Results 121-140 of 180 for long speaker:James Lawless

Local Government (Restoration of Town Councils) Bill 2018: Second Stage [Private Members] (26 Sep 2018)

James Lawless: ...it is important when one realises that something is wrong that one says so. I also recognise my colleague, Deputy Shane Cassells, who brought forward a similar Bill which passed Second Stage not long ago. It is a very important measure. We know that decisions are best made by those closest to them. The principle of subsidiarity has been recognised for millennia, since the first city...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Impact of Retirement Packages for Postmasters: Discussion (4 Sep 2018)

James Lawless: ...is closing. Betty has served with distinction for 30 years. I understand that people like that have paid that service to the State and to the post office and are entitled to their retirement. Long may she enjoy it. There are people such as Sean Fogarty in Ballymore Eustace, which is a great example of an innovative, dynamic, new type of post office. Sean Fogarty has invested in a web...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Scrutiny of Petroleum and Other Mineral Development (Amendment) (Climate Emergency Measures) Bill 2018: Discussion (3 Jul 2018)

James Lawless: ...made to the committee will be published on the committee website after this meeting, and will also be contained in the video recording which will be online afterwards. Members are reminded of the long-standing parliamentary practice to the effect that they should not comment on, criticise or make charges against a person outside the Houses or an official by name or in such a way as to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Scrutiny of Petroleum and Other Mineral Development (Amendment) (Climate Emergency Measures) Bill 2018: Discussion (3 Jul 2018)

James Lawless: ...near future. Sweden has access to great fossil fuel reserves in the North Sea but it will choose not to use them. Other members of the committee and I recently visited Denmark, a country with a long-standing tradition in renewables. What is Norway doing differently from Sweden and why did it go down that route? Why does it not follow its neighbours in embracing a more renewable...

Maternity Protection (Members of the Houses of the Oireachtas) Bill 2018: Second Stage [Private Members] (31 May 2018)

James Lawless: ...for the duration of his or her office and that a substitute would come in instead. That proposal is in the same vein as the substitute proposed here. It could apply in other areas such as where somebody has a long-term illness or cannot attend for other reasons. It should be explored and I look forward to seeing where the debate goes. My final point is not related to the provisions...

Questions on Promised Legislation (9 May 2018)

James Lawless: ...the announcements made by Facebook and Google and the regulation of posters and printed materials has been raised. Such materials are regulated under the Electoral Act 1992. However, 1992 is a long way from 2018 in political and Internet terms. That is why I introduced the Online Advertising and Social Media (Transparency) Bill 2017 into this House last November. I suggest that were...

Famine Memorial Day Bill 2016: Second Stage (3 May 2018)

James Lawless: ...side by side. They are not so much equal in death as they are unequal in their commemoration and remembrance, and they were certainly unequal in life. That imagery and manifestation of what happened cast a long shadow in my view and, to an extent, on my political beliefs. On the causes of the Famine, Deputy Tóibín's opening remarks outlined some of the logistical difficulties...

Famine Memorial Day Bill 2016: Second Stage (3 May 2018)

James Lawless: ...grass, which they believe are cursed and indicate where people died by the side of the road in desperation and from hunger. The Famine is a terribly sad chapter of our national history and casts a long shadow. It is fitting that we remember it and give it its due place in Ireland's commemorations.

Data Protection Bill 2017 [Seanad]: Second Stage (17 Apr 2018)

James Lawless: ...as Deputy Jim O'Callaghan said. I refer to foreign direct investment, employment and technological advancement. Being in proximity to that for our students and graduates is a fantastic thing and long may it continue. However, it places strains on our regulatory officers, and the Data Protection Commissioner in particular. In the committee this afternoon I asked her a question I will...

