Results 11,421-11,440 of 11,812 for speaker:Denis O'Donovan

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Jul 2009)

Denis O'Donovan: On a serious note, I am disappointed that we have had no debate on the fishing industry despite the four requests I have made since Easter. I am acutely aware that the Minister was ill for some time. I accept that situation but he should attend a debate on the fishing industry as a matter of priority when we return from the recess. I also wish to support my colleague who sought a debate on...

Seanad: Criminal Justice (Amendment) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (14 Jul 2009)

Denis O'Donovan: I thank my colleagues for quite a robust debate. Despite the assertion that amendments could not be taken because the Dáil is not sitting, there were several votes on Committee Stage, some of them quite tight. Defeating the Government in a vote is one way of sorting out amendments. The necessity for this Bill was brought home to me by a headline in today's Evening Herald . As a result of...

Seanad: Criminal Justice (Amendment) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (14 Jul 2009)

Denis O'Donovan: Now.

Seanad: Criminal Justice (Amendment) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (14 Jul 2009)

Denis O'Donovan: Is it intended to table amendments on Report Stage? Were that the case I would be inclined to have a reasonable sos to facilitate that. The position is that it has been ordered that all Stages be dealt with tonight.

Seanad: Criminal Justice (Amendment) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (14 Jul 2009)

Denis O'Donovan: I do not want to labour the point; the arguments have been made on both sides and the Minister has responded. The Bill mentions a garda of any rank and does not exclude a superintendent or a chief superintendent. I am not disputing what my colleague, Senator Donohoe, stated, particularly given the area in which he lives. However, one must also consider the area in which I live. Senator...

Seanad: Criminal Justice (Amendment) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (14 Jul 2009)

Denis O'Donovan: I want to make this point in support of what the Minister is trying to do and not to denigrate. We are dealing with a very serious situation and what the Minister is trying to do is to broaden the definition of a gang. I have no doubt that people of lesser rank than a chief superintendent or a superintendent have more hands-on knowledge of what is happening in a part of a city or a remote...

Seanad: Criminal Justice (Amendment) Bill 2009: Second Stage (14 Jul 2009)

Denis O'Donovan: I welcome the Minister to the House and I welcome the Bill. I compliment him on the manner in which the Bill was presented to the House. His presentation was inspiring and his hands-on approach to the issue gives us confidence that he is well briefed on the issue. The Bill is not being introduced on the Minister's whim. It follows advice from top level gardaí, particularly the Garda...

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Jul 2009)

Denis O'Donovan: I congratulate the Garda Síochána on a very important issue. Strict and simple enforcement of our public house licensing laws has thrown up an important and interesting statistic. In the town of Drogheda in recent months, arising out of Garda enforcement of the licensing laws, there was a 42% drop in street violence and anti-social behaviour in the early hours of the morning. If that...

Seanad: Defamation Bill 2006 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] : Report and Final Stages (9 Jul 2009)

Denis O'Donovan: We only received them now.

Seanad: Defamation Bill 2006 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] : Report and Final Stages (9 Jul 2009)

Denis O'Donovan: That is presumptuous.

Seanad: Land and Conveyancing Law Reform Bill 2008 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil]: Report and Final Stages. (9 Jul 2009)

Denis O'Donovan: This is legislation we cannot be accused of guillotining and rushing through the House. It was initiated in the Seanad on 7 June 2006 when I was a Member of the Lower House, so it has taken a long time. I know the Leas-Chathaoirleach was deeply involved in the legislation at that stage. I concur with my colleague, Senator Regan, that it is excellent legislation. I compliment the Law Reform...

Seanad: Land and Conveyancing Law Reform Bill 2008 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil]: Report and Final Stages. (9 Jul 2009)

Denis O'Donovan: I concur with those remarks. Reflecting on my first year as a law student, I had to do Roman law, jurisprudence, legal history going back to the Magna Carta and so on. Perhaps we are giving today's law students too much of a soft option in that they do not have to do so much research. I should be worried lest they get lazy, because they will not have to put in the effort we had to in our...

Seanad: Criminal Justice (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (8 Jul 2009)

Denis O'Donovan: I will lend what support I can to my colleagues opposite on this issue but, under the Whip system, my hands are regrettably tied.

Seanad: Criminal Justice (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (8 Jul 2009)

Denis O'Donovan: I have done so on several occasions.

Seanad: Criminal Justice (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (8 Jul 2009)

Denis O'Donovan: Unfortunately, I am not permitted to do so on Report Stage.

Seanad: Criminal Justice (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (8 Jul 2009)

Denis O'Donovan: Having listened to the contributions of Senators Mullen and Regan, I have serious concerns to raise with the Minister of State. Is section 33 a killjoy provision? When I first read the legislation and listened to some of the comments made by individuals who run legitimate gun clubs, practice ranges, etc., I concluded that the Bill constituted a serious setback for them. Retired members of...

Seanad: Criminal Justice (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (8 Jul 2009)

Denis O'Donovan: If there are reservations, more substance should be provided because serious allegations have been made to the Minister by, I presume, senior Garda sources as a result of intelligence gathering operations and so forth. If that is the case, someone should outline the source of the information, whether the activity in question has occurred regularly or only once and what action can be taken to...

Seanad: Criminal Justice (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2009: Committee and Remaining Stages (8 Jul 2009)

Denis O'Donovan: He accepted two amendments from the Labour Party yesterday.

Seanad: Order of Business (8 Jul 2009)

Denis O'Donovan: On the issue of the Criminal Justice (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill, I understand the passion of my colleague Senator Norris. There are two views on this. I appreciate the Senator's view and its sincerity. However, over the weekend I read three articles by prominent Irish journalists welcoming the Bill because they were under death threats from certain criminal gangs.

Seanad: Order of Business (8 Jul 2009)

Denis O'Donovan: The fact that there is witness intimidation is well known. Leaving that aside, however, I wish to raise with the Leader an article I read which stated that certain lawyers - either solicitors or barristers - are acting in concert with some of these criminal gangs. That is extremely worrying if it is factually correct, and it should be investigated. Most lawyers, whether barristers or...