Results 1,921-1,940 of 2,156 for speaker:John Cummins

Seanad: Affordable Housing Bill 2021: Second Stage (Resumed) (24 May 2021)

John Cummins: Next Friday.

Seanad: Organisation of Working Time (Reproductive Health Related Leave) Bill 2021: Second Stage (24 May 2021)

John Cummins: I thank my colleague for sharing time. I am delighted to get the opportunity to speak on what is a very important topic. In doing so, it is important to pause and reflect on the significant advances that have been implemented in recent years to support families that have been fortunate enough to have children. On top of the 26 weeks paid maternity leave, we now have two weeks paid...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Electoral Reform Bil 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (20 May 2021)

John Cummins: I will.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Electoral Reform Bil 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (20 May 2021)

John Cummins: I object in the strongest terms possible to the presence of Deputy Ó Broin as the Sinn Féin representative. These matters were issued to the general secretaries of the parties and no option was given to the general secretary of Fine Gael to send an alternative person. It is an affront to this committee, to be perfectly frank. I would question what Sinn Féin has to hide now...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Electoral Reform Bil 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (20 May 2021)

John Cummins: We are tight on time. It is a simple yes-no answer to that question.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Electoral Reform Bil 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (20 May 2021)

John Cummins: When and during what period?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Electoral Reform Bil 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (20 May 2021)

John Cummins: No. That is fine. Who is the general secretary of Sinn Féin?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Electoral Reform Bil 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (20 May 2021)

John Cummins: Okay. According to the 2019 accounts of Sinn Féin, the Deputy is not a member of the national officer board of Sinn Féin, he is not one of the almost 50 members of the Sinn Féin ard comhairle according to those accounts, nor is he a trustee of the party. In the intervening 18 months has that changed?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Electoral Reform Bil 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (20 May 2021)

John Cummins: It has not. Therefore, the Deputy is not an accountable officer for Sinn Féin yet he is here acting on behalf of Sinn Féin as such. As I said, this is an affront to this committee. It is unacceptable we do not have the accountable officer who is accountable for Sinn Féin here before the committee. It is just unacceptable. I am going to move on to the Abú database...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Electoral Reform Bil 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (20 May 2021)

John Cummins: It has never been used outside of an election period by any member of the party?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Electoral Reform Bil 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (20 May 2021)

John Cummins: “Not to the best of my knowledge” is a completely separate answer. It is a qualified answer, if the Deputy does not mind me saying so. It is an unacceptable answer. I want a definitive answer from the general secretary on whether the Abú database system has been used outside of an election period. When a constituent enters a Sinn Féin office, is any of his or her...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Electoral Reform Bil 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (20 May 2021)

John Cummins: The Deputy is confirming that he or any other Sinn Féin representative or employee has never combined data from any system with the Abú system.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Electoral Reform Bil 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (20 May 2021)

John Cummins: It has never been done.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Electoral Reform Bil 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (20 May 2021)

John Cummins: Just to quote what was widely reported in the media and in the Irish Independent, specifically. It referenced a training manual in relation to the Abú database. It read: Facebook will show you the name of the person and often roughly where they live. By engaging with them you may be able to elicit more specific information that will help you pinpoint them in the real-world. You can...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Electoral Reform Bil 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (20 May 2021)

John Cummins: So the Deputy wants us to believe that he thinks it is a credible position that Sinn Féin had a training manual about the Abú database, training members of his party, to do something that was never possible on its system. That is what the Deputy wants us to believe?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Electoral Reform Bil 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (20 May 2021)

John Cummins: Was it ever possible?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Electoral Reform Bil 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (20 May 2021)

John Cummins: How many people have access to the Sinn Féin Abú database?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Electoral Reform Bil 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (20 May 2021)

John Cummins: Again, that is another reason it is unacceptable that Deputy Ó Broin is before the committee, and not the accountable officer. Deputy Ó Broin does not have an answer to that question.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Electoral Reform Bil 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (20 May 2021)

John Cummins: The election period, as the Deputy said-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Electoral Reform Bil 2020: Discussion (Resumed) (20 May 2021)

John Cummins: We can take that up at the end of the committee when we have time because there was absolutely no option for the general secretary of Fine Gael to send an alternative. When was Abú database system created?