Results 901-920 of 1,981 for speaker:Conor Lenihan

Waste Management. (19 Jun 2008)

Conor Lenihan: The Deputies' concerns have also been raised with me as a representative of the Brittas area. Councillor John Hannon has taken the matter up directly with South Dublin County Council. Less than 1% of waste generated in Ireland in 2006 was hazardous but I accept this waste presents a significant threat to the environment and human health if it is not properly managed. The necessary...

Waste Management. (19 Jun 2008)

Conor Lenihan: In April 2007, Rentokil made the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government aware of the existence of seven cylinders of hydrogen cyanide at its premises at Ballymount. This followed a series of meetings held by Rentokil with South Dublin County Council, the Defence Forces, the fire services and An Garda Síochána to develop a solution for the disposal of the cylinders....

Special Educational Needs. (19 Jun 2008)

Conor Lenihan: I am pleased to have been given the opportunity by the Deputy to clarify the position regarding the matters raised by him. The National Council for Special Education was set up to improve the delivery of education services to persons with special educational needs arising from disabilities with particular emphasis on children. The Deputy may find it helpful if I outline the background to the...

Seanad: Offences against the State (Amendment) Act 1998: Motion (19 Jun 2008)

Conor Lenihan: The resolution before the House seeks approval for the continuance in operation of those sections of the Offences against the State (Amendment) Act 1998 which would otherwise cease to be in operation after 30 June next. This legislation was enacted in the aftermath of the atrocity in Omagh, the tenth anniversary of which is fast approaching. This was a dreadful act which claimed the lives...

Seanad: Offences against the State (Amendment) Act 1998: Motion (19 Jun 2008)

Conor Lenihan: I thank Members for their support for the motion, especially Senator Regan of Fine Gael. Earlier this week I attended a conference attended by the Garda Commissioner, Fachtna Murphy, and the Chief Constable of the PSNI, Sir Hugh Orde. It is clear from those discussions that the threat posed by dissident republican groups is very serious. The threats are very real for many of the officers...

Seanad: Offences against the State (Amendment) Act 1998: Motion (19 Jun 2008)

Conor Lenihan: ——which was free of terrorist threat. However, we do not live in such a world, even on the island of Ireland. It is very important that these powers be renewed for another year. As Senator Bacik pointed out it is important to have a debate on these matters on an annual basis. Some of the sections have not been used, including section 17 as she mentioned. There simply has not been an...

Seanad: Offences against the State (Amendment) Act 1998: Motion (19 Jun 2008)

Conor Lenihan: We face real threats on the island of Ireland and on the international scene which must be addressed. We would be doing a grave disservice to our citizens if we were not to retain such powers as those contained in this Act. Senator Regan made a very serious point about Paul Quinn's murder. That is the subject of proceedings at the moment. The Independent Monitoring Commission's report...

Written Answers — Integration Initiatives: Integration Initiatives (17 Jun 2008)

Conor Lenihan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 779 and 782 together. My Office does not administer any grant scheme which specifically facilitates the provision of assistance for integration media material. My Office does, however, provide a scheme of grants to small and local organisations which are active in the area of integration or befriending of migrants. Notice of these small grants were...

Written Answers — Integration Initiatives: Integration Initiatives (17 Jun 2008)

Conor Lenihan: I would refer the Deputy to my reply Question No. 458 on 20 May 2008 which sets out the information sought.

Written Answers — Asylum Support Services: Asylum Support Services (4 Jun 2008)

Conor Lenihan: The resource pack referred to by the Deputy appears to be a useful example of how diversity issues can be mainstreamed by State agencies and line Departments. The HSE has done extremely good work in this area. I was pleased to attend the launch earlier this year of the HSE intercultural strategy. The HSE along with other State agencies e.g. An Garda Síochaná and various sporting bodies have...

Seanad: Prison Building Programme: Motion. (29 May 2008)

Conor Lenihan: I can clarify that now. There are to be 1,400 prisoners but we are providing for additional capacity to accommodate up to 2,200, which would be achieved by dividing rooms in half. We have over-provided regarding the size of individual cells. It is only for an unforecasted increase in prisoner numbers that the additional capacity would be utilised. It is not axiomatic that there will be...

Seanad: Prison Building Programme: Motion. (29 May 2008)

Conor Lenihan: I thank Senator Cassidy for his kind remarks. He sometimes has marathon battles with an unmentionable relative of mine but I assure him I do not harbour similar thoughts to hers with regard to the Senator. I know the Senator from the life I led before entering politics, during which he was very helpful and positive to me, which was most welcome. I wish to speak on the resolution placed on...

Seanad: Prison Building Programme: Motion. (29 May 2008)

Conor Lenihan: There was also some concerns expressed about certain emergency exits being used by service and delivery vehicles and this is also addressed in the draft resolution by ensuring that the emergency exits will never be used for deliveries or service vehicles. Several people living in the immediate proximity of the prison are personally affected and alterations are also proposed in the resolution...

Seanad: Prison Building Programme: Motion. (29 May 2008)

Conor Lenihan: I do not wish to interrupt the Senator's flow but if he has any good suggestions from local residents on a name, we would be delighted to hear them.

Seanad: Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2006: Committee Stage (27 May 2008)

Conor Lenihan: The 1851 Act is more often honoured in the breach and, at least since the foundation of the State, it has not in fact been the practice of District Court judges to keep notes or records. An obligation to keep such notes or have stenographers formally record decisions and evidence would impose a significant administrative burden on the District Court. As a lawyer, Senator Alex White will be...

Seanad: Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2006: Committee Stage (27 May 2008)

Conor Lenihan: At present, it is entirely at the discretion of a District Court justice to keep his or her personal notes. I am sure some of them keep such notes for the purposes of clarity or, as with an aide memoire, to assist them, particularly in circumstances where cases involving similar matters might arise. The work of the District Court is extremely pressurised and varied. The 1851 obligation was...

Seanad: Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2006: Committee Stage (27 May 2008)

Conor Lenihan: These are technical drafting amendments.

Seanad: Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2006: Committee Stage (27 May 2008)

Conor Lenihan: Each of these amendments relates to the Law Society's powers of investigation into alleged misconduct either by solicitors or by apprentice solicitors. The Law Society has, for many years, investigated allegations of misconduct by solicitors arising either from complaints made by clients or as a result of its own routine inspections of solicitors' practices. However, there is no express...

Seanad: Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2006: Committee Stage (27 May 2008)

Conor Lenihan: The Law Society is required by section 7 of the Solicitors (Amendment) Act 1960 to bring the report of the solicitors' disciplinary tribunal to the High Court in cases where the tribunal has found that there has been misconduct and where the tribunal leaves the question of the sanction to be imposed to be decided by the High Court. Typically this occurs in the more serious cases of...

Seanad: Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2006: Committee Stage (27 May 2008)

Conor Lenihan: These amendments are similar in purpose to amendment No. 13 in that they confirm the Law Society's powers to generate internally complaints against solicitors. The amendments confirm the statutory role of the Registrar of Solicitors in generating internally a complaint of misconduct against a solicitor and extend the definition of misconduct for this purpose to include "any other conduct...