Results 341-360 of 501 for speaker:Maurice Hayes

Seanad: Family Law: Motion. (5 May 2004)

Maurice Hayes: I congratulate Senator Norris on his helpful contribution which, as always, was very stimulating. I am grateful to Senator Henry and her colleagues for bringing this matter forward for debate and to the Minister for the way in which he responded to it. I agree with the Minister that the House should not divide on this issue. We all seem to be heading in the same direction, possibly at...

Seanad: Ombudsman's Report: Statements. (5 May 2004)

Maurice Hayes: The office of the Ombudsman is one we can be proud of. By any international standard, it has been an outstanding office and I am glad to see the incumbent is maintaining the high standards of her predecessors. I congratulate her on that. I am also glad she is maintaining clarity of language and communication in her report, which makes it easy to read, and also that she is looking at the...

Seanad: Twenty-seventh Amendment of the Constitution Bill 2004: Second Stage (Resumed). (30 Apr 2004)

Maurice Hayes: I wish to share time with Senator Hanafin.

Seanad: Twenty-seventh Amendment of the Constitution Bill 2004: Second Stage (Resumed). (30 Apr 2004)

Maurice Hayes: I welcome the Minister to the House and thank him for the quality of his introductory address. There are two matters to which I wish to refer which have nothing to do with the Minister primarily. There were newspaper advertisements from both the Referendum Commission and the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government today about a referendum on a fixed date. This presumes...

Seanad: Criminal Law (Insanity) Bill 2002: Committee Stage (Resumed). (7 Apr 2004)

Maurice Hayes: It is not for me to throw in the towel for Senator Henry or the other proposers of these amendments. I am grateful to the Minister for the cogency of his argument. I agree with him, to a certain extent, about the distinction between the fundamental purposes of this Bill and the 2001 Act. Although I argued for the adoption of the definition, I do not think I could support Senator Henry's...

Seanad: Criminal Law (Insanity) Bill 2002: Committee Stage (Resumed). (7 Apr 2004)

Maurice Hayes: I support Senator Henry's amendments and I hope the Minister will be able to accept them. During the passage of the Mental Health Act, we spent considerable time fashioning the definition of mental disorder, which meets the requirements of modern practitioners. There is no point in reinventing the wheel if it can be done by cross-referencing to an existing definition. I suggest it would be...

Seanad: Order of Business. (7 Apr 2004)

Maurice Hayes: I will not enter into a debate on the citizenship issue or impute motives to anybody but it is a matter for calm discussion or mature reflection. People in Northern Ireland have a significant interest in this issue, as it is integral to the Good Friday Agreement. Will the Leader ensure that, whatever discussions or consultation take place, a structure will be put in place to provide for an...

Seanad: Criminal Law (Insanity) Bill 2002: Committee Stage. (7 Apr 2004)

Maurice Hayes: I agree with the purpose of the amendment in that it is helpful to have definitions but it appears this definition is too broad. The amendment refers to a "substance or a combination of substances". We all know the substances the Senator has in mind but to word it like that is wrong. The Senator needs to be more specific or leave it out altogether. In a Bill of this sort we need to leave...

Seanad: Order of Business. (31 Mar 2004)

Maurice Hayes: A Chathaoirligh, I hope I will not annoy you by saying something entirely unprovocative. I support Senator Quinn's remarks on the two fine sportsmen who died and also the underlying problem. It would be a good idea to have a debate on the matter. It would be a better idea if a debate were held on the basis of some known facts or research. I do not know whether this form of death among young...

Seanad: Order of Business. (10 Mar 2004)

Maurice Hayes: I echo Senator Ryan's plea for more support for committees in the House. The National Forum on Europe was very strong last year when it recommended scrutiny of European instruments and that the committee that does so should be adequately supported. A commission is now examining such matters and I hope its first priority will be to beef up the research capacity of the Library and that of all...

Seanad: Order of Business. (10 Mar 2004)

Maurice Hayes: Lives could be saved by making people's willingness to have their organs used apparent at the moment of an accident. That is of great importance. Like Senator Mansergh and many others, I still bear the scars of a politically motivated strike in Northern Ireland, and I hope all those who have influence on the matter can bend their efforts over the next few days to ensure the country is not...

Seanad: Order of Business. (9 Mar 2004)

Maurice Hayes: I support the previous speaker's request for a debate on the economic aspects of cross-Border communication, especially in the north-west, which would give a new dimension to the debate. The North-South bodies are still in existence, as are the economic problems, and such a debate would be most helpful. I also support the request for a debate on the role of victims in society. As Senator...

Seanad: Address by Mr. John Hume, MEP. (3 Mar 2004)

Maurice Hayes: It is a great personal pleasure to welcome my old friend John Hume to the House. I will not go over the ground that has already been covered, except to endorse what has been said. I was particularly touched by Senator Ryan's tribute, which represents my own feelings about Mr. Hume more than anything else. I think of him as one of the great standard bearers of Irish parliamentary democracy. I...

Seanad: Garda Síochána Bill 2004: Second Stage. (2 Mar 2004)

Maurice Hayes: I too welcome the Minister and thank him for his kind remarks about my involvement with policing matters in the past. I join with Senator Cummins, and I am sure other Senators who have spoken, in paying tribute to the Garda Síochána and in underlining the debt that society owes to those who are willing to provide this service and put their lives on the line. Since its establishment, the...

Seanad: Garda Síochána Bill 2004: Second Stage. (2 Mar 2004)

Maurice Hayes: We will deal with the detailed points on Committee Stage, but I welcome the Bill and congratulate the Minister, Deputy McDowell, on its introduction.

Seanad: Order of Business. (24 Feb 2004)

Maurice Hayes: I support Senator Brian Hayes's request for a debate on law and order in Northern Ireland, which is now clearly the central problem for the peace process. There is no point in attempting to park it somewhere else. The parties must get together and deal with the matter. I do not want to minimise any of the current problems, but any transition from violence to democratic politics will be bumpy....

Seanad: Order of Business. (18 Feb 2004)

Maurice Hayes: I would like to be associated with the remarks about suicides in the Ardoyne, which is a hugely complex issue. We must all ask ourselves about the breakdown in social structures that leaves young people without hope. It is an unanswerable argument for involving policing. Vigilantes are terrorising people. As well as talking to the British Government, the Taoiseach might encourage all parties...

Seanad: European of the Year: Statements. (18 Feb 2004)

Maurice Hayes: I am sorry for having messed up the Order of Business, but I am overwhelmed by the affection of the House, which has really touched me. As I said at the time, I accepted the award in the same way as a captain of a team does, as a tribute to the forum and to everyone connected with it. Senator Brian Hayes said I was a modest man, and he is quite right. I would only have added that I have much...

Seanad: Order of Business. (22 Jan 2004)

Maurice Hayes: I must declare an interest in pornography. Perhaps I should rephrase that and say I have an interest in its regulation. I am the lay adviser to RegTel, which regulates premium rates telephone lines. In fact, I spent some time yesterday grappling with the problem, which Senator Tuffy and others have so graphically outlined. The protection of young people from exploitation and obscenity is a...

Seanad: Address by Ms Avril Doyle, MEP. (11 Dec 2003)

Maurice Hayes: I apologise for missing Ms Doyle's speech; I was about her father's business at the Forum on Europe. I welcome Ms Doyle to the Seanad. It is invaluable that she and her colleagues come to the Seanad to share their experiences. We all find it very helpful. I congratulate her on the way she represents her constituents and Ireland in Europe. As chairman of the Forum on Europe, I find it...