Seanad debates

Tuesday, 24 September 2019

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business

 

2:30 pm

Photo of David NorrisDavid Norris (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I second Senator McDowell's amendment to the Order of Business, if that is all right with him. I very strongly agree with him about Lyric FM. It is only a €6 million budget, which is minuscule in terms of the global budget of RTÉ. The station is a real leader in classical music. It is superb and I listen to it all the time.

With regard to the redecoration of the House, I congratulate those involved, particularly on the fact they left the ceiling in the original colours. These are quite lovely and so much better than it was in the 1950s and 1960s, with those dull brown colours. There are also the magnificent Waterford glass chandeliers. We can all be proud of this Irish artwork. I am a little surprised by the existence of what are, apparently, two mobile telephones on the ceiling. There is a kind of blob beneath them. I am also not quite so crazy about the mustard colour on the walls. I would have preferred a lighter colour. All in all, however, it is an absolutely superb job and we are delighted to be back.

I wish to raise a couple of issues. The first concerns a man called Paul Graham, who is 80 years old. Mr. Graham was born and raised in the Church of Ireland's Bethany Home in Dublin but he has been refused an Irish passport. It is quite extraordinary that an Irishman, born presumably of Irish parents, although unknown, is being denied an Irish passport at the end of his days. This is completely wrong. The second issue is from a religious sister who contacted me about an article by Fintan O'Toole in The Irish Times. The 27th Amendment states, "... a person born in the island of Ireland, which includes its islands and seas, who does not have, at the time of the birth of that person, at least one parent who is an Irish citizen or entitled to be an Irish citizen is not entitled to Irish citizenship or nationality, unless provided for by law." While it is rather badly drafted, it does seem to rule out people. I think this is completely wrong and it is totally against the position in America, for example, as anybody born in America is automatically an American citizen.

The third matter I want to raise concerns the qualification of an unbroken year's residence when applying for naturalisation. This can create problems. One person wrote to me and pointed out that his job involves travelling abroad to represent the company by which he is employed. The qualification to which I refer would make this impossible. The position in respect of this matter must be reconsidered.

I salute the very remarkable judgment of the British Supreme Court. It is quite remarkable that the 11 judges on the court unanimously held that Johnson's proroguing of the UK Parliament was unlawful and that he unlawfully advised the Queen. That is a significant finding and I welcome it strongly.

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