Results 181-200 of 354 for likes to work speaker:Michael McDowell

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Criminal Justice Bill 2007: Report Stage (Resumed) (24 Apr 2007)

Michael McDowell: ...conduct of identification parades is of pivotal importance, first, as regards their fairness. That jocose remark of mine a moment ago is significant in the sense that identification parades have to be fair. There is no point in having one that is unfair in its composition. Also, they have to be effective as I know from my practice as a barrister. I recall one incident where the...

Written Answers — Anti-Racism Measures: Anti-Racism Measures (4 Apr 2007)

Michael McDowell: One of the key objectives of my Department is to promote a fair, tolerant and caring society. This includes the development of a broad framework of policies and measures to create and promote an inclusive society and to combat discrimination including racism. In point of fact, Ireland is already to the fore in its promotion and protection of the principles of equality and freedom from...

Written Answers — Immigration Controls: Immigration Controls (4 Apr 2007)

Michael McDowell: I assume the Deputy is referring to arrivals since 1 January 2007 when Bulgaria and Romania joined the European Union. In terms of immigration procedures and controls, all European Union citizens coming to Ireland, including Bulgarian and Romanian nationals, are covered by the European Communities (Free Movement of Persons) (No.2) Regulations 2006 (S.I. No. 656 of 2006). Those Regulations...

Criminal Justice Bill 2007: Report Stage (Resumed) (4 Apr 2007)

Michael McDowell: Deputy Howlin, working on the analogy with the ASBOs, referred to this as a civil order. It is an order consequent on a conviction which distinguishes it from an ASBO. It is like a criminal bankruptcy order.

Criminal Justice Bill 2007: Report Stage (4 Apr 2007)

Michael McDowell: First, I would like to address Deputy Jim O'Keeffe's specific proposals. A working group on sentencing in the courts is currently operating in the Dublin Circuit Court.

Criminal Assets Bureau. (4 Apr 2007)

Michael McDowell: I refer the Deputy to my reply of 22 February 2007 to Priority Question No. 3 in which I dealt with this subject. I set out the following summary points in responding again today to the issue of a more localised Criminal Assets Bureau structure. I have no difficulty in principle with a proposal for more localised CAB bureaux but what must determine our attitude is an assessment of how in...

Criminal Assets Bureau. (4 Apr 2007)

Michael McDowell: I would not like Deputy Cuffe to create the impression that CAB's activities are confined to the city of Dublin, which is not the case. It is active and pursues the proceeds of crime throughout the country. For example, it has been very active on a number of occasions in Deputy Howlin's constituency and has recovered very large sums of money. It is not the case that CAB members are somehow...

Written Answers — Victims of Crime: Victims of Crime (3 Apr 2007)

Michael McDowell: I wish to advise the Deputy that I am fully committed to giving victims of crime a central place in the criminal justice system. The Victims Charter entitled "Victims Charter and Guide to the Criminal Justice System" provides a written framework of rights and entitlements against which crime victims can measure the level and standard of treatment received in their dealings across all sections...

Criminal Justice Bill 2007: Committee Stage (Resumed) (29 Mar 2007)

Michael McDowell: If that were changed to "shall" it would cast a duty on the court to work this out in any particular case. I do not want newspapers to believe they are free to say anything they like about what happens in a District Court, unless a court orders otherwise. I want them to share responsibility in this matter. I will look at it again, but I am happier with "may" there, because it might be...

Criminal Justice Bill 2007: Second Stage (Resumed) (27 Mar 2007)

Michael McDowell: I thank all Deputies who contributed to the debate over the two days last week in the House. Many important and useful points were made and they have all been noted. I was encouraged to see a significant degree of support from all sides in the House for the measures in the Bill. I am not surprised by this as I know all Deputies share a common aim of defeating gangland crime. This Bill...

Criminal Justice Bill 2007: Second Stage (22 Mar 2007)

Michael McDowell: I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." From time to time this House is confronted with issues that go to the heart of our role as national legislators. On such occasions, a courageous response on our part can give leadership and galvanise society into clear and determined action. The Criminal Justice Bill 2007, which I am pleased to introduce today, provides the House with an...

Order of Business (22 Mar 2007)

Michael McDowell: The Deputy's question concerns the register of persons who are working with children legislation. It is not possible to indicate at this stage when that legislation will be published because detailed consideration, with significant advice from the Attorney General, is required to deal with the issues involved, which may well be influenced by the terms of the proposed constitutional...

Seanad: Defamation Bill 2006: Committee Stage (Resumed) (21 Mar 2007)

Michael McDowell: Exactly. Such an accusation must be dealt with more seriously than an idiot store detective challenging one in the wrong as one leaves a supermarket. Different graduations of seriousness exist. One may experience ten minutes of embarrassment and one's neighbours may state, "Did you see Norris? He was stopped coming out of such-and-such a shop." That may be bad but it is completely...

Written Answers — EU Directives: EU Directives (20 Mar 2007)

Michael McDowell: The information requested by the Deputy is set out in the table. I would like to point out that there are no Directives currently overdue for transposition in my Department. EU Measure Transposition date Current position 1 Council Directive 2004/82/EC of 29 April 2004 on the obligation of carriers to communicate passenger data 05/09/2006 The transposition deadline is 6 September 2006....

Order of Business (8 Mar 2007)

Michael McDowell: The people appreciate what we are doing and like to see us working hard.

Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) (Amendment) Bill 2007: Committee and Remaining Stages (6 Mar 2007)

Michael McDowell: I take the point that Deputy Howlin is making. The Deputy and I, along with many others, worked hard over many months at the committee chaired by Deputy Peter Power to develop an agenda for reforming the child protection law. In that context, we appreciated that the law would have to be restated. It is hard to pull it all together because it is spread over a pile of difficult and obscure...

Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) (Amendment) Bill 2007: Second Stage (6 Mar 2007)

Michael McDowell: I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." The primary purpose of this short Bill is to remedy an error in the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 2006. The particular point with which we are dealing was brought to my attention last week by Deputy Rabbitte, for which I thank him. It was a drafting error for which I am politically accountable and regretful. While the error is not as...

Seanad: Defence of Life and Property Bill 2006: Second Stage (28 Feb 2007)

Michael McDowell: I will tell the Senator that. The Government Bill will have extensive definitions of dwellings, curtilages, arrestable offences, harm, property and the like. It will also deal with the meaning of the use of force and will describe what is and is not a use of force and when a threat of force can be reasonable even though the actual use of force might not be. It will also deal with...

Written Answers — Competition Authority Report: Competition Authority Report (22 Feb 2007)

Michael McDowell: I understand that the Deputy is referring to the Competition Authority report on Competition in Legal Services — Solicitors and Barristers, which was published on 11 December 2006. The Report makes twenty-nine recommendations, the key ones being that: the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform should bring forward legislation to establish a Legal Services Commission, which would...

Criminal Assets Bureau. (22 Feb 2007)

Michael McDowell: ...forefront of the fight against organised crime including drug trafficking in this jurisdiction since its inception in 1996. In that 11 year period the manner in which the bureau operates has come to be viewed, both domestically and internationally, as a successful model for targeting persons seeking to derive profits from criminal activities. In recent days I took the occasion to discuss...