Results 12,381-12,400 of 18,761 for speaker:Michael McDowell

Coroners (Amendment) Bill 2005: Committee Stage. (14 Dec 2005)

Michael McDowell: The heads of the Bill which are under preparation will deal with this area and the question of people who die in State custody is de facto virtually always the subject of an inquest. It is not as if there is a practice among coroners that urgently needs change. We have agreed to a very expeditious debate this evening. If I were to accept such a broad amendment it would to an extent be a fraud...

Coroners (Amendment) Bill 2005: Committee Stage. (14 Dec 2005)

Michael McDowell: Deputy Costello referred to nursing homes and hospitals. However, I must emphasise that whatever obligations are introduced in that area, they will not be blanket ones. We cannot have a situation where every nursing home and hospital death ends up in an inquest. Many people die of natural causes in nursing homes and hospitals. A mandatory inquest every time this happens is not needed. I know...

Coroners (Amendment) Bill 2005: Committee Stage. (14 Dec 2005)

Michael McDowell: I did not say the amendments were flawed.

Coroners (Amendment) Bill 2005: Committee Stage. (14 Dec 2005)

Michael McDowell: I move amendment No. 2: In page 3, between lines 8 and 9, to insert the following: "(b) by the substitution of the following section for section 36: '36.—A summons requiring the attendance of a person at an inquest as a juror or witness shall be served on the person by a member of the Garda Síochána in one of the following ways: (a) by delivering it to the person; (b) by delivering it at...

Coroners (Amendment) Bill 2005: Committee Stage. (14 Dec 2005)

Michael McDowell: As I indicated in my Second Stage speech, I am disposed towards increasing the scope of the coroner's inquest to cover surrounding circumstances of death. Deputy Ó Snodaigh will appreciate, however, that to do this and to do justice to a widened coronial function of this kind and enable jurors to consider these issues properly, we need support services and a reform of the coroner service to...

Coroners (Amendment) Bill 2005: Committee Stage. (14 Dec 2005)

Michael McDowell: I want to ensure comprehensive reform is a balanced package in which the new coroner service, with its widened remit, has the resources and organisation to deal with the kind of questions which will arise. We must remember that, having given an excessively narrow function to the Coroner's Court to discharge, we have also under-nourished it and left coroners in something of an administrative...

Coroners (Amendment) Bill 2005: Committee Stage. (14 Dec 2005)

Michael McDowell: It is my intention to bring the heads of the Bill to Cabinet before Christmas. If they are approved by the Cabinet — and I do not want to presume that — I intend to publish them early in the new year on my Department's website for consultation. It is also my intention that the drafting process should commence during the consultation period so that the Bill can be published early for...

Coroners (Amendment) Bill 2005: Committee Stage. (14 Dec 2005)

Michael McDowell: I move amendment No. 5: In page 3, lines 9 to 31 and in page 4, lines 1 to 15, to delete paragraphs (b) and (c) and substitute the following: "(b) the substitution of the following section for section 37: '37.—(1) A person who, having been duly served with a summons requiring him to attend an inquest as a juror, fails to attend on the date and at the time and place specified in the summons...

Coroners (Amendment) Bill 2005: Committee Stage. (14 Dec 2005)

Michael McDowell: With some degree of reluctance, I must oppose this section and suggest its deletion. My reluctance stems from the fact that it is not obvious to me exactly what is wrong with it. However, I am told there are technical legal reasons that fault it. When I saw it, I drew up my own proposed amendments which were incorporated in manuscript. I am not quite clear why it is so bad in its present...

Coroners (Amendment) Bill 2005: Committee Stage. (14 Dec 2005)

Michael McDowell: Perhaps it was the identity of the drafter.

Coroners (Amendment) Bill 2005: Committee Stage. (14 Dec 2005)

Michael McDowell: I assure Deputies that I will certainly do so. I am not sure what is wrong with the section, but it may not sufficiently resemble provisions in the Tribunals of Inquiry (Evidence) Acts, which allow for orders in aid of the High Court punishable as contempt of that court. It may have something to do with that. However, since we are legislating in the very short term, I hope that we will be...

Coroners (Amendment) Bill 2005: Report and Final Stages. (14 Dec 2005)

Michael McDowell: I want to be associated with the remarks of the other Deputies. It is welcome that this Bill could be dealt with in the way in which we have dealt with it. I have no doubt there are people looking with slitty eyes on tonight's proceedings and saying that this is a precedent which should never have been created, but so be it.

Establishment of Commission of Investigation: Motion. (14 Dec 2005)

Michael McDowell: I move: That Dáil Éireann, —bearing in mind the significant public concern about the handling of allegations of child sexual abuse against members of the clergy operating under the aegis of the Catholic archdiocese of Dublin; —noting the informal Government decision of 22 October 2002 that the matter required further consideration and reflection, in particular on the part of the...

Establishment of Commission of Investigation: Motion. (14 Dec 2005)

Michael McDowell: I remind the House of the circumstances which give rise to the motion before the House. In November 2002, an RTE "Prime Time" documentary reported on child sexual abuse by priests in the Catholic archdiocese of Dublin. The programme made a number of disturbing assertions as to the inadequate way in which allegations and complaints of sexual abuse by priests of the archdiocese were handled,...

Establishment of Commission of Investigation: Motion. (14 Dec 2005)

Michael McDowell: I have a fairly substantial script but it is available for Deputies.

Establishment of Commission of Investigation: Motion. (14 Dec 2005)

Michael McDowell: I will ring the Protestant Archbishop and ask him.

Establishment of Commission of Investigation: Motion. (14 Dec 2005)

Michael McDowell: Anyway, we can change that on Committee Stage.

Establishment of Commission of Investigation: Motion. (14 Dec 2005)

Michael McDowell: I am told some of my answers are too long.

Establishment of Commission of Investigation: Motion. (14 Dec 2005)

Michael McDowell: Which was very wise.

Establishment of Commission of Investigation: Motion. (14 Dec 2005)

Michael McDowell: Ferns is about one tenth the size of the Dublin diocese.