Results 241-260 of 6,030 for speaker:Brendan Ryan

Seanad: Order of Business. (18 Dec 2002)

Brendan Ryan: I know, but I am entitled to a full list of amendments on a yellow sheet which the staff of the House work very hard to produce. That list has not been produced.

Seanad: Order of Business. (18 Dec 2002)

Brendan Ryan: The gist of the amendments is contained in this morning's newspapers, but they are not available in proper form in the House. I suggest the Government, or the Minister involved, has decided that the media is a more important forum than the Oireachtas in terms of discussing these amendments. That is as close to contempt for the House as a Minister can display. It is not impossible to deal with...

Seanad: Order of Business. (18 Dec 2002)

Brendan Ryan: The Government has let the House down. A protest should be sent, through the Cathaoirleach, in this regard. Government Departments have the resources to produce amendments on time. If they cannot do so, they should request that business be postponed. The idea of Government submitting amendments late, over-working staff in the House and leaving the Opposition in a position of considerable...

Seanad: Order of Business. (18 Dec 2002)

Brendan Ryan: I am just ambitious.

Seanad: Statute Law (Restatement) Bill, 2000 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil]: Report and Final Stages. (18 Dec 2002)

Brendan Ryan: We have no difficulty with the amendments. Members of the House frequently assert that because they are not lawyers they are unable to give full consideration to legislation of this kind. They should not make such statements because we are more than lawyers, we are law makers. We should not apologise to lawyers for our range of skills, which are deeper and more profound than theirs. I am glad...

Seanad: Statute Law (Restatement) Bill, 2000 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil]: Report and Final Stages. (18 Dec 2002)

Brendan Ryan: Perhaps the Minister of State should join us some time.

Seanad: Immigration Bill, 2002: Committee Stage. (18 Dec 2002)

Brendan Ryan: On a point of order, a Chathaoirligh, under Standing Order 63 I wish to move that the House report progress. We have been presented with extraordinarily complex Government amendments which did not arrive in a proper form until approximately 4 p.m. today. They were not available to Members of this group until late yesterday evening. Therefore, to proceed with the business of the House in this...

Seanad: Immigration Bill, 2002: Committee Stage. (18 Dec 2002)

Brendan Ryan: Are you suggesting that I am being either dilatory or obstructive, a Chathaoirligh? We are saying that the Minister was dilatory in producing these amendments.

Seanad: Immigration Bill, 2002: Committee Stage. (18 Dec 2002)

Brendan Ryan: I am asking you, a Chathaoirligh, to accept a motion in my name that we report progress.

Seanad: Immigration Bill, 2002: Committee Stage. (18 Dec 2002)

Brendan Ryan: Under Standing Order 63, a Chathaoirligh, there are only two reasons why you cannot allow me to move the motion.

Seanad: Immigration Bill, 2002: Committee Stage. (18 Dec 2002)

Brendan Ryan: It is difficult to respond to this matter with the degree of restraint that I would normally like to display, because of the contempt with which the House has been treated by the Minister. Complicated amendments have been produced at short notice by a Government that has resources at its disposal. My party, which has limited resources, produced amendments to the Bill six days ago.

Seanad: Immigration Bill, 2002: Committee Stage. (18 Dec 2002)

Brendan Ryan: With all due respect, I was reasonable on the Order of Business. I am entitled to express my opinion about the manner in which this business is being conducted.

Seanad: Immigration Bill, 2002: Committee Stage. (18 Dec 2002)

Brendan Ryan: I wish to give notice that as this legislation is so complex we will not agree to any grouping of amendments. That is our privilege.

Seanad: Immigration Bill, 2002: Committee Stage. (18 Dec 2002)

Brendan Ryan: I am, by nature, a courteous man and I wish to afford you the courtesy of letting you know, a Chathaoirligh, that we will not agree to the grouping of amendments.

Seanad: Immigration Bill, 2002: Committee Stage. (18 Dec 2002)

Brendan Ryan: We claim to be interested in tourism. The Minister's quite contradictory reply contained an understandable desire to ensure that those who are paid to bring people into this State have a liability to ensure they meet our laws with a reasonable degree of consistency. The Minister is now seeking to transfer that liability to the owner or controller of every car coming into this State. Is it a...

Seanad: Immigration Bill, 2002: Committee Stage. (18 Dec 2002)

Brendan Ryan: No, let us see the context of this. We have been landed, at short notice, with complicated amendments.

Seanad: Immigration Bill, 2002: Committee Stage. (18 Dec 2002)

Brendan Ryan: I expect at least a reasonable degree of attention from the Minister to the arguments we are putting forward on this legislation. I am interested in hearing from the Minister why he believes he needs to defend the security of our sacred isle to the degree of threatening to penalise tourists carrying in their car a person whose papers are not in order.

Seanad: Immigration Bill, 2002: Committee Stage. (18 Dec 2002)

Brendan Ryan: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Immigration Bill, 2002: Committee Stage. (18 Dec 2002)

Brendan Ryan: That is dangerous language.

Seanad: Immigration Bill, 2002: Committee Stage. (18 Dec 2002)

Brendan Ryan: I have dealt with many Ministers in this House in the last 20 years or so. Most of them appreciated that Ministers should try to engage with the principle of an Opposition amendment on Committee Stage, rather than playing silly games about the precise wording of amendments. Senators on this side of the House are humble and are quite happy to accept that the combined resources of the...