Results 8,981-9,000 of 9,393 for speaker:Alex White

Seanad: Passports Bill 2007: Committee Stage (12 Mar 2008)

Alex White: I understand the point made about former Ministers being involved in official duties and have no difficulty in that regard. However, my understanding — please correct me if I am wrong — is that diplomatic passports were being issued almost as a matter of course to former Ministers. I would have to apply for a diplomatic passport if I were to travel overseas on official duties, but are...

Seanad: Passports Bill 2007: Committee Stage (12 Mar 2008)

Alex White: This question may be legalistic, but I will ask it. I understand the use of the term "official duties" by the Minister and in the Bill means duties associated with the State or a Government or quasi-Government activity. In other words, official means official State business of some kind. Am I correct?

Seanad: Passports Bill 2007: Committee Stage (12 Mar 2008)

Alex White: It has been an interesting debate. I am not fully satisfied that my amendment would not improve what the Minister seeks to achieve. I will not press the amendment at this stage but I will certainly revisit it on Report Stage.

Seanad: Passports Bill 2007: Committee Stage (12 Mar 2008)

Alex White: I move amendment No. 9: In page 14, subsection (1), line 19, after "paragraph" to insert "(a),"

Seanad: Passports Bill 2007: Committee Stage (12 Mar 2008)

Alex White: I do not propose to press the amendments.

Seanad: Passports Bill 2007: Committee Stage (12 Mar 2008)

Alex White: I move amendment No. 1: In page 4, line 11, after "2004" to insert the following: "or the corresponding provision of any statute repealed by that Act". This is a technical amendment. I understand the Minister of State has received advice on this and that he spoke about it in the other House. However, if the corresponding section is not amended in the way proposed, there is a risk that birth...

Seanad: Passports Bill 2007: Committee Stage (12 Mar 2008)

Alex White: I agree with Senators Cummins and Ormonde on this issue. The phrase "contrary to the common good" is not unknown to the law. It is used by the legal authority to which the Minister of State referred. The term is capable of extraordinarily wide interpretation. The phrase "contrary to the common good" is used in section 12 which sets out the circumstances in which the Minister, to quote the...

Seanad: Passports Bill 2007: Committee Stage (12 Mar 2008)

Alex White: I support what Senator Cummins said. We probably would have been assisted if the Minister of State had at least advanced some examples of what he has in mind although, to some extent, I understand his difficulty. We are providing for quite a power. Senator Quinn referred to circumstances where a person would engage in conduct contrary to the common good. That has some sense to it but the...

Seanad: Criminal Law (Human Trafficking) Bill 2007: Report and Final Stages (11 Mar 2008)

Alex White: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Criminal Law (Human Trafficking) Bill 2007: Report and Final Stages (11 Mar 2008)

Alex White: Exactly, that is what I was worried about.

Seanad: Criminal Law (Human Trafficking) Bill 2007: Report and Final Stages (11 Mar 2008)

Alex White: I second the amendment.

Seanad: Criminal Law (Human Trafficking) Bill 2007: Report and Final Stages (11 Mar 2008)

Alex White: I move amendmentNo. 10: In page 10, between lines 25 and 26, to insert the following: "12.—A victim of an offence under this Act shall not be prosecuted for entry into or presence in the State or for carrying out the labour or sexual acts, insofar as such entry, presence or carrying out labour or sexual acts were a consequence of the trafficking of that person.". As the Acting Chairman...

Seanad: Criminal Law (Human Trafficking) Bill 2007: Report and Final Stages (11 Mar 2008)

Alex White: I am surprised at the Minister of State saying at least twice in his contribution that this amendment proposes blanket immunity from prosecution. It does not. The reason I read out the text of the amendment was to try to convey to the House that it is not a proposal that comprises blanket immunity from prosecution. It is most unfair for the Minister of State to describe it in those terms....

Seanad: Criminal Law (Human Trafficking) Bill 2007: Report and Final Stages (11 Mar 2008)

Alex White: In the circumstances it seems unlikely to be successful at this stage and for that reason only it is not being pressed.

Seanad: Criminal Law (Human Trafficking) Bill 2007: Report and Final Stages (11 Mar 2008)

Alex White: I second the amendment. As pointed out by Senator Mullen, amendment No. 3 is as close to identical as can be to amendment No. 2 save that Senator Mullen has improved on what is proposed in the latter amendment. I do not suggest Senator Mullen has changed our proposal, rather the version he has put before the House is a better one in terms of the periods referred to. I recall the Minister...

Seanad: Criminal Law (Human Trafficking) Bill 2007: Report and Final Stages (11 Mar 2008)

Alex White: I move amendment No. 4: In page 5, line 3, after "child," to insert the following: "or (c) supplies or avails of the services of the child which the child has been trafficked to provide, knowing or having reasonable grounds to believe that the child was trafficked,". I do not propose to press amendments Nos. 4or 6.

Seanad: Criminal Law (Human Trafficking) Bill 2007: Report and Final Stages (11 Mar 2008)

Alex White: The most important thing to remember in this debate is that this legislation deals with human trafficking. We have arrived at a high degree of agreement in these Houses, and in the country, on what the crime consists of, and what measures are required to combat it. The Minister of State has responded to concerns raised on this side of the House about the users of the services of trafficked...

Seanad: Defamation Bill 2006: Report and Final Stages (11 Mar 2008)

Alex White: It is an interesting decision of the Minister to drop section 35 in its entirety from the Bill. The rationale for his doing so is compelling. Obviously, the amendment my party has tabled will not be proceeded with because it was to amend one subsection of section 35. On the Minister's general argument, Senator Regan and I are members of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on the Constitution....

Seanad: Defamation Bill 2006: Report and Final Stages (11 Mar 2008)

Alex White: I misunderstood what the Minister said. That makes sense. Under the circumstances, I will support the deletion of section 35.

Seanad: Defamation Bill 2006: Report and Final Stages (11 Mar 2008)

Alex White: I second the amendment.