Results 1-20 of 5,103 for and speaker:Jim O'Callaghan

Ceisteanna - Questions: Urban Development (29 May 2024)

Jim O'Callaghan: I welcome the establishment of the task force and commend Mr. David McRedmond for taking on this important role. However, I think he is going to have a very challenging task in terms of trying to change the status and make-up, and deal with the concerns that we all see when we travel through the city centre at present. I have no doubt Mr. McRedmond and the other people on his committee will...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: International Protection (29 May 2024)

Jim O'Callaghan: 147. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if she will consider extending the hours of operation of the International Protection Office on Mount Street Lower, Dublin 2 to process applicants for international protection given the significant increase in the number making applications; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24327/24]

Written Answers — Department of Health: Healthcare Policy (29 May 2024)

Jim O'Callaghan: 169. To ask the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 584 of 8 May 2024, the areas in which the discharge scheme has commenced (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24173/24]

Written Answers — Department of Health: Assisted Suicide (29 May 2024)

Jim O'Callaghan: 197. To ask the Minister for Health his views on whether he has any role to play under section 9 of the Medical Practitioners Act 2007 arising from the removal of the restriction on euthanasia and assisted suicide from the 9th edition of the ethics guide that was published recently by the Medical Council. [24376/24]

Written Answers — Department of Health: Assisted Suicide (29 May 2024)

Jim O'Callaghan: 198. To ask the Minister for Health whether he has any concerns about the recent removal of the restriction on euthanasia and assisted suicide from the 9th edition of the ethics guide that was published recently by the Medical Council; and his views on whether it was made with adequate consultation within the medical profession [24377/24]

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Climate Action and Sustainable Development Education: Discussion. (28 May 2024)

Jim O'Callaghan: I thank all the students and guests for coming before the committee today. Starting with Mr. Irfan, I would have thought it was a very positive development that we are going to have a separate climate action and sustainable development course at senior cycle. Does he agree with me that there are many younger people who are interested in climate action and the climate crisis and that this...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Climate Action and Sustainable Development Education: Discussion. (28 May 2024)

Jim O'Callaghan: ...in this course? I do not know if she has had an opportunity to engage with the Department in respect of the course, but even if she has not, what elements of the whole issue of climate action and sustainable development would she like to see included in the course?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Climate Action and Sustainable Development Education: Discussion. (28 May 2024)

Jim O'Callaghan: ...putting a course on the secondary-cycle level is not just for the purposes of something the State thinks is civically important, although it is. Obviously, the course must also be examined, marked and assessed. It is a serious subject, so we would want to ensure it is properly appraised by markers. Would he view this as being a scientific subject or a civic subject? How would he...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Climate Action and Sustainable Development Education: Discussion. (28 May 2024)

Jim O'Callaghan: In a query for Ms Doyle, I suppose, ultimately, when we examine the detail of climate change and the climate crisis, we can see that, at its heart, scientific, observable changes are happening. How prominent should the academic and scientific study of it be in the course? With the greatest respect, it cannot just be about activism. If we have a leaving certificate course that is just about...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Climate Action and Sustainable Development Education: Discussion. (28 May 2024)

Jim O'Callaghan: ...question is for Ms Murphy. It is on the third level sector, in respect of which she has expertise. I am surprised there are not specific subjects that correspond with the proposed climate action and sustainable development course. Does Ms Murphy think it is too disparate at third level? Do we need more individual courses that focus on this issue?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Scrutiny of the Firearms and Offensive Weapons (Amendment) Bill 2021 (28 May 2024)

Jim O'Callaghan: I thank the Chairman, his staff and the members of the committee for permitting me to come before them this afternoon to try to obtain pre-Committee Stage scrutiny of the Bill. Before I talk about the content of the Bill, I will give the committee some history as to how the Bill has already progressed through the Houses of the Oireachtas. I introduced the Firearms and Offensive Weapons...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Scrutiny of the Firearms and Offensive Weapons (Amendment) Bill 2021 (28 May 2024)

Jim O'Callaghan: ...changing penalties or extending or increasing penalties will be. It is difficult to give an assessment as to how effective any criminal sanction is. Many criminal offences are increasing notwithstanding the fact that they have very significant penalties to them. There is another part to why we include penalty provisions in our legislation. What it does is reflect how serious the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Scrutiny of the Firearms and Offensive Weapons (Amendment) Bill 2021 (28 May 2024)

Jim O'Callaghan: Just to conclude on that, I do not think they are incompatible. Obviously, we should be spending money on youth work and community projects and trying to ensure that younger men and boys have other outlets to avoid them getting involved in fights and knife crime but we cannot just sidestep the criminal justice side of it. That is my submission to the committee.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Scrutiny of the Firearms and Offensive Weapons (Amendment) Bill 2021 (28 May 2024)

Jim O'Callaghan: ...talking in the abstract but, generally, people will not be prosecuted for this. A lot of times this could be combined with a manslaughter charge. Maybe a person is not convicted of manslaughter and are acquitted. The remaining charge against them is a charge under section 9 of the Act. In circumstances like that, if the facts are particularly egregious, it might merit it. Deputy...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Scrutiny of the Firearms and Offensive Weapons (Amendment) Bill 2021 (28 May 2024)

Jim O'Callaghan: ...introduce other than some community service because, generally, it is fines or imprisonment. That is what we are dealing with at present. It is a valid point, but I do think as the Oireachtas, and I know Deputy Pringle is not disputing this, we are entitled to set out how seriously we regard a criminal offence. I note Deputy Pringle's point that five years is a long time in prison....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Scrutiny of the Firearms and Offensive Weapons (Amendment) Bill 2021 (28 May 2024)

Jim O'Callaghan: They were convicted. I do not know the circumstances. Many were convicted summarily. If a person is caught in possession of a knife and it is a first offence, I think the court is going to look sympathetically on that. However, the purpose here, and I am sorry to be repetitive, is, as the Taoiseach indicated, to send a stronger message in respect of the possession of knives with the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Scrutiny of the Firearms and Offensive Weapons (Amendment) Bill 2021 (28 May 2024)

Jim O'Callaghan: I have no problem with that. At present, the legislation is very much, as I said to Deputy Pringle, a fine and maximum term of imprisonment. That would be very detailed, complicated legislation but when there are offences, it is generally a fine. As Mr. O’Neill suggested in his proposal, you categorise the fines, or a term of imprisonment. Regarding who it is addressed to, the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Scrutiny of the Firearms and Offensive Weapons (Amendment) Bill 2021 (28 May 2024)

Jim O'Callaghan: ...since 2021. Obviously, there is an advantage. Although I am a Government TD, this is not a Government Bill. However, I would have thought there is an advantage if Government gets behind this, and if it does not get behind this, that it gets behind another amendment to a piece of criminal justice legislation. I think there is certain amount of urgency to it. However, as I said, I am...