Report on Future Funding of Public Service Broadcasting: Motion (29 Mar 2018)

James Lawless: ...will present the report and I look forward to the debate and responses from the Minister, other committee members and other Deputies. The media landscape is changing as never before. Digital technologies are challenging many long-held assumptions about the role and relevance of everything from the traditional broadcast media to print. Consumers get their news and entertainment from an...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2018
Vote 32 - Business, Enterprise and Innovation (Revised) (27 Mar 2018)

James Lawless: ...and obsolete. Is there a plan to address that? Will there be a sixth round of the PRTLI? Will it be a bricks-and-mortar fund? Will it be of significant impact, because €40 million is better than zero but it is a hell of a long way from €359 million and the hundreds of millions in funds that were there for the previous 15 years. What is happening next with the PRTLI?

Project Ireland 2040: Statements (Resumed) (22 Feb 2018)

James Lawless: ...looking at it from a Kildare perspective, considering what we need and do not have there. The first reaction from my own constituents, and even from local media, was one of confusion. There is a long list of projects across the country, and I am familiar with those in my own area. I imagine that the same applies across this House. Items such as the Sallins bypass were listed as items...

Dublin Traffic: Motion [Private Members] (20 Feb 2018)

James Lawless: ...city centre, go from A to B, B to C and C and D and eventually get home, D to E, by connecting lines. Unfortunately, in my constituency and anywhere in Dublin, that is very difficult to do. Not so long ago I repeatedly asked questions in this Chamber about public transport issues. I have received some bizarre replies. I asked questions about the industrial relations disputes at Bus...

Petroleum and Other Minerals Development (Amendment) (Climate Emergency Measures) Bill 2018: Second Stage [Private Members] (7 Feb 2018)

James Lawless: ...climate experts attached to Trinity College, spoke about how the Government, unfortunately, will fail to meet its target and that its strategies are completely inefficient for mitigation in the short and long term in the area. I mentioned the moral argument but the financial argument is also strong. It is a fact that fossil fuel extraction in Ireland has been unsuccessful. We do not...

Harassment, Harmful Communications and Related Offences Bill 2017: Second Stage [Private Members] (31 Jan 2018)

James Lawless: ...We are all aware of recent cases and the abhorrent and shocking tales that have been related. One of the issues that emerged was the need for a digital safety commissioner, which we all agree is long needed. Unfortunately, the Government appears to be at sea on the issue. I welcome the Minister's indication of the Government's support for the Bill to proceed. However, the Minister for...

Questions on Promised Legislation (31 Jan 2018)

James Lawless: ...the potential for criminality and money laundering. This has been recognised by the European Banking Authority since 2013, but its recognition has yet to make its way to this jurisdiction. Not long ago, we considered credit default swaps and contracts for difference to be esoteric instruments unworthy of local scrutiny. We found out the hard way that this was untrue. I submitted a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Scrutiny of the Waste Reduction Bill 2017 (17 Jan 2018)

James Lawless: I will probably repeat the two previous Deputies' comments. I have probably not been here as long as some of the members present. I have been here about two years now, since 2016, but I am seeing a pattern. Everything cannot be done until it is being done. We see a lot of resistance again today. I respect entirely the mandates of the organisations that all the witnesses represent and the...

Public Service Pay and Pensions Bill 2017: Second Stage (29 Nov 2017)

James Lawless: ...of the unwinding of the FEMPI legislation. My party has always had this as a goal, as has been outlined by Deputies Calleary and Cahill. That aspect, at least, is to be welcomed. It is a long time coming and, as Deputy Cahill mentioned, our gardaí, teachers, nurses and other public servants are extremely well-deserving of these measures. However, it is a bit like the curate's egg....

Topical Issue Debate: Public Transport (26 Oct 2017)

James Lawless: ...- six planned strike days - coming up over the next six weeks, many of which are at very critical times. Not only are these service interruptions becoming the norm, planned improvements that had been long sought and campaigned for and that were finally being arranged, such as the ten-minute DART, which, believe it or not, improves the Kildare timetable, and additional services through the...

National Planning Framework: Statements (Resumed) (26 Oct 2017)

James Lawless: ...up with brownfield sites, unutilised greenfield sites and worse situations such as derelict buildings. In the plan, these might have made sense because, if the plan came to pass, these would no longer be vacant sites but, unfortunately, they are often vacant without that follow-through and development. At a higher level, in the national planning framework we are discussing today, one...