Results 161-180 of 725 for long speaker:Michael McDowell

Seanad: Employment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2017: Second Stage (20 Nov 2018)

Michael McDowell: ...obligations to the detriment of their competitors, and to drive down their costs by exploiting unfair designation of employees as independent contractors. However, I agree with the Minister. The Long Title makes no mention of Part 7 and the designation offence because obviously it was a late amendment to the Bill.

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (8 Nov 2018)

Michael McDowell: The Minister is a skilled legal practitioner with a long record in the practice of law. He knows well that the question of sanction does not arise until guilt has been established.

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (6 Nov 2018)

Michael McDowell: ...to Michael McDowell, S.C., being on a shortlist and was outvoted by a lay majority, as is possible under this statutory scheme, to say that he or she is party to the decision is stretching things a long way. It involves saying that it is a decision to which the Attorney General is effectively handcuffed whether or not he or she likes it, opposes it or thinks it unsuitable. To say in that...

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (16 Oct 2018)

Michael McDowell: ...period between the enactment of the former Minister, Alan Shatter's legislation on the regulatory body for the legal profession, its actual taxiing on the runaway and it taking flight, has been very long. It is nearly two years since it has been in the process of formation. I am not sure as to the extent to which it is actually functioning. Will the Minister indicate what office...

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (4 Oct 2018)

Michael McDowell: ...to act as chairperson in the absence of the chair. Section 15(3) states:At a meeting of the Commission—(a) the chairperson shall, if present, be the chairperson of the meeting, or (b) if and so long as the chairperson is not present or if that office is vacant, the other members of the Commission, as the case may be, who are present shall choose another one of its lay members to...

Seanad: Order of Business (3 Oct 2018)

Michael McDowell: ...housing is increased. Second, that supply will only increase if the Government takes direct action. Third, the market will not solve this problem if left to itself in the short, medium or long term. Fourth, the Government has had plenty of time to consider all of the underlying trends and issues such as market and land availability issues and has not done its duty by the people and...

Seanad: Project 2040 and Transport Matters: Statements (20 Sep 2018)

Michael McDowell: ...I can see that there would have been a logic if a metro system was to be built from source to the city centre, to leave it at that and to have interconnectivity with the expanded green line Luas service, with longer trams and to stop the idea of trying to break up the Luas green line service into three separate components, one of which is the Broombridge to Charlemont section, the other of...

Seanad: Thirty-seventh Amendment of the Constitution (Repeal of offence of publication or utterance of blasphemous matter) Bill 2018: Committee and Remaining Stages - An Bille um an Seachtú Leasú is Tríocha ar an mBunreacht (Cion a aisghairm arb éard é ní diamhaslach a fhoilsiú nó a aithris) 2018: Céim an Choiste agus na Céimeanna a bheidh Fágtha (20 Sep 2018)

Michael McDowell: ...if, in the wake of this amendment being accepted by the people, legislation comes before the House to decriminalise all forms and all degrees of blasphemy of every kind, I think we should have a long and searching debate, far more elaborate than we are having this afternoon, as to whether that is what the people really want to do.

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (11 Jul 2018)

Michael McDowell: ...less than three months after the establishment day. It goes on:(3) At a meeting of the Commission— (a) the chairperson shall, if present, be the chairperson of the meeting, or (b) if and so long as the chairperson is not present or if that office is vacant, the other members of the Commission, as the case may be, [which includes the judicial and legal members] who are present...

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Jul 2018)

Michael McDowell: It is so that we can have a tea break during the long debate.

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (10 Jul 2018)

Michael McDowell: Let us be clear about one thing. This House has sat long and hard to consider this legislation. It sat on a Monday, which is very unusual. The only reason that was proposed was the internal imperative in the Government to assure one particular member of the Government, to the greatest possible extent, that this legislation would be dealt with before the summer break.That is the only...

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (10 Jul 2018)

Michael McDowell: ...” in line 29 and substitute “the acting Chairperson shall be a member who holds judicial office in accordance with seniority”. Section 15(3)(b) outlines that at a meeting of the commission, "if and so long as the chairperson is not present or if that office is vacant, the other members of the Commission, as the case may be, who are present shall choose another one of...

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (9 Jul 2018)

Michael McDowell: ...of this legislation predate the emergence into a position of political leverage of the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport.As I understand it, the Department was working on legislation along these lines well in advance of his accession to the Cabinet so it is unfair to say, and I do not make the charge, that this Bill is entirely his creation or that the fact that we have this...

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (9 Jul 2018)

Michael McDowell: ...a newly formed alliance of independent Members of Dáil Éireann, each with their own political interests and priorities. One of those Deputies was the then Deputy, now Minister Shane Ross, TD, who had a long-standing interest in the subject of judicial appointments and published a Private Members' Bill in 2013 that proposed rather dramatic changes to the judicial selection...

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (9 Jul 2018)

Michael McDowell: ...of justice. It is interesting that in October 2016, the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Ross, stated that the Independent Alliance agreed with Fine Gael to appoint judges as long as they were the final ones appointed in that way. Those involved agreed to that. It was an extraordinarily claim and it was not denied at the time. The Minister continued by stating that this...

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (9 Jul 2018)

Michael McDowell: ...of an applicant’s suitability for appointment that would assist the commission in making any decision in the course of carrying out those procedures. Some other outside body or person can, as long as the Minister consents to the appointment of that body or person, prepare scoping reports saying such a person is a good person while another is not a good person, or say the latter...

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (9 Jul 2018)

Michael McDowell: ...he was going to reduce the cost of this commission from €1 million to €500,000. I believe it is intended to farm out the groundwork in respect of the commission's activities to consultants, as long as the Minister approves of those consultants. The terms for their appointment and their remuneration are to be determined by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform and...

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (9 Jul 2018)

Michael McDowell: ...the High Court, etc. I note that the Bill proposes that judges of the District Court would be eligible for direct appointment to the High Court, which is strange, although I will not dwell on it for too long. Service in the District Court is not the best preparation for being a High Court judge. Being a good District Court judge involves getting through a large volume of business with...

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (4 Jul 2018)

Michael McDowell: ..., which sometimes may run to 100 pages, analysing the arguments of both sides, ruling for or against the legal arguments on both sides and analysing the evidence and ruling on its credibility. How long would one need to carry out that function without any assistance whatsoever? How would one deal with this while the president of the court says he needs one back the day after tomorrow to...

Seanad: Judicial Appointments Commission Bill 2017: Committee Stage (Resumed) (4 Jul 2018)

Michael McDowell: ...progressing of this legislation. I am very glad that this attitude has been seen off thus far, and I am very glad to hear that the Minister proposes to see it off further. This commission will take a long time to actually get going and there is absolutely no reason for the Judiciary not to be up to full strength with every vacancy appointed punctually in the meantime. It would be very...