Results 161-180 of 559 for in 'Dáil debates' speaker:Pa Daly

Our Rural Future Policy: Statements (14 Jun 2023)

Pa Daly: I thought it appropriate to begin with a quote from the Government's website with regard to Our Rural Future: Rural Development Policy 2021-2025. It states: While the term "rural Ireland" is widely used, there are many different perceptions of what "rural Ireland" means. The fact is that rural areas are not identical and every town, village and parish differs considerably in terms of its...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (14 Jun 2023)

Pa Daly: Ar dtús, I also extend my sympathies to the family of Christy Dignam and his many friends. He transcended music. He was a national treasure. I think I first saw him in Horan's Hotel on a tour in 1986. His talking may now be over but his talent and his crowd will live on. I raise the disappointment, frustration and frankly the anger felt by retained fire fighters at the...

Criminal Justice (Engagement of Children in Criminal Activity) Bill 2023: Second Stage (31 May 2023)

Pa Daly: The Bill is a welcome development, especially in light of the work done by my colleagues, Deputies Ward and Martin Kenny, in this area. The maximum sentence is somewhat lower than that proposed by Sinn Féin but we can examine this further on Committee Stage. It is becoming increasingly clear that the engagement of young people in serious and organised crime is a concern. We must be...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Legal Aid (25 May 2023)

Pa Daly: The reality is that many poor people, who are very vulnerable and often suffering from addiction or mental illness, need the buffer of representation to deal with the prosecution and the whole system, including the judges. Equality before the law is a very important right and legal aid helps to provide this. The impact on defendants’ rights by the reduction in the fees means it is...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Legal Aid (25 May 2023)

Pa Daly: 3. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality his views on the current civil legal aid review; the plans, if any, he has in relation to the criminal legal aid sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24680/23]

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Legal Aid (25 May 2023)

Pa Daly: I ask the Minister of Justice his view on the current civil legal aid review and about any plans he has for the criminal legal aid sector and if he will make a statement on the matter. I should declare I was on the legal aid panel for many years.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Legal Aid (25 May 2023)

Pa Daly: Does the Minister of State have any idea of the date the review will be finalised? We all know from dealing with these issues over the years, that the sector focuses primarily on family law centres. Will it be expanding into employment, landlord and tenant or advocacy such as in the United Kingdom? Many of us have received emails from constituents on this issue. There has been an...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Prison Service (25 May 2023)

Pa Daly: 1. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the measures he is taking to remediate the current prison overcrowding crisis. [24679/23]

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Prison Service (25 May 2023)

Pa Daly: Can the Minister for Justice to outline the measures he is taking to remediate the current prison overcrowding crisis? The depth of the crisis was indicated to me recently when I spoke to a Garda regarding the proposed increased sentences for assaults. His response was quite cynical, in that he asked where we were going to put those who are convicted. In his experience, a lot of people are...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Prison Service (25 May 2023)

Pa Daly: The situation in the female prison in Limerick is unsustainable. According to recent statistics, it is currently at 179% capacity. Overcrowding in the male and female prisons in Mountjoy means occupancy of 106% and 113%, respectively. That does not take into account the 87 prisoners currently on temporary release. A a few weeks ago the open prisons in Shelton Abbey and Loughan House...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Prison Service (25 May 2023)

Pa Daly: I welcome some of the Minister's proposals, including a prison education task force. The problem will always be in the implementation of these plans, which sound great. I spoke recently to a former prison governor who outlined the difficulties in engaging with longer term prisoners and assessing them for re-engagement with their communities. The promises contained in previous plans were...

Court Proceedings (Delays) Bill 2023: Second Stage (24 May 2023)

Pa Daly: I compliment the Minister of State, Deputy Browne, his officials or whoever compiled the report I have before me. It is clear and raises several interesting questions in respect of how the Bill will be implemented. To begin at the end of the Bill, it provides for a number of miscellaneous matters, including that the assessment application may be made on behalf of a party to proceedings...

Extension of the Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2021: Motion (24 May 2023)

Pa Daly: I think I speak for most in this House when I say that the requirement for the Oireachtas to approve measures and ensure oversight is overwhelmingly positive. I am equally sure that many will welcome the fact that this motion is one of the few remaining legacies on the Statute Book relating to the pandemic. On behalf of Sinn Féin, I moved a Private Member's Bill to strengthen...

Accommodation Needs for New Arrivals: Statements (23 May 2023)

Pa Daly: Is cuimhin liom nuair a bhí mé ar scoil i dTrá Lí. D'iarr an múinteoir tíreolaíochta ar an rang cé mhéad duine a raibh uncail, aint nó col ceathrair acu sna Stáit Aontaithe. Chuir gach aon duine sa rang a lámh in airde. Tuigim gur Éireannaigh muid agus tuigim an t-idirdhealú agus an imirce. We know what it is like to be...

Accommodation Needs for New Arrivals: Statements (23 May 2023)

Pa Daly: Even before the large increase in protection applicants and the activation of the Ukrainian temporary protection directive, the Government's implementation of the White Paper looked questionable with a focus, yet again, on rented accommodation and turnkey acquisition. Approved housing body, AHB, housing, which would have meant own-door and stable accommodation to aid integration and...

Central Statistics Office Sexual Violence Survey 2022: Statements (17 May 2023)

Pa Daly: We welcome the CSO sexual violence survey. It is a sobering reminder of the importance of the third national strategy on DSGBV. The importance of a report such as this, based on diverse sources, cannot be overstated. The CSO is to be commended on the report which, despite its disturbing facts, is a welcome development. I was taken particularly by what the Minister, Deputy Harris, said...

Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation (17 May 2023)

Pa Daly: The Taoiseach stated there were not enough gardaí in Dublin to combat the violence we saw on Sandwith Street. The Minister may recollect he stated funding was in place to recruit an additional 1,000 members, but that is incorrect. If the Taoiseach checked, he would see that only 288 people entered Templemore this year. He should do the maths on that. The Garda Representative...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (9 May 2023)

Pa Daly: We have seen a growing trend of assaults inside prisons. There has been a 46% increase in assaults on prison officers and a 52% increase in assaults on prisoners by prisoners. There have also been revelations regarding prison conditions and overcrowding with more than 200 prisoners sleeping on mattresses. In a similar vein, last August, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions...

Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation (4 May 2023)

Pa Daly: Here is an issue that has been going on for nearly three years and nobody could accuse anyone of having a knee-jerk reaction to it. Alexis O' Mahony is seven years old. She suffers from a pyruvate dehydrogenase, PDH, deficiency and she has a brain injury. She has cerebral palsy, quadriplegia, visual impairment, a subluxation of her hip and is at high risk of aspiration. Alexis needs...