Results 101-120 of 18,468 for speaker:Michael McDowell

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (6 Mar 2024)

Michael McDowell: He is building a gallows this weekend.

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (5 Mar 2024)

Michael McDowell: I want to mention a matter today of considerable importance. The European Commission has imposed a lump sum fine of €2.5 million and a daily fine of €10,000 on Ireland for failure to transpose the Audiovisual Media Services directive. This House established a committee, after grave difficulty and resistance from some quarters in the permanent government of Ireland, the...

Seanad: Special Measures in the Public Interest (Derrybrien Wind Farm) Bill 2023: Second Stage (20 Feb 2024)

Michael McDowell: I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." This is a special and unusual Bill. It arises in the circumstances that ESB, through a subsidiary company called Gort Windfarms Limited., took a lease of property in the mountains between counties Clare and Galway. It built a wind farm on the land it leased, with a considerable number of wind turbines and enough capacity to power 30,000...

Seanad: Special Measures in the Public Interest (Derrybrien Wind Farm) Bill 2023: Second Stage (20 Feb 2024)

Michael McDowell: Do not exaggerate.

Seanad: Special Measures in the Public Interest (Derrybrien Wind Farm) Bill 2023: Second Stage (20 Feb 2024)

Michael McDowell: I will surprise and shock Senator Boylan by saying virtually everything she said I agree with, except for one bit, which is that she wants this place torn down and €200 million worth of investment to be smashed up. There is potential for huge environmental damage from the remedial works she wants undertaken to make an environmental point. That is a big mistake. I invite the Senator...

Seanad: Special Measures in the Public Interest (Derrybrien Wind Farm) Bill 2023: Second Stage (20 Feb 2024)

Michael McDowell: Removing them from that environment will be a massive operation. I was glad Senator Kyne said local opinion is with us on this. It was suggested at the time that some environmentalists locally were wholly opposed to this. Possibly there were a few but we spoke to local people from the community when we visited Derrybrien and were satisfied the people of Derrybrien were with us and wanted...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: General Scheme of the Defence (Amendment) Bill 2023: Discussion (20 Feb 2024)

Michael McDowell: I thank the Chair and my colleagues for allowing me to intervene at this point. I was listening to what Gerard Guinan was saying about politics and the Civil War and military men being involved in politics and reflecting when he said that. I was loaned a bound copy of An tÓglach for 1922-23. It is a weekly magazine published by the Army. It congratulated Richard Mulcahy, the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: General Scheme of the Defence (Amendment) Bill 2023: Discussion (20 Feb 2024)

Michael McDowell: I mentioned the Secretary General of the Department of Defence being ex officio a member of a body that is supposed to be an independent adviser to its own Minister. I think back to a time when I was Minister for Justice. It never occurred to me to appoint the Secretary General of the Department of Justice to be part of the Garda management or its oversight body. Is that consistent-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: General Scheme of the Defence (Amendment) Bill 2023: Discussion (20 Feb 2024)

Michael McDowell: Maybe I was not sufficiently imaginative. The result of these provisions would be that the director of military prosecutions and the military judge will have nobody to stand up for them - no union or representative body - in their dealings with the Department. Is that right?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: General Scheme of the Defence (Amendment) Bill 2023: Discussion (20 Feb 2024)

Michael McDowell: I have a final comment. The point I was making was the function of this oversight body is to advise the Minister and it is stated to be independence advice, yet his or her right-hand person is on the body that is supposed to give him independent advice. If I had tried that with An Garda Síochána, I would not have got away with it. That is all I am saying.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: General Scheme of the Defence (Amendment) Bill 2023: Discussion (20 Feb 2024)

Michael McDowell: Yes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: General Scheme of the Defence (Amendment) Bill 2023: Discussion (20 Feb 2024)

Michael McDowell: I will make one point. It occurs to me that there is a slightly sinister aspect to this - that the Government wants military judges and the military director of public prosecutions not to be members of RACO or whatever and, at the same time, it is proposed to amend the Defence Acts to make it an offence to make critical remarks about Government policy. Perhaps the Government thinks that if...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: General Scheme of the Defence (Amendment) Bill 2023: Discussion (20 Feb 2024)

Michael McDowell: I will withdraw the term "sinister" and replace it with "unusual".

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: General Scheme of the Garda Síochána (Recording Devices) (Amendment) Bill: Discussion (13 Feb 2024)

Michael McDowell: I want to re-echo what has been said here about the value of this session. It is very important that the Oireachtas has the opportunity to have sessions of this kind. I want to make a few points. It seems, as has been pointed out by some of the contributors, that the sourcing of data material is not adequately dealt with in this legislation. Is a public service card available? Are...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: General Scheme of the Garda Síochána (Recording Devices) (Amendment) Bill: Discussion (13 Feb 2024)

Michael McDowell: I just threw out my ideas into the conversation.

Seanad: Death of Former Taoiseach: Expressions of Sympathy (7 Feb 2024)

Michael McDowell: On my behalf and on behalf of my colleagues in the Seanad Independent Group, I want to be associated with all the tributes that have been paid to John Bruton in the national media and most especially in this House. What I want to say about John Bruton can be reduced to one sentence: He was a genuine, authentic, honest and brave character. As Senator Joe O’Reilly just said, you knew...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (31 Jan 2024)

Michael McDowell: I want to say in respect of the appearance here today by the Minister of State, Deputy O’Donnell, that he stayed in his seat as a courtesy to the House. It was not the case that he was sent in to deal with a matter on which he had no expertise. Senator Clonan was rightly outraged that the Government effectively tried to get him to pull the debate and did not even arrange to send...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (31 Jan 2024)

Michael McDowell: -----who, according to opinion polls, say they would vote “No” if they were asked the question. It destabilises the debate, rather than reinforcing it. I aspire to a united Ireland. I consider myself an Irish republican, like most Members of this House, I presume. However, to simply announce that we are now within touching distance of a united Ireland flies in the face of...

Seanad: Family Carers: Motion [Private Members] (31 Jan 2024)

Michael McDowell: I welcome the Minister of State and thank her for her presence. I associate myself with the remarks about her commitment and determination to do her job, which is universally admired. Senator Clonan made a point that what we are dealing with is the rights of disabled people and the rights of citizens who are disabled to receive care and support from the State. Regarding the proposed...