Results 16,301-16,320 of 16,537 for speaker:Brian Lenihan Jnr

Seanad: Immigration Bill 2004: Committee and Remaining Stages. (30 Jan 2004)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: This amendment sets out a series of criteria for the guidance of immigration officers for deciding whether to give or renew a non-national permission to be in the State. These cover a number of factors, as listed in the amendment, to the extent that they are known to the immigration officer or represented by the non-national to the officer. As a matter of operational practice the renewal of a...

Seanad: Immigration Bill 2004: Committee and Remaining Stages. (30 Jan 2004)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: The word "in" is superfluous to the section.

Seanad: Immigration Bill 2004: Committee and Remaining Stages. (30 Jan 2004)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: The Government has brought forward this amendment to ensure that the correct reference in the relevant provision will be made to this Bill when enacted rather than to section 4 of the Immigration Act 2003. It is a purely formal amendment.

Seanad: Immigration Bill 2004: Committee and Remaining Stages. (30 Jan 2004)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: I will draw Senator Quinn's point to the attention of the Minister. It was a point made by other Senators as well. I will also convey to the Minister the strong feeling I detected in the House that there is a need to bring forward comprehensive legislation in this area. I thank the Seanad for the substantial co-operation it extended in this matter despite understandable resistance to the...

Seanad: Immigration Bill 2004: Second Stage. (30 Jan 2004)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: There must be the prospect of immediate and serious harm. That is very clear.

Seanad: Immigration Bill 2004: Second Stage. (30 Jan 2004)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: It is not misleading the House.

Seanad: Immigration Bill 2004: Second Stage. (30 Jan 2004)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: The Senator should read the 2001 Act.

Seanad: Immigration Bill 2004: Second Stage. (30 Jan 2004)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: The Bill before the House aims to address matters arising from the High Court judgment of 22 January last in the case of Leontjava and Chang. The net effect of the judgment has been to cast serious doubt on the validity of all statutory provisions dealing with the control of entry to and stay in the State by non-nationals. There has been criticism of officers of the Department of Justice,...

Seanad: Immigration Bill 2004: Second Stage. (30 Jan 2004)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: The very exercise of democracy in a sovereign State is a responsibility cast upon both Houses of the Oireachtas. These Houses have to exercise powers in the common good of the Irish people as well.

Seanad: Immigration Bill 2004: Second Stage. (30 Jan 2004)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: As I indicated at the outset, the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, takes full political responsibility for the decision to proceed with this measure as he believes it is in the interests of the common good——

Seanad: Immigration Bill 2004: Second Stage. (30 Jan 2004)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: ——of this sovereign State. There is no question of an agenda on the part of officials or officers in the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform.

Seanad: Immigration Bill 2004: Second Stage. (30 Jan 2004)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: It is necessary to take what is in essence an emergency measure to address the position arising from last week's judgment. The effect of the Bill before the House is to restate in primary statute, and with the minimum of necessary changes, the contents of the Aliens Order 1946 as it was presumed to be in effect up to the day of the High Court judgment. In order for this legislation to be...

Seanad: Hospital Services. (22 Jan 2004)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: It says very little for the INO.

Seanad: Hospital Services. (22 Jan 2004)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: I thank Senator McHugh for raising this matter and I am replying to it on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Martin. I was delighted by the Senator's statement that there is a top class hospital in Letterkenny and I know that the staff there work hard to ensure that it retains this status and that there are no accidents waiting to happen. However, I understand the Senator's concerns about the...

Seanad: Accident and Emergency Services. (22 Jan 2004)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: I thank Senator Leyden for raising this matter. I commend his industry both as chairman of the Western Health Board and as a Senator in championing the cause of Roscommon Hospital. He never misses an opportunity to do it. I assure him that just as the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform has no plans to close the prison at Castlerea, the Minister for Health and Children has no plans...

Seanad: Youth Services. (22 Jan 2004)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: I thank Senator Tuffy for raising this matter on the Adjournment. The motion appears to have been tabled to the Minister for Education and Science. I am happy to have the opportunity to reply to the matter raised on behalf of the Ministers for Justice, Equality and Law Reform and Education and Science. The Senator will be aware that the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform has...

Seanad: Youth Services. (22 Jan 2004)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: While this appears to have been tabled to the Department of Education and Science, the reply was drafted by the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform as well as by the Department of Education and Science.

Seanad: Criminal Justice (Temporary Release of Prisoners) Bill 2001: Report and Final Stages. (22 Oct 2003)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: Yes, I will comment. The formula of words used in the subsection was chosen because it introduces a fundamental concept employed throughout the Bill, namely, that of a direction. If we had defined the term "direction" we would have been obliged to have a separate definition or interpretation section in the Bill which would have contained the phrase "In this Bill, 'direction' shall mean"....

Seanad: Criminal Justice (Temporary Release of Prisoners) Bill 2001: Report and Final Stages. (22 Oct 2003)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: Amendments to any legislation are intended to be read in conjunction with the remaining provisions of the original Act. This Act does not operate in isolation. Hence, it seems impractical to follow the course advocated by the Senator and gender-proof this Bill without gender-proofing the original 1960 Act. The Office of the Parliamentary Counsel has been consulted on this issue and its strong...

Seanad: Criminal Justice (Temporary Release of Prisoners) Bill 2001: Report and Final Stages. (22 Oct 2003)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: On the wider question raised by Senator Terry, I would not like the House to be under the impression that the correct balance is not struck in this Bill or that the Department is not interested in the position of victims. The Department published the Victim's Charter in 2000. In dealing with legislation, we must judge it in the context of where it arises in the criminal justice system. This...