Results 7,181-7,200 of 10,435 for speaker:Jim O'Callaghan

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Online Harassment and Harmful Communications: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Oct 2019)

Jim O'Callaghan: With regard to increasing regulation, obviously, as Dr. McIntyre mentioned, we already have many laws in place such as those in place to deal with child pornography and incitement to hatred. Do the delegates think those laws need to be changed or should our primary objective be to try to ensure they are applied to what happens on the Internet?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Online Harassment and Harmful Communications: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Oct 2019)

Jim O'Callaghan: Is Dr. Aiken's primary concern and research area the protection of children?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Online Harassment and Harmful Communications: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Oct 2019)

Jim O'Callaghan: On the various types of harmful communications, everyone agrees that child pornography is a criminal offence and needs to be taken down from the Internet. Obviously,the children in the images are victims of sexual abuse and other children should not be exposed to looking at it. That is clear. However, there are other forms of harmful communication such as bullying. Is Dr. Aiken suggesting...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Online Harassment and Harmful Communications: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Oct 2019)

Jim O'Callaghan: We do not have a crime of bullying, but we do have an offence of harassment, as Dr. McIntyre mentioned. Perhaps part of the reason there has been delay on the part of the Garda in investigating and prosecuting online racial abuse is that the Act requires something to be happening persistently. It is an indication that the Act needs to be updated. A once-off activity or communication is not...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Online Harassment and Harmful Communications: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Oct 2019)

Jim O'Callaghan: I agree with Dr. Aiken on the issue of child pornography. As legislators, it is probably easier for us to deal with something that everyone recognises is impermissible. It is already a criminal offence and we must protect children from it. However, we need to consider the problem of harmful communications more generally? What do the delegates consider to be harmful? People say they hate...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Online Harassment and Harmful Communications: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Oct 2019)

Jim O'Callaghan: It would be problematic to codify an offence of harmful communications in general. We need to come up with a definition of harmful communications for this module. Dr. McIntyre has outlined that he looked for a definition of harm in the Law Reform Commission's report, but did not find one. It may be that the commission experienced the same difficulty we will have and decided to identify...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Online Harassment and Harmful Communications: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Oct 2019)

Jim O'Callaghan: Yes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Online Harassment and Harmful Communications: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Oct 2019)

Jim O'Callaghan: The law can intervene in a civil or criminal context. Criminal context is one thing but in the context of people having the ability to have certain information taken down, should the Oireachtas create laws that give a civil remedy to individuals to permit that, or should we leave it to the social media companies to have a self-regulatory system whereby somebody contacts a company, it makes...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Online Harassment and Harmful Communications: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Oct 2019)

Jim O'Callaghan: I apologise for interrupting. Should the Oireachtas intervene and give a civil remedy to people so that they can have the capacity to go to a regulator or the courts to get material taken down, as opposed to doing it in the current system under which people apply to Facebook or some other company?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Online Harassment and Harmful Communications: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Oct 2019)

Jim O'Callaghan: I know.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Online Harassment and Harmful Communications: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Oct 2019)

Jim O'Callaghan: While I agree with Dr. Aiken's point on extreme behaviour, why should somebody not be able to abuse me online?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Online Harassment and Harmful Communications: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Oct 2019)

Jim O'Callaghan: I do not want to be abused but why should somebody not be allowed to abuse me?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Online Harassment and Harmful Communications: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Oct 2019)

Jim O'Callaghan: I agree with Dr. Aiken about that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Online Harassment and Harmful Communications: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Oct 2019)

Jim O'Callaghan: I know I have gone on too long so I will ask a final question. We hear a great deal about hate speech. The law at present, the Prohibition of Incitement to Hatred Act, is that if one publishes material that is threatening, abusive or insulting, and it is likely to stir up hatred, that is an offence. Do we need to go beyond that for speech online?

Parent's Leave and Benefit Bill 2019 [Seanad]: Committee and Remaining Stages (15 Oct 2019)

Jim O'Callaghan: I move amendment No. 5:In page 22, line 14, after "remuneration" to insert the following:"or superannuation benefits or any obligation to pay contributions in or in respect of the employment". Deputy Troy is due in the Chamber presently.

Parent's Leave and Benefit Bill 2019 [Seanad]: Second Stage (15 Oct 2019)

Jim O'Callaghan: I welcome the opportunity to speak on this important legislation. However, I do not think it is helpful that we have to take all Stages of the legislation within three hours. It is very important legislation and while we welcome it, as legislators, we should be given an opportunity to consider it, table amendments and have them discussed in due course, and then reflect on the Second Stage...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Forensic Science Ireland Laboratory (15 Oct 2019)

Jim O'Callaghan: 159. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the status of the forensic science laboratory in County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41758/19]

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Asylum Applications Data (15 Oct 2019)

Jim O'Callaghan: 255. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of persons who claimed asylum at Dublin Airport and were denied accommodation in 2018 and to date in 2019, by month; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41739/19]

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Data (15 Oct 2019)

Jim O'Callaghan: 261. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of juvenile liaison officer posts that are unfilled; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41779/19]

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Data (15 Oct 2019)

Jim O'Callaghan: 262. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of juvenile liaison officer posts in each county; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41780/19]