Results 7,961-7,980 of 11,668 for speaker:Ivana Bacik

Seanad: Criminal Law (Human Trafficking) (Amendment) Bill 2013: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (2 Jul 2013)

Ivana Bacik: I welcome the Minister to the House and rise to speak in support of the Bill and the changes to trafficking law. Last week the Joint Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality published its report on the reform of the law on prostitution. The report encompassed consideration of the issue of trafficking on foot of very interesting evidence given to the committee by members of the Garda's...

Seanad: Courts and Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2013: Report and Final Stages (2 Jul 2013)

Ivana Bacik: I compliment Senator van Turnhout for her eloquent and passionate discussion of this amendment on Committee Stage at which the Minister engaged with us and which we all appreciated. Several of us are working on the broader level of the disclosure of counselling records of adult complainants in sexual offence trials and not just complainants in respect of child sexual abuse. As Senator van...

Seanad: Courts and Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2013: Report and Final Stages (2 Jul 2013)

Ivana Bacik: I thank the Minister and his officials for initiating the Bill in the Seanad. This is appreciated. We had a really good, considered debate on many aspects of it. What the Minister has said about the changes to the jurisdictional limits is right. It is important that we see a greater volume of work moving downwards through the system which will lead to greater efficiencies generally and a...

Seanad: Courts and Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2013: Report and Final Stages (2 Jul 2013)

Ivana Bacik: The Minister's diplomacy was noted.

Seanad: Order of Business (2 Jul 2013)

Ivana Bacik: It is already included in the legislation.

Seanad: Order of Business (2 Jul 2013)

Ivana Bacik: I will repeat what I said last week, following the continuing revelations from Anglo Irish Bank. The key issue is to make every resource available to the Garda and the ODCE to ensure that prosecutions may be brought in a timely fashion. There has already been a long period of investigation and the main concern for most people is to see the individuals responsible for the collapse of the...

Seanad: Order of Business (27 Jun 2013)

Ivana Bacik: I join with the Leader in welcoming Senator David Norris back to the House. The Senator was missed yesterday in the debate on the referendum Bill but we look forward to his-----

Seanad: Order of Business (27 Jun 2013)

Ivana Bacik: No doubt he will make up for his absence. We are delighted to see him back. I refer to the new Central Bank of Ireland code for those in mortgage arrears. The number of mortgages in arrears by more than 90 days - almost 100,000, or 12.3% of mortgages - is extremely worrying. It is particularly worrying when we see homeowners' mortgages in arrears. It is undoubtedly the case that action...

Seanad: Order of Business (27 Jun 2013)

Ivana Bacik: This code has just been published and as I said, there are issues of concern in it, although there are some welcome aspects. I am very glad to see there will be no fast-tracking of home repossessions and no forcing people off tracker mortgages, both of which the banks wanted but did not get. We need a reasoned debate and to look at what measures in the code will help people in distress with...

Seanad: Order of Business (27 Jun 2013)

Ivana Bacik: Those of us who visited Sweden as part of the committee delegation were hugely impressed by the very compelling evidence in favour of the new model of legislation we saw in operation there. I would really welcome a debate on the report, as I know other colleagues would. I ask the Leader to organise it in early course.

Seanad: Courts Bill 2013: Committee Stage (26 Jun 2013)

Ivana Bacik: Next Tuesday, 2 July 2013.

Seanad: Courts Bill 2013: Committee Stage (26 Jun 2013)

Ivana Bacik: I wish to express support for the concerns raised by Senator van Turnhout. In this amendment she has put very eloquently the case for making provision as regards admissibility of records of counselling where witnesses are under the age of 18. The Minister will be aware that this is an issue of immense concern, not just concerning child witnesses but also concerning adult witnesses in rape...

Seanad: Courts Bill 2013: Committee Stage (26 Jun 2013)

Ivana Bacik: This is a sensible and practical provision, particularly given the prospect of long trials involving, for example, complex banking fraud or other such fraud. There is a concern to ensure we have a sufficient number of jurors available in such cases. I am conscious that there has been little research done in Ireland on the inner workings of juries. A former PhD student of mine, Dr. Mark...

Seanad: Courts Bill 2013: Committee Stage (26 Jun 2013)

Ivana Bacik: I appreciate Senator Ó Clochartaigh's concern on this and I said earlier that representations have been made to me by members of the legal profession acting for children or guardians ad litem and who are concerned about press access. We must strike a careful balance in terms of allowing scrutiny by the public of such proceedings while ensuring there is protection for the rights of the...

Seanad: Courts Bill 2013: Committee Stage (26 Jun 2013)

Ivana Bacik: I thank the Minister for saying he will consider the issue I have raised. I am not suggesting that a multiplicity of family members should be represented, far from it. What I am trying to do is pre-empt a situation where coroners are faced with a multiplicity of requests. It is sensible that one application would be granted but how the coroners decides is the question. In most cases,...

Seanad: Courts Bill 2013: Committee Stage (26 Jun 2013)

Ivana Bacik: The Minister is well aware that concerns have been expressed about the substantive provisions in section 5 by family law practitioners, particularly practitioners who work in courts where issues concerning children are raised. I am very glad to see this amendment put forward at the behest of the Children's Rights Alliance as it gives the necessary criteria to a judge in making a decision as...

Seanad: Courts Bill 2013: Committee Stage (26 Jun 2013)

Ivana Bacik: I very much welcome these amendments to the Coroners Act and the Civil Legal Aid Act which are long overdue. It is appropriate that we would do this pending the overall review of the coroners legislation. This is something for which the families of deceased persons have been looking for some time. I appreciate that, as the Minister says, it is limited to certain cases, in particular where...

Seanad: An Bille um an Dara Leasú is Tríocha ar an mBunreacht (Deireadh a Chur le Seanad Éireann) 2013: An Dara Céim - Thirty-second Amendment of the Constitution (Abolition of Seanad Éireann) Bill 2013: Second Stage (26 Jun 2013)

Ivana Bacik: Cuirim fáilte roimh an Taoiseach and I am delighted to have the opportunity to speak to the Bill, which has already been the subject of a great deal of debate already in this House and elsewhere. I am glad that today's debate is being conducted in a most respectful and thoughtful manner on a question of principle, and there are very principled arguments to be made both for a unicameral...

Seanad: An Bille um an Dara Leasú is Tríocha ar an mBunreacht (Deireadh a Chur le Seanad Éireann) 2013: An Dara Céim - Thirty-second Amendment of the Constitution (Abolition of Seanad Éireann) Bill 2013: Second Stage (26 Jun 2013)

Ivana Bacik: That would strengthen rather than weaken our democracy. I regret that the position of the Labour Party in advance of the last election - that the matter should go to the Constitutional Convention - has not been ultimately adopted within the programme for Government. The case for fundamental and substantive reform of the Seanad is clear and unanswerable, and nobody within or outside the House...

Seanad: An Bille um an Dara Leasú is Tríocha ar an mBunreacht (Deireadh a Chur le Seanad Éireann) 2013: An Dara Céim - Thirty-second Amendment of the Constitution (Abolition of Seanad Éireann) Bill 2013: Second Stage (26 Jun 2013)

Ivana Bacik: -----to choose a group of genuinely independent individuals, and I pay tribute to that group, which has contributed enormously to the quality of debate and business done in this House. They have formed a new Independent nominees group, which means the Government does not have a clear majority in the House, making debates more interesting, lively and worthwhile. I do not know if I am...