Results 161-180 of 18,435 for speaker:Michael McDowell

Seanad: Vacant and Derelict Buildings: Motion [Private Members] (15 Nov 2023)

Michael McDowell: I welcome the Minister of State to the House. As a preliminary point, this problem has been here for a long time. I have been writing about it in various newspapers for ten years. I am glad to hear what was said by Senator Cummins about Waterford and I am glad that Senator Fitzpatrick is so upbeat about the improvements she sees there. However, the simple fact is we are not doing enough....

Seanad: Vacant and Derelict Buildings: Motion [Private Members] (15 Nov 2023)

Michael McDowell: That is a fair point but what about the €20 million it was going to spend on the kayaking centre?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs: Future Treaty Change in the European Union: Discussion (15 Nov 2023)

Michael McDowell: I will not take too much time here. The first thing we have to be pragmatic about is the political landscape internationally. The US and French elections are coming up. Who will be in power in Paris? It may well be that Le Pen will be the next President of France. There will obviously not be a reversal of Brexit, but the inclusion of David Cameron in cabinet suggests a consciousness at...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs: Future Treaty Change in the European Union: Discussion (15 Nov 2023)

Michael McDowell: Slovakia.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs: Future Treaty Change in the European Union: Discussion (15 Nov 2023)

Michael McDowell: I agree with Professor Barrett that it is necessary, but it is not sufficient. I forgot to mention the flip in Poland. Will that not be saying to people that they do not have panic about Orbán because time will sort him out?

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (14 Nov 2023)

Michael McDowell: I was given a copy of the Trinity College Dublin student newspaper, the Trinity News, today. I note in it, to my sadness, that Senator Norris, a member of the Independent Group, has decided that he will be standing down as a Senator in January 2024. I ask that, given that the Christmas season will soon be upon us, adequate provision will be made in this House to signal our deep sense of...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (14 Nov 2023)

Michael McDowell: I am getting ready for the new university constituency.

Seanad: Housing For All: Statements (7 Nov 2023)

Michael McDowell: Talking.

Seanad: Housing For All: Statements (7 Nov 2023)

Michael McDowell: I welcome the Minister to the House. I also welcome the upbeat tone of his remarks.Considerable progress has been made, as Senator Fitzpatrick has said. It would be foolish of us to deny this, but it would be equally foolish of us to underestimate what we now face. I want to make several points, first on the Constitution. There is a suggestion that we need to amend the Constitution somehow...

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) (Voting at 16) Bill 2021: Second Stage (7 Nov 2023)

Michael McDowell: I welcome the Minister of State and thank the Senators for proposing this legislation for our consideration. I am probably in a speaking minority in this debate because I am opposed to the principle of the Bill. I will explain why, if I may. The Leader of the House intends to postpone consideration of the Bill via an amendment. So be it, but the issues are important and need to be teased...

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) (Voting at 16) Bill 2021: Second Stage (7 Nov 2023)

Michael McDowell: Or use an e-scooter.

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) (Voting at 16) Bill 2021: Second Stage (7 Nov 2023)

Michael McDowell: On a point of order, are we to assume that notwithstanding that the Government decided it was going to kick this down the road, it is not going to be proposed anymore? I understood the Order Paper was going to bring in the Leader of the House to propose an amendment. Is that not happening now? I would like somebody to tell us. I would have voted against her amendment because I think the...

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) (Voting at 16) Bill 2021: Second Stage (7 Nov 2023)

Michael McDowell: Was it seconded?

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) (Voting at 16) Bill 2021: Second Stage (7 Nov 2023)

Michael McDowell: Fair enough. It is defeated, then. I am delighted it is defeated.

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) (Voting at 16) Bill 2021: Second Stage (7 Nov 2023)

Michael McDowell: It is a Government amendment?

Seanad: Garda Síochána (Recording Devices) Bill 2022: Committee Stage (24 Oct 2023)

Michael McDowell: I apologise for being late as I was at a meeting of the justice committee. I ask the Minister to clarify a couple of points. When we hear the Garda appealing for dashcam footage from ordinary road users, is there any problem with the use of such material evidentially? I sometimes wonder whether I can go around my neighbourhood willy-nilly with my dashcam on or if there is any control on my...

Seanad: Garda Síochána (Recording Devices) Bill 2022: Committee Stage (24 Oct 2023)

Michael McDowell: Is that dealt with in the Bill?

Seanad: Garda Síochána (Recording Devices) Bill 2022: Committee Stage (24 Oct 2023)

Michael McDowell: Is there an admissibility argument in respect of dashcam footage harvested from members of the public? Is there a GDPR issue with producing that kind of material in court or is it used purely for the purposes of background investigation?

Seanad: Situation in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories: Statements (19 Oct 2023)

Michael McDowell: I welcome the Tánaiste here today. In respect of what he has said, not one word could I disagree with. I endorse everything he has said 100%. What has been said by other speakers is equally true. Hamas is an extremist Islamist terrorist organisation. It is not the Palestinian people. It is dedicated to the destruction of Israel. It is dedicated to the reversal of the 1948...