Results 12,121-12,140 of 16,849 for speaker:Dermot Ahern

Victims' Rights Bill 2008: Second Stage. (24 Jun 2008)

Dermot Ahern: ——demonstrably be appropriate to this jurisdiction.

Victims' Rights Bill 2008: Second Stage. (24 Jun 2008)

Dermot Ahern: One cannot just import legislation from another jurisdiction, which is part of a different legislative, never mind social and cultural framework——

Victims' Rights Bill 2008: Second Stage. (24 Jun 2008)

Dermot Ahern: ——no matter how appropriate that legislation may be in that jurisdiction. There is no such thing as a single transferable Act between jurisdictions and Deputy Shatter should know that better than most.

Victims' Rights Bill 2008: Second Stage. (24 Jun 2008)

Dermot Ahern: A report from December 2007 in New Zealand called for a review of the 2002 Act after six years. That is the very same Act Deputy Shatter has reproduced today.

Victims' Rights Bill 2008: Second Stage. (24 Jun 2008)

Dermot Ahern: A parliamentary committee of the legislature in New Zealand has asked for that legislation to be reviewed.

Victims' Rights Bill 2008: Second Stage. (24 Jun 2008)

Dermot Ahern: Lest one think that other jurisdictions are more committed to the rights of victims than we are, I draw attention to the fact that the New Zealand legislation does not create enforceable rights of victims. Where Fine Gael has deviated in the Bill from the New Zealand legislation, it has hardly been radical or far-reaching.

Victims' Rights Bill 2008: Second Stage. (24 Jun 2008)

Dermot Ahern: It has substituted the word "shall" for "should" in sections 5 and 6 of the Bill.

Victims' Rights Bill 2008: Second Stage. (24 Jun 2008)

Dermot Ahern: Section 5 provides that any person who deals with a victim shall treat the victim with courtesy, compassion and respect for dignity and privacy. Section 6 provides that a victim shall have access to services that are responsive to needs in so far as resources are available. The equivalent provisions in the New Zealand legislation use the word "should".

Victims' Rights Bill 2008: Second Stage. (24 Jun 2008)

Dermot Ahern: That is the only change Fine Gael made.

Victims' Rights Bill 2008: Second Stage. (24 Jun 2008)

Dermot Ahern: Most important, the "original" sections of the Fine Gael scheme do not even require legislation in Ireland. It is the Government's aim — through the Garda Síochána, in particular, and also through the national crime victims helpline, which is supported and promoted as a first port of call for victims of crime by the Commission for the Support of Victims of Crime — that victims of crime...

Victims' Rights Bill 2008: Second Stage. (24 Jun 2008)

Dermot Ahern: In a recent speech on 19 April, my counterpart, the Justice and Police Minister, Annette King, said, This year, a victims' charter will be developed to build awareness of the standard of service that victims can expect from government agencies. The victims' charter will be a significant step in ensuring that victims of crime are aware of their rights under the Victims Rights Act. We in this...

Victims' Rights Bill 2008: Second Stage. (24 Jun 2008)

Dermot Ahern: ——with a revision of the earlier charter being carried out in 1999, which provides a written framework of entitlements against which crime victims can measure the level and standard of treatment received in their dealings across all sections of the criminal justice system. The fact New Zealand is now turning its attention to a victims' charter shows that each jurisdiction must choose its...

Victims' Rights Bill 2008: Second Stage. (24 Jun 2008)

Dermot Ahern: It is better to provide flexible structures which can be responsive to the needs of victims of crime and to bring real substantive improvements to the law, which is what we are doing.

Victims' Rights Bill 2008: Second Stage. (24 Jun 2008)

Dermot Ahern: Moving on from the unsatisfactory genesis of this Bill, the Government has serious difficulties with the provisions of the Bill, as presented. The Bill goes beyond the requirements of the European framework decision on the standing of victims in criminal proceedings, which it purports to be transposing into Irish legislation. Ireland is already compliant with the framework decision, by...

Victims' Rights Bill 2008: Second Stage. (24 Jun 2008)

Dermot Ahern: The framework decision identified a number of rights for victims as follows: the right of the individual to be treated with respect for his or her dignity; the right to provide and receive information; the right to understand and be understood; the right to be protected at various stages of the proceedings; and the right to have allowances made for the disadvantage of living in a different...

Victims' Rights Bill 2008: Second Stage. (24 Jun 2008)

Dermot Ahern: In order to avoid any possibility of inappropriate statements the amended provisions will empower the court to prohibit the broadcasting or publication of all or part of such a statement.

Victims' Rights Bill 2008: Second Stage. (24 Jun 2008)

Dermot Ahern: The Deputy did not include any of the Hogan proposals. He is way behind. This proposal will implement one of the main recommendations of the Hogan report on balance in the criminal law regarding victim impact statements.

Victims' Rights Bill 2008: Second Stage. (24 Jun 2008)

Dermot Ahern: I spent the first weekend after my appointment as Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform reading the Hogan report. I would strongly suggest to Members and those outside the House with an interest in the matter to read that report.

Victims' Rights Bill 2008: Second Stage. (24 Jun 2008)

Dermot Ahern: We are proposing to put into law the Hogan report proposals on victims.

Victims' Rights Bill 2008: Second Stage. (24 Jun 2008)

Dermot Ahern: As I understand it, the provisions put forward by the Deputies, particularly under section 16(2) of their Bill, place no restrictions on the type of offences involved in the case where written evidence or submissions on the impact of the crime on the victim are to be heard in court. I am concerned that the obligation being placed on both the DPP and the Garda Síochána to prepare victim...