Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (9 Feb 2005)

Joanna Tuffy: I move amendment No. 8: In page 6, to delete lines 14 to 26. This amendment makes similar provisions as the previous one. It proposes to delete section 7(b) of the principal Act. In amending section1(a), the Minister of State is prescribing inflexibility. However, section 1(b) allows for the employer and the employee concerned to agree a shorter period. It puts the ball back in the employer's...

Seanad: Parental Leave (Amendment) Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (9 Feb 2005)

Joanna Tuffy: I support this amendment. Amendment No. 10 in my name was similar. In both cases, one can argue a cost to the Exchequer would be involved. Amendment No. 10 sought to broaden those circumstances the provision covers. While it was more broadly worded than this amendment, it would have the same effect. Why was amendment No. 10 ruled out of order and not amendment No. 11?

Seanad: Parental Leave (Amendment) Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (9 Feb 2005)

Joanna Tuffy: I support the amendment. The point of this type of legislation is to support every type of family regardless of its make-up. We must support families. That is good for society and for the individuals involved. I understand from the Irish Congress of Trade Unions that a commitment was made as part of Sustaining Progress that steps would be taken to give effect to the issue of force majeure...

Seanad: Parental Leave (Amendment) Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (9 Feb 2005)

Joanna Tuffy: It must be said that this Bill is an improvement on its predecessor. I am not one of those who argues for all or nothing. This is an improvement on what preceded it and it must be conceded that it is better than nothing. My main concern is with the approach, while agreeing that we have to introduce paid parental leave. The main group discriminated against by not having a paid parental leave...

Seanad: Parental Leave (Amendment) Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (9 Feb 2005)

Joanna Tuffy: The Minister of State said a small payment to those on parental leave discouraged take up in Europe. That would imply no payment would be more discouraging. If the Government wants people to take up parental leave, the greater the payment the better. It is less likely that people will avail of the option if there is no payment. Ministers usually respond on legislation such as this that it is...

Seanad: Parental Leave (Amendment) Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (9 Feb 2005)

Joanna Tuffy: Amendment No. 9 raises a similar point to that raised by Senator O'Toole. The point is that there is space for flexibility as it stands, but it is very much dependent on the employer being open to it. This amendment, which is along the lines of what was proposed by ICTU, proposes to give the employee the right to request the flexibility and underpins that right. It recognises the need for the...

Seanad: Parental Leave (Amendment) Bill 2004: Committee Stage. (9 Feb 2005)

Joanna Tuffy: The amendment does more than just require the employer to respond in a prescribed way. It places the onus on the employer to have a reason that he or she will not be flexible. In the current situation, it is very much dependent on the employer being flexible. The amendment seeks to require the employer to be flexible unless it is not possible for him or her to be so because of the nature of...

Seanad: Criminal Justice (Terrorist Offences) Bill 2002: Committee Stage (Resumed). (8 Feb 2005)

Joanna Tuffy: I move amendment No. 37: In page 83, line 9, to delete "terrorist-inter" and substitute "terrorist-linked". This is a technical amendment which is intended to correct an error in the Bill.

Seanad: Criminal Justice (Terrorist Offences) Bill 2002: Committee Stage (Resumed). (8 Feb 2005)

Joanna Tuffy: I move amendment No. 38: In page 83, to delete line 18. The offences listed in Schedule 2 are to be regarded as terrorist offences and we agree that most of them are acceptable as such, for example, those related to explosives, murder and so on. However, we feel that the offence of assault causing harm is a lesser offence in comparison, having considered the fact that assault causing serious...

Seanad: Criminal Justice (Terrorist Offences) Bill 2002: Committee Stage. (3 Feb 2005)

Joanna Tuffy: Senator Maurice Hayes refers to murder but the definition of terrorism in the Bill is much broader. To respond to the Minister's points, if we used the word democratic in the legislation it would refer to our understanding of democracy. We consider this to be a democratic society and our judgment would be that democracy includes free elections in which people have the right to put themselves...

Seanad: Criminal Justice (Terrorist Offences) Bill 2002: Committee Stage. (3 Feb 2005)

Joanna Tuffy: I move amendment No. 6: In page 47, before section 51, to insert the following new section: "51.—Where the Director of Public Prosecutions certifies, pursuant to the Offences against the State Act 1939, that the ordinary courts are inadequate for the trial of an offence, the Director shall, if requested by the Defendant, either give reasons for the making of such a certificate or apply to...

Seanad: Criminal Justice (Terrorist Offences) Bill 2002: Committee Stage. (3 Feb 2005)

Joanna Tuffy: I am prepared to accept what the Minister has said, that our solution might not be the right one. I hope he will examine the matter, however. The UN human rights committee has raised this issue, so surely it is our responsibility to try to address it. We should try to find the required mechanism, even if it is difficult to do so due to the complexity of the issue. We must respond; we cannot...