Results 221-240 of 1,036,486 for in 'Dáil debates' OR in 'Committee meetings' (speaker:Michael McNamara OR speaker:Joe O'Brien OR speaker:Steven Matthews)

Offences against the State (Amendment) Act 1998 and Criminal Justice (Amendment) Act 2009: Motions (25 Jun 2024)

Seán Ó Fearghaíl: I call Deputy Connolly, sharing with Deputy Pringle.

Offences against the State (Amendment) Act 1998 and Criminal Justice (Amendment) Act 2009: Motions (25 Jun 2024)

Thomas Pringle: I will go first. As I have said many times, it is absolutely farcical that we are forced to debate and extend these Acts year after year. It undermines the House and our justice system to keep working off emergency legislation on a permanent basis. This rubber-stamping exercise is just one of the many undemocratic practices that this Government insists on continuously engaging in. I have...

Offences against the State (Amendment) Act 1998 and Criminal Justice (Amendment) Act 2009: Motions (25 Jun 2024)

Catherine Connolly: I will not agree to the renewal of this legislation. As my colleague said, it is an insult to democracy. I have three minutes and 15 seconds. I cannot do justice or carry out my role as a TD in examining this legislation, seeing what it is based on and deciding on the need for it. Therefore, I relied on what the Government did. It set up an independent review. I have taken the trouble...

Offences against the State (Amendment) Act 1998 and Criminal Justice (Amendment) Act 2009: Motions (25 Jun 2024)

Mick Barry: "There is no jury at the Special Criminal Court and it accepts secret evidence from gardaí. This is in violation of our right to a fair trial, our right to trial by jury and our right to equality before the law." Those are the words of the Irish Council for Civil Liberties, ICCL, which is far from the only human rights organisation that has criticised the Offences against the State...

Offences against the State (Amendment) Act 1998 and Criminal Justice (Amendment) Act 2009: Motions (25 Jun 2024)

Patricia Ryan: I welcome the opportunity to speak on this matter. I recognise the work that went into the review on the modernisation of our criminal justice laws, but to be brutally honest, there is little or no point in doing this until this Government provides sufficient garda numbers to enforce the laws. It is a missed opportunity. The Government has had this, but it has continued to sit on its hands...

Offences against the State (Amendment) Act 1998 and Criminal Justice (Amendment) Act 2009: Motions (25 Jun 2024)

Cathal Berry: I very much welcome the opportunity to make some brief comments and contribute to this very important debate. I will say at the outset that I am very much in favour of renewing these two really important Acts for another 12 months, namely, the Offences against the State Act 1998 and the Criminal Justice (Amendment) Act 2009. I do so for the following reasons. First, they are the very...

Offences against the State (Amendment) Act 1998 and Criminal Justice (Amendment) Act 2009: Motions (25 Jun 2024)

Seán Ó Fearghaíl: I call Deputy Richard O'Donoghue, who is sharing time with his colleagues.

Offences against the State (Amendment) Act 1998 and Criminal Justice (Amendment) Act 2009: Motions (25 Jun 2024)

Richard O'Donoghue: At the outset, I want to address the lack of policing in this country. In the interim, would it not be possible for gardaí who have retired and who have left the Garda to be brought back on a part-time basis for a certain number of hours so that it would not interfere with their retirement packages? This would mean that specialists, who were trained in the field, could deal with...

Offences against the State (Amendment) Act 1998 and Criminal Justice (Amendment) Act 2009: Motions (25 Jun 2024)

Seán Ó Fearghaíl: Deputy Paul Murphy is sharing time with Deputy Barry.

Offences against the State (Amendment) Act 1998 and Criminal Justice (Amendment) Act 2009: Motions (25 Jun 2024)

Paul Murphy: People should be concerned about how easily, quickly and smoothly this House passes severe restrictions on people's civil liberties year after year, extending supposed emergency powers and denying people basic human rights. There are two and a bit hours of debate, a couple of votes and off we go for another year until we repeat this farce again. We should identify what this debate is about....

Offences against the State (Amendment) Act 1998 and Criminal Justice (Amendment) Act 2009: Motions (25 Jun 2024)

Catherine Murphy: This annual motion without change happening in between continues to be completely unsatisfactory. Last year's debate occurred very shortly after the independent review that resulted in both the minority and majority reports being published. That review had been ongoing since 2021, as the Minister stated. The six-member group voted four-two - majority-minority. The independent review group...

Offences against the State (Amendment) Act 1998 and Criminal Justice (Amendment) Act 2009: Motions (25 Jun 2024)

Ruairi Ó Murchú: We have had a review of and reports on the Offences Against the State Acts. Everyone supports streamlined legislation that is updated, that is fit for purpose, that is permanent and that deals with what this State faces as opposed to emergency legislation. A considerable number of my colleagues have spoken about the scourge of drug crime and organised crime and about what our communities...

Offences against the State (Amendment) Act 1998 and Criminal Justice (Amendment) Act 2009: Motions (25 Jun 2024)

Maurice Quinlivan: The proposal to renew the Offences against the State (Amendment) Act is another missed opportunity. Last year we had a review that recommended the repeal of the legislation and its replacement with permanent and modern legislation that would be fit for purpose, but here we are again. Unfortunately, the threat posed by organised crime and violence associated with large-scale drug...

Offences against the State (Amendment) Act 1998 and Criminal Justice (Amendment) Act 2009: Motions (25 Jun 2024)

Éamon Ó Cuív: I welcome the opportunity to make a contribution to this debate. Unfortunately, I did not get an opportunity to read the report placed before the House but I will certainly do so because I hope it will be very informative. In the speech the Minister gave here today, she said that "The report also provides a brief assessment of the security situation" before going on to outline that there...

Offences against the State (Amendment) Act 1998 and Criminal Justice (Amendment) Act 2009: Motions (25 Jun 2024)

Mark Ward: The Government has sat on its hands when it comes to reform of the Special Criminal Court. It has sat on the review for more than a year. There is no sign of any progress. We need a more modern understanding of the threats to the security of the State that originate from organised criminal gangs. We need action and we need reform. I do not see how laws created in the 1940s can possibly...

Offences against the State (Amendment) Act 1998 and Criminal Justice (Amendment) Act 2009: Motions (25 Jun 2024)

Thomas Gould: I normally welcome the opportunity to speak on legislation. It is a very important part of our democratic process. However, it is beyond belief that we are here once again reviewing emergency powers that were put in place five decades ago. The emergency was declared over in 1995 with the signing of the Good Friday Agreement. Twenty-six years later the Government announced a review. This...

Offences against the State (Amendment) Act 1998 and Criminal Justice (Amendment) Act 2009: Motions (25 Jun 2024)

Ivana Bacik: I express my thoughts and good wishes to all those who have been victims or survivors of atrocities on this island. In particular, as the Minister said, I think of the victims of the Omagh bombing, that horrific bombing that took place in 1998. All of us of course want to ensure there is no return to violence and atrocities on the island. Before I speak to the motion, I declare my...

Offences against the State (Amendment) Act 1998 and Criminal Justice (Amendment) Act 2009: Motions (25 Jun 2024)

Seán Ó Fearghaíl: Sorry, the Deputy cannot move the Labour Party amendment until the earlier amendment moved by Sinn Féin has been dealt with.

Offences against the State (Amendment) Act 1998 and Criminal Justice (Amendment) Act 2009: Motions (25 Jun 2024)

Ivana Bacik: Tomorrow night on the-----

Offences against the State (Amendment) Act 1998 and Criminal Justice (Amendment) Act 2009: Motions (25 Jun 2024)

Seán Ó Fearghaíl: When that amendment has been dealt with, the Deputy can move hers.