Results 1,141-1,160 of 1,421 for speaker:Barry Ward

Seanad: Address to Seanad Éireann by Members of the European Parliament (22 Sep 2021)

Barry Ward: Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCathaoirleach. I welcome this initiative and it is great to have our MEPs here. As a former member of the European Committee of the Regions, I recognise how difficult it can sometimes be to achieve that connectivity between operations at a European level and at a national level. I acknowledge how difficult it must have been for Mr. Markey to take over when he...

Joint Committee on the Irish Language, the Gaeltacht and the Irish Speaking Community: Beart na Breatnaise agus Caighdeáin Teanga: Coimisinéir Teanga na Breataine Bige (22 Sep 2021)

Barry Ward: Cuirim fáilte roimh an gcoimisinéir. Croeso, if that is the right way to say it. The commissioner is very welcome and I thank him for joining us. I have a Welsh brother-in-law who, I am sorry to say, does not speak Welsh but who has a few words, which he has passed on to me. All of us look at Wales with great envy in respect of the extent to which the national language is...

Joint Committee on the Irish Language, the Gaeltacht and the Irish Speaking Community: Beart na Breatnaise agus Caighdeáin Teanga: Coimisinéir Teanga na Breataine Bige (22 Sep 2021)

Barry Ward: Tá sé sin go hiontach ar fad.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (21 Sep 2021)

Barry Ward: In the first instance, I entirely agree with what Senator Byrne said about the privacy of politicians' homes. We have a system where politicians are accessible only because people treat them in a civil and human way. I welcome the decision by the Department of Education, in principle, to agree to the purchase of Booterstown parish hall. This is an issue I raised as a Commencement matter...

Seanad: Bullying and Sexual Harassment in Third Level Institutions: Motion (21 Sep 2021)

Barry Ward: Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire. This is a scenario in which the Minister has done much work. He has progressed many ideas that we all recognise will improve thestatus quofor people who have been the victims of sexual harassment and of, as other Senator said, power games, and of the abuse of power by certain individuals in workplaces and third level institutions. In my professional...

Seanad: EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement: Motion (21 Sep 2021)

Barry Ward: I move: That Seanad Éireann approves the exercise by the State of the option or discretion under Protocol No. 21 on the position of the United Kingdom and Ireland in respect of the area of freedom, security and justice annexed to the Treaty on European Union and to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, to take part in the adoption and application of the following...

Seanad: EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement: Motion (21 Sep 2021)

Barry Ward: The Minister of State put her finger on the importance of the motion. The exchange of Prüm data is an essential part of law enforcement and the criminal justice consequences of that in respect of detection and, ultimately, prosecution. It is a shame that as I understand it, next year will be the final date - 30 June - to which this can be extended and thereafter, extraordinarily, there...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: General Scheme of the Garda Síochána (Digital Recording) Bill 2021: Discussion (21 Sep 2021)

Barry Ward: My initial questions are for the Department and relate to the heads of the Bill. Heads 5 and 6 provide for the basis on which the recording of data or the wearing of the camera can take place. While I generally welcome this and believe it is a great idea that makes perfect sense, I acknowledge the potential problems and pitfalls that have been raised by others. The heads of Bill as...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: General Scheme of the Garda Síochána (Digital Recording) Bill 2021: Discussion (21 Sep 2021)

Barry Ward: The Data Protection Commission and the Irish Council for Civil Liberties have both raised the issue today of the collection of data in certain contexts, like profiling data, for example. I ask the Department to confirm that information gathered by body cameras will not be used for that purpose and that it is intended to prohibit that through the protocols.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: General Scheme of the Garda Síochána (Digital Recording) Bill 2021: Discussion (21 Sep 2021)

Barry Ward: There was a discussion during the contributions from the Data Protection Commission and the Irish Council for Civil Liberties that the Bill does not really address the gathering of special data in the context of body cameras that might profile people in a particular way. I ask the Department to confirm that this will not be allowed, either under the Bill as finally drafted or under any...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: General Scheme of the Garda Síochána (Digital Recording) Bill 2021: Discussion (21 Sep 2021)

Barry Ward: I am not sure who is the most appropriate person to direct my next question to, which relates to the retention of data and the period of time for which it can be retained. The first issue in that context relates to subhead 5 of head 6 which refers to an offence of manipulating or otherwise destroying evidence. We do not yet have the detail as to what will be defined as evidence but we...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: General Scheme of the Garda Síochána (Digital Recording) Bill 2021: Discussion (21 Sep 2021)

Barry Ward: Do representatives from the Irish Council for Civil Liberties or the Data Protection Commission have a view on that?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: General Scheme of the Garda Síochána (Digital Recording) Bill 2021: Discussion (21 Sep 2021)

Barry Ward: I want to primarily focus on CCTV and its community aspects. I welcome these provisions. It is a good idea to put this into the realm of the State. That protects everybody involved. Community organisations in my area have a great fear of transgressing the protocols, in particular GDPR, and other data protection laws. It is something they worry about. However, while CCTV has a role to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Proposed Approval by Dáil Éireann and Seanad Éireann of EU Regulation 2021/693: Motion (14 Sep 2021)

Barry Ward: It is about time that we opted into this. It is good on pretty much every level. Article 8-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Proposed Approval by Dáil Éireann and Seanad Éireann of EU Regulation 2021/693: Motion (14 Sep 2021)

Barry Ward: -----and the extent to which there are fairness protections built into the system. We need to build in judicial training aspects for our Judiciary. The report that we produced in our previous session in respect of the experience of victims of sexual offences in the judicial system, judicial training was an important part. Judges need to understand very clearly the impact that certain...

Seanad: Finance (Local Property Tax) (Amendment) Bill 2021: Second Stage (16 Jul 2021)

Barry Ward: There has been some discussion about the local property tax, LPT, system and about its flaws. There is no denying that it is a blunt instrument and is flawed. It is not what any one of us would like to put in place but it is part of what I always understood to be a move towards self-financing of local authorities. As somebody who spent 11 years on Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County...

Seanad: Finance (Local Property Tax) (Amendment) Bill 2021: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Jul 2021)

Barry Ward: Listening to Senator Gavan, I am obviously sympathetic to anybody who is suffering from defective building materials and many people around the country are in dire situations. In that regard, a scheme is being put in place and that is a debate for another day. Looking at the amendment that is being proposed, however, even if Senator Gavan is serious about addressing this issue and if he...

Seanad: Finance (Local Property Tax) (Amendment) Bill 2021: Committee and Remaining Stages (16 Jul 2021)

Barry Ward: I agree with Senator Higgins that it is important to have a progressive tax system. However, progressivity does not mean that those who are paying a certain rate now should necessarily stay at that rate or pay more. I am not saying that is what Senator Higgins was saying. There has been an unfortunate latching on to the notion that people who may have very valuable properties might see a...

Seanad: Health (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2021: Second and Subsequent Stages (16 Jul 2021)

Barry Ward: None of us are particularly happy about this legislation, save for the fact it does an important thing. Unfortunately, the Government is faced with Hobson's choice. Something must be done and the consequences of doing that mean certain people are going to be lose out. To say I am very uncomfortable with the discrimination that has been mentioned is an understatement. I do not like it. I...