Results 541-560 of 1,040,085 for in 'Dáil debates' OR (speaker:Ciarán Cuffe OR speaker:David Stanton OR speaker:Gino Kenny OR speaker:Louise O'Reilly) in 'Committee meetings'

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Renewable Energy Generation (11 Jul 2024)

Darren O'Rourke: There is a lot in the question and a lot in the answer. At the root of it, however, similar to my colleague, Deputy Quinlivan, is the concern about what we are hearing with regard to the readiness of the industry here, whether we look at ports, planning, the grid or supply chain. It is a statement of fact at this stage to say that none of our phase 1 offshore wind farms will be developed on...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Renewable Energy Generation (11 Jul 2024)

Dara Calleary: I assure the Deputy that we are making very detailed progress in our Department in terms of Powering Prosperity through skills and job and supply chain opportunities. That is acknowledged by the groups with which we are engaging. As the Deputy knows, the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications has responsibility for future auctions and grid development. The Minister,...

Committee on Drugs Use: Decriminalisation, Depenalisation, Diversion and Legalisation: Discussion (Resumed) (11 Jul 2024)

David Stanton: I thank the superintendent for being with us and for his work in this area. We visited Portugal a number of years ago and I met a lot of people there who were involved in this project and the policy, which was very impressive. We had a presentation earlier this week from police from Vancouver and someone from the United States about places where there was decriminalisation. It seemed to...

Committee on Drugs Use: Decriminalisation, Depenalisation, Diversion and Legalisation: Discussion (Resumed) (11 Jul 2024)

David Stanton: Would Mr. Leitão da Silva therefore recommend that if we were to bring in decriminalisation in Ireland that we treat it in a similar way to alcohol, meaning the use of drugs in a public place, as I described earlier, would not be permitted?

Committee on Drugs Use: Decriminalisation, Depenalisation, Diversion and Legalisation: Discussion (Resumed) (11 Jul 2024)

David Stanton: Okay. It seems in Vancouver and Oregon, the use of drugs in public places derailed the decriminalisation. That was what I understood from the presentation earlier in the week. People were very unsettled and upset. There was a description of people being at the beach with their children and somebody next door visibly using drugs.

Committee on Drugs Use: Decriminalisation, Depenalisation, Diversion and Legalisation: Discussion (Resumed) (11 Jul 2024)

David Stanton: That seems to have derailed the thing. When I was in Lisbon all those years ago, I made an inquiry with police officers at the time about how it often appears that if you walk down the street you are offered substances. People approach tourists and others and offer substances in small bags. I was told by the police at the time that a lot of that was bogus, fake and not real.

Committee on Drugs Use: Decriminalisation, Depenalisation, Diversion and Legalisation: Discussion (Resumed) (11 Jul 2024)

David Stanton: A person would not know whether it was or not, but the story here in Ireland is tourists and others are assailed on the streets of Lisbon and other cities with this behaviour. Will Mr. Leitão da Silva comment on that?

Committee on Drugs Use: Decriminalisation, Depenalisation, Diversion and Legalisation: Discussion (Resumed) (11 Jul 2024)

David Stanton: It gives a very poor picture of Lisbon and cities in Portugal for tourists and others here. When it reaches our airwaves, people talk about it and use it as a reason for not decriminalising. They blame decriminalisation for this, and a liberal approach.

Committee on Drugs Use: Decriminalisation, Depenalisation, Diversion and Legalisation: Discussion (Resumed) (11 Jul 2024)

David Stanton: That is fine. I cannot see the clock from here. I thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach.

Committee on Drugs Use: Decriminalisation, Depenalisation, Diversion and Legalisation: Discussion (Resumed) (11 Jul 2024)

Gino Kenny: I thank the commander. It is very refreshing to hear a police officer speaking very frankly about this issue. I have just one question on the illicit market for illegal drugs. Portugal has been more progressive in this regard than Ireland. On the flip side, the illicit market in Ireland is controlled by a number of very violent and powerful criminal gangs. What is the situation in...

Committee on Drugs Use: Decriminalisation, Depenalisation, Diversion and Legalisation: Discussion (Resumed) (11 Jul 2024)

Gino Kenny: I thank Mr. Leitão da Silva.

Committee on Drugs Use: Decriminalisation, Depenalisation, Diversion and Legalisation: Discussion (Resumed) (11 Jul 2024)

David Stanton: The Chair might tell me when my ten minutes are up, as I do not have access to a clock. I welcome our two guests and thank them very much for their thought-provoking and sincere presentations. Dr. Ó Concubhair mentioned the United Nations Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, which mandates signatory states to pursue a criminal justice-led response on drug use and drug markets. I...

Committee on Drugs Use: Decriminalisation, Depenalisation, Diversion and Legalisation: Discussion (Resumed) (11 Jul 2024)

David Stanton: I thank Dr. Ó Conchubhair. As I said earlier to our previous guest, one of the issues about which we learnt earlier this week was that when the use of drugs was decriminalised in British Columbia and Vancouver, and also in parts of the United States, it seemed to initially go too far in that it permitted people to use drugs publicly on the streets straight away, which led to a backlash...

Committee on Drugs Use: Decriminalisation, Depenalisation, Diversion and Legalisation: Discussion (Resumed) (11 Jul 2024)

Gino Kenny: I thank Mr. Glynn and Dr. Ó Concubhair for their opening statements. My first question is for Dr. Ó Concubhair. This debate has probably evolved in the past five or six years in terms of where people are at, both politicians and the public. We have progressed to a point where people are thinking about alternatives to what we have had in the past six decades, which was a complete...

Committee on Drugs Use: Decriminalisation, Depenalisation, Diversion and Legalisation: Discussion (Resumed) (11 Jul 2024)

Gino Kenny: I 100% agree. That is my concern in terms of where this debate is going. Some of us in the committee have those concerns. There is opposition from the top down, and from the bottom up, in terms of where we want to go. When the dust settles on what the committee agrees, the next Government will have to deal with it. There is still huge conservatism among the powers that be, particularly...

Committee on Drugs Use: Decriminalisation, Depenalisation, Diversion and Legalisation: Discussion (Resumed) (11 Jul 2024)

Gino Kenny: My question is about a parallel universe but I will pose it anyway. We all agree alcohol is an accepted drug, whether in Britain or Ireland, for better or for worse. It is accepted, taxed, readily available and marketed very cleverly by alcohol companies. There are obviously health consequences to alcohol consumption, particularly dependency, and it will kill tens of thousands of people,...

Committee on Drugs Use: Decriminalisation, Depenalisation, Diversion and Legalisation: Discussion (Resumed) (11 Jul 2024)

Gino Kenny: Surely the lesson is that the war on drugs has been an absolute failure.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Renewable Energy Generation (11 Jul 2024)

Maurice Quinlivan: I thank the Minister of State. Regarding offshore energy, many companies and people are making great strides already in this field. I commend Shannon-Foynes Port for the work it has done to date and for its Vision 2041 strategy that laid out in detail many of the challenges and potential available from offshore energy, especially in the mid-west region. The port is in proximity to the...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Renewable Energy Generation (11 Jul 2024)

Dara Calleary: I thank the Deputy. I acknowledge his work, the work of the Joint Committee on Enterprise, Trade and Employment and its report on this space in 2023. We are focused on this. Our Department is working through our regional enterprise committees right across the country to identify the opportunities, and especially looking at ports to identify the infrastructure we need. It is vital we are...