Results 201-220 of 6,184 for speaker:Catherine Murphy in 'Committee meetings'

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Freedom of Information Bill 2013: Committee Stage (12 Nov 2013)

Catherine Murphy: Amendment No. 68 is more closely related to the definition.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Freedom of Information Bill 2013: Committee Stage (12 Nov 2013)

Catherine Murphy: Much the same argument applies in the case of both amendments Nos. 5 and 68. The key issue is the need to protect the principle that these are public records. The purpose of the amendments is to ensure they are excluded from the terms of the section. My proposal would forbid the freedom of information heads from invoking the legislation to refuse access to genealogical records. It would...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Freedom of Information Bill 2013: Committee Stage (12 Nov 2013)

Catherine Murphy: Is it the case that these General Register Office records are regarded as public information? Will no restrictions apply to such records where a person seeks to obtain them? Such an assurance would address my concerns.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Freedom of Information Bill 2013: Committee Stage (12 Nov 2013)

Catherine Murphy: The amendment proposes to extend FOI legislation to certain elements of the activities of the Garda. It deals with the deployment of Garda personnel which is very unequal. One can understand why it happens in the way it does in some locations, but it is almost impossible to figure it out elsewhere. Around this time of the year, the Garda Commissioner is required to compile a service plan...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Freedom of Information Bill 2013: Committee Stage (12 Nov 2013)

Catherine Murphy: All I was seeking to achieve was that it would be covered. I am satisfied with that.

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Freedom of Information Bill 2013: Committee Stage (12 Nov 2013)

Catherine Murphy: A statutory instrument gave effect to the Aarhus Convention in 2011 and there could be two different interpretations of that statutory instrument. This amendment proposes a way to bring them into line and relates to access to environmental information. The statutory instrument gave effect to that but it seems that two different things will be stated in two different locations. The aim here...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Freedom of Information Bill 2013: Committee Stage (12 Nov 2013)

Catherine Murphy: I am curious about how this European directive is handled elsewhere. One of the commitments in the programme for Government was that these directives would be expressed in primary legislation. It is sometimes quite difficult to wade one's way through statutory instruments. It seems that we comply with the European directives but when one tries to apply them - for instance in the case of...

Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform: Select Sub-Committee on Public Expenditure and Reform: Freedom of Information Bill 2013: Committee Stage (12 Nov 2013)

Catherine Murphy: I may come back to it on Report Stage.

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Government Bill 2013: Committee Stage (3 Dec 2013)

Catherine Murphy: On the insertion of "Reform" into the title, while I accept this is reform, it is not the reform I believe we need. This is a huge missed opportunity. I will avail of every opportunity to make that point. The Minister would be surprised if I did not. I do not propose to labour many points because I spoke in detail on this matter on Second Stage. I presume we will deal with the...

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Government Bill 2013: Committee Stage (3 Dec 2013)

Catherine Murphy: The point is that the local government fund has been decreasing since 2009 and continues to decrease. This is being backfilled by household charge and property tax receipts. The Minister is splitting hairs in terms of saying funding for Irish Water will not be met from the local government fund because the property tax receipts are being used to shore up that fund, or will be in the future.

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Government Bill 2013: Committee Stage (3 Dec 2013)

Catherine Murphy: That is people's taxes.

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Government Bill 2013: Committee Stage (3 Dec 2013)

Catherine Murphy: Tax receipts.

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Government Bill 2013: Committee Stage (3 Dec 2013)

Catherine Murphy: The only reason for this amendment is to include the definition in order to dissolve the bodies later on in the Bill.

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Government Bill 2013: Committee Stage (3 Dec 2013)

Catherine Murphy: Members will revert to this, because I oppose the abolition of the town councils and the manner in which it has been proposed.

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Government Bill 2013: Committee Stage (3 Dec 2013)

Catherine Murphy: If one reads the section side by side with the abolition of the town council, it is clear many of the locations mentioned would have had town councils where there would have been a focus and a dedication. People will become aware of a significant difference very quickly. The point that has been made about people putting themselves forward is a valid one. There is a world of difference...

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Government Bill 2013: Committee Stage (3 Dec 2013)

Catherine Murphy: The town council got rid of 36.

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Government Bill 2013: Committee Stage (3 Dec 2013)

Catherine Murphy: I move amendment No. 20: In page 25, between lines 19 and 20, to insert the following: “19. (1) The Minister shall as soon as is practicable and in accordance with this part establish an Advisory Panel on the Future Development of Local Government (in this Part referred to as the Panel). (2) Membership of the Panel shall comprise three persons appointed by the Minister with the consent...

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Government Bill 2013: Committee Stage (3 Dec 2013)

Catherine Murphy: I know it is stated the Minister will attempt to ensure much more happens at municipal level. However, I have read through some of the sections of the Bill and have thought about how this will happen in practice. We will come to this later and I will draw attention to it then in terms of what I mean by this. I am trying to visualise how it will work in practice. For example, the local...

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Government Bill 2013: Committee Stage (3 Dec 2013)

Catherine Murphy: Schedule 4 relates to the point that Deputy Cowen makes about assets being transferred to the successor authority. Is that successor authority the municipal district or is it the local authority? For example, the town council on which I sat for years was quite prudent and put money aside towards its future and in terms of securing a building, and had accumulated quite a substantial sum of...

Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht: Select Sub-Committee on the Environment, Community and Local Government: Local Government Bill 2013: Committee Stage (3 Dec 2013)

Catherine Murphy: We should not lose sight of the fact that democracy is a great leveller. That is one of the advantages of elected town councils, as opposed to voluntary fora, and it gives them a degree of authority. Having been a member of a community council prior to the establishment of the town council, I can say that there certainly was a noticeable difference between the two. Community councils are...