Results 8,501-8,520 of 9,393 for speaker:Alex White

Seanad: Adoption Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (11 Mar 2009)

Alex White:

Seanad: Adoption Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (11 Mar 2009)

Alex White:

Seanad: Adoption Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (11 Mar 2009)

Alex White: I understand the point being made by the Minister of State about the meaning and the finality of an adoption order and the bundle of legal rights that are associated with it. One could argue that one cannot have a halfway house and that it is either adoption or it is not and there has to be certainty about it. This is what section 58 touches upon and to which my amendment No. 44 relates. I...

Seanad: Adoption Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (11 Mar 2009)

Alex White: I, too, question why this section is in the Bill. Its inclusion must be justified, rather than arguing for its removal. Why is it here? Certainly, it seems to jar with the main substances of the legislation. Is it some type of postscript, a genuflection, as it were, in the direction of religion? Without having heard the Minister of State on this, there seems to be no real reason for its...

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed). (11 Mar 2009)

Alex White: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Adoption Bill 2009: Committee Stage (Resumed) (11 Mar 2009)

Alex White: I move amendment No. 6: In page 21, before section 16, to insert the following new section: 16.—(1) A child shall not be placed for adoption, nor may an application be made by the mother or a relative of the child for an adoption order, without the consent of the father or the court where the father is a guardian or is named on the child's birth certificate. (2) Where subsection (1) does...

Seanad: Order of Business (Resumed). (11 Mar 2009)

Alex White: Ar dtús by mhaith liom aontú leis an Seanadóir Ó Tuathail mar gheal ar an díospóireacht Gaeilge tráthnóna inniu, agus tá súil agam go mbeidh ama ar fáil do Pairtí an Lucht Oibre san díospóireacht sin. I hope all parties get an opportunity to contribute to that debate. The time allocated seems to be somewhat short, however. I agree with colleagues in respect of the events in...

Seanad: Investment of the National Pensions Reserve Fund and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2009: Second Stage (Resumed) (5 Mar 2009)

Alex White: I am not as concerned, and I do not become as excited, as Senator Butler about the use of the term "bail out" in respect of the banks. I have always understood that term to have originated from the need to remove water from a sinking ship. However, I am not sure whether that is the correct derivation. We are extending a huge indulgence and generosity to the banks and, in the circumstances,...

Seanad: Investment of the National Pensions Reserve Fund and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2009: Second Stage (Resumed) (5 Mar 2009)

Alex White: He usually states things reasonably clearly but many of his colleagues do not. There is an attempt to spin this matter even in some of the arguments from my colleagues on the Government benches who say it is good for the National Treasury Management Agency, the Government and so forth. It is not good that we must dip into this pension contingency fund. It is terrible that we have to do it...

Seanad: Order of Business (5 Mar 2009)

Alex White: Somebody asked me last week whether I believe that politicians are part of the problem or part of the solution. The man in question was not sure of the answer to his own question. He was referring to politicians across the board. In view of the fact that 1,000 people are losing their jobs each day, we must recognise the need to shake ourselves up in the way we do business in this House. I...

Seanad: Adoption Bill 2009: Committee Stage (4 Mar 2009)

Alex White: The Minister might have anticipated amendment No. 14 in some of his remarks a few minutes ago, but it is a considerably different proposal to that made in amendment No. 2, which had to do with a third category of possible inter-country adoptions. I will not press that amendment at this stage but reserve my position for Report Stage. Amendment No. 14 is a proposal akin to a grandfather...

Seanad: Adoption Bill 2009: Committee Stage (4 Mar 2009)

Alex White: On a point of order, it was my mistake and I think the Minister of State is correct.

Seanad: (4 Mar 2009)

Alex White: I suspect that Senator Fitzgerald is probably right in respect of the amendments, both of which I support strongly in what they seek to achieve.

Seanad: (4 Mar 2009)

Alex White: I entirely agree with you, a Chathaoirligh, but the finger inevitably points at the person whose microphone is on. I am just pointing out my innocence on this occasion. It was not my phone. I strongly support what Senators Bacik and Norris are proposing in these amendments. However, Senator Fitzgerald may be right in terms of the sequence of events, given that we are to have civil...

Seanad: Adoption Bill 2009: Committee Stage (4 Mar 2009)

Alex White: I also welcome the commitment the Minister of State provided in respect of the draft agreement with Vietnam. He indicated that he has informed the various interested bodies with regard to this matter. It is good that he should do so. As recently as yesterday morning, one of the organisations in question, the International Adoption Association, IAA, did not appear to have been informed of...

Seanad: Adoption Bill 2009: Committee Stage (4 Mar 2009)

Alex White: I am sure the Minister of State will contact the IAA because he is aware of its interest in and the amount of work it has carried out in respect of this matter. The Minister of State indicated that there has been a lengthy period of consultation in respect of the legislation. There is no doubt that this is the case. It would appear that such consultation was extremely meaningful,...

Seanad: Adoption Bill 2009: Committee Stage (4 Mar 2009)

Alex White: This week.

Seanad: Adoption Bill 2009: Committee Stage (4 Mar 2009)

Alex White: I will reserve my position for Report Stage so I will not press the amendment at this point. I ask the Acting Chairman for clarification as I am still a relative rookie. We were dealing with amendments Nos. 2, 14 and 50, and perhaps I was expected to address Nos. 14 and 50 at the same time, but they have not been called yet.

Seanad: Adoption Bill 2009: Committee Stage (4 Mar 2009)

Alex White: It is amendments Nos. 14 and 50.

Seanad: Adoption Bill 2009: Committee Stage (4 Mar 2009)

Alex White: I move amendment No. 1: In page 16, subsection (1), line 5, after "text" to insert "in the English language". This could essentially be described as a drafting amendment. It seeks to amend the section that deals with the interpretation of the term "Hague Convention". The Bill states: "Hague Convention" means the Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in respect of...