Results 12,361-12,380 of 12,487 for speaker:John O'Donoghue

Twenty-seventh Amendment of the Constitution Bill 2004: Second Stage. (21 Apr 2004)

John O'Donoghue: On numerous occasions I explained in this House and elsewhere that an open door policy on immigration would be catastrophic for Ireland. Arguments about the Irish emigrating to Australia, America, etc. were thrown back at me from every quarter. When I explained that there was no comparison, few were willing to support me. When I opposed calls for an amnesty because it would attract more...

Twenty-seventh Amendment of the Constitution Bill 2004: Second Stage. (21 Apr 2004)

John O'Donoghue: When I explained that fewer than 10% of asylum seekers were refugees, I was excoriated. The whispered and unspoken charge among many of my critics was the basest allegation of all — that the policies which I was pursuing were racist. It mattered little that nothing could have been further from the truth but the truth had become the enemy. Let it not become the enemy again. In a fog of...

Twenty-seventh Amendment of the Constitution Bill 2004: Second Stage. (21 Apr 2004)

John O'Donoghue: In summary, it argued against the protection of Ireland's social and economic condition and the preservation of its security. If I had relented, listened to the Opposition's nonsense, succumbed to the temptation of short-term populism——

Twenty-seventh Amendment of the Constitution Bill 2004: Second Stage. (21 Apr 2004)

John O'Donoghue: ——and opted for short-term political advantage rather than the longer-term interests of the State, there is no doubt that, within a very short period——

Twenty-seventh Amendment of the Constitution Bill 2004: Second Stage. (21 Apr 2004)

John O'Donoghue: ——we would have experienced a level of uncontrolled illegal immigration with which we simply could not have coped. The consequences for this country would have been catastrophic. The Members opposite know now that this would not have been in the interests of persons with a well-founded case for refugee status or in the interests of economically disadvantaged persons. They know it would...

Twenty-seventh Amendment of the Constitution Bill 2004: Second Stage. (21 Apr 2004)

John O'Donoghue: Should they listen to people who argued for an amnesty for asylum seekers, that asylum seekers should have the right to work and that we should have an open door policy on immigration? Or should they listen to people who understood the situation and did not flinch under the most enormous pressure?

Twenty-seventh Amendment of the Constitution Bill 2004: Second Stage. (21 Apr 2004)

John O'Donoghue: Let it be remembered that the people who are arguing against the referendum, or the timing of it, are the people who believed a few years ago that such a referendum was unnecessary, but looking back from this position, it is necessary. If they were wrong back then why should anybody expect them to be right now? The truth is that they were wrong back then and they are wrong now. It is well...

Twenty-seventh Amendment of the Constitution Bill 2004: Second Stage. (21 Apr 2004)

John O'Donoghue: In 1998 a change was made to the Irish Constitution which provided that every child born on the island of Ireland was entitled to claim Irish citizenship.

Twenty-seventh Amendment of the Constitution Bill 2004: Second Stage. (21 Apr 2004)

John O'Donoghue: It was never intended that people coming in from abroad, mostly illegal immigrants, would seek to take advantage of that in respect of children born here. Ireland is the only EU member state to grant an automatic citizenship right and we cannot ignore the fact that non-nationals are coming here so that they can have children born as Irish citizens.

Twenty-seventh Amendment of the Constitution Bill 2004: Second Stage. (21 Apr 2004)

John O'Donoghue: I recall when I met the Nigerian President, Mr. Obasanjo, to sign a re-admission agreement, he outlined that there were people working in banks, in solicitors' offices and in various professions in Nigeria specifically coming to Ireland so that their children could claim Irish citizenship.

Twenty-seventh Amendment of the Constitution Bill 2004: Second Stage. (21 Apr 2004)

John O'Donoghue: I had hoped to resolve the situation through the courts when I was Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform. The Supreme Court decided that parents of an Irish child did not have an automatic right to stay but that the children had an automatic right of citizenship. No other country grants this facility. It is reasonable for the people to change the Constitution to provide that a child...

Twenty-seventh Amendment of the Constitution Bill 2004: Second Stage. (21 Apr 2004)

John O'Donoghue: It is most important that our citizenship and immigration laws are respected and upheld. When they are consistently breached and abused, a fertile seed for racism is sown. Whether people like it or not, there has been a change in migration flows throughout the world. The whole question of immigration will become more of an issue in the coming years. No one should be under the illusion that...

Twenty-seventh Amendment of the Constitution Bill 2004: Second Stage. (21 Apr 2004)

John O'Donoghue: The Irish who went to America and Australia in the 19th century did not claim asylum there. They went as emigrants leaving a famine-ridden country in the depths of despair.

Twenty-seventh Amendment of the Constitution Bill 2004: Second Stage. (21 Apr 2004)

John O'Donoghue: Many of the asylum seekers in the EU are escaping the same circumstances. However, 21st century Ireland, on the periphery of Europe, cannot be compared to the vast continents of America and Australia. The Irish economy cannot be compared with any degree of seriousness to that of the largest economic engine in the world, the United States of America. The truth must be told. The truth is that...

Twenty-seventh Amendment of the Constitution Bill 2004: Second Stage. (21 Apr 2004)

John O'Donoghue: This constitutional amendment is a simple solution to a problem that has arisen. The referendum will ask the people to amend the Constitution in that context. On 11 June, the people will make a sovereign decision on the citizenship rights under their Constitution. That is their prerogative and it is theirs alone because they are Irish citizens. That is how it has been ordained and it is a...

Twenty-seventh Amendment of the Constitution Bill 2004: Second Stage. (21 Apr 2004)

John O'Donoghue: Accordingly, citizenship cannot and should not be granted lightly. In the hierarchy of rights, it is the principal one and, as such, is entitled to protection from abuse. There has been abuse which must end now.

Twenty-seventh Amendment of the Constitution Bill 2004: Second Stage. (21 Apr 2004)

John O'Donoghue: We will be talking about cutting turf next.

Twenty-seventh Amendment of the Constitution Bill 2004: Second Stage. (21 Apr 2004)

John O'Donoghue: He did not refer to the President.

Twenty-seventh Amendment of the Constitution Bill 2004: Second Stage. (21 Apr 2004)

John O'Donoghue: It has already been agreed.

Written Answers — Sports Funding: Sports Funding (30 Mar 2004)

John O'Donoghue: The national lottery funded sports capital programme, which is administered by my Department, allocates funding to sporting and community organisations at local, regional and national level throughout the country. The programme is advertised on an annual basis. The 2004 sports capital programme was advertised in the national newspapers on 30 November and 1 December 2003. The closing date for...