Results 16,581-16,600 of 18,761 for speaker:Michael McDowell

Seanad: Civil Partnership Bill 2004: Second Stage. (16 Feb 2005)

Michael McDowell: He deserved it.

Seanad: Civil Partnership Bill 2004: Second Stage. (16 Feb 2005)

Michael McDowell: I pay tribute to Senator Norris for the work he has done in the past, and continues to do in this Bill, on the rights of cohabiting couples. This Bill, and the debate last May on the rights of non-marital and one-parent families, are valuable contributions to the development of policy in this important area. I do not agree with Senator Ross's point that this is a simple matter and should be...

Seanad: Civil Partnership Bill 2004: Second Stage. (16 Feb 2005)

Michael McDowell: I regret that the Senator should charge anybody in this House with homophobia.

Seanad: Civil Partnership Bill 2004: Second Stage. (16 Feb 2005)

Michael McDowell: I could say the same about Senator Terry and question her on the same point but it would be equally unjustified. I acknowledge on behalf of the Government that the position before the law of same sex couples, and others in caring relationships, including extending State recognition to civil partnerships between such persons, needs to be addressed. We cannot walk away from, ignore or postpone...

Seanad: Civil Partnership Bill 2004: Second Stage. (16 Feb 2005)

Michael McDowell: I do not know what the term "conjugal" means in that context if it is not designed to mean something akin to sexual in nature. I do not think two elderly bachelors living in a farmhouse in County Kerry would regard their relationship as conjugal, even if they were fully committed to looking after each other.

Seanad: Civil Partnership Bill 2004: Second Stage. (16 Feb 2005)

Michael McDowell: In these two sections, which are not simply details but central issues in the Bill, there are major constitutional, philosophical and discriminatory issues to be addressed. Irish law already takes into account in a number of ways non-marital relationships. As referred to earlier, capital acquisitions tax has been changed. The Guardianship of Infants Act, as amended, provides for the...

Prison Building Programme. (16 Feb 2005)

Michael McDowell: On behalf of the people who participated in the selection procedure, all of whom are people of the highest integrity and public servants in this State and none of whom took direction from me, I reject the Deputy's suggestion that their activities stink to high heaven. I regard that as an unworthy charge against them and I refute it completely. As I understand it, from the minutes that have...

Prison Building Programme. (16 Feb 2005)

Michael McDowell: It is open to the Comptroller and Auditor General, the Committee of Public Accounts and the Joint Committee on Justice, Equality, Defence and Women's Rights to summon any of the persons concerned before them to answer how they carried out their functions.

Prison Building Programme. (16 Feb 2005)

Michael McDowell: The phrase "stinks to high heaven" suggests that somehow there was something egregiously wrong and corrupt, amounting to maladministration, in the way these people carried out their functions. If the Deputy looks at the record, he will see they had fixed on another site and that the vendor in that case opted out of the purchase at a late stage in the proceedings.

Prison Building Programme. (16 Feb 2005)

Michael McDowell: The Deputy will find the vendor opted out.

Garda Equipment. (16 Feb 2005)

Michael McDowell: I am informed by the Garda authorities that a performance review of the PULSE system is being undertaken with a view to improving its speed in certain respects. I am also informed that the PULSE system can be modified and adapted to meet new demands of the operational service. The review will be to hand, I understand, by the summer. In addition, a review of the effectiveness of PULSE is a...

Garda Equipment. (16 Feb 2005)

Michael McDowell: I am not of the view that it should be replaced, but I believe it should be developed. I fully accept the Deputy's point that the Garda should have leading edge technology available and that the system should be improved and speeded up. One of the questions that has arisen is whether it would make more sense for gardaí to operate the PULSE system through call centres and have the entries...

Garda Equipment. (16 Feb 2005)

Michael McDowell: The Deputy must have misheard me. I said they should have cutting edge technology and that we should explore all these matters. We are reviewing the system a short number of years after it came into operation. I contrast the fact that there is a computerised system now with the situation that obtained during the time the Deputy's party was in office when there was none of this.

Garda Equipment. (16 Feb 2005)

Michael McDowell: The Deputy said the idea of more gardaí was a dream of mine. They are a reality. They are coming now and are a nightmare for the Deputy.

Garda Equipment. (16 Feb 2005)

Michael McDowell: They are a nightmare for the Deputy because the rattle has been thrown out of his pram and he can no longer bang on about this anymore.

Community Welfare Services. (16 Feb 2005)

Michael McDowell: On 15 January 2005 I announced revised arrangements for the consideration of applications for permission to remain made by the non-national parents of Irish born children born before 1 January 2005. One of the requirements is the provision, where appropriate, by applicants of a letter from their community welfare officer stating the period during which they have been in receipt of welfare...

Community Welfare Services. (16 Feb 2005)

Michael McDowell: I am glad that the Deputy welcomes the extraordinary success and progress in implementing this scheme, where 1,100 people have received a favourable response weeks after it has commenced. If community welfare officers were to transmit data electronically to Dublin, it would become separated from the application received in my Department. It would then be someone's business to try to associate...

Community Welfare Services. (16 Feb 2005)

Michael McDowell: Political correctness does not dictate that it is impossible for someone to obtain a piece of paper from a CWO with whom he or she deals, and then submit it with the other pieces of paper required.

Community Welfare Services. (16 Feb 2005)

Michael McDowell: The CWOs of Ireland, for whose professionalism I have the greatest respect, are well equipped to issue a piece of paper if they are capable of sending an e-mail. There is such a thing as a printer and these things are printed out. I want a workable system that does not become chaotic. Each applicant is required to submit a form which incorporates a statutory declaration and has a number of...

Community Welfare Services. (16 Feb 2005)

Michael McDowell: I have read in newspaper reports and have been told personally by the applicants that they consider the charges made by their own countries' embassies for supporting identity documentation to be excessive. I will draw to their attention my view that people in these circumstances should not be charged an unreasonable fee in order to provide identity documents